Boob Town?
By Suzanne Harrison
Reuters
Contributed by Rachelle Austin
Miami
June 2, 1998
Shopping for bigger breasts or thinner
thighs has never been easier in South Florida, and Latin
American men and women are flocking here for the promise of the
body beautiful.
``There's a lot of plastic surgery being done in South
Florida. There's a lot of cosmetic surgeons living down here --
it's a nice place to live,'' Marc Pearl, president of the
Premier Center for Plastic Surgery in Miami's Coconut Grove,
told Reuters in an interview.
``So the competition is here and the prices are lower than
the rest of the country. We have more Latin American patients
than from any other outside country, which is more to do with
South Florida's location,'' he said.
After all, Miami Beach is home to the bare body. Flip
through the pages of the several weekly publications and you
will find alluring advertisements featuring perfectly sculpted
nude silhouettes and endless lists of techniques to change your
shape -- and your life.
Miami resident Iris Hernandez, 26, who had liposuction done
and was back at work the next day, said the surgery gave her
more confidence. ``I work out ... but my saddle bags were not
going away,'' she said. ``Now I'm definitely more confident.
It's something very common, especially down here in South
Florida. People are more body conscious ... we're driven more
physically. Everybody wants to be beautiful.''
BEAUTY BUSINESS NEVER BETTER
Pearl said the beauty business has never been better. His
company advertises extensively on radio and in publications.
``Predominantly South Florida is the top area for cosmetic
surgery,'' he said, listing California and New York as other
centers. ``There's a lot of inexpensive surgery done in Latin
America. They want to come here for the quality care. I'd say
that business is booming.''
Dr. Sam Gershenbaum, a Miami plastic surgeon, echoed Pearl's
experience with foreign clients. ``Certainly there is a large
influx of people coming from out of the country. Latin America
is a big market for cosmetic surgery,'' he said.
``I also have patients from Germany and ... Italy. ... I'd
say the U.S. is one of the most advanced (places) for cosmetic
surgery procedures and I think a lot of people in other
countries realize that. From my experience, it is growing,''
Gershenbaum said.
Dr. Baruch Jacobs, a Miami Beach surgeon, said about 20 per
cent of his clients were foreigners. He also said some of the
Latin Americans who came to see him ``wouldn't be seen dead''
having plastic surgery in their own counties.
But nothing, it seems, stops some people from choosing a
cheap alternative. Jacobs said he has seen cases of people who
left the United States in search of cheaper surgery. ``I can't
tell you how many patients have come back from Costa Rica on
tours and they're bleeding to death,'' he said.
BEWARE VERY LOW SURGERY PRICES
Prospective clients should be wary of very low prices for
surgery, Gershenbaum said. ``As the years go on cosmetic surgery
has become more affordable and acceptable. But there's people
who are more interested in price than quality and usually, when
something is very, very inexpensive, there's a reason.''
Most of Gershenbaum's clients were seeking liposuction.
Jacobs said the same was true for him, adding that he gets quite
a few women in their early 20s seeking breast augmentation and
some as young as 13 wanting liposuction. But he said the average
client age was about 40.
Elizabeth Sadati, communications director of The American
Society of Aesthetic Plastic Surgeons (ASAPS) in New York, said
Florida was one of the top four states in terms of the number of
procedures and surgeons, mostly because of a ``predominantly
aging population and the warm weather.''
In a report released last month ASAPS said nearly 2.1
million Americans underwent cosmetic surgery or nonsurgical
cosmetic procedures in 1997. There were nearly 177,000
liposuctions, making it the third most frequently performed
procedure after chemical peels and collagen injections.
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