Chris Tumelep, Contributor, Jakarta
To look good these days takes more than just putting on flawless make-up and wearing stylish clothes and designer accessories.
""Your picture-perfect make-up and all those flashy things mean nothing if your cheeks are marred by acne. It's even worse if you are also hoarding fat and cellulite,"" said Vita, a 38-year-old mother of two.
According to the self-confessed image-conscious woman, healthy, attractive skin and a reasonably fat-free figure is fundamental.
More and more people are becoming aware of the importance of having not only good looks but also a healthy appearance, said Irma Sitohang, a dermatologist and lecturer at the University of Indonesia's School of Medicine.
""People now are paying more attention to the condition of their skin and body. Looking good and healthy has become a necessity,"" she said.
To some people, especially those from the middle and upper classes, achieving and maintaining the ideal appearance often involves professional help.
Vita, who looks just fine albeit for a few tiny pimples on her chin and a rather flabby tummy, said she regularly visited a beauty clinic in the Dharmawangsa area of South Jakarta to undergo treatment for her acne.
She said she once attended a series of slimming sessions at Marie France Bodyline soon after she gave birth to her second child a few years ago.
She said the slimming sessions did help her to lose weight. ""Unfortunately, my stomach seems to have got the better of me ... as you can see from the size of my tummy.""
The increasing demand for beauty and health treatments, according to Irma, have helped spurred the mushrooming of many health and beauty clinics in big cities.
""Thanks to the constant, if not increasing, demand for beauty treatments, the business of beauty and health clinics has been quite dynamic,"" said Irma, who herself runs a private clinic Ibeskin in Depok, West Java.
You might have noticed new clinics springing up along the main streets of upscale areas as well as in shopping and business centers to compete with existing health and beauty clinics, of which many have expanded their market by opening new outlets.
The luxurious Erha Clinic, which offers a wide range of services including skin rejuvenation therapy, acne treatment, hair growth treatment and body contour therapy, is among the clinics that are enjoying rapid growth.
Founded only six years ago, Erha Clinic currently has around 20 outlets scattered throughout major cities. The clinic is reportedly planning to expand its network to 40 outlets this year to tap into the increasing demand for integrated beauty and health treatments.
In a bid to appeal to a wider market, some clinics offer various treatments to suit their customers' needs.
For instance, the Jakarta Skin Center on Jl. Radio Dalam, South Jakarta, offers various treatments ranging from acne control to liposuction. All treatments are performed by either dermatologists or surgeons.
Some other clinics, however, focus their services on areas that they do best.
The Jakarta Eye Center, for example, specializes in helping people to obtain clear vision through its famous Lasik treatment using the avant-garde Allegretto Wave Eye-Q laser technology.
After completing successful Lasik treatment, patients will be able to see clearly without having to wear discreet contact lenses, let alone chunky glasses. Such a dramatic change will help people to look even more attractive.
Specialized slimming centers, including the Impressions Body Care Center and the European Slimming Center recently opened in the posh Dharmawangsa district, concentrate their services on helping customers achieve a well-proportioned figure.
Like Erha Clinic, Impressions, which began in 1993, has also spread across the country with now more than 70 outlets. Impressions offers slimming and weight loss treatments using a detoxification program pioneered by an American herbal medical therapist.
How much do they charge customers to enjoy a quick fix to, say, lose weight or eliminate unwanted acne?
The prices vary depending on the treatments. Liposuction may cost you at least Rp 10 million, while chemical peeling for acne and skin treatments may cost you at least Rp 250.000 per session.
Irma said that for many people the high prices were not a problem. She said people tended to think that expensive treatments ensured higher quality.
That's not always true, Irma said.
She said excellent health treatments performed by dermatologists from the University of Indonesia in the Cipto Mangunkusumo General Hospital, for instance, cost patients considerably less money.
She said many people also tended to be easily bought by promises clinics made in their advertisements.
""People should choose (treatments) after proper consideration,"" Irma said. ""It's often best to hear from other people who have tried particular treatments from a particular clinic.""
She said some clinics also tended to offer treatments in the form of packages, which require clients to undergo a set of treatments during a set period of time.
""Ideally, treatments are given on a case-by-case basis. If the problems can be fixed in only two or three sessions, why require clients to go through eight or 10 sessions. Is it not a waste of clients' time and money?"" Irma asked.
To ensure lasting, results, she said, people should maintain a healthy lifestyle.
Quitting smoking and drinking, getting enough sleep at night and eating lots of fruit and vegetables will certainly help in achieving a healthy body and mind, she added.
