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Dec. 16, 2005
Vanity growing among Israelis
Country sees marked increase in cosmetic plastic surgery procedures
for both genders.
GAIL LICHTMAN ISRAEL PRESS SERVICE
Israelis have discovered cosmetic plastic surgery. Over the past
two decades, dozens of private medical centre specializing in this
field have sprung up, and the number of licensed surgical clinics
performing operations has mushroomed from two to 24. There are now
120 board-certified plastic surgeons in the country, giving Israel,
relative to the size of its population, one of the highest per capita
rates of plastic surgeons in the world.
"We have witnessed an exponential rise in cosmetic plastic
surgery," said Dr. Michael Scheflan, certified plastic surgeon
and medical director of the Atidim Medical Centre in Tel-Aviv, one
of Israel's most advanced surgical day centres. "Israelis,
with their warm climate and Mediterranean style of life, are concerned
about beauty and very open to this kind of surgery."
Although there are no official figures (most cosmetic plastic surgeries
are performed in private clinics, which are not included in the
Israeli Ministry of Health statistics), it is estimated that between
15,000 and 20,000 Israelis annually go under the knife in a quest
to improve their looks.
The explosion of clinics, with their competition for customers,
has brought prices down by 50 to 60 per cent, compared to 10 years
ago. This, combined with safer procedures and more experienced surgeons,
has made cosmetic plastic surgery an option not only for the rich
and famous, but also for many middle-class Israelis.
The most common procedures are breast augmentation, breast reduction
and breast lifts, facelifts, nose jobs and tummy tucks, eyelid surgery,
liposuction, ear surgery, correction of breast asymmetry and removal
of unwanted breasts in men. Although women still outnumber men 25
to one, Scheflan sees a definite trend towards more male clients.
"Israel still lags behind America, where men now make up one
out of every five surgeries," he noted. "But only a few
years ago, the ratio was one out of 50."
Lately, Israeli men are opting not only for body hair removal, ear
surgery, nose jobs and eyelid surgery, but also for facelifts and
liposuction. A new trend is developing in muscle enhancement, using
pectoral implants.
There is also a trend towards younger and younger clients. It is
now estimated that 20 to 25 per cent of all operations are performed
on those in their late teens and early 20s. For this group, the
most popular procedures are nose jobs, breast surgery and ear surgery.
In the last year, there has been growing interest in Israel in buttock
lifts. In the United States, demand for this kind of surgery, which
is popular among young women and gay men, increased by 500 per cent
in 2004.
In November 2005, the Atidim Medical Centre brought a Brazilian
expert to the country for the first Israeli buttock lift using silicon
implants. Nevertheless, Scheflan does not think this operation will
be gaining much popularity in the immediate future.
"Most Israeli surgeons feel that this procedure is too painful
to justify it," he said, "even though the results are
really nice. But this is definitely an area that I expect to hear
more about in the next few years, because people are interested."
Despite the significant drop in prices over the last decade, cosmetic
plastic surgery, which is not covered by the nation's health insurance
funds, is still not cheap. Clients pay anywhere from $2,600 to $4,000
US for breast augmentation, around $3,200 for breast reduction and
for facelifts, and about $1,800 for liposuction and for nose jobs.
In addition, Israeli law allows anyone who is a certified physician
to perform cosmetic surgery. With quite a lot of money to be made
from cosmetic plastic surgery, it is no wonder that some clinics
have doctors operating who have less than sterling qualifications.
It is estimated that approximately two per cent of all cosmetic
plastic surgeries end in complications.
"This is a lucrative field filled with charlatans," observed
one plastic surgeon, who is on the staff of one of Israel's leading
hospitals. "There are those who perform cosmetic plastic surgery
who have no qualifications to do so – and we see the results
in the hospital emergency rooms."
He reported seeing patients in the ER with infections, lopsided
results, scarring and even gangrene.
There are now efforts to change the law so that only certified plastic
surgeons will be able to perform cosmetic plastic surgery.
But for those having the procedures, the risks fade into the background
compared to the promise of a new self.
For example, S. is a 20-year-old female soldier from the centre
of Israel who had breast augmentation a year and a half ago, and
swears it has changed her life.
"By the time I was 13, I stopped developing," she related.
"I was extremely flat-chested and very embarrassed by my unfeminine
body. I would wear padded bras and didn't date, as I was afraid
that boys would find my body disgusting. I thought about this surgery
for a long time. The risks didn't bother me."
With her 34C bust line, she feels like a new woman.
"The breasts completed me as a person," she said. "Before,
I felt like a woman trapped in a little girl's body. Now, I feel
sexy. I've even started dating. It's so much fun to buy the clothes
I've always wanted to wear."
She added that, after seeing how the operation changed her, two
of her friends are also now considering breast augmentation.
"People outside of Israel always ask me, 'Why in a country
which has so many more serious dilemmas and issues, do people care
about cosmetic surgery?' " Scheflan said. "I guess cosmetic
surgery is just one more way Israelis find a way of coping –
of going on with their lives normally in spite of the situation."
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