Why Asian tourists choose to have plastic surgery in the UK

by NADEEM BADSHAH

INDIAN and Pakistani visitors are combining a holiday to Britain with having cosmetic surgery, a top surgeon has revealed.

Dr Munir Somji told Eastern Eye male and female patients are having hair transplants, laser treatments and skin brightening.

Other procedures include a Loub Job – named after shoe designer Christian Louboutin – where dermal fillers are injected in the balls of the feet which creates a cushion that soothes aches after wearing high heels.

The chief medical officer at the Dr MediaSpa company said the growing trend is down to Bollywood and even couples turn up to have treatments together.

He said every week he dedicates a day to speaking with visitors from south Asia and the Far East aged between 25 and 55.

Dr Somji, 31, said: “A lot of people from India and Pakistan mostly come in the summertime for holidays.

“Typically, they come for surgery with other people. But it’s like with anything in cosmetic surgery, they don’t really want to tell everyone they are having things done.

“It does depend what treatment they have done. Most men from India have a hair transplant, you have to be open about that – it’s hard to hide it. Women tend to want to keep it a little more confidential.”

The UK cosmetic surgery market is worth more than £4 billion. But the number of procedures carried out in 2016 fell below 31,000, a 40 per cent slump compared to the previous year, according to the British Association of Aesthetic Plastic Surgeons.

Dr Somji, one of the leading hair transplant surgeons, said the Asian market is growing and men now make up around 50 per cent of clients.

He added: “The ratio among Asians is 50:50, that would surprise people as among Caucasian patients it is 80-20.

“When people travel abroad, men want to look good too. Asian men are having botox and fillers also. They are a lot more open about it.

“Celebrities in that market;, you think of Bollywood, the male actors get a lot of exposure of how they look, their physique, their hair. In the UK it’s okay for men to have a receding hairline. In Bollywood you never see a celebrity with no hair.”

Popular treatments for tourists from south Asia include vitamin infusions for the skin and “facial contouring”.

The surgeon said: “There’s a huge craze for it. Most patients from these countries get it for a glow and brighter look to their skin.

“It can help with hyper pigmentation which people from India and Pakistan suffer from a lot, darkening of the skin. They come for these injections for an even skin tone.

“For 6-8 weeks at a time to have these weekly injections and they fly back. A lot of the celebrities in the movie industry have that done, an eight-week course is around £800.”

On contouring for women, he added: “Someone who wants to put less make-up on as it’s not great for the skin, but they still want that contoured look.

“We inject filler in the cheeks and jawline. It costs around £800-1000 and they are

essentially contoured for the rest of the year and can wear less make-up.”

Dr Somji, from Essex, believes patients travel from south Asia to the UK for treatments due

to its reputation.

“I think it is more of a trust issue, in those countries there’s a lot of confusion so they come to London.

“If there are any complications we can sort it out.”