'Nose Job' (Rhinoplasty) the most popular cosmetic surgery among men and women, while Botox ranks first among non- surgical cosmetic procedures in Ind

New Delhi, Delhi, IND, 2009-10-05 01:23:48 (IndiaPRwire.com)
Indians continue to follow the foot steps of their western counterparts in their obsession for a pointed nose, and are increasingly going in for cosmetic surgical procedures like Rhinoplasty (nose reshaping). Some of the other popular procedures include liposuction, breast augmentation, eye lid surgery, and breast reduction, etc.

There has been a notable surge in the Indian cosmetic surgery during the past five years mainly because of the increasing demand for aesthetic procedures from people in the urban cities of Mumbai, Delhi, Kolkata, Chennai, Bangalore, Pune and Chandigarh.At present, more and more men and women from the upper middle class group are opting for cosmetic procedures to get attractive looks in order to grab lucrative jobs, best possible marriage partners and mainly get rid of any deformity which they feel impacts their self-confidence and self-esteem. Two of the major growth drivers of the Indian cosmetic industry among others are its affordability, and the consumer awareness resulting from the active efforts of the media - especially the print media.

According to the American Society for Plastic Surgery (ASAPS), nearly 6.9 million cosmetic and non surgical procedures were performed in the United States in 2002. ASAPS reports the overall number of cosmetic procedures has increased 228 percent since 1997. The five most popular cosmetic surgical procedures in 2002 were lipoplasty (liposuction), breast augmentation, blepharoplasty (eye lid surgery), rhinoplasty (nose reshaping), and breast reduction (in females).

Although there is no national registry for cosmetic surgical procedures in India, the hospital records assessed by Dr. Rakesh Khazanchi, Senior Consultant, Department of Plastic & Cosmetic Surgery, Sir Gangaram Hospital, reveal that cosmetic procedures like rhinoplasty, liposuction, male breast reduction, abdominoplasty have seen a whopping increase of nearly 150 per cent in the last 5 years.

Among the non surgical procedures, some of the widely practiced procedures include Botox injection, microdermabrasion (a non-invasive procedure that uses a spray of microcrystals to remove the outermost layer of dry, dead skin cells and reveal younger, healthier-looking skin), collagen injection, laser hair removal and chemical peel. Botox continues to rank first among all cosmetic procedures, with its usage increasing more than 2400 percent since 1997! (ASAPS report)

“Peer pressure and advertisements promising ‘picture perfect’ looks post –surgery, drive most men and women to undergo cosmetic surgeries. There are a large number of aspirants who just require counselling. Very often a plastic surgeon may also need to play the role of a psychiatrist,” says Dr. Rajeev B. Ahuja, Chairman of IPRAS 2009 ( 15th World Congress of International Confederation for Plastic Reconstructive and Aesthetic Surgery) & Head, Department of Plastic Surgery, Lok Nayak Hospital and Associated Maulana Azad Medical College.

Plastic surgeons caution that while a majority of cosmetic surgery procedures are ‘risk free’ and simple to perform, the results can be disastrous in the hands of unaccredited or unqualified and commercially driven surgeons & dermatologists. Possible complications could include excessive bleeding or scarring, nerve damage, skin necrosis, and even paralysis of the face!

India is all set to host the prestigious 15th World Congress of International Confederation of Plastic Reconstructive and Aesthetic Surgery (IPRAS) at Ashok Hotel in New Delhi which has returned to the country after 22 years. IPRAS,founded in 1955, provides an opportunity to promote plastic surgery both scientifically and clinically, to further education and to encourage friendship between physicians in all countries. IPRAS comprises of 32,000 Plastic and Aesthetic Surgeons, 35,000 residents in training, 30,000 Hand Surgeons,1,000 Micro Surgeons and 1,000 Burn Specialists from 97 countries. More than 150 eminent speakers have been invited from overseas, and during the IPRAS 2009 Congress it is planned to have an ‘Open House’ session on 3rd Dec. afternoon where public is invited to interact with the world’s best Plastic & Cosmetic surgeons.