Quality services and shorter recovery times attracts more aesthetic medical tourists to UAE

Dubai, UAE:  The UAE healthcare authorities have invested heavily into medical tourism. One of the growing attractions of the UAE as a medical tourism destination is aesthetic surgery, as clinics in the UAE receive an influx of patients from the GCC, Middle East, Russia and Europe. Procedures such as dimple creation, breast augmentation, and rhinoplasty are in increasing demand. With technology developments shortening the post-surgical recovery time, patients are now able to return home sooner.

According to Dr Matteo Vigo, Chief of Surgery, Chief Medical Officer and Plastic Surgeon, American Academy of Cosmetic Surgery Hospital, Dubai, “To date, around 25% of our patients seeking surgical procedures are from abroad. They come predominantly from the surrounding GCC countries, with KSA and Qatar leading the way, as well as Kuwait, Oman and Bahrain. Patients from Russia and the Commonwealth of Independent states (CSI) are also in the top 10 nationalities that look for reliable cosmetic services offered at our hospital.”

Dubai’s leading anti-ageing congress, ICAAM Middle East, organised by Informa Life Sciences Exhibitions, is hosting a live plastic surgery session at the American Academy of Cosmetic Surgery Hospital in Dubai on the 7 December 2014. This session will feature an open-closed rhinoplasty surgery, breast augmentation, dimple creation, and Asian eyelid surgery.

“With a steady population growth, high per capita income, increased health awareness and care for appearance in the UAE, it is not hard to see why the demand for Aesthetic Surgery continues to grow. The UAE’s ambition and long-term strategy is to become a preferred destination for domestic patients and a hub for global medical tourists seeking high quality and cost-effective treatments. These developments will have a positive impact in attracting people from the neighboring countries who have traditionally travelled further abroad for medical care,” highlighted Dr Vigo.

Marina Egorova, 34 is project manager and mother of two from Moscow, Russia. She came to Dubai for an augmentation mastopexy – an aesthetic surgical procedure to lift and enhance the shape of the breasts. Researching online, conducting and numerous background checks, as well as seeing few surgeons at home, Marina, a frequent Dubai visitor, made her final decision to have the procedure in Dubai.

“I had heard a lot about cosmetic surgery being quite good in the UAE and I also wanted to keep my procedure private, so I made my decision based on my research,” says Mrs Egorova.