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Plastic Surgeons Picky on Noses...

DUBAI - Would Haifa Wehbe look as striking with a Madonna nose? Many will probably say no, but some will agree and insist they, too, would want a nose like Madonna’s.

Plastic surgeons in the country say that they are coming across an increasing number of patients who are willing to transcend ethnic barriers to enhance their beauty.

“If a surgeon uses Western textbook measurements to guide his scalpel the result will be poor since the books often specify dimensions for European faces,” explains Dr Sanjay Parasher, specialist plastic surgeon at Unicare Medical Centre.

“We do not accept all the whims and fancies that people have, since standards of beauty are different for each ethnicity.Whenwe are sculpting a face, the balance and proportion has to be maintained,” he clarifies.

“Forexample, an African national asking that his/her broad nose be made to resemble that of a Caucasian’s may not actually be suitable,” says Dr Parasher. “It has to be sculpted to be proportionate to the other facial features.”

Rhinoplastics (surgeries to shape the nose) are most popular with Arab women, while creating a crease in the eyelid to give the eye a more open look is popular among Asians, and breast reduction is popular among African women.

“Since aesthetic surgery has been historically tailored to Caucasian faces, surgeons now have a two-pronged challenge: defining beautiful features for different ethnic groups such as Arabs, Asians or Africans, and determining how to modify standard operations to achieve these goals,” says Dr Luiz Toledo, a Dubai-based consultant plastic surgeon and professor.

“For a number of years, surgeons have been doing the same operations for all groups, and that doesn’t work since they have different anatomical structures and they heal differently,” adds Dr Toledo. While people increasingly want to look more like the one they idolise, experts say that ethical practices do not allow for such kind of surgeries.

“All issues, legal and moral, have to be assessed before the decision is reached,” he adds. Out of the 20 people visiting the clinic daily, only five are shortlisted for surgery, points out Dr Parasher. “I try to enhance a person’s pride for their ethnicity before they insist on the surgery,” says Dr Toledo.

Through a computer programme, patients can be 80 per cent sure what their modified facial features would look like. “Aesthetic surgery does not mean changing drastically to look someone else, but blending in and appearing more normal,” he adds.

asmaalizan@khaleejtimes