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SOUTH Africans may be tight-lipped when it comes to admitting they’ve had “work” done, but the local plastic surgery industry is steadily growing.
Dr Anushka Reddy, pictured, owner of Medi-Sculpt Aesthetic Solutions and president of the South African Association of Cosmetic Doctors (SAACD), says breast augmentation, followed by liposuction, are the top two most popular plastic surgery procedures in the country. A new trend emerging in the local market is genioplasty – or a chin implant – as well as buttock implants.
The country is also one of the world’s top destinations for “surgery and safari”.
Denise Hoogervorst, director of medical tourism company Surgical Bliss, places SA at number 5 or 6. She has found that plastic surgery plays a major role in the ranking. Other top destinations include Thailand, Singapore, India, Brazil and Malaysia.
Due to the recession, however, there has been an overall decrease in the number of medical tourists since 2009.
While clients come from across the world, many people from the UK are opting now to have surgery in neighbouring Eastern European countries, as SA is considered a long-haul flight, says Hoogervorst.
She has noted that people from other parts of Africa are becoming big role players in SA’s international cosmetic surgery scene.
Hoogervorst says clients choose Cape Town because of its world-class surgeons. She explains that clients vary, so packages are tailor-made to suit their needs and budgets.
“The priority is always the surgery and after that, the tourism. Some just want to rest and not run around sightseeing at all,” says Hoogervorst. She says some come alone and need care during their stay, while others come with family members.
And it’s not only women who are queuing for surgery. Reddy says at her practice alone the number of male clients have increased by 20 percent.
The most common procedure they elect is botox. She explains that botox is a quick, non-invasive procedure with virtually no recovery time needed.
“Men, especially those in the corporate environment, work longer. Many feel threatened because they’re up against younger, fresh-faced men straight out of college,” says Reddy.
This is part of the reason they opt for botox. Scores of men do it so that their face reflect their lifestyle: healthy and active.
Reddy says that in recent years, the deluge of reality shows around plastic surgery has got people talking, and more accepting of it.
However, a uniquely SA trait is that while people are more open to it, they are still secretive about admitting that they had procedures done.
“Vanity and guilt plays a big role in people being secretive about it,” says Reddy.
Reddy, 39, is a mother of two. She says she would definitely consider going under the knife for breast augmentation or a lift if she ever became unhappy with her body.
But for now, she has her regular fill of botox treatments.
“These are fairly safe procedures. As a doctor, when my patients ask, I can be empathetic and tell my patients, ‘Been there, done that’,” she says.