Pocyline Karani and Crystal Okusa

WHILE her peers were still experimenting with padded bras to achieve a fuller bust, at 16 she had already matured into a C-cup in less than a year.

This was the genesis of Wahu Waihumbu’s agonising journey of endowment with what she calls ‘Dolly Parton breasts’.

She says: "It was a horrifying experience to both my mother and I, especially since I was just in Form Two. It bothered me that I stood out from the rest of my friends, endured a lot of teasing from boys and grown ups alike and the frustration of finding fitting bras was wearisome".

Safety pins came in handy to support the bras.

As her breasts continued to bulge and become too heavy for her lean frame, Wahu got concerned.

"It was a challenge helping in house chores as I had to endure excruciating lower back pains. Then some lumps formed and my breats begun oozing some fluid with stains of blood. That was the red flag to see a doctor," says Wahu.

Five years later, she went under a surgeon’s knife to reduce her boobs.

Today, the Fourth Year Bachelor of Education student at Kenyatta University is bustling with joy for a job well done. She says her perfectly rounded boobs are her mark of beauty, not to mention how well they complement her slender figure.

Wahu’s successful procedure, done at Kenyatta National Hospital for Sh25,000, is one of several untold stories of the swelling trends in cosmetic surgery in the country. An increasing number of women are doing it for aesthetic reasons; but for some, it is purely health-based.

Dr Loise Kahoro (who was on the team of surgeons that operated on Wahu) says breast reduction is the most popular of all cosmetic procedures women are undertaking.

"The ideal weight of a woman’s breasts is dependent on her height, body structure and size. Anything that causes a stoop and back pain qualifies one for breast reduction," says Kahoro.

Commenting on the secretions that characterised Wahu’s case, Kahoro says: "This is an anomalous condition because instead of the milk ducts secreting milk, they secret fluids of various viscosities, which signals infection".

Wahu regrets that doctors initially imagined she was on contraceptives, which may have triggered the abnormal breast growth. She recalls walking with a stoop with her shoulders curved forward.

A prognosis revealed veins and extensive stretch marks from the excess weight at the chest.

Says Kahoro: "Her case was urgent. We needed to save her from severe back pains and restore her self esteem".

Dr Stanley Khainga, a Nairobi based consultant Plastic and Reconstructive Surgeon says the growing middle class who have spare money and a continual barrage of western images of beauty are willing to go under a surgeon’s knife.

"Not too long ago, such trends were common among Asian women but African women are fast catching up. In my clinic alone, I have conducted more than 50 extra procedures this year compared to the same period last year," says Khainga.

He estimates that the number of women undergoing plastic surgery has trippled this year.

But because the Kenya Society of Plastic and Reconstructive Aesthetic Surgery was registered a year ago, proper statistics will be available by the end of this year, when surgeons meet to compare notes.

"Interestingly, we are not only catering for the local demand but the larger Eastern African region. Inquiries from Kenyans in the Diaspora as well as foreigners have also risen," adds Khainga.

He says that private hospitals charge between Sh80,000 and Sh260,000 depending on how extensive the surgery is.

Most fascinating, cosmetic procedures are no longer hushed. A blogger’s site dubbed, African Expat Wives Club, whose members are mainly black women of European and American origin hail Kenyan hospitals for ‘pleasing results’ that they produce.

One woman tells of the satisfaction she felt after she underwent the procedure here and even recommends several Kenyan hospitals for "...boob jobs and tummy tucks for a fraction of the prices charged in the western world".

She says: "A couple of people have been very happy with the results! So those in search of reduced costs can try the developing world! You might be pleasantly surprised".

Mumbi, 39, a nurse, tells of how ten years ago she had a breast reduction for Sh224,000 in the US, where she lived and worked. They were too big and unbearably heavy.

"Three weeks ago I started feeling pain and an itch in my boobs. I took painkillers to ease the pain, but a day later, I woke up to a swollen left boob and left hand. Fearing that it was cancer, I went to hospital to confirm. I was examined and the doctor told me it was an infection caused by gaining weight. The tissues expand and get bruised. I was warned before the operation that I was to maintain my weight. If nothing changes soon then I have to go for another operation," she narrates her experience.

Mumbi advises that women with big busts should wear padded bras — they offer better support and keep them from sagging.

For Penina Ngari, a 38-year-old mother of two, hers was a frustrating ordeal that began 13 years ago. She says she had to endure a heavy bust, a bra that dug into her shoulders and persistent back pains.

"After my first delivery, my breasts begun to grow bigger by the day. Breastfeeding became a nightmare for fear of suffocating my baby," says Ngari, a businesswoman and lecturer at a Nairobi university.

The arrival of her second bundle of joy added to her sorrows — one of her breast grew larger than the other.

She notes that the discomfort also affected intimacy, but is grateful that her husband was very supportive throughout the period.

"I couldn’t dress in sexy lingerie or beautiful dresses and it was not until after a period of soul searching and a friend’s persistent prodding that I had breast reduction and augmentation," says Ngari.

The doctor extracted excess fat weighing half a kilogramme from her left breast and a lesser amount from the right one.

Breast asymmetry is a common occurrence, as Dr Khainga, who did the surgery on Penina, says. Mild cases can be improved by adding more saline to the implant in the smaller breast. In severe cases, different sized implants or expandable implants (injecting more saline over several months) plus a lift of the larger breast will do.

Khainga adds that breast augmentation (enlargement) cases have also become common. "I have two clients who will soon be arriving from Uganda for further augmentation. One had a successful enlargement but now wants them enlarged further," says Khainga from his Aga Khan Hospital Doctors’ Plaza office.

He is in the process of shipping in the revolutionary laser machine for a minimised or non-visible scar.

"Because the new procedure is conducted through the nipple, unsightly ‘anchor’ scars are very unlikely. An inverted T-incision is made on the breast, to remove excess tissue from below, lifting the areola (dark area around nipple), then stitching the breast to a perkier and more youthful look," said the surgeon.

In the event that the breast is excessively large, nipple grafting can be done. The technique ensures appropriate lifting, while preserving the nerves. It also avoids messing up with the milk duct.

Both Wahu and Penina regained their nipple sensitivity within one to two months.