As medical tourism is part of the Dubai Government’s 2021 Initiative, HEALTH met with Plastic Surgeon Dr. Jaffer Khan to understand what role cosmetic surgery and treatments play in the medical tourism experience.
Most Popular Aspects
According to Dr. Khan, interestingly, Dubai Health Experience (DXH) statistics show that orthopedics and cosmetic surgery are the top specialties when it comes to medical tourism in Dubai. He adds, “And, it seems that a rising number of patients’ from across the world are travelling to the UAE to undergo both surgical and nonsurgical treatments. As a city, Dubai has a great location, whereby visas are easily obtainable, and there is very good connectivity between countries thanks to the success of Emirates and other airlines.”
The Trend
This is a trend we have witnessed here over the years, tells Dr. Khan, with year-on-year growth in patients’ coming to our clinics from abroad. “The majority of these have been word-of-mouth referrals, who have requested consultations with our surgeons, who have pioneered some of the most innovative procedures that are well-known across the world,” he explains, and with this in mind, we have designed several special packages to attract medical tourists, so they can access quality healthcare and cosmetic surgery in state-of-the-art facilities.
The Surge in Non-Surgical Techniques
There has definitely been a rise in nonsurgical treatments, informs Dr. Khan, as people are wanting a much more natural look and less downtime as people are ultimately time crunched in the busy world we all live in. “Technology has advanced rapidly over the years, and there are things that we could not have done previously without going under the knife,” he tells. A treatment which is extremely popular is Face Art— a combination of Botox and fillers whereby volume and definition is added, in the form of art. “In my opinion, the needle is like a paintbrush; we look at a person’s features and the act of putting in volume in a particular area should have an artistic skill with regards to the aesthetics of the face, and taking into consideration the looks the patient is wanting to achieve,” he says.
