http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-2335786/The-extreme-weight-loss-method-The-dieters-having-patch-sewn-tongues-make-eating-unbearably-painful.htmlA plastic patch sewn which is sewn onto the tongue and makes it very difficult to eat is the latest in extreme weight-loss methods.
The 'miracle' patch, which is secured to the tongue with six stitches, makes consuming solid food so painful that users are forced to resort to a liquid-only diet.
Launched in 2009 by Beverly Hills plastic surgeon Nikolas Chugay, the procedure can apparently help you lose up to 30lbs in one month - but not without uncomfortable side effects.
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'Miracle' tongue patch
Diet trend: A 'miracle' patch that is sewn onto the tongue for a month is the latest extreme weight-loss technique. The pain of eating solid foods with the patch forces wearers to consume only liquids
Dr Chugay's website warns that patients may experience swelling of the tongue and difficulty with speech after getting the patch.
And according to Time, some patients have trouble sleeping and difficulty moving their tongue at all following the procedure, which has yet to be FDA-approved.
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What's more, the patch can only be worn for a maximum of one month, since after that time, the tongue's tissue begins to grow back, and the patch can then become incorporated into the tongue.
But during that month, Dr Chugay provides an 'easy to follow' liquid diet of 800 calories a day, which 'fulfills nutritional needs' and 'maximizes weight loss results', according to his website.
The postage stamp-sized patch is made from marlex, a plastic that is commonly used as mesh to repair hernias, and is also the principal material used to make Hula Hoops.
'Miracle' tongue patch
Inventor: Beverly Hills plastic surgeon Nikolas Chugay launched the patch in 2009, and he claims patients can lose up to 30lbs in just one month
The procedure costs $2,000 at Dr Chugay's Los Angeles clinic, where he said he has performed it on just over 60 women since 2009.
But in Venezuela, which boasts the largest beauty industry per capita in the world, women can get the patch for just $150.
Ana Maria Parra, who works at a clinic in Caracas, told Time she has seen upwards of 900 clients a month since she began offering the procedure in 2011.
Giovanni Sosa works at a different Caracas-based practice that has offered the surgery to eager patients for the past nine months.
'Venezuelans are very beauty-conscious,' he said.
'So when we offer something that shows concrete results, people will put that before its extreme nature.'
Indeed, according to Time, the average Venezuelan woman spends 20per cent of her annual income on cosmetics and beauty treatments, many of which are paid for by bank loans.
Yomaira Jaspe, a Venezuelan woman who recently underwent the procedure, said she felt like it was the only effective weight-loss option for her.
'I don't have the willpower to go on a diet, so this was the only way,' she explained.
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