‘To Thine Own Self Be True…’ This famous quote from Shakespeare’s Hamlet has taken on a new meaning today, with more and more people wanting to be anything but themselves—physically, at least! Sohaila Kapur writes today.

In an age where inner beauty is loudly celebrated yet quietly sidelined, aesthetic clinics and cosmetic surgeons thrive on our obsession with outer perfection. From fillers and Botox to surgical facelifts, the pursuit of youth and symmetry has grown into a booming global industry—especially in Dubai, now a hub for world-class aesthetic treatments. Ironically, in the rush to “be yourself,” millions are reinventing themselves, blurring the lines between self-expression, social pressure, and survival in a photogenic world.

Beauty treatments, whether homegrown or clinical, have always held a special place in women’s lives the world over. Post-COVID, there has been an exponential rise in these treatments. Perhaps the deprivations and deaths experienced during lockdown triggered a taste for indulgence not experienced before, in the belief that there may not be a tomorrow. A rampant growth in online platforms like Instagram, Facebook and Zoom also led to an obsession with good looks. Influencers bucked the trend of attempting to look like screen or social media icons, even if it meant morphing selfies.

From the reel to the real, the obsession changed to determination to match one’s actual appearance to a preferred icon. This paved the way to the so-called ‘aesthetic clinic,’ which began using a more focused version of plastic surgery. Initially, the latter was practiced to replace a lost limb, torn muscle or damaged tissue. The skill was now refined to changing body contours, altering facial features and resurfacing the skin, purely for beauty. These clinics sprouted all over the U.S. and Europe. But Dubai managed to place itself as a leading destination to meet that demand. The reasons for its rising popularity are many.

Firstly, it is more cost-effective than those countries, and it has gained a reputation for excellence in health care. Secondly, the UAE has established regulations and protocols that enforce and ensure quality and safety, allowing only licensed plastic and aesthetic surgeons to practice. Fly-by-night clinics are disallowed and penalised heavily. This helps to maintain high standards of practice and patient safety. Lastly, it offers privacy and discretion, which is why many celebrities from the world over prefer Dubai to undertake these procedures. Today, it offers a wide range of services from facial rejuvenation to body contouring. It has world-class medical facilities, highly skilled surgeons from all over the world, and rising medical tourism.

I recently visited Dubai to talk to some of the leading surgeons and dermatologists about the popularity of their craft.

The Obsession Beyond the Screen

Roza Magomedova, an aesthetic dermatologist trained in Russia, Spain and the UAE, says, “Post COVID, jobs here became scarce. The interviews were on Zoom instead of in person. Your being photogenic became your qualification. Your other qualifications mattered but it became very important to look good. For a 50-year-old seeking a job, a healthy 35-year-old was certainly competition! Suddenly, cosmetic surgery and fillers were in demand. The laugh lines, the forehead wrinkles, the too-thin lips or cheeks needed to be filled out.”

At one time, these cosmetic clinics were few and far between, she says. “But now, from Jumeira to Al Wasl, a 3.3 km stretch, practically every villa has a clinic!” Initially, people were secretive, she says, but now they openly talk about their ‘fixes’ and ask you outright why you don’t try them too. Body contouring, liposuction, Botox, skin boosters, collagen, fillers… they are the popular procedures designed to make one look slimmer and younger.

This trend began in the Middle East, not in the West, as is commonly understood, she says. Here the weather is hotter, and people practically live in air-conditioned rooms, which ages the skin faster.

She gets Arabic, Russian, French, German and British women as clients. Also cabin crew from different nationalities, “because flying for hours causes their skin to turn grey from exhaustion.” Eyelashes, cheeks, lips are some of the features that the women come for and she treats them with injections of skin boosters, Botox, collagen and fillers. Indians are more conservative, she says, and are scared to try them.

Perhaps they think these fillers could cause complications later on in life? Because they are injected into the skin and are somewhat invasive?

No, she counters. The material gets absorbed by the body within a year and has been medically proven not to have side effects. Sometimes there may be a localized swelling because the substance absorbs water, but it goes in a few days. Not everybody experiences these reactions, though. People react to analgesics and sometimes nutritional supplements like zinc or omega too, she says, but do they read the small print on the instruction paper before taking them? No. So why be critical of something that beautifies you without pain or penalty? Besides, fillers like Botox are getting more refined each time.

These procedures have also helped keep marriages intact, claims Roza. She narrates a story. A friend of hers is married to a Frenchman. They had a great sexual relationship. But the woman had a deep frown and prominent laugh lines that pulled down her mouth, giving her a sulky expression. Her husband worried that she was unhappy. His constant enquiry had begun to irk her, and it put a strain on their marriage.

Roza says she treated her with a procedure that uplifted the droopy mouth and chin, gave her a smooth brow and voila! her expression changed overnight! She now looked fresh, young and cheerful. And of course, her husband stopped nagging her! Husband-pleasing procedures also include regenerating the vagina to give it a plumped-up and youthful look. It keeps the men from straying, she announces solemnly.

But it’s not all about pleasing men, or going in just for a beauty routine. It serves business too, says Roza. One of her male clients had his entire restaurant staff Botoxed under the arms, at his cost, to prevent the appearance of sweat patches on their shirts when they served clients. The Botox blocked the sweat pores from oozing! Men also came in for Botox and fillers to give them smoother foreheads, improved skin texture and to lighten deep laugh lines, she concludes.

