Farmington Hills resident Mimi, an Assyrian American.

DEARBORN — Rhinoplasty. Lipo. Botox. Lip injections. Butt implants.

The Kardashians are not the only staples at cosmetic surgery facilities. 

Arab Americans have made cosmetic surgery a booming industry in the metro Detroit region–and that’s evident by the ever-morphing appearance of many adults in the local community.

In recent years, Arab women have been treating themselves to routine cosmetic enhancements. 

Take 42-year-old Farmington Hills resident Mimi as an example. An Assyrian American and mother of four, Mimi has been open about her procedures for quite some time. 

She told The AANews that since she had breast augmentation done 11 years ago, she’s discovered the benefits of cosmetic modifications.

“When I did my breast augmentation, it was like ‘wow,'” Mimi said. “I was 5’8, really curvy but had a flat chest. I was insecure about myself. The surgery was a good investment. I was one of the few Arab women that did it back then and I was open about it. I tell every woman to do whatever makes them feel comfortable and happy.”

Since undergoing her life-altering procedure, Mimi said she’s returned to the doctor’s for more improvements. She’s since gotten lip injections, Botox and fillers in her face. 

Mimi said people sometimes criticize her obvious make-overs. Some have told her she looks too “Botoxed”, while others have questioned her new plump lips.

“I had somebody who I hadn’t seen in 19 years tell me, ‘Oh my God, you did your lips. You looked better before,'” Mimi said. “Everybody has different opinions. And I hear a lot of negative comments, but you get good compliments too. You can’t satisfy everyone. At the end of the day you can only satisfy yourself.”

Mimi is focused on her career as a professional make up artist. She believes looking vibrant and young is essential in her field of work. She is constantly updating her Instagram page (mimig74) with beauty tips and does make up for clients by appointment.

Mimi said a lot of people in her social circle have undergone various types of cosmetic procedures and most of them have been satisfied with the results.

“Everybody is doing it,” Mimi said. “My ex boyfriend and I used to go get Botox together. And I felt that after we broke up, he did his lips too.”

Houra (not her real name), a 29-year-old Dearborn resident, had her nose done five years ago. And she’s not afraid to tell people that she did it for the sole intention of enhancing her appearance.

“I wanted to have a nice profile,” Houra said. “I thought that it would make me look more feminine. I am satisfied with the results, but the procedure was very painful.”

While Houra had been blessed with a successful operation, she knows of many local Arab women who weren’t so fortunate. 

“My mom one time got fillers in her cheeks and they were swollen for three months because the lady overdosed the cc’s in her cheeks,” Houra said.

She said one of her friends had gotten nose surgery on three different occasions, with the intention of making it as small as possible. Doctors warned her friend that her desired nose would not work well with her bone structure.

“After her third nose job, her cartilage started collapsing,” Houra said. “Now she has to take cartilage out of her ear to reconstruct her nose, because the last doctor made it too small. She literally can’t breathe.”

Houra noted that celebrity and Instagram culture is the driving factor for why so many Arab women are flocking to their local plastic surgeons.

“I think it’s an epidemic with both the younger and older generation,” she said. “The young generation is trying to emulate Hollywood celebrities and Instagram models, while the older country people look to Lebanese celebrities who are doing it. There are different idols for different age groups. But they are all trying to obtain that celebrity look.” 

Amal (not her real name), a manager at a local cosmetic surgery office, told The AANews that procedures such as Botox, lip injections and cheek fillers have been growing rapidly in popularity. 

“The popular trend right now is non-invasive things,” Amal said. “You don’t have to go in for surgery. You don’t need to be put under. It’s a quick easy fix. And it’s much cheaper.” 

Amal noted that the office she works at has a diverse client base. It includes Muslim women, Muslim men, and an age range spanning from young adults to senior citizens. 

“There’s no discrimination when it comes to these procedures,” she added. “It attracts everybody. When I started there I was surprised to see older Muslim women in hijab come in for Botox and lip injections. But it’s very common. We have guys come in all the time too.”

Amal said that the Kardashians have set the bar high for many young women in the community, spawning a trend for lip injections and butt implants. She noted that women constantly come to the office and request to have their lips done like Kylie Jenner, the youngest sister of the reality-TV family.

However, many times cosmetic technicians will have to impose a reality on patients who have high expectations.

“They normally always want more done than we recommend,” she said. “They want an exaggerated look. Our office tries to keep it somewhat natural looking. But there’s always that person that wants more. They want a miracle. But we can’t make you look like a whole different person. We can only make an improvement.”

Botox black market

Shimran Daoud, an Iraqi American medical surgical nurse, who runs the Zara Cosmetic Center in Dearborn, is warning the community about a growing Botox black market that is botching the appearance of vulnerable women. 

Daoud said she often receives clients who’ve undergone Botox or lip injection treatments that went horribly wrong, by people who were administrating the procedures without a license. 

“People don’t know it’s illegal to inject and practice medicine with no license,” Daoud said. “They are buying the Botox off the black market and saying they have a certificate. Anybody can print a certificate off the Internet.”

Daoud said many housewives are advertising the procedure on social media. What they don’t realize is the severe penalty that comes with conducting a facial operation without a state-approved license.

Offenders can be fined up to $10,000 or face prison time. Daoud worries that un-licensed individuals leading these types of procedures can prompt the spread of Hepatitis or HIV. 

“A lot of housewives are doing it in their basements,” she said. “And who knows if they are even using a clean needle? They don’t know these things. One call to the Health Department and they can be in the hall of shame.”

Daoud recalls one recent example of a 21-year-old Arab woman who got a lip injection administered by someone who was un-licensed. The young woman did not even receive a brochure or an information packet about the procedure.

And the final result was a horror show. Her lips had ballooned beyond what she had envisioned.

“She was so depressed that she stopped breast feeding her baby,” Daoud said. “Her husband was very upset with how she looked. There wasn’t even any proof that she went to someone’s house to get her lips done. She didn’t even know what they injected in her.”

Daoud is calling for the state to pass regulations on these quick and easy cosmetic fixes.

“Everyone wants to look young,” she said. “But instead, people are getting deformed lips, deformed faces and they are injecting their own fillers. It’s illegal to inject silicone in the face and lips. They are not physicians or doctor. They don’t know where the muscles of the face are. They cannot be doing this.”