JEDDAH – According to recent statistics released by a major plastic surgery center, 87.8 percent of cosmetic surgeries performed in Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries in 2016 were conducted on women while men accounted for just 12.2 percent, Al-Watan daily reported. Liposuction and rhinoplasty surgeries ranked top among cosmetic surgeries performed in a number of Gulf countries, according to the study. Other popular cosmetic surgeries included lip augmentation, and face and eye lifts, it said. Dr. Nader Saab, plastic surgeon and owner of the center that conducted the study, said the most popular cosmetic surgeries are rhinoplasty and liposuction. "Since technology used to conduct plastic surgeries is continuously evolving and improving, an increasing number of people are showing interest in getting them done because the pain is minimal as is the swelling that occurs after surgery," said Dr. Saab while adding that rhinoplasty has become a very straightforward operation in which doctors use lasers to carry out the procedure on the nose. Dr. Saab said people often have strange and unreasonable requests such as breast implants in exaggerated sizes or inappropriate lip augmentations. Such requests fall under the scope of mania and distortion, unreal beauty culture and obsession. He said procedures that distort the body can eventually lead to physical and psychological setbacks for patients. The study said many operations can go wrong, especially ones involving the injection of permanent materials into the body. In such cases, there is a high risk of failure which can cause deformities and frequent infections, leaving patients prisoners in their homes. Dr. Saab said men are increasingly seeking to improve their looks by undergoing the knife. Popular surgeries include liposuction, male breast reduction, facelifts and rhinoplasty.
