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19 March 2024

Dh1bn a year spent on plastic surgeries in UAE

Published
By Sneha May Francis

Beauty lies in the eyes of the beholder. But for some, it’s about perfecting one’s physical attributes using the expert hands of a plastic surgeon.

Plastic surgery is undoubtedly one of the most popular medical practices, and celebrities and others are more than willing to use a chunk of their savings for a look that’s more aesthetic and symmetrical.

Speaking to Emirates24|7, renowned plastic surgeon Dr David Alessi, who is currently in Abu Dhabi until October 9, maintains that the UAE spends “over $100 million [Dh370m] per year.”

Shocked? According to him, there’s a lot more that goes undocumented. “So much of it goes unreported, and the number is actually as high as $300-400m [Dh1.1-1.5bn].”

He claimed that the “US performs the most procedures worldwide, topping over 4 million procedures, followed by Brazil, and the UK.”

Dr Alessi has a clinic in Beverly Hills in California, and has been instrumental in tweaking many a pretty face on the Hollywood power list, and has plans for the UAE.

He has, until now, performed more than 16,000 surgeries including all aspects of facial plastics including over 4,500 nasal rhinoplastic surgeries, 2,000 neck lifts, facelift or other neck surgeries.

In 2008, Dr Alessi founded the non-profit, Face Forward, with his wife Deborah. It provides physical and emotional reconstruction for men, women and children who are victims of domestic or gang related violence. 

According to Dr Alessi, the most requested plastic surgery in the UAE is “Rhinoplasty and Revision Rhinoplasty”. For the uninitiated, it’s a surgical procedure used to reshape the nose, and revision for earlier nose jobs.

The popular breakthrough in plastic surgery that will trend in the UAE are “PRP-Platelet Rich Plasma and fat transfer with biologic modifiers”.

Dr Alessi claimed, “they are well tolerated by most, simple procedures, faster recovery done either alone or combined with other procedures.”

The average rate of recovery, he added, will be “30 per cent faster”.

The age group that he has been tackling are “between 20 to 70 years of age’, and consists of a large male population clearly indicating that it’s not just women who love to go under the knife for vanity. “Yes, they (men) are becoming more and more interested,” he added.

While reconstructive surgery might sound appealing, they aren’t entirely risk-free, he maintains. “There are always risks with any surgery including scarring and nerve damage, but in the hands of a truly experienced surgeon, the risks are minimal.”

(Home page image courtesy Shutterstock)