(ANSAmed) - ROME - In the last few years, there has been a
staggering rise in men in the Middle East turning to plastic
surgery and, although the figures are certainly higher for
women, their partners are becoming increasingly involved in the
process. In order to have "sculpted" bodies, they undergo
operations from mammary reduction - which doctors in Dubai say
are on the up - to liposuction, rhinoplasty, hair transplants
and botulin.
"The number of men turning to plastic surgery has risen
enormously," says Sanjay Parashar, from the Cocoona Centre for
Aesthetic Transformation. "Five years ago, I would see one male
patient a week, around 15% of my clients. Now there are days
when I have only male patients". Care of appearance has become
a significant issue for a growing number of men, partly as a
result of the spread of internet and satellite television,
complete with reality shows packed with footage of men
untroubled by the passing of time and immune to physical
defects.
Looking younger or getting rid of a paunch seems to be the
motivation that leads male clients to go under the knife in
specialised clinics, which themselves have risen exponentially.
Jaffer Khan, a reconstructive surgeon at the Medical
International Specialist Centre in Jumeirah, says that despite
the difficulty in establishing firm figures due to the lack of a
recognised order, there are currently around 25-30 specialists,
compared to "the handful that operated in Dubai ten years ago".
There are no statistics available, but insiders say that the
male market is made up of 50-60% of Western expats and 40-50% of
local and regional clients, with the latter rising slightly.
Dubai is not the only place experiencing such a trend.
In Bahrain, too, there has been debate for some time between
those who consider it acceptable to go under the knife only in
case of physical damage or accidents and those who believe that
personal satisfaction can also come from the doctor's table,
without traditional virility taking a blow.
The trend has been welcomed by operators who have drawn up
innovative new ways of attracting patients old and new,
breathing new life into the region's economy. In the light of
this, July 2009 saw the creation of the Dubai Image Concept,
the first agency specialising in "aesthetic tourism" in Lebanon:
an all-inclusive package featuring an operation, post-op stay in
luxury centres and even summer camps for the children of
patients.
The scheme earned the plaudits of Nada Sardouk, the general
director of Lebanon's Tourism Ministry. "Aesthetic tourism is
an idea that is widely recognised and appreciated and we
sincerely hope that this initiative will contribute to our
economy," he said. Lebanon is indeed the favourite destination
for surgery aficionados, thanks to the excellent value for
money, with state-of-the-art facilities and specialist doctors
charging rates significantly below average.
