India ranks fourth among nip-and-tuck nations

India ranks fourth in the list of the countries with the maximum number of people going for surgical and non-surgical procedures to enhance their features, according to a global survey.

India ranks fourth in the list of the countries with the maximum number of people going for surgical and non-surgical procedures to enhance their features, according to a global survey.

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The survey, conducted by the International Society of Aesthetic Plastic Surgery, included the top 25 countries representing 75 per cent of all procedures performed by board-certified plastic surgeons in 2009.

“There has been a shift in the perception of beauty with time. In a competitive world, people want to look younger and fresher and they are opting for procedures that will take away years from their face,” said Sanjay Parashar, a cosmetologist.

“Mummy makeovers” for new mothers, facial rejuvenation, tummy tucks, high definition liposuction, breast augmentation and contouring are among the most popular procedures, he said.

India saw 683,160 surgical procedures in 2009 and 211,540 non-surgical procedures, accounting for 5.2 per cent of the procedures performed in these 25 countries.

The US led the list followed by China and Brazil. The top 10 include Mexico at fifth place followed by Japan, South Korea, Germany, Turkey and Spain.

Continent-wise, Asia ranked first with 5,704,277 procedures, followed by North America with 4,155,955 and Europe with 3,538,319.

“We are seeing a lot of people from the US and the West opting for surgeries in India. This may be because apart from being cheaper, we have very good infrastructure and are good at communicating in English, compared to say countries like China,” said Dr Parashar.