JEDDAH, 7 May 2006 — The demand for plastic surgery in the Kingdom has increased at least tenfold in the last five years, according to Dr. Mamdooh Ashy, a consultant plastic surgeon at a Jeddah-based private clinic.

Women make up 70 percent of the demand, he said, adding that the Kingdom's market is competing with Europe and America in the number of patients.

Previously only wealthy people could afford plastic surgeries, but now the middle class is contributing to the rapidly increasing demand. According to the doctor, liposuction and nose jobs are the most common forms of plastic surgery among Saudis.

Dr. Ashy had received many middle class women who took bank loans to undergo a cosmetic surgery. “Some even collect cash through Jamiah,” he said.

The Jamiah is a common community-based fund-raising system in Saudi Arabia where a number of members agree to pay a specific amount of cash into a common pool every month; the total sum is then given to one of the participants each month, providing a lump sum that he or she would not otherwise have to cover large personal expenses.

Generally, the costs of plastic surgeries witnessed a big decrease throughout the years, mainly due to the development of medical technologies and the rising competition between plastic surgeons, said Dr. Ashy.

He warned against low-cost plastic surgery offers. “Cheap prices in this field indicate that the surgeons are using substandard substances and equipment. They can result in medical complications,” he said.

Medical regulations in the Kingdom oblige doctors to hang their practice license in the clinic. “Patients should look for licenses that state the doctor as a specialist in plastic surgery,” he pointed out.

There are only about 100 specialized and licensed plastic surgeons in the Kingdom. About 30 of them are Saudi nationals, he said, adding that the number seems bigger due to the existence of non-certified practitioners, or doctors who don't specialize in plastic surgery.

“Such doctors do not have the qualifications for changing the shape of the nose. Patients should make sure that the doctor carries a plastic surgeon's license,” he said.

For each face there is a typical nose, he said. There are many standards taken into consideration before commencing a surgery, such as the color of the skin, the specs of the face and many other technical procedures.

A good plastic surgeon takes special care to ensure the work isn't noticeable. “The result of a professionally conducted surgery should look perfectly natural,” he said.

Most people think of liposuction as a weight-reduction procedure, he said, but they're wrong. Liposuction is a body-sculpting procedure that removes unwanted fat from specific areas of the body, like the abdomen, hips, buttocks, thighs, knees, upper arms, chin, cheeks and neck.

“Removing large quantities of fat in one surgery can cause embolism, which if not detected early by an experienced doctor, could cause death within days,” he said.

Like other forms of health care, such as dental, the costs of cosmetic surgery in Saudi Arabia are much cheaper than in Western countries, mostly due to the lack of taxes and cheaper living standards.

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