Altered States: World-class nip/tuck city

In the last few decades plastic surgery has been on the rise as women and men aim to transform themselves into their favourite celebrities and models.

I grew up watching the trend grow on the American show Dr 90210 . I watched as patients would consult Dr Robert Rey, arriving with pages from magazines to which they pointed and asked for a certain celebrity's lips, chin, ears or cheekbones.

There is a perception that everyone wants big boobs and a little junk back in their trunk (buttock implants), but lately doctors suggest that tummy tucking and liposuction are the most sought-after cosmetic surgery trends .

Plastic surgery in South Africa has seen a 70% growth in the past five years. The Association of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgeons of Southern Africa is also seeing more women from other African countries coming to South Africa to have their plastic surgery procedures.

Dr Chris Snijman, national secretary of APRSSA, says the rapid growth of cosmetic surgery in South Africa is because more foreigners, including Americans and Europeans, are coming to Johannesburg to take advantage of the affordable medical rates.

Some of the reasons African women are seeking plastic surgery to reduce certain features of their bodies is the Westernisation of lifestyles, including changing diets.

The number of African women going under the knife is increasing, but Dr Snijman says fewer women from this continent undergo surgery to make them look like celebrities.

''That trend is very much American," he says.

Plastic surgeons from all over South Africa are seeing a trend towards nose and eyelid surgery, says Snijman, and patients come from all over Africa for body contouring procedures, including mainly breast reduction, breast lift, abdominoplasty and breast augmentation.

Snijman believes the cosmetic surgery trend in South Africa has been influenced by media hype. The rise of the internet and social media has definitely influenced the popularity of plastic surgery because people want to look good for their online profiles. There is also increasing awareness and access to cosmetic surgery among Africans because of the rapidly emerging upper middle class.

''My practice comprises at least 35% of people of colour," he says.

At the beginning of this year plastic and reconstructive surgeon Dr Anton Potgieter released a newsletter about the most popular cosmetic surgery trends in South Africa in 2013.

In the newsletter he noted that more men are starting to seek procedures, and lists that facial eyelid lifting and liposuction are the most requested.

Top 10 most-requested cosmetic procedures in 2013:

• Botox
• Dermal fillers
• Non-surgical body sculpting
• Chin lifts (surgical and non-surgical)
• Chemical peels, rejuvenation facials
• Laser hair removal
• Facelifts (surgical and non-surgical)
• Eyelid surgery
• Breast surgery
• Tummy tucks

The American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery saw a 12% overall increase in cosmetic procedures performed in the US in 2013. Liposuction replaced breast augmentation as the most performed procedure.