There’s a growing demand for cosmetic surgery in India. Though this phenomenon is not as widespread here as in the West, it is definitely picking up, particularly in the metros. Simal Soin tells us why this trend is getting prominent in the country
Neha (name changed) works in a legal firm in Gurgaon. She is 34-year-old and has done well in her professional life. But ask her about her priorities, and she says without an iota of hesitation: “First, I need to get my lips in order. They don’t look good on my face.”
Neha is one of the many young, aspirant Indians who don’t desist going under the knife. She justifies this when she says: “I have achieved so much professionally, but when I look at myself in mirror, I get the feeling that I am not in control. No doubt, looks aren’t decided by humans. But why should I live with a face which I know I can improveIJ”
The trend is only getting more prominent by the day. Even the old, married couples aren’t behind. For some it is a way to beat the ageing process. For others, it is all about seeking an experience in the comfort of each other’s company. What’s interesting is that this yearning for beauty is not limited to women anymore. Neither do men nor women keep it a secret from each other anymore. They walk together hand-in-hand and declare to each other: let’s grow younger together.
Men and women who have spent a better part of their lives are only too aware of each others’ flaws, and they do not mind getting tucked up here and there to cover them. Also, one witnesses growing demand for cosmetic surgery among old divorcees. Though this phenomenon is not as widespread in India as in the West, it is definitely picking up, particularly in the metros.
Some four-five years ago, cosmetic surgery accounted for about five to 10 per cent of all plastic surgeries in the country. Today, it is anything between 15 and 20 per cent. Globally, India is far behind other countries. According to a study, 15 million people worldwide had plastic surgery in 2011. Predictably, the US had most procedures, but what surprised many was the fact that South Korea had the highest proportion of its population having surgery: One in 77 people in that country had a cosmetic procedure in 2011. So much so that singer PSY, whose song ‘Gangnam Style’ has today become a global hit, once said that his record label had urged him to get plastic surgery. And even the Miss Korea 2012, Kim Yu-Mi, admitted she went under the knife to achieve her ‘pageant-winning’ good looks.
The study also says that nose jobs are popular in Asia, with China, Japan and South Korea among the top five nations for rhinoplasty. The country performing the highest number of breast implants is the US, followed by Brazil, Mexico and Italy.
India is catching up in recent years. Celebrity culture and exposure to glamour have a lot to do with it. So is the fact that a variety of cosmetic treatments, tailor-made to different requirements, are available easily today.
The need to look good — or what many people call the pressure to look good — is on the rise primarily because of the availability of treatments and more importantly awareness about them. The awareness factor comes because of globalisation and a strong presence of electronic and print media that brings to our homes all the latest developments in the field of beauty and glamour. If the media highlights the fact that an actor or an actress has gone under the knife to look better, curiosity naturally rises among people, so does a desire to follow suit.
Clinics, therefore, are seeing a rise in demand for a range of cosmetic techniques from non-invasive procedures like Botox to surgical treatments like breast enlargements, nose jobs, liposuctions, etc. Though no definitive figures are available on the current size of the cosmetics market, a study by a Delhi-based research firm had pegged it at Rs460 crore in 2007. According to the study, the cosmetic market in India is estimated to reach $1 billion by 2014.
Age is no bar for people who want to look good. Recently, I treated a couple from California who were in their 60s. From 16 to 75, people of all age groups are coming in for treatments. While younger people would come for modification treatments like a lip job or a nose job or to enhance their assets, the older people come looking for anti-ageing therapies. Many men come for treatments for acne, acne scars, pigmentation and wrinkles. Others come to get a double chin treated or a sagging jawline lifted. Women, one the other hand, come for all the above, along with body contouring and cellulite treatments. I recently treated a diplomat couple in their late 40s and a young couple in their 30s. Very often if women feel they have got good results in their outing, they bring their husbands for treatment the next time.
A myth about cosmetic surgery is that it is primarily done by women. Nothing can be further from truth. Today’s men, being conscious of their looks than ever before, are in no way behind. Men who are constantly in the media glare and those with a constant people interface like to go for anti-ageing treatments. In fact, a lot of men also like to have medical facials, acne treatments, acne scar treatments and laser hair reduction treatments done.
Then, there is another myth: That cosmetic surgery is an urban, upper class phenomenon. In fact, if we probe closely, we find that more clients are today coming from small centres to get the lip or nose work done. The number is only going to increase in years to come as ‘middle India’ becomes more prosperous economically.
The global economy might be on a recessionary mode, but the urge to look good — and feel good — is never on the decline. This industry doesn’t seem to have any negative impact of the economic downturn looming across the globe.
The writer is a Delhi-based dermatologist