ABU DHABI // Plastic surgeons expect a surge in business as people aim to begin the new year with a new look.
New Year resolutions to look better make the post-festive season one of their busiest times of year.
“January is one of the most popular times for cosmetic surgery,” said Vasilica Baltateanu, managing director of Vasilica Aesthetics, a plastic surgery consultancy in Dubai.
“I believe one of the reasons is the festive season. Either a dress didn’t fit, or a suit.
“The other reason is it’s about people setting goals for the new year. Some of those goals are to look better.”
Many people also have extended holidays over the festive season and use the time off work to fit in surgery, then a period of several days to recover from the bruising, swelling or bleeding that follows some operations.
With Dubai becoming a plastic-surgery hub in the Middle East, many people will fly to the emirate at this time of the year in pursuit of perfecting their looks, Ms Baltateanu said.
“We have patients from London and all over Europe undergoing surgery in Dubai.”
“Some of them combine a holiday with a procedure while some come for business trips and choose to have surgery too,” Ms Baltateanu said.
“But the majority of patients are from the Middle East. Before they used to go to Beirut, but not any more.”
Dr Timm Wolter, a consultant plastic surgeon, said more patients sought cosmetic procedures in January in an effort to feel good about themselves and their bodies.
“For people who want to be in shape by spring, now is a good time to consider treatment, because the healing process will be finished by then,” said Dr Wolter, head of aesthetics and plastic surgery at Healthpoint in Abu Dhabi.
“January and winter time in general has the advantage of the colder weather, making the necessary recovery time more convenient.”
On the financial side, many people received bonuses or have been given cosmetic surgery as a gift that they can now redeem, said Dr Wolter, who is most commonly asked to perform liposuction, tummy tucks and scar corrections.
Dr Sanjay Saraf, a specialist plastic surgeon at NMC Specialty Hospital in Dubai, said more people wanted to welcome the new year looking better and in shape.
“The most common procedures are Botox and fillers for facial rejuvenation. They are very popular as they do not require the patient to be admitted to hospital.
“Other procedures such as liposuction are also in great demand as they help people to fit into their clothes for Christmas and New Year parties.
“There is an overall increase in the demand for all kinds of aesthetic procedures around this time of year.”
Dubai is attracting patients not only from the Middle East but from all over the world, who are looking for better options in aesthetic surgery, he said.
“Patients trust Dubai because of the availability of plastic surgeons with advanced expertise in cosmetic surgical procedures.
“People are more confident in getting surgical procedures done in the UAE, especially in Dubai, since the Dubai Health Authority keeps a stringent check on the credentials of practising plastic surgeons.”
Dr Mohan Rangaswamy, from Plastic Surgery Works in Dubai, said procedures such as Botox and fillers were more regularly requested at this time of year.
“Demand for liposuction increases, as do breast procedures – all for getting a new look in the new year,” he said. “Also these are associated with quick recovery.”
Dr Rangaswamy said demand for plastic surgery in the UAE, and Dubai in particular, was increasing
“Quality of surgeons, facility standards, assurance of cleanliness and the chance to enjoy Dubai are some reasons it is becoming more popular.”
Setting up special “recovery” hotels and specialist travel agencies would further raise Dubai’s profile as a plastic surgery hub in the Middle East, he said.
jbell@thenational.ae
Election pledges on migration
CDU: "Now is the time to control the German borders and enforce strict border rejections"
SPD: "Border closures and blanket rejections at internal borders contradict the spirit of a common area of freedom"
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Name: Kumulus Water
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Founders: Iheb Triki and Mohamed Ali Abid
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Australia: Steve Smith (captain), David Warner, Ashton Agar, Hilton Cartwright, Pat Cummins, Peter Handscomb, Matthew Wade, Josh Hazlewood, Usman Khawaja, Nathan Lyon, Glenn Maxwell, Matt Renshaw, Mitchell Swepson and Jackson Bird.
