HE claims to have done plastic surgery on a number of celebrities in Singapore.

And no, his name isn't Woffles Wu or Martin Huang. He is Dr J J Chua.

The plastic surgeon runs his private practice, the JJ Chua Rejuvenative Cosmetic & Laser Surgery, at Mount Elizabeth Hospital.

He is also the consultant on a new TV serial about plastic surgery.

Dr Chua claims to have 'enhanced' several MediaCorp stars.

And that doesn't include other local showbiz denizens like models, beauty queens, deejays, singers, comperes, fashion designers and stylists, as well as artistes who have retired or resigned from MediaCorp.

Some of them have even become good friends, said the chatty 42-year-old, who has 10 years' experience in the aesthetics field.

He estimates that about half of local showbiz celebrities have undergone cosmetic enhancements.

BOLD CLAIM

On his bold claim that he's the go-to guy for most of the Channel 8 and Channel U crowd seeking a little nip and tuck, Dr Chua said: 'I cannot verify in numbers (and compare with other plastic surgeons) because patients' identities are confidential, but I know I've done a lot.

'Because if you talk about common obvious surgeries like breast enlargement, and say the industry talks about five celebs out there who've done it, they all happen to be my patients!'

Of course, he can't reveal names.

Dr Wu and Dr Huang, who have worked on their fair share of foreign and local celebs, declined to comment on the veracity of Dr Chua's claims.

Dr Huang said: 'I prefer not to comment on celebrity patients as these patients greatly value their privacy and confidentiality and I feel that it is important to respect and protect that.'

According to Dr Chua, the common procedures he performs on his famous female clients range from non-invasive ones like botox, fillers and lasers to nose jobs, lip plumping, double eyelids, breast enlargement and liposuction.

The men also undergo operations, including Thermage skin tightening and chest reduction.

Dr Chua lives in a condominium penthouse in the eastern part of Singapore and drives a dark grey Lexus SC430:

Contrary to popular opinion, DrChua reveals that most of his celebrity patients are 'not shy' and walk into his clinic 'tall, loud and proud'.

'But a few are still very scared, kancheong (Hokkien for panicky) and worried, so they'll wear sunglasses and caps and make sure nobody notices them. Or they want to avoid the crowds and so I will open at special hours to accommodate them.'

But when Dr Chua meets his clients outside of the office, it's a different story.

He recalled how he has attended several events where familiar faces would be present, but both parties would avoid the other.

'Or sometimes we'd walk past and recognise each other and just smile. It feels weird, but I don't go up to them unless they come up to me first.'

Still, Dr Chua - whose hobbies include 'things to do with my hands' like drawing, painting and sculpting - says he enjoys working with celebs because they are 'not difficult or picky, are friendly, honest, no-holds-barred and don't complain'.

'They know exactly what they want and have a good knowledge of the treatments so I don't bullsh*t them.

'And I know artistes don't make as much money as people think, so I give them discounts and special care.'

The major downside is the time constraints and hectic schedules that artistes work under.

The second eldest of four children who hails from a poor family, Dr Chua is an old boy of Raffles Institution and Raffles Junior College.

He earned his MBBS from the National University of Singapore before getting his fellowship from the Royal College of Surgeons at Edinburgh and Glasgow.

In 2000, he trained in laser surgery and face reconstruction at Taipei's Chang Gung Memorial Hospital.

A year later, he did his cosmetic surgery training at London's Wellington Hospital.

In 2002, he returned to Singapore and became head of cosmetic surgery at Singapore General Hospital's department of plastic surgery. He opened his own practice in 2004.

An actress in her early 30s told The New Paper on Sunday that she knows 'many people from the entertainment industry' who go to Dr Chua for cosmetic help because he's effectively bilingual 'and not every plastic surgeon is'.

She added: 'It helps that he's very friendly and approachable too.'

Other actresses we spoke to added that MediaCorp hairstylists recommend him to the artistes because he's 'good at what he does' and he's 'one of the few qualified plastic surgeons in Singapore'.

A deejay-turned-compere in his mid-30s speculated that Dr Chua's profile was raised after he appeared on the popular Channel U talk show Shoot in 2006, as a guest.

He said: 'After the episode aired, quite a few celebs, especially the younger batch, wanted to get in touch with him. And then it was just one after another.'

Hands-on TV consultant

ALTHOUGH Dr JJ Chua is credited as the consultant plastic surgeon of the new Channel U drama Perfect Cut, he seems to have done more.

And he did it all for free too.

DrChua - who was recommended to the production house by TV host Quan Yifeng - said he wanted all the surgery scenes as realistic as possible.

He is the body double of lead actor Thomas Ong (who plays a suave plastic surgeon on the show) and was required to be on-set for two days of filming.

He said: 'I was joking with Thomas that he only needs to show his face, no need brains, because I'm the brains!

'I had to show him how to correctly hold the forceps or inject the patient on the spot, and he'll just follow.'

Dr Chua also contributed story ideas and plot developments.

Perfect Cut premieres on 9 Jul at 10pm.