With Hollywood, reality TV stars, and a plethora of qualified surgeons, one would think that America has the highest rate of plastic surgery in the world. Strangely enough, though, that dubious title goes to Iran, which — according to a study done by The Rhinology Research Society of Iran and Johns Hopkins University — has seven times the amount of rhinoplasty procedures in its country (per capita) compared to America.
About 200,000 Iranian women and men go under the knife each year, with rhinoplasty being the most popular procedure. According to the Guardian, women shrink their noses and then turn them up to achieve "doll faces" that mimic the Western celebrities on TV and in the movies. Apparently, some women have found the Islamic practice of the hijab limiting when it comes to cosmetic options. "It's human nature to want to seek out attention with a beautiful figure, hair, skin … but hijab doesn't let you do that. So we have to satisfy that instinct by displaying our 'art' on our faces," commented a woman interviewed by The Guardian.
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Girls as young as fourteen are getting rhinoplasties, and while one-fifth of women who receive the surgery say it's for self-esteem, the other 160,000 are motivated by notions of marriageability. Similarly, men have turned to surgery to boost sales in their stores because "I have to look nice and spiffy for them [his customers]," Mohammad, a store owner, explained.
Clearly, risks within cosmetic surgery exist everywhere, but in Iran, women may be putting their health in jeopardy. There are only 157 licensed plastic surgeons in Tehran...but there are 7,000 unlicensed surgeons, which leads to many botched procedures. No one should ever feel pressured to go under the knife — no matter where she lives — especially if it means doing it unprofessionally. (The Guardian)
Image via The Guardian
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