In the quest for beauty you need not have any other reason for undergoing cosmetic surgery other than the wish to enhance your appearance and confidence.
Yes, surgery to remove those wrinkles from around your eyes, to correct your drooping eyelids, eliminate those eye-bags, reshape your breasts to their original youthful firmness, or flatten your tummy, are among the few medical procedures you could undergo for aesthetic reasons.
Cosmetic surgery seems to be in growing demand as it becomes more accessible and less costly.
And potential customers, including those from Europe and the
United States, are now turning to Asia simply because there are cheaper, varied, and more attractive services.
Those seeking cosmetic surgery are among the “medical tourists” that contribute to a booming industry in several southeastern Asia countries such as Singapore, Malaysia, and Thailand, where medical tourism has become a thriving billion dollar business.
And Indonesia, especially the capital Jakarta, seems to be getting the trickle down effects of the industry’s massive expansion in the region.
Donna, for example, is a satisfied client of Ultimo Aesthetic and Dental Centre in Jakarta.
She had her Ulthera treatment (non-surgical facelift procedure in which the doctor uses an applicator to deliver low levels of focused heat at a certain depth below the skin to enhance the regenerative process) here and claims the price is just a fraction compared to the same treatment in Singapore or the US, and that the clinic has
superb physicians and advanced technology.
“The service is comparable to clinics in Beverly Hills, with friendlier staff”, said Donna, a US citizen.
A recent report reveals a significant increase of plastic surgery patients seeking treatment from surgeons and aesthetic doctors in the region.
The Straits Times even reported such medical procedures are no longer just for those who are advanced in age. There is at least a 30 percent increase in young clients, under the age of 21, who are willing to go under the knife for improved looks, over the last five years.
Sisters Charisse and Christelle, for instance, both underwent double eyelid surgery when they were 18 and 14 years old respectively.
Sherry (not her real name), a 22-year-old Singaporean engineer, spent almost US$20,000 for three trips to Indonesia, and five liposuction treatments to extract fat from her arms, thighs, and abdomen, to get her dream hour-glass figure.
She feels it is money well spent. “Liposuction has turned my life around. When I got shapelier, I had more motivation to lose weight and keep it off”, she said.
Most Indonesians, however, are still cautious about such treatments, especially when it comes to the
efforts to “beautify” God-given features.
There are the stigmas attached to such the artificial beauty. There are also the religious barriers. Unless you have medical reasons, most people still believe going through medical procedures like; whitening your skin, sharpening your nose, sucking the fat out of your thighs, or flattening your belly are the acts against nature and that you are being ungrateful to God. Many are also convinced that planting any kind of alien substances into your body (such as silicone), would be hazardous to your health, and that religion prohibits this.
Except for a few celebrities in the show-biz world, including the members of the former Tiga Diva (Three Divas) singers who have all admitted publicly they have had such surgery; Krisdayanti said she had face-lifts, Ruth Sahanaya admitted to having mastopexy (breast enlargement/ reduction/ reshaping), and Titi D.J. acknowledged having a tummy tuck (to flatten the lower abdomen), not many are willing to reveal that they have had, for instance, rhinoplasty (nose sharpening), ear lift, jaw reduction, eyelid surgery, or simple hair transplant or skin rejuvenating treatments.
Even the clinics that offer aesthetic surgery or other beauty enhancement treatments in Jakarta, seem to be reluctant to promote their services in the local media or Internet, despite the massive ads by most specialist clinics in Singapore, Thailand, or South Korea that offer similar services.
After hours of browsing the Internet, you will find only a handful of clinics in Jakarta, with scant information on the services they offer. Among these clinics are Ultimo in the down-town Sudirman area, and Miracle Aesthetic Clinic in Kemang South Jakarta.
Meanwhile, aesthetic clinics in Singapore and Thailand flash comprehensive, detailed descriptions of various types of plastic surgery and cosmetics treatments they offer on the Internet.
Their websites also open chat and question-and-answer forums, free pre-consultations, as well as provide detailed information on after treatment procedures, and the range of prices of each operation.
Some of these beauty clinics including Dr. Valentin Low Aesthetic and Laser Clinic in Singapore, now offer the more technologically advanced and attractive treatments for those who are still in the quest over beauty.
These claim scar-less, painless, and economical beauty enhancement treatments include Dissolvable Thread-lifts (a non-surgical procedure that uses dissolvable thread to tighten and lift sagging facial features), Thermage treatment (a procedure uses a patented radio-frequency/ RF technology called Therma Cool to tighten and lift skin to smooth out wrinkles), and Lipo-selection treatment (a more advanced ultrasound system of liposuction technology that allows precise body sculpting, improves skin retraction and minimizes post-operative swelling and bruising.
