Is breast enlargement surgery as popular in any other countries as they seem to be here. It’s becoming a not uncommon 18th birthday present and even a High School Graduation present. So many women (at least those who could afford it) either have them, want them, are going to get them, or at least have considered getting them.
What about plastic surgery in general. What other countries have a lot of elective cosmetic surgery?
No cites, but I’m confident to say it’s not nearly as common as in the US. Certainly, the whole ‘18th birthday present’ thing does exist, but only as a very unusual occurence.
I understand it’s far more common in Brazil than here in the US.
Another vote for Brazil. Perhaps not so much the breast implants since Brazilian tastes differ from the U.S., but they definitely have a booming plastic surgery business going on down there.
One of the friends who we are going to see tomorrow at Thanksgiving dinner makes semiannual trips there to get something or other done – some liposuction one time, a nose job another visit, and so on. I haven’t seen her since her last visit and I am curious.
OK, here are the statistics. I think this is all procedures, not just breast implants. I’ll keep digging, but this should keep you busy for a while.
I found some figures for France and the UK (don’t know if they’re reliable). 13 000 breast enlargement surgeries/ year in the UK, 15 000/ year in France. If another figure I found for the US (150 000/ year in 1998) is accurate too, there would be, proportionnally to the population, two times more breast jobs done in the US than in France/UK, roughly.
I don’t think I know anybody who had it done, though. I assumed it was still uncommon.
Well, it’s possible that European women are less prone to disclose the fact that they’ve had cosmetic breast enhancement than US women.
I’ve also heard it suggested - sorry, no cite - that in the US women who choose to have breast enhancement have their breasts enhanced by a larger factor than in Europe. And that a greater proportion of US women who have breast enhancement had a natural breast size which was within a “normal” range. (I don’t think this term was used in the technical statistical sense.) In other words, small-breasted European women have surgery because they don’t want to look small-breasted; American women have breast surgery because they do want to look large-breasted. But I don’t know whether there’s any truth in any of that.
Where are all the cosmetic surgeon dopers?
This is actually a fairly recent trend. Traditionally, breast reduction surgery has been more popular than breast augmentation in Brazil. Though there’s been a recent increase in breast augmentation procedures in Brazil, Brazilians still favor the butt over the bust in terms of body types, and regard a fascination with large breasts as a stereotypically American characteristic.
However, in terms of cosmetic surgery procedures in general, Brazil is undoubtedly the world’s leader.
I’m sure breast enlargement surgery is extremely popular outside the US.
Oh… you meant for the women. :smack:
No. In Canada the 18th birthday gift of “enhancement” is unusual, but exists. Not nearly at US levels, although plenty of Americans come to Canada for purportedly cheaper surgery. It would not surprise me if it was more popular in countries which have a “reputation” for lack of modesty (don’t shoot the messenger, I’m not saying the reputation is justified) – Brazil, Venezuela, Argentina, etc.
I recall reading that the big pioneers of breast augmentation were in postwar occupied Japan. Prostitutes had an easier time snaring GIs with some injected liquid silicone. I hate the thought of Japanese women ruining their looks and health becvause some American yokels missed their mamas, but there ya go.