[ti:Surgery Safaris Looking for the Perfect Body] [ar:Anna Matteo] [al:Health Report] [by:www.51voa.com] [00:00.00]From VOA Learning English, this is the Health Report. [00:04.59]How far would you go for a perfect body? [00:09.81]Many people these days are going as far as South Africa [00:16.49]to get their version of perfection. [00:19.53]People from across Africa and the world [00:24.47]come for so-called "surgery safaris." [00:28.25]There are no animals to see on these safaris. [00:32.68]The visitors instead look for smaller stomachs, [00:37.61]firmer bottoms or perhaps new eye, nose or chin shapes. [00:44.58]Businesses that provide medical safaris [00:48.41]say they have seen a large increase in African customers. [00:52.94]VOA's Gillian Parker spoke with several cosmetic surgeons [00:58.83]in Johannesburg for her report. [01:01.83]South Africa is becoming the leading country in Africa [01:07.66]for people seeking cosmetic surgery. [01:10.59]For years, South Africa has appealed [01:14.14]to medical tourists from Europe and the United States. [01:18.22]But local cosmetic surgeons say now more clients [01:23.45]from Africa's growing economies [01:25.94]are interested in such operations. [01:28.73]Lorraine Melvill is a doctor with Surgeon and Safari. [01:33.95]She has been performing cosmetic surgeries [01:37.31]for nearly 16 years in Johannesburg. [01:41.35]She says that more than 80 percent of her clients [01:46.87]now come from sub-Saharan Africa. [01:49.97]She says this is because Africa did not experience [01:55.24]the economic problems that hit other parts of the world. [01:59.62]"When the West started having its economic downturn, [02:02.81]it was almost a symbiotic change and the scales just tilted. [02:10.43]And we know Africa wasn't as affected by the economic downturn. [02:17.46]There is also a huge emerging African middle class [02:21.34]that has come to the fore. [02:22.73]But for us, the growing market [02:25.02]is the sub-Saharan African market. [02:27.71]Africa is where we are looking to the future." [02:30.70]Her clients are treated like movie stars. [02:33.78]Assistants take them from the airport to a luxurious guesthouse. [02:39.80]They explain in detail the medical operation to be done. [02:44.39]Doctors operate the next day. [02:47.54]And then clients have a week [02:51.22]or two to enjoy a shopping safari [02:54.27]for new clothes and handbags while their bodies heal. [02:59.34]Clients can spend anywhere from $5,000 to $7,000 [03:06.20]on a cosmetic treatment. [03:08.10]They might spend an additional $2,000 [03:12.18]on the cost of the hotel while they heal. [03:15.13]For many African women, less is more. [03:20.35]Ms. Melvill says the most popular forms of cosmetic surgeries [03:25.63]for African women are breast reductions and liposuction. [03:30.70]Liposuction removes fat from the body. [03:34.29]So-called tummy tucks are also common. [03:37.87]This treatment removes fat from a person's middle. [03:42.35]"A lot of Africans have a huge need for breast reduction. [03:46.13]And also in terms of the African market, [03:51.06]I would certainly say breast reductions, [03:52.90]liposuctions and tummy tucks would be their main." [03:57.53]South Korea is also a popular spot for cosmetic surgery. [04:04.85]But the leading treatments there are operations [04:09.09]to create larger eyes, thinner noses and pointy chins. [04:15.12]A 2009 report from the research company Trend Monitor [04:20.41]said one in five South Korean women has had plastic surgery. [04:25.59]But South Africa is catching up. [04:28.84]"We are seeing a massive influx of patients from sub-Saharan Africa." [04:34.11]Dr. Chris Snijman is the national secretary [04:38.10]for the Association of Plastic [04:41.29]and Reconstructive Surgeons of South Africa (APRSSA). [04:44.63]He says that there are several reasons [04:48.38]for the increase in cosmetic treatments in South Africa. [04:52.81]These include a favorable exchange rate [04:56.90]and better and safer surgical methods. [05:01.18]Mr. Snijman says there is also less of a stigma [05:06.86]attached to plastic surgery in South Africa. [05:10.29]"Obviously they are becoming more socially aware, [05:13.73]the social boundaries and stigma attached [05:18.54]to cosmetic surgery are now far less than they were before." [05:22.59]And, he says a growing number of people [05:26.17]in sub-Saharan Africa have more disposable income [05:30.30]than in the past. [05:32.05]"... not to mention our own emerging upper middle class group [05:39.72]of patients in this country... [05:40.92]and in addition, they now have a disposable income." [05:44.60]Dr. Julie Sinclair performs many non-surgical treatments every week. [05:49.83]She says most of her customers are women. [05:53.51]But she says this is slowly changing. [05:57.29]"Over the last few years a lot more male patients are coming. [06:00.92]So in terms of gender, [06:02.72]that has changed quite a lot. [06:04.06]In terms of race perhaps, [06:06.92]a lot of Asian, Indian, Thai, [06:10.05]Chinese as well as black patients are realizing [06:13.44]that they can do something about something [06:16.61]that is bothering them. [06:17.40]And, I suppose, to some extent, [06:19.74]they are more able to do it [06:21.22]as the economical climate changes as well." [06:24.41]A lack of rules on the cosmetic surgery industry [06:27.84]has led to a growing number of rogue surgeons. [06:31.98]South Africa's medical professionals say [06:36.46]as the industry continues to grow [06:39.04]there must be stronger laws to govern it. [06:42.59]I'm Anna Matteo.