India emerging as world's body contouring capital: Experts

India is fast emerging as the body contouring capital of the world due to the rising flow of foreigners for several body contouring processes that includes breast augmentation and lower body lifts, health experts said on Wednesday.

According to health experts, the main reason for this is country's constant rise in the number of healthcare institutions providing body contouring processes, affordable cost and better post treatment consultations.

Body contouring is a procedure that alters the shape of different body parts.

"Body contouring becomes even more important especially when things like gymming, dieting and swimming fails, more number of women are opting for complete body contouring to achieve a perfect body shape," said Mohan Thomas, consultant cosmetic surgeon at Breach Candy Hospital, Mumbai.

He said that while the cost for various body contouring procedures in India ranges from Rs.50,000 to Rs.2 lakh, similar procedure in foreign countries like Britain, the US, Canada, Australia and New Zealand costs anywhere from the equivalent of Rs.10 to Rs.11 lakh.

Thomas further said: "Regaining slim figure for women, especially after child birth, is another reason why women from abroad are visiting India for such processes. Even the quality of such surgeries in India is considered much better to similar surgeries in the west."

Emphasising on the increasing young Indian women, Vinod Vij, consulting cosmetic surgeon at Fortis Hiranandani Hospital said that in the last couple of years, there has been a huge inflow of requests from certain section of youngsters for body contouring following bariatric procedures, and weight loss surgery.

The experts have also stated that several procedures are completely safe for youngsters in the age-group of 20-25.

"These safe proven procedures have allowed patients to improve their body shapes through precise targeting and removal of isolated deposits of fat. Often combined with other plastic surgery procedures like abdominoplasty and breast augmentation, liposuction is potentially an ideal solution for anyone looking to refine and rejuvenate their contours, however, the only criteria is that the patient should be healthy," Vij said in a statement.

Mentioning about the increase of body contouring procedures among Indian women, Vij said that there was a 50 percent increase of women from middle class families undergoing body contouring processes.

"A decade back, we were made to believe that cosmetic surgery is for the rich and famous, but looking at the recent trends, the burgeoning middle class now has been opting for the procedure. With the rise in income, consumption patterns have changed and a new middle class has emerged that's conscious about health and other beauty factors," he said.

"Long list of body contouring procedures exists which essentially help boost people's self-confidence and reduce their anxiety about problem spots. Breast lift, breast reduction, post weight loss surgery, thigh lifts and calf implants are just a few of them among the whole range of body contouring procedures," he said.