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The botox craze is on. Plastic surgeons' clinics are full. According to a recent report, more men in India are opting for plastic surgery than those in America. Executives, teachers, housewives are ready to spend big bucks on a variety of dramatic operations-nose jobs, liposuction, among others. With beauty becoming more than skin deep, here is an analysis on the new health market. If you thought that botox was only popular among women determined to maintain their looks, here is some fresh perspective. An increasing number of men are turning to it to erase not only the worry lines on their face, but also all signs of doubt and exhaustion. Having six injections of botulinum toxin into your face may sound more like torture than beauty treatment. But many people are quite prepared to go through the ordeal believing it will make them look young and beautiful. Beauty, indeed, is not just skin deep for them. It also means a big business opportunity. In recent years, there is a spate of newer and complex procedures which smooth your lines, remove extra pounds and whiten your teeth. It's this addiction to youth which cosmetic and drug companies are looking at to plump up bottomlines and making age-busting market red hot. In fact, business has never been better for many doctors who say they are stepping into beauty treatments in a major way because they fulfill a long-standing demand of the patients. Botox, the magic potion from the West already has a strong footing in society's glamour circuit. Botox injections are supposed to reduce the wrinkles on your face and knock years off your appearance but they can cost a thousand dollars a time and need topping-up every few months. Besides popular culture, the demand for aesthetics and enhanced looks is being fuelled by rapid advances in technology which translate into faster treatment and less pain for the patient. Experts reckon that market forces are driving doctors and para-medics to take up beauty as their core subjects. Most of the plastic surgeons are getting good training and are diversifying into the cosmetics segment. Undeniably, the concern with appearance is not a new phenomenon. But what's interesting is that this is no more confined to big-time celebs. Executives, teachers, housewives and a growing number of twenty-somethings are among the swelling list of patients spending big bucks on everything from dramatic operations to common procedures such as teeth whitening. Women, of course, have always led the quest for beauty. But men are fast catching up and surprisingly more men (form 30 per cent of the lot) in India are opting for plastic surgery than their counterparts in America where men form only 10-20 per cent of the total. With a tooth crown implant priced at over Rs 6,500 and a common liposuction procedure of the abdomen costing Rs 45,000-50,000 upwards, the popularity of the makeover business clearly stems from an increased capacity to pay. But with the change has come controversy. Many doctors trained to specialise in cosmetic procedures, such as plastic surgeons and dermatologists say other doctors often lack the training to perform such procedures well. So it is often suggested for patients to check the doctor's credentials and confirm his/her membership with the Association of Plastic Surgeons of India (APSI). The common argument is that why let untrained people do it if the doctors can do it themselves. The reason is achieving success and good money in a short time. Most patients who go for beauty enhancement treatment have deep pockets, are sometimes well-known personalities, and treating them is good publicity for doctors.
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