Growing demand for plastic surgery

“Teenage girls coming in for [cosmetic] surgery do not see it as dangerous. They see it as a simple procedure,” said Dubai-based plastic surgeon Dr Buthainah Al-Shunnar.

“In some Arab countries, it is becoming something of a status symbol to wear the nose bandage that follows plastic surgery,” she added.

“Women are undertaking this surgery to look like the celebrities they admire. [Lebanese pop singer] Nancy Ajram is the most common request.”

Dr Al-Shunnar pointed to the growing number of plastic surgery clinics in Dubai, and throughout the region, as well as media influences, such as Lebanon’s First National Bank’s recent advertising campaign offering loans for cosmetic procedures, as key drivers for the increasing interest in this type of treatment among young women.

The doctor added that she was concerned with the underlying reasons for what she called “this worrying trend”.

“I have had women coming into my surgery asking me to ‘do whatever I like’, and when I dig deeper I discover that the woman’s husband has left her that day for a younger woman.

“In these cases, I say no to the surgery because I know that the issue is deeper that what they look like – it is how they feel that needs correcting,” she said.

Dr Al-Shunnar’s comments are echoed by the findings a recent study conducted by Dove. The survey of 3300 girls and women aged 15 to 64 in 10 countries in the Middle East found that 37% of Arabic girls between the ages of 15 and 17 would consider cosmetic surgery in the near future, according to Dove spokesperson Rola Tassabehji, corporate communications manager for Unilever Middle East.

In contrast, a much lower percentage of women between the ages of 18 and 64 said they considered surgical procedures to be a viable option – just 27%.

“We are continuing to spread the message of real beauty in the Arab region. We hope [to] help women foster a healthy relationship with their bodies and their looks,” said Tassabehji.