With Dubai fast on its way to becoming a globally renowned hub of medical tourism, should it surprise us then that plastic surgery is one of the most popular realms of medical tourism? To learn more, HEALTH speaks to Consultant Plastic Reconstructive Surgeon Dr. Jaffer Khan.

Reasons

“The primary reason patients from overseas seek plastic surgery abroad is the search for expertise unavailable in their home country, and/or privacy during recovery phase. Medical procedures abroad in general started with cheaper costs
overseas as the key driver to patients seeking treatment, and this still happens in plastic surgery, although travel for this reason has diminished due to some of the complications patients have faced going to nonaccredited facilities.”

Your Patients

“Personally, we see around 150 patients a year coming from the UK, Central Asia, and the GCC countries. Their usual stay is around one to two weeks and ninetyfive percent of these are female patients.”

Top Procedures

“Breast augmentation, eyelid surgery, facelifts, and tummy tucks, ranked in succession according to popularity. There are many patients seeking nonsurgical facial rejuvenation as well with neuromodulators, fillers, lasers, and lights.”

Medical Tourism Hub

“Dubai has always been viewed as a luxury and lifestyle destination. The lifestyle has attracted many high caliber physicians and surgeons from all over the world and hence patients looking for this expertise would then, of course, follow. Ease of access such as visas as well as the geographical location between the East and the West are also obvious benefits of traveling to Dubai. Great connectivity as well as infrastructure is another bonus.”

The Future

“The rise in the number of clinics and hospitals offering plastic surgery services is indicative of the popularity and projections for the future. I believe that there is a captive audience of high net worth individuals in the region who would like to avail aesthetic services, and Dubai is rapidly becoming the capital of such offering. I do see continued growth, but more for boutique services pertaining to plastic surgery, rather than bulk travel seeking price advantages.”