Israel Press Service

Israelis have discovered cosmetic plastic surgery. During the past two decades, dozens of private medical centers specializing in this field have sprung up and the number of licensed surgical clinics performing operations has mushroomed from two to 24.

There are now 120 board-certified plastic surgeons in the country, giving Israel, relative to the size of its population, one of the highest per capita rates of plastic surgeons in the world.

"We have witnessed an exponential rise in cosmetic plastic surgery," states Dr. Michael Scheflan, certified plastic surgeon and medical director of the Atidim Medical Center in Tel Aviv. "Israelis, with their warm climate and Mediterranean-style of life, are concerned about beauty and very open to this kind of surgery."

Although there are no official figures (most cosmetic plastic surgeries are performed in private clinics that are not included in the Israeli Ministry of Health statistics), it is estimated that between 15,000 and 20,000 Israelis annually go under the knife in a quest to improve their looks.

And, although women still outnumber men 25 to one, Scheflan sees a definite trend toward more male clients. "Israel still lags behind America, where men now make up one out of every five surgeries," he notes. "But only a few years ago, the ratio was one out of 50."

Lately, Israeli men are opting not only for body hair removal, ear surgery, nose jobs and eyelid surgery, but also for facelifts and liposuction. A new trend is developing in muscle enhancement using pectoral implants.

Despite the significant drop in prices during the past decade, cosmetic plastic surgery, which is not covered by the nation's health insurance funds, is still not cheap. Clients pay anywhere from $2,600 to $4,000 for breast augmentation, around $3,200 for breast reduction and for facelifts, and about $1,800 for liposuction and for nose jobs.

And the picture is not entirely rosy, either. Israeli law allows anyone who is a certified physician to perform cosmetic surgery. With quite a lot of money to be made from cosmetic plastic surgery, it is no wonder that some clinics have doctors operating who have less than sterling qualifications.

It is estimated that approximately 2 percent of all cosmetic plastic surgeries end in complications. "There are those who perform cosmetic plastic surgery who have no qualifications to do so," states E., a plastic surgeon on the staff of one of Israel's leading hospitals. "And we see the results in the hospital emergency rooms."

There are now efforts to change the law so that only certified plastic surgeons will be able to perform cosmetic plastic surgery.

But for those having cosmetic plastic surgery, the risks fade into the background compared to the promise of a new self.

S. is a 20-year-old soldier from the center of Israel who had breast augmentation a year and a half ago, and swears it has changed her life.

"I was extremely flat-chested and very embarrassed by my unfeminine body," she says. "I would wear padded bras and didn't date as I was afraid that boys would find my body disgusting. I thought about this surgery for a long time. The risks didn't bother me."

With her 34C bust line, S. is a new woman. "Before, I felt like a woman trapped in a little girl's body. Now, I feel sexy," she says.

"People outside of Israel always ask me why, in a country which has so many more serious dilemmas and issues, do people care about cosmetic surgery?" Scheflan says. "I guess cosmetic surgery is just one more way Israelis find a way of coping ‹ of going on with their lives normally, in spite of the situation."

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