Call it body modification, improvement or enhancement; the truth is that the craze by many Nigerian ladies to alter their bodies, all in the bid to get that elusive ‘perfect look’ has reached an insane level. Many of them would even go under the knife just to achieve that banging body, the one in similitude with Nicki Minaj, Shakira or Beyonce. Recently, there was an uproar on Twitter on June 2nd, 2022 after a Nigerian lady, Christabel, reportedly dies in a Lagos hospital through a body enhancement procedure. The uproar started when a certain Twitter handle, @poshcupcake_1, called out the hospital over the death of her friend. According to her, the hospital kept mute about Christabel’s death and didn’t find it needful to contact any of Christabel’s relatives. In the series of tweets that went viral, @poshcupcake_1 disclosed that a few friends who knew Crystabel had gone for surgery decided to go to the hospital to check on the late Christabel after they felt she was supposed to have returned. The Twitter user also alleged that the deceased complained of bleeding after the surgery, but the doctor assured the victim it was a usual post-surgery symptom. Barely five days after Christabel’s death, the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reported another death involving a socialite, Temitope, following complications from a gastric bypass surgery – one intended to shrink the size of her stomach. Channels Television had also reported that a 29-year-old Omotola Taiwo nearly lost her life after a botched surgical procedure in January 2020. In February 2019, Nigerians were also hit with the sad news of the death of a beauty queen, Onwuzuligbo Nneka. She died following a botched cosmetic surgery to get her buttocks enlarged. ThisDayLive reported that a Lagos-based surgeon, Dr Anu Adepoju who usually hires foreign doctors to help her out with surgeries, decided to personally do the procedure on the late Nneka, but things got complicated and it led to Nneka’s death. Tracing these incidences underscore the rising craze for cosmetic surgery and its potential dangers; yet, stories abound in Nigeria of those who had had successful operations to have their dream bodies. Nollywood actress, Tonto Dike has been quite vocal about some of her body enhancement procedures. She would not be ashamed of modifying her body. According to her, she had conquered the stereotype and stigma that goes with it and then, broken away from the norm. In her post captured on ThisDayLive of 28th February 2021, she was quoted thus, “Where are the aprokos that said surgery is not good ooo? May my old body be your portion, rolling eyes…If I slap you, your eyes will shift.” It may sound funny trying to imagine her countenance and tone of voice as she rolled her eyes and seemingly shifted one’s eyes with a slap. But then, this shows she has owned her decisions with her full chest. However, the story is different for other ladies who had had similar surgical procedures but would talk about it in hushed tones to avoid being stigmatized. They usually use exercise and dietary plans as smoke screens to account for their magical body transformation. Little wonder netizens would wake up to the news of one socialite or Nollywood celebrity who has gained a curvy and hour-glass figure overnight. But beyond the stereotype and stigma, stories like these might indicate cosmetic surgery has come to stay in Nigeria despite the risks. Body modification procedures are fast-growing in Nigeria and it’s seemingly making up for lost time given their popularity and acceptance. As widely reported, the rise of cosmetic surgery among Nigerian women can be traced to Modupe Ozolua. TheGuardian reported that in 2001, the American-Nigerian philanthropist and entrepreneur launched her plastic surgery company, ‘Body Enhancement Limited.’ She would later follow it up with an aesthetic lasers business in 2007. As of today, facilities that handle cosmetic surgeries have sprung up in major Nigerian cities giving credence to the rise of the body aesthetic business in Nigeria. It is alleged some medical facilities even became popular for rendering free surgeries to ladies who had over 11,000 social media followers and are willing to post online their surgical procedures with their faces revealed. What used to be a guarded secret and exclusive reserve among the rich and famous, has now become trending. This is why poorly qualified practitioners are taking advantage of vulnerable and desperate patients, and this increases the risks involved with having body enhancement procedures. The most popular of these procedures include liposuction, butt enlargement, abdominoplasty and breast job. During liposuction, excess fat is removed to improve body contours. For butt enlargement, liposuction is used to transfer fat to the buttocks to make it larger. Abdominoplasty (or tummy tuck) is done to improve the shape and appearance of the abdomen. For the breast job, it can involve breast augmentation or breast reduction. For breast augmentation, it is a procedure carried out if a woman feels her breast are too small, if one breast is larger than the other or if she feels her breasts have sagged due to pregnancy or breastfeeding. Breast reduction however is mostly done if a woman has large and heavy breasts. Most times, breast reduction help provide relief from physical discomfort, while breast augmentation more often improves aesthetic appearance. Other body enhancement procedures involve the use of injectables to achieve augmented cheeks and lips. Wrinkles and signs of ageing can also be removed from the face via a facelift procedure called Rhytidectomy. Some ladies also insert seasoning cubes into their anus to get their buttocks enlarged. Some reasons these ladies enhance their appearance are to get the aesthetic appeal and to build self-confidence. This is probably the only way they can conquer the body-shaming blows they receive daily. There is also the obsession some ladies have with perfection as well as the desire to look like their favourite celebrities they see every day on their screen. The use of filters by these Instagram celebrities has