Dubai: The Global Beauty Destination

Dr. Rudmilla Lukian specialises in regenerative aesthetics and dermatological treatments. She is a European Board-certified dermatologist and the founder and CEO of Lucia Clinic. She is the creator of the ‘L-Lift Method,’ a non-surgical facelift that supposedly reverses signs of ageing and improves the texture of the skin, giving it a youthful appearance, ‘naturally.’ Her treatment is ‘holistic’ and has long-lasting results, claims her website. “Science and aesthetics now allow us to support the skin’s health for long-lasting radiance,” she says.

Dr Lukian also has skilled foreign surgeons performing cosmetic surgeries at her clinic. The celebrity Indian American surgeon, Dr. Raj Kanodia, flies in from LA where he practices, to perform rhinoplasty, of which he is an expert.

Dr. Sanjay Parasher is a doctor of Indian origin. He has been voted the No. 1 Plastic Surgeon in the UAE by Arabian Business, a bi-monthly business magazine in the UAE. He is also the Founder of Cocoona Centre for Aesthetic Transformation & Day Surgery Centre.

According to Dr. Parasher, fillers do not trigger cancer nor are invasive in any way, but they can have visible side effects. Since they absorb water, they can give you a ‘pillow face,’ that is, the face can puff up and even become distorted in severe cases. Overdoing fillers can create problems which will last longer. Also, fillers must be repeated over time and hence they eventually turn out to be more expensive than a single surgical procedure.

Apart from fillers, there are radio frequency and ultrasound devices, which are non-invasive techniques to tighten the skin for a younger look. They heat up deep tissue and stimulate the production of collagen. They also tighten existing collagen fibres and improve the blood circulation, he says. Then there are ablative lasers that remove the outer layer of the skin through focused heat, which also encourages the production of collagen. But only a professional with knowledge of these techniques should use them, to minimise potential risks, he warns. Those can include burns, scarring and pigmentation. Besides, the results are not always guaranteed.

According to him, it may be safer to inject nutrients into the skin to help the collagen within, rather than risk these techniques with a less qualified and experienced dermatologist. Surgery, he says, is a simpler and safer option, which would give a natural result without side effects. What about the complications of a surgery gone horribly wrong? Those have reduced significantly now with better technology, he claims. They also help the skin heal faster after surgery. Of course, here too, the competence of the surgeon should be well-researched before putting oneself in his hands.

A surgical facelift lasts for many more years than the results of a non-surgical procedure, he says. The latter must be repeated several times, which ultimately turns out to be more expensive. Non-surgical procedures can be used for conditions like deep laugh lines, frown lines or hollows under the eyes, which cannot be corrected by surgery. Fillers or Botox will have a better result there, he says. The best results are those which are combinations of surgery and non-surgical treatments.

What if one has undergone a non-surgical procedure first, instead of the reverse? Can surgery be done in such a case? Surgery cannot be undertaken with the presence of these fillers in the skin, says Dr. Parasher. One should wait for their effect to be over or perhaps the doctor concerned could dissolve them with certain chemical injections before the procedure.

Dr. Sanjay Parasher has been practising in Dubai for 20 years now. Earlier, he was in India, Bahrain, Australia and Korea. He trained in India and the U.S. Arabs and Europeans top his list of clients. Indians and Pakistanis, initially conservative (except for celebrities), are now opting for aesthetic surgeries too, he says.

Which are the most popular procedures in Dubai? Hair transplant, tummy tucks, liposuction, he says, with the latter topping the list. Some 30 percent of his women clients opt for the facelift, the scars of which are concealed behind the hairline. These lighten over the years. Women undergoing this surgery are generally over 55.

Popular amongst young people today is the ‘Foxy-eyed’ look, which means an upward slant of the eyes. It’s very popular with young Koreans, he says. Arabic women are beginning to go in for it too. In Dubai, men are not monogamous, and women try these exotic surgeries to keep them in line. If not done carefully, this procedure can give one a ‘disproportionate look’ and can damage the veins. Over-tightening the skin around the eyes can also cause visual problems.

What about people who are addicted to correctional surgeries? Yes. Sometimes people are unrealistic and over-expect a result or overdo the procedures. They go through correctional surgery five or six times and still not achieve what they desire. A lot of money is thrown at surgeons who are not competent. There have been litigations from disgruntled clients in Dubai, but fewer than those in the U.S.

It is best to have an honest talk with your surgeon and have realistic expectations before you go in for any procedure. That way, everybody is safe, he says.

Between Vanity and Necessity

What about India? Aesthetic surgery is catching up in India too, he says. Initially it was only Indian celebrities who came here to get these surgeries done. Today, the Arab middle-class travels to India, as some surgeries (not necessarily aesthetic) have become more affordable there.

Aesthetic surgeons in India are just as good and the doctors are highly competent, says Dr. Parasher, but Dubai has better infrastructure; the hospitals have better sanitation and hygiene. Indian hospitals have a high rate of infections.

He agrees that medical tourism in India is growing, but the reverse is true in aesthetic surgery. Moneyed people still prefer to come here. “But I would say that if your family is in India, or if the hospital stay there is more affordable than here (this is an expensive country), get it done there. The healing time is just three to four weeks.

“I train doctors there. I have worked in Mumbai, Delhi, Hyderabad and Jaunpur and continue to do so.”