An Interview with June Wee

4th June 2009

June, voted as one of Singapore's hottest women by several local magazines, as well as one of the most famous bloggers in Singapore who gets thousands of unique visitors a day, never fails to dazzle in the limelight. However, due to her hectic working schedules - she models, acts and recently started working full time in an MNC - she almost did not have the time to work out. This resulted in a figure which was less than ideal, which she used to have. She knew that the only way to get back her ideal shape was through exercise and healthy diet, hence she sought help from Dr. Arthur Tjandra, at Elixir de Vie Anti-Aging Solutions. To get June started, Dr. Tjandra agreed to perform liposuction on her abdomen and thighs, fat transfer to the hips, as well as sculpt her waist and flanks to give her the hour-glass figure she has been yearning for. After that, June promises to follow a strict exercise and diet program which will help her lose fat further and maintain her new svelte figure. As she was also troubled by her protruding ears, Dr. Tjandra helped to correct them by performing a pin-back otoplasty.

Here is the excerpt of an interview with June Wee:

What is your impression of Elixir de Vie?

I have tried various methods of fad diets previously. They worked for a while, but after that I regained back all the fat I have lost. I also engaged a personal trainer, but it didn't seem to work. When I was chatting with a friend, I was recommended to see Dr. Arthur Tjandra. Not only is he a sports medicine physician and nutritionist, but he is also a board-certified anti-aging medicine doctor and a cosmetic surgeon. After talking to many of his previous patients, I learned that Dr. Tjandra approached things differently. One of his interests is weight management. He combines his knowledge in various subspecialties in internal medicine, with sports medicine and nutrition to provide the best advice and programs for his patients. When I went to see a surgeon, he offered me liposuction, and nothing else. Six months down the road, I would regain my fat, and he would happily redo lipo for me again. When I went to see a GP, he asked me to exercise and diet without telling me exactly how. Dr. Tjandra actually went through all the details of how to exercise the right way and what kind of healthy diet I should adopt. Hence, I highly respect him. He sees me as a person, and his approach is holistic. He doesn't see me as a chunk of meat which needs to be lipo-ed.

Aren't you afraid of what the public is going to say? Like how they accuse Dawn Yang of going under the knife?

Cosmetic surgery is such a common practice nowadays. Singaporeans are still pretty conservative. But, if you go to Korea, or Japan, almost everyone has had some forms of cosmetic surgery. People in big cities like LA or New York realize that it is imperative for them to look good to win the jobs/contracts/clients which they have been going after. In China, with more than 1 billion population, and so many people who have equivalent educational background and experience, what makes you stand out from the rest of your competitors? Definitely the way you look! I'm not afraid to tell the world that I have gone under the knife. By taking care and wanting to care for my looks, I prove that I'm a responsible person. Research has shown that people who care about how they look also tend to take better care of their health. These people tend to live better and longer lives, are more confident and more successful in their lives. Besides, liposuction and correcting protruding ears are really no big deals!

You went to Indonesia for your surgeries. Aren't you afraid? We heard most Indonesians come to Singapore for medical and surgical treatments. But you went to Indonesia instead!

Why should I? I fully trust my doctor. For your information, Dr. Arthur Tjandra is also a doctor in Singapore. He was trained in US, UK, Australia and Singapore and has been practicing in Singapore for almost 10 years before relocating back to his hometown in Indonesia. So, there's no question about his qualifications and experience. You can check his credentials on his website. Besides, it makes more sense to go to Indonesia for surgeries now, during bad time like this. Compared to what other surgeons are charging in Singapore, his charges are around 1/5 only! If you book your flight early, return airfares on Valuair cost only $100. And Medan is just one hour away from Singapore. It's like driving to JB. So, why not save, if you can save? People are going to JB to fill up their tanks. Why can't we do the same for cosmetic surgery? Morever, you are not compromising quality of medical care. After all, he's trained in Singapore! His clinic even provides rooms for patients to stay!

Could you tell us about his clinic?

You won't even believe it's a clinic! It's like a mini hospital to me. In Singapore, where can you find a doctor practicing solo in a 3-storey building, with 3 operating rooms, a pharmacy, a gym, 9 facial treatment and massage rooms, 5 guest rooms and a roof-top garden? The moment I stepped into the waiting area, it seemed like a completely different world, a stark difference from Medan airport. All the staff were very helpful and friendly. The doctor stays in the clinic, so he is available 24 hours a day! I would say the service is superb!!

Could you tell us about your experience during the surgeries?

Well, I arrived at Medan airport with my mother and brother at 7 plus in the morning. As it was election day in Indonesia, the doctor came to pick us up himself. After having breakfast at his clinic and rested for a while, a nurse brought me to change, weighed me, did a body composition analysis and measured my blood pressure. Then we went into his consultation room. He explained to me the procedure in details. I was given a few pills, then had my body marked. Dr. Tjandra told me where he would remove fat and where he would transfer fat. Apparently, he was trying to sculpt an hour-glass figure for me! After that, I was brought into the operating room. It was huge and cozy! He had salsa music playing at the background. I was given a few injections and felt drowsy. I couldn't really remember what happened afterwards. But I was told that I sang "Majulah Singapura" and read the pledge in Mandarin! When I was more awake I watched as Dr. Tjandra sucked out my fat moving his hand backwards and forwards. I did not feel anything most of the time, except for occasional uncomfortable feeling when he poked deeper. Eventually Dr. Tjandra asked me to stand up in front of a big mirror and asked me to look into it. He asked whether I was satisfied. I told him that I thought my thighs were still huge. He laid me down on the table and proceeded to lipo more from the thighs. I was asked to stand up again later. After confirming that I was pleased, and making me turn around to look at my back, he took off his gloves and the nurses proceeded to clean me up. The operation lasted 3 hours. Overall it was quite good. I rested in my room for the rest of the day. By the next day, I was already out shopping. The post-operative stage was much more painful than during the surgery. I have aching all over my body, as if I had been kicked and punched. Nevertheless, I still managed to go to shopping mall, although I walked like a robot.

I had otoplasty on the 3rd day of my stay. The surgery was quite fast, lasting less than an hour, and I did not feel any pain during the surgery. However, the post-operative stage once the local anesthesia wore off, was quite painful. The pain gradually built up and peaked at night. I have been warned that the most painful period would be during the first 24 hours after the surgery, but I didn't expect it to be so painful. Luckily the doctor prescribed me some more painkillers and helped me compress with ice. The next day, the pain has disappeared completely, and I was already enjoying myself at a theme park in Brastagi.

I flew back to Singapore on the 5th day. By then I was already walking quite normally, carrying my own luggage. I went back to work the very next day.

Lastly, what else would you like to tell our readers as your parting words?

Never hesitate to go under the knife because you're afraid what others might say about you. After all you only live once. You have to be in charge of your own life. Don't let others control your life. When you look good, you feel good. When you feel good, you also appear confident. When you exude confidence, people will like you more and respect you. People who exude confidence also tend to be more successful in work, relationships, and marriages.

Click here, to read June Wee's interview with Lianhe Wanbao on 4th June 2009.

Here are some photos taken prior to and immediately after June's surgeries:

Read June's account 1 year after her surgeries: here