Beauty is pain — especially when it’s implanted.
Playboy model Janaina Prazeres says she’s still suffering the side effects of a so-called “beauty chip” three years after having it removed, including a surprise she didn’t ask for.
The Brazilian beauty, 35, said she spent $5,952 (£4,600) on an experimental device, touted in some countries for weight loss, anti-aging, menopause relief and boosting libido, muscle mass and fat reduction.
In Brazil, subcutaneous hormonal implants, called “beauty chips,” were originally sold for cosmetic purposes. However, Anvisa, the national health regulator, has banned them due to dangerous side effects.
These implants, often containing synthetic hormones like testosterone or estrogen, were promoted for muscle growth, fat reduction, better skin, menstrual suppression and body shaping for sexual attractiveness.
Doctors have warned of complications like hormone imbalance and now, Prazeres is sharing her story as a cautionary tale.
“The outcome was the opposite of what I had hoped for,” Prazeres, dubbed Playboy’s “Perfect Woman,” told Jam Press.
The controversial influencer shared that having the chip implanted “caused an overload of unnecessary hormones” in her body and also led to “kidney complications, hair loss and clitoral enlargement.”
Prazeres, often praised for her sculpted physique, initially pursued this “trendy innovative treatment” for help with “body toning, cellulite reduction, decreased hunger, better skin and becoming more attractive overall.”
Soon after getting the cryptic implant in 2018, Prazeres said she often felt “extremely bloated,” experienced “a lot of water retention” and her hunger “increased drastically” to the point of desperation.
“I was desperate, felt terrible and blamed myself for seeing the signs, but not stopping sooner – but I believed in a false promise of beauty,” she admitted.
The São Paulo native also noticed “a lot of hair loss,” and that wasn’t all.
“I insisted on using the chip for two and a half years, but after that, I began having frequent urinary infections and even developed small kidney stones from the excessive hormones,” she said.
This then led to “a change in the size” of her clitoris, enlarged by an infection. To prevent this from reaching her bloodstream, Prazeres “had to take medication and undergo zone therapy.”
She then sought “a second opinion” and a doctor confirmed her body had an “absurdly high amount of testosterone” and unbalanced hormones.
Jam Press/CO Press Office/Disclosure
The physician warned Prazeres that if she didn’t extract the chip, the “consequences could become irreversible.”
Making matters worse, the previously in-demand cover girl had to turn down modeling jobs as the chip’s effects left her feeling insecure, to the point where she “couldn’t recognize” herself.
“One of them was a swimwear campaign with bikini photo shoots, which I had to walk away from because I no longer felt comfortable in my body,” Prazeres recalled.
This ultimately wreaked havoc on her “self-esteem, daily life and relationships.”
“I found myself in a cycle I couldn’t escape from, not knowing what else that implant might do to me,” Prazeres said.
She reached a turning point and removed the beauty chip in 2022, but even in 2025, some side effects still linger.
“My clitoris is still larger than it was before the chip, my menstrual cycle is not synchronized and my hair loss is only now starting to improve with the help of professional hairstylists,” Prazeres revealed.
She’s now making her recovery her full priority and hopes that her story “serves as a warning to other women” who might’ve been considering a similar chip implant.
“I wouldn’t recommend anyone to get the implant because the beauty promises don’t match the health risks that can harm your life, your health and your self-esteem,” she advised.
Prazeres has one last piece of advice for fellow beauty enthusiasts: “Follow the right path for your health, because well-being is no joke.”
“There’s nothing better than taking care of yourself and respecting your body,” she said, concluding that after everything she went through, she “would never recommend this path to anyone.”