Mercer, the investment consulting arm of US services company Marsh & McLennan, expects its wealth division to at least double its assets under management (AUM) in the Middle East as wealth in the region continues to grow despite economic headwinds, a company official said.
Mercer Wealth, which globally has $160 billion in AUM, plans to boost its AUM in the region to $2-$3bn in the next 2-3 years from the present $1bn, said Yasir AbuShaban, a Dubai-based principal with Mercer Wealth.
“Within the next two to three years, we are looking at reaching $2 to $3 billion as a conservative estimate and we do see an opportunity to do so,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Mercer does not directly make investments, but allocates clients’ money they have discretion to, to professional asset managers. They also provide advice to clients.
“We have buying power. We can negotiate on their (client’s) behalf with asset managers to provide them lower fees than they otherwise would have to get on their own,” he added.
Mercer Wealth’s clients include sovereign wealth funds, family offices, and insurance companies among others.
From its office in Dubai, Mercer also looks after Africa, India and Turkey, where they also see opportunity for growth.
Wealth creation in Middle East and Africa (MEA) grew 8.5 per cent to $8.1 trillion last year from $7.5tn in 2015, higher than last year’s global average of 6 per cent and the second-highest growth in a region after Asia-Pacific which grew 9.9 per cent, according to consultancy Boston Consulting Group (BCG). In the region, where wealth grew just 1.9 per cent in 2015 compared with 2014, a pickup in oil prices has helped in wealth generation.
BCG is forecasting MEA wealth will rise to $12tn by 2021, growing at an annual average of 8 per cent.
Drivers of wealth generation in the region will be split evenly between new wealth creation and growth of performance of existing assets, according to BCG.
Another general trend in the region is clients’ looking for a comprehensive approach to investing, according to Mr AbuShaban.
“Institutional investors or some of the families are seeing a slowdown in the available capital they have to invest and in that sense they are looking at optimizing the way they manage their portfolios and making sure they are not investing haphazardly and different parts of their investment are working together,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Some clients also have a higher appetite for risk, given the low interest-rate environment that does not provide enough yield for some institutional investors. These clients are keen to invest in illiquid assets, such as private equity and infrastructure.
“What we have seen is a desire for higher returns in what has been a low-return environment specifically in various fixed income or bonds,” he said.
“In this environment, we have seen a de facto increase in the risk that clients are taking in things like illiquid investments, private equity investments, infrastructure and private debt, those kind of investments were higher illiquidity results in incrementally higher returns.”
The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, one of the largest sovereign wealth funds, said in its 2016 report that has gradually increased its exposure in direct private equity and private credit transactions, mainly in Asian markets and especially in China and India. The authority’s private equity department focused on structured equities owing to “their defensive characteristics.”
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Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
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The flights
Emirates (www.emirates.com) and Etihad (www.etihad.com) both fly direct to Bengaluru, with return fares from Dh 1240. From Bengaluru airport, Coorg is a five-hour drive by car.
The hotels
The Tamara (www.thetamara.com) is located inside a working coffee plantation and offers individual villas with sprawling views of the hills (tariff from Dh1,300, including taxes and breakfast).
When to go
Coorg is an all-year destination, with the peak season for travel extending from the cooler months between October and March.
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Make Smart Cool is not your usual festival. Dubbed “edutainment” by organisers Najahi Events, Make Smart Cool aims to inspire its youthful target audience through a mix of interactive presentation by social media influencers and a concert finale featuring Example with DJ Wire. Here are some of the speakers sharing their inspiration and experiences on the night.
Prince Ea
With his social media videos accumulating more half a billion views, the American motivational speaker is hot on the college circuit in the US, with talks that focus on the many ways to generate passion and motivation when it comes to learning.
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The Emirati columnist and presenter is much loved by local youth, with writings and presentations about education, entrepreneurship and family balance. His lectures on career and personal development are sought after by the education and business sector.
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