By Sílvia Rocha, from Endangered Bodies São Paulo - Brazil

According to the survey of the International Society of Aesthetic Plastic Surgery, Brazil is the champion of plastic surgery for cosmetic purposes in the world.

Precisely, 1,491.721 surgeries were performed here in 2013 (see the Brazilian newspaper's story bellow). Note that this occurs in an unfavorable economic situation context, also considering that these procedures are not covered neither by the government health system, nor by private health plans.

Another aggravating factor that is worth analising in this classification of first in the ranking of aesthetical plastic surgery is the HDI (Human Development Index), which includes three variables: long and healthy life; access to education and an acceptable standard of living. At this world ranking, Brazil is classified into 79th place. Among the 10 leading countries in the ranking of cosmetic surgeries, Brazil is at 9th position, followed by Iran, in the last one.

There is an intimate relationship between being champions in aesthetic plastic surgery and the low position in HDI terms, because Brazil still neither values education, culture and health, nor prioritizes the importance of the quality of life for its citizens. Unfortunately, we are immersed in an ideology that turns the body in to a merchandise.

(Written by: Luciana Saddi, from Endangered Bodies São Paulo - Brazil, collaborated and Miriam Tawil, from Endangered Bodies São Paulo - Brazil, translated)

BRAZIL LEADS THE RANKING OF AESTHETIC PLASTIC SURGERIES IN THE WORLD

Jamil Chad correspondent of newspaper “O Estado de S. Paulo”, from Geneve

Adriana Ferraz collaborated

July 30,2014

Geneva - For the first time, Brazil surpassed the United States and is currently the country with the highest number of plastic surgeries for aesthetic purposes. According to a survey by the International Society of Aesthetic Plastic Surgery, more than 23 million interventions were performed in 2013 in the world. Of this total, 1.49 million, or 13%, occurred in the country.

The figures, released on Tuesday, 29, include surgery and less invasive treatments such as botox application. The association has 2700 members, spread across 95 countries. Brazil leads the rankings by a small difference of about 40 000 procedures. In the USA, the total reached 1.45 million, compared to 486 000 in Mexico, which ranks third.

The study also shows that breast augmentation surgery is still the most popular in the world, with 1.7 million cases in 2013, representing 15% of all interventions. In the USA, there were 313 000 such surgeries and 226 000 in Brazil. Here, the procedure with the highest demand is liposuction. Last year, there were 227 000.

In addition to these interventions, Brazil still amounted to 139 000 cases of mastopexy - operation to lift breasts - and 77 200 nose surgeries nose, in which segment is a world leader. Mexico comes in second place, followed by the USA, Mexico and Iran, where the practice is widespread.

Brazil also leads in abdominal surgery. There were 129 000 interventions, 15% of everything that has been done in the world in 2013. United States is in the 2nd place in the ranking, with 119 000 cases.

The record was expected, according to the president of the Brazilian Society of Plastic Surgery (BSPS), João de Moraes Neto Prado. According to him, the popularization of various techniques and the improvement of the financial condition of the Brazilians explain the leadership.

Furthermore, the number of clinics and specialized professionals also collaborates. Brazil today has 4 800 qualified surgeons, the second largest contingent, surpassed only by the USA. São Paulo, Rio de Janeiro and Minas Gerais concentrate most of these doctors. In the three states, there are competition among clinics, which, in search of patients, offer to finance the surgeries in stallments and also offer winter promotions.

The hype is a concern of the medical profession. Moraes Prado believes that the marketing approach "hurts the code of ethics" and must be changed. "Plastic surgery cannot be considered a cheap commodity." For the president of the BSPS, however, this practice helped to put Brazil in the first place on the podium.

Botox:

In the sum of non-surgical procedures such as the application of botox, the Americans still lead the world rankings of aesthetical actions with 3.9 million interventions, against 2.1 million in Brazil. The application of botox in the country reached 308 000 cases in 2013, 71 000 interventions for the elimination of body hair, and 61 000 treatments of facial rejuvenation.

The International Society of Aesthetic Plastic Surgery also reported that the women lead aesthetic operations. In 2013, 9.9 million women have undergone surgical procedures, reaching 85% of the total. Men accounted for another 1.6 million surgeries in the past year.

Commenting Brazilian leadership, the organization responsible for the study pointed out that part of the operations in Brazil have foreign patients. Many of them travel in search of recognized national surgeries and also due to the competitive prices. In São Paulo, liposuction, for example, costs about £ 6000.

Latins:

The Brazilian position in the ranking is not surprising. Those countries from Mediterranean and the Latin culture register the majority of plastic surgeries in the world. Among the top ten, seven are Latin: Brazil, Mexico, Colombia, Venezuela, Argentina, Spain and Italy. Besides the USA, the only "outsider" in the ranking are the Germans ,in fourth place. But with just a fifth of all surgeries performed in Brazil in 2013.

Translation: Miriam Tawil (Endangered Bodies São Paulo)
Ilustration of Thalma de Freitas by Gabriel Martins