Content creator Bheki Ndamase, known online as FriBheki, shares what his lipo-360 and gynecomastia surgery cost, what recovery is really like and why he did it.
Content creator, podcaster and MC Bheki Ndamase, known online as FriBheki, spoke candidly about his cosmetic surgery during a TikTok live. Picture: Instagram, @dearbheki
Award-winning content creator, podcaster, MC and influencer Bheki Ndamase has taken his followers inside one of the more personal decisions of his career: surgically reshaping his body.
Known online as FriBheki or Dear Bheki, Ndamase said during a recent TikTok live that he underwent liposuction (lipo-360) as well as a second procedure (mamaplasty) to address gynecomastia, a condition he says he has lived with his whole life.
For him, the surgery was about more than aesthetics. He said it was meant to motivate him to get back to the gym, and to stop him from slipping into a routine of baggy clothes to hide his insecurities. By his account, the condition shaped how he felt about his body and what he chose to wear.
Shopping around
Ndamase said finding the right practice took some work. In response to a question from a viewer who was considering the surgery himself, he explained that his first quote, from a practice in the west of Johannesburg, was R90 000, which he felt was too much.
He then received an Instagram message from a surgery provider in Turkey, which recommended a gastric sleeve. He said that was too drastic for the results he was after. A Sandton practice quoted him R150 000 for what he wanted done, which he also found too expensive.
He eventually settled on Asteria Aesthetics in Pretoria East, after looking into what the facility offers and reading its reviews. Founded in 2019 by Resa Kahn, Asteria provides clinic infrastructure, reception and administrative support to independent, HPCSA-registered medical practitioners.
The price tag
Ndamase said he paid less than R50 000 for the procedures he chose, but stressed that the figure will differ from person to person depending on which body parts they want to address.
His consultation with Dr Chané Stofberg in September cost R850. He said this came with a seven-day window in which to decide whether to go ahead with the surgery.
Recovery: “It was bad”
Speaking four days post-op, Ndamase said 2.5kg of belly fat had been removed, and he was candid about how rough the early days were.
“The first two days I could not even laugh; it was bad,” he said, rating his post-op pain eight out of 10. Lowering himself to sit down, he added, is particularly painful during recovery.
His advice to anyone considering the surgery is to make sure someone is around to take care of them in the days after the procedure.
He also lamented how itchy he was under his faja, the specialised compression garment worn after body contouring surgery. He said these garments can be expensive. After trying one on at a specialised store not far from the aesthetic clinic and finding it a little too pricey, he found a more affordable option online.
Ndamase also went over the discharge and recovery process, which includes post-op massages provided by someone not affiliated with the clinic. Worried about scarring at the incision sites, he said he asked friends who have had cosmetic surgery, and they pointed him to a scar treatment available online that worked for them.
Back to the books
After answering viewers’ questions about the surgery, Ndamase turned to his studies and to the widely shared belief that influencers are returning to corporate life after struggling to make ends meet through content creation. He rubbished this belief but was careful to let people think that he was advocating for steering people en masse away from full-time employment.
The former advertising professional and strategic communications graduate is studying towards an Honours degree in communications through Unisa. He said he is simply doing it because he has the time now that he is no longer giving so much of it to a full-time job. He also did not rule out turning back to full-time employment at some point in his life.
