Cosmetic surgery is a unique discipline of medicine focused on
enhancing appearance through surgical and medical techniques. Cosmetic surgery
can be performed on all areas of the head, neck and body. Because treated areas
function properly but lack aesthetic appeal, cosmetic surgery is elective.
Cosmetic surgery tourism is on the rise, following the
introduction of cheap, low-risk procedures in countries like Thailand, India
and Dubai.
South Korea is the worldwide leader in cosmetic surgery, with one
in five women going under the knife.
But what kind of operations are these people having?
Writing for The Conversation, plastic surgeon Jim Frame reveals
the five most surprising.
Cosmetic procedures are now the surgery of want not need.
The multi-billion dollar industry is represented on virtually all
television channels and easily accessed online.
Many nations have realized the potential for cosmetic tourism,
which can be a significant import to a country’s GDP.
Cosmetic medicine and surgery has advanced tremendously over the
past three decades since I trained as a plastic surgeon.
As cheaper and less
risky procedures have become available worldwide, many nations have realized
the potential for cosmetic tourism
High morbidity rates in procedures such as breast implant surgery,
tummy tucks, aggressive face lifts or eyelid reductions, are now a thing of the
past.
And though some countries operate as destinations for those
looking for cheaper (though not always properly regulated) procedures, some
emerging markets are seeing a boom for particular operations.
Dubai, Thailand, South Korea, Mauritius, India, and also Iran are
some notable examples.
In the US, the best seller is the ‘mommy makeover’ – a host of
procedures that can include tummy tucks, breast implants and liposuction,
designed to return women back to their pre-pregnancy bodies.
The UK at least has realized that little is often better,
especially over the long term.
1.
LIMB LENGTHENING IN INDIA
In a limb lengthening
procedure, bones are extended by being surgically broken and fitted to a frame.
In a bid to improve career and marriage prospects, painful limb
lengthening procedures are on the rise in India and can add as much as three
inches to someone’s height.
The principles have been adapted from techniques that plastic and
orthopaedic surgeons use in major trauma or in children with stunted
growth.
Limbs can be encouraged to lengthen using pins and an Llizarov
frame, which can be slowly (and painfully) adjusted.
The section of bone supported by the frame is surgically ‘broken’
and over subsequent weeks the frame is made longer. The gap that develops fills
with new bone.
In elective surgery, bones that don’t fuse, because of chronic
infection or poor wound healing, can lead to amputation.
While the risk can be explained when trying to salvage a badly
mauled limb, is it justified by the quest for beauty? Very
debatable.
And in India the industry is unregulated. As Amar Sarin, an
orthopaedic surgeon in India, told the Guardian:
A vulnerable public can be open to persuasion without thinking
about the consequences and risks.
2.
SOUTH KOREA: RADICAL FACIAL SURGERY
The industry in South Korea is booming. Surgery is cheap,
efficient, and excellent facilities have come out of the old American hospitals
which now cater for the global medical tourism market.
This overseas market is a significant contributor to the country’s
GDP.
South Korea has the highest per capita rate of plastic surgery in
the world, which has led to it being called the global capital for plastic
surgery.
Facial surgery is widespread and used to create more V-shaped
chins, smaller noses (the second most common operation, perhaps because nasal
bridges in Asia tend to be flatter and it’s easy to insert implants) and to
alter eye shapes.
South Korea has certainly discovered cosmetic procedures are a
profitable business – whether for domestic or foreign patients.
Facial surgery in
South Korea is widespread and used to create more V-shaped chins and smaller
noses, as well as to alter eye shapes
3.
BRAZILIAN BUM, TUM AND BOOBS
Brazil was the second biggest performer of cosmetic surgical and
nonsurgical procedures worldwide in 2014 – its 10.2% share came only second to
the US (20.1%).
The majority of surgical requests are for ‘improvements’ to
breasts, abdomen and buttocks.
Brazilians lead the world in aesthetic surgery developments and
ideas, from new types of breast implants to Brazilian abdominoplasty – where
excess flesh is removed from the abdomen – and the famous ‘Brazilian butt
lift’.
To go with the butt lift, the Brazilians also developed buttock
muscle exercises that can produce amazing results in addition to fat grafting
and implants, especially for treating skin looseness after massive weight loss.
There are risks, however, including developing a fat embolism,
which can kill. In elective situations, it may not be worth it just to get
the ‘J-Lo’ look.
4.
NOSE JOBS IN IRAN
Cosmetic surgery is on the rise in Iran, so much so that it is now
among the top countries for procedures.
Liposuction and eyebrow pigmentation – where permanent tattoos are
used to block in brows – are popular. But also nose jobs.
In a more conservative country where many women may dress more
modestly, accentuating facial features can be one way to enhance beauty.
Javad Amirizad, a member of the Iranian Association of Cosmetic
and Plastic Surgeons, told the AFP that of the 40,000 annual cosmetic
procedures in Iran, more than 60% are nose jobs.
The dressings on noses after surgery, an increasingly common sight
in Tehran, have even been nicknamed ‘bandages of honor’.
In a more
conservative country where many women may dress more modestly, accentuating
facial features can be one way to enhance beauty
5. WESTERN DESIGNER VAGINAS
Surgery for female genitalia includes the ‘designer vagina’ and
labial reduction – which some argue comes close to being female genital
mutilation (FGM) when it’s a cosmetic rather than a needed gynaecological
procedure.
And serious problems can occur if inappropriately performed.
What is becoming more popular though is Mons pubis reduction,
which targets the area of skin in the pubic area.
As we age, the tissues slacken and bulge and this can manifest in
what has been called the ‘boy bulge crotch’.
Some men who are not well endowed might not find it too
problematic but some women find it embarrassing, especially when wearing swim
suits.
The ‘camel toe’ effect can be significantly reduced by some form
of liposuction and/or skin excision.
While cheap surgery is increasingly available, those seeking
cosmetic procedures do need to take note of risks and make sure that regulatory
procedures in their chosen destination are up to scratch.
Culled from dailymail.co.uk
