What's with the attitude? Views on plastic surgery around the world

With Botox annual sales approaching $1 billion, and breast augmentation and liposuction in the hundreds of thousands of cases each year in the U.S., it would seem that people who haven’t had “a little work” done would be the exception. There are still those who don’t “approve” of plastic surgery, but annual surveys by the American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery show attitudes are steadily becoming more positive. It’s not a uniquely American thing though; when I was in Argentina and Brazil a couple of years ago for an international plastic surgery conference, it was hard to escape the impression that the South Americans thought they invented plastic surgery. They did have a head start on the cosmetic surgery side of the specialty, and attitudes have always been more favorable there.
It’s becoming a worldwide phenomenon. Korea, of all places, has the highest number of plastic surgeons per capita of any country, and a survey in Russia found that about half would “consider plastic surgery.” Rhinoplasty specialists are known to do a thriving business in Iran, and Turkey is becoming a destination for cosmetic surgery. I am off to India for a plastic surgery conference this month, and plastic surgery is becoming popular there among those who can afford it. Interestingly, the Dutch and Norwegians remain staunchly against it.
Whatever your view, there is a good side to all this. The more it is out in the open, the more scrutiny will be brought to bear which in turn will foster improved techniques and standards. One downside is that now everyone wants to be a plastic surgeon – often without the years of specialty training.