Makeovers Over the Edge
Reporter: Andrew Bourke
Broadcast Date: July 16, 2007
Meet Australia's extreme makeover queens, who have spent a combined $250,000 to 'look a million dollars'. Is it an obsession, or just a decision? Francis Setty has worked on her body for six years and had 15 surgical procedures, even selling a property to fund the work. "I have spent approximately $100,000 to make my body the way it is today," Frances said. "It is curvaceous, I have not got any loose skin on my body, and I am happy with the result." "A lot of people did put me down, years ago, saying that I was vain, that you didn't need it. They didn't see my body undressed. I saw it."
You may also remember Christa Bradley, the self-made, $100,000 woman. She is at it again - her latest adjustments scooping her the crown as the most cosmetically-transformed person in the country. "Hair transplant, brow lift, ears pinched back, Botox lower facelift, neck," Christa listed. To make Christa what she is today has taken 29 operations and 62 cosmetic procedures, all for the staggering cost of $178,800. A lot of Christa's work has been done on the cheap in Asia, but she is so impressed with the work that she has started her own business luring other Aussie women to the same Bangkok surgeons, all operating at budget prices. "The lower facelift was $3-4,000," Christa said. "Here [in Australia] $8,000 to $25,000."
Frances Setty's body work has been just as extreme, which includes eight breast augmentations, a tummy tuck, an inner thigh lift, arm tightening, a facelift and two liposuction, not to mention countless Botox treatments. And next in line: a Brazilian butt lift. Grant Brecht is a leading psychiatrist who says he has seen the devastating consequences when people are so obsessed by their looks they develop an addiction to plastic surgery. "It is an incredibly expensive addiction and it can cost people their houses, it can cost them their marriage," Mr Brecht said. "Because they are spending the money, they can go into huge amounts of debt. Some people will embezzle money from their workplace in order to keep the addiction going, so it can have dire effects." But for Frances, the work is not over with plastic surgery. She still hits the gym 2-3 hours per day. And she has this advice for all those women who may not be totally satisfied with their looks; "Of course there is hope." "Look, I was 135kg. There is hope there. You never, ever give up."
Courtesy: Today Tonight on Yahoo!7.