Trading faces

zoom

INVASIVE: More men are going under the knife across the Gulf.

Middle East men are opting for plastic surgery in greater numbers than ever before, accounting for almost one third of procedures in Dubai's cosmetic clinics. Tamara Walid and Claire Ferris-Lay report on the phenomenon that is transforming the region's healthcare industry.

Dr Olimpia Carmen and her colleagues spend their days peeling skin, trimming noses and sucking fat from the patients of the Dubai Cosmetic Surgery Clinic. These days 40% of her clients are men.

"A few years ago I would have a few male patients asking for hair transplants but now they are requesting rhinoplasty, liposuction, anti-ageing treatments, hair removal and even facial peels," she says.

Rising incomes, an ageist job market and diminishing inhibitions have led to a surge in male cosmetic surgery across the Gulf and is driving a wave of investment in the regional cosmetic healthcare industry.

The trend is helping global cosmetic drug and implant companies such as Allergan and Bioform boost sales in the region as a US slowdown threatens their domestic business.

As many as 32% of patients undergoing plastic surgery in Dubai are male, according to an Arabian Business survey of six cosmetic clinics, compared to just 8% in the US and 10% in the USA.

Allergan, the US-based maker of anti-wrinkle treatment Botox, has seen sales surge 40% in Saudi Arabia over the last year according to country manager Tamer Mustafa.

"The plastic surgery market in Saudi is growing phenomenally due to the booming economy, and people have started focusing more on how they look and are spending more on that," says Mustafa.

The boom in male cosmetic surgery is fuelling the expansion of the private clinics across the region.

Healthcare accounts for almost 6% of Dubai's non-oil gross domestic product and is expected to rise from US$3.2bn in 2005 to US$11.9bn in 2015, according to the Dubai Chamber of Commerce and Industry.

"The Middle East is certainly another route to growth when the US is faltering," says Jeff Viksjo, a cosmetic analyst at Chicago-based Morningstar, who says that male cosmetic surgery has yet to emerge as strongly in the US market as many analysts expected a few years ago: "Male cosmetic surgery isn't a huge trend in the US."

Age discrimination in the Gulf job market is one reason cited by Dubai-based cosmetic surgeons for soaring demand for hair replacement procedures.

"Generally the perception, especially for men, is that in the workplace the younger you look the more productive you are assumed to be," says Dr Maria Khattar of Aesthetica Clinic.

"I have patients telling me there is a lot of competition at work to look good. This region demands young, active and good looking people."

Print | Email | Discuss this article

| Share |

READERS' COMMENTS

Click here to post a comment

Add your Comment All posts are sent to the administrator for review and are published only after approval. ArabianBusiness.com reserves the right to remove any comment at any time for any reason. Please keep your responses appropriate and on topic. Arabian Business would like to point out that only comments relevant to the story will be published. Any containing personal insults or inappropriate language will not be approved.
Name *
Remember me on this computer
Email *	(Your email address will not be published)
City
Country
Subject *
Comment *
Notify me of further comments
Enter the words above *
Please click post only once - your comment will not be published immediately.

MORE FROM ARABIANBUSINESS.COM