In Colombia, cosmetic surgery booming since the end of confinements
Doctor Luis Fernando Botero and his team operating on a patient from Chicago.
© RFI / Najet Benrabaa
Text by: Najet Benrabaa Follow
3 mins
Liposuction, abdominoplasty, breast implants or bichectomies: these aesthetic operations have resumed around the world after the confinements.
In Colombia, they are even experiencing a new attraction and people sometimes come from very far away to go under the knife of the country's professionals.
In Medellin, one of the most reputable private clinics programs nearly 800 operations per month.
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From our correspondent in Medellin,
In “the city of eternal spring”, appearance has always been important.
Even before this boom in cosmetic surgery, Colombian women were very careful about their image.
They have a reputation for being pretty women.
But the repeated confinements made some of them think.
Lina Maria Perez Tobon decided to take the plunge and do an abdominoplasty just after the first deconfinement.
“
I couldn't stop thinking about it during confinement.
I was impatiently awaiting the reopening of the operating theaters.
I believe I was one of the first patients at the clinic.
I don't pretend to walk around with my stomach hanging out like a teenager.
But after several deliveries and confinement, I had gained weight and I felt bad about myself.
I just wanted to feel good about my body again and I don't regret it.
»
The "Zoom" effect
Lina Maria was operated by doctor Luis Fernando Botero.
Since the resumption of activities, this specialist has received 30% more patients.
He also does virtual consultations with people living abroad or far from Medellin.
This surgeon, trained in Belgium and France, has been practicing for almost twenty years and confirms the growth of the cosmetic surgery sector in Colombia, particularly in Medellin: “
The majority of my patients are Colombian, but 20% come from the United States and from Europe.
Most of them have decided to use my services because of seeing their image reflected on their computer screen via videoconferencing platforms or on social networks.
»
This is called the “Zoom” effect, named after the videoconferencing platform that became so famous during the confinements.
Today, the Quirofanos private clinic, where Dr. Luis Fernando Botero practices, is full all week.
“
The clinic has eleven operating theatres.
We thought that would be enough, but no.
They are full every day, with three or four operations per operating theatre.
In all, this clinic performs about 30 operations a day, or nearly 800 a month.
It's way more than usual.
I have patients who come from abroad and ask me to be operated on the next day.
It's impossible.
My calendar is full until May.
»
Attractive prices
Another factor comes into play: the cost of the interventions.
On average, they can cost 30-50% less than in North America or Europe.
Before our interview with the surgeon, a patient from Chicago had liposuction of the legs, back and neck, an abdominoplasty and a lipoinjection in the buttocks for around 6,000 euros.
Doctor Luis Fernando Botero claims that in the United States it would cost between 17,000 and 22,000 euros.
Similarly, cosmetic breast surgery, with implants, will run between 2,000 and 3,000 euros.
In 2018, there were 273,316 plastic surgeries and 135,473 non-surgical aesthetic treatments in Colombia.
The boom in the sector still worries surgeons because several deaths have been reported across the country.
The Colombian national association of aesthetic and restorative surgery therefore warns of the risks.
Doctor Juan Hernando Santamaria, its spokesperson, describes “
people who call themselves surgeons but who put the lives of their patients in danger.
Because they haven't had a five-year university education.
They often had only accelerated training.
»
Colombia is the fourth country in Latin America for the number of cosmetic operations.
In 2020, according to ISAPS, the International Society of Aesthetic and Plastic Surgery, Colombia received almost 22% more foreigners.
For its part, the city of Medellin generated nearly 3 million euros in turnover thanks to these activities.
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