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28 March 2024

Revealed: What pushes women to go under (a very expensive) knife

Family restrictions and embarrassment are to be blamed for the silence of many plastic surgery victims in the country (Shutterstock)

Published
By Sneha May Francis

The need to look ‘perfect’ prompts people, mostly women, to go under the knife in the UAE.

According to the stats shared by Dubai Healthcare Authority (DHA), the top spender for 2014 was a female tourist who shelled out a cool Dh150,000 for cosmetic surgery in the emirate.

“Among the UAE nationals, the top spender was (also) a woman, paying Dh85,000 for lower body lift (something that patients who’ve undergone massive weight loss opt for),” a Dubai Healthcare City (DHC) official told this website.

“Recent statistics show that nearly 77 per cent of the patients for cosmetic surgery are women, opting for an invasive aesthetic procedure at the age of 36,” Dr Jeehan Abdul Qadir, executive chairperson, American Academy of Cosmetic Surgery Hospital (AACSH), DHC, told Emirates24|7.

The average spend in 2014 by UAE nationals on cosmetic surgery procedures was Dh25,000, he added.

The reasons for opting to alter physical appearances are plenty. Dr. Ramadan Ibrahim AlBlooshi, Managing Director, Dubai Healthcare City Authority – Regulatory, said, “Some of the patients (in the 20s) come in due to family problems, and some to perfect their beauty, and some are wealthy enough and don’t know what to do with their money.

Money, he emphasised, wasn’t a deterrent. “A patient would come for a facelift, but would like it so much that she would end up doing a few more procedures. They might come with a budget of Dh10,000 and end up spending Dh100,000.”

The year 2015 has so far seen a 27 per cent growth compared with the same period of 2014, added Dr Jeehan. “There have been 480 surgeries in the first quarter of 2015, and that would average out to 160 surgeries a month.”

There was a 15 per cent increase of the number of plastic surgeries in 2014 compared to the previous year.

The increase is boosted with liposuction (51 per cent), breast surgery (18 per cent), cosmetic gynaecology and laser vaginal rejuvenation (8 per cent), abdominoplasty (8 per cent) and nose surgery (5 per cent) of total number of plastic surgeries performed in 2014 at AACSH.

Dr Jeehan added that all those who opt for cosmetic surgery are introduced to exclusive sessions with life coaches, so that they can make educated decisions.

“Holistic life coach sessions enable our patients to take better control and responsibility over their life, health and well-being; develop a new and healthy relationship with their eating habits; and finally change and control their emotions. 

“It certainly helps them to develop critical vision over their appearance, form realistic expectations regarding the outcomes of the aesthetic procedure and help to further maintain the results.”

(Image via Shutterstock)