Iran has long been known as a center for cosmetic surgery, with tens of thousands of people undergoing the procedure every year in search of perfection. But a sharp rise in the number of patients in recent years has raised alarm among senior doctors, who fear the impact on patients’ health and even Iranian identity.
“The faces of real Iranians are distorted through invasive procedures,” Babak Nikomaram, president of the Iranian Society of Plastic and Aesthetic Surgeons (Ispas), told the Financial Times. “Contradictory Western beauty standards are being imposed on Iranians.”
According to the International Society of Aesthetic Plastic Surgery (Isaps), Iran ranks 12th in the world for the number of cosmetic surgery procedures performed in 2022 (the latest figures available), up from 18th place in 2016.
Rhinoplasty remains the most popular surgery, followed by liposuction, eyelid surgery, abdominoplasty, and breast augmentation. A total of about 320,000 cosmetic procedures, both surgical and non-surgical, will be performed in the country in 2022, up from 151,000 in 2016, Isapps said.
But Nikomaram said this figure was only the “tip of the iceberg” as few Iranian surgeons provided data to Isaps. Doctors were also not required to submit records to Iranian health authorities. He said the actual number of surgeries was much higher and the country was likely to be in the top five.
In a sign that multiple cosmetic surgeries are becoming mainstream in Iran, Interior Minister Ahmad Vahidi announced late last year that people who radically alter their appearance through this method would have to apply for a new identity card. Stated.
Women account for 80% of the demand for plastic surgery in Iran, according to industry statistics, citing a variety of reasons ranging from the perception that those who look more beautiful have an advantage to the rise of social media.
Hundreds of thousands of Iranians follow the country’s beauty bloggers, and there are about 6,000 accounts on Instagram and other platforms promoting Iranian cosmetic surgery services, according to Ispas.
“This is a new social norm and people are feeling pressured to conform to it,” said Mariam, a 34-year-old Iranian personal trainer who has undergone multiple cosmetic procedures, including rhinoplasty and jaw contouring. speaks. “Our society is dominated by the idea that beautiful women get better marriage proposals and get better jobs.”
Mariam, a personal trainer, underwent cosmetic surgery including rhinoplasty and jaw contouring
Neda, a 25-year-old fitness instructor who also had rhinoplasty, said, “Iranian women want to be like foreign models who have become famous by marrying rich men or building wealth. I don’t want a natural look either.
Mariam said there was also increasing pressure from men to demand that women look a certain way. “Guys have started comparing girls to girls on screen. Some pick their favorite features from different women and want their own women to look like that.”
Taraneh, a 34-year-old architect who has had a nose job and Botox treatment, said: “Girls are feeling insecure and inadequate compared to what they see on social media. I do this to improve my appearance so that I look attractive.”
Cosmetic surgery in Iran used to be limited mainly to the wealthy and middle-aged. But surgeons say it’s becoming more mainstream among young people and people from all walks of life.
Alireza Mesbahi, a facial plastic surgeon and secretary general of the Iranian Rhinology Society, said many of the patients lured by “misleading advertisements and fake photoshopped images on social media” are still in high school.
Demand remains strong despite Iran’s crippled economy as it grapples with runaway inflation and Western sanctions imposed over its nuclear ambitions. Some clinics and financial services companies offer installment plans for people who are having trouble financing the procedure.
“I’ve worked in gyms where most of the women were from poor families, and all that mattered to them was getting lip fillers,” Mariam said. “Prices are still affordable for people on a tight budget.”
Rhinoplasty in Iran costs between $800 and $2,000, compared to at least $6,000 in the United States © Fatemeh Bahrami/Anadolu/Getty Images
Iran’s low costs and surgical expertise also attract patients from abroad, mainly Iranians living in Arab countries, Europe and the United States. In 2022, about 8.5% of Iran’s plastic surgery customers will come from other countries, Isaps said.
According to the American Society of Plastic Surgeons, the average surgeon’s fee for rhinoplasty in the United States is about $6,000, plus anesthesia and other costs. In Iran the total cost is between $800 and $2,000.
Rapid industry growth, unrestrained advertising, and an increasing number of unqualified practitioners are challenging senior plastic surgeons. There are about 430 certified plastic surgeons in Iran, while an estimated 2,000 doctors offer cosmetic procedures, Ispas officials said.
Nikomaram claimed that some surgeons were stamping their signatures on medical records to certify surgeries performed by technicians, and that “professional and ethical standards would be sacrificed for financial gain.” said.
The “disruptive tsunami of cosmetic surgery” also risks undermining a wide range of health services by engulfing financial and medical resources and creating labor shortages, he said.
Rising medical malpractice claims and weak regulation were further concerns. He said the number of medical board meetings convened to investigate medical malpractice cases has more than doubled in the past five years. Surgeons were not required to report complications, but victims were often “offered money to avoid filing a lawsuit.”
Mesbahi also expressed concern for patients’ health, saying that the trend toward smaller noses “not only violates aesthetic principles and alters racial characteristics; [but] It can also cause breathing problems and damage your sense of smell. ”
Senior plastic surgeons are calling for stronger regulation of the industry and the introduction of international best practices, including a minimum age for surgery, mandatory specialized training and a requirement for doctors to disclose mistakes made by colleagues.
“There are rules for changing the configuration of a building,” Nikomaram says. “Why shouldn’t changing people’s faces be regulated?”
