15-Feb-2008
A growing number of people in Greece are undergoing cosmetic surgery to improve their appearance, reports suggest.
Approximately 15,000 cosmetic surgery operations are performed every year in Greece, according to the newspaper Kathimerini.
This places the nation ahead of the likes of England, where around 8,114 such procedures are carried out annually, Denmark (7,680), Italy (5,400) and Sweden (4,902).
Patients in Greece benefit from some of the cheapest cosmetic surgery prices in Europe combined with high quality healthcare, and the nation has become a popular destination with foreign patients seeking treatment abroad.
The report also reveals that, far from being a procedure favoured by ageing consumers, cosmetic surgery is becoming common among younger people, with nearly a quarter of procedures being carried out on under-21s.
Nose surgery is the most common procedure, followed by facelifts, breast enlargement, tummy tucks and liposuction among women.
However, men are also increasingly opting for cosmetic surgery and Andreas Koupas, vice-president of the Hellenic Society of Plastic Reconstructive and Aesthetic Surgery (Hesras), told Kathimerini reporters: "Men once accounted for 15 per cent of patients - now the ratio of men to women is 30 to 70 and is increasingly balancing out."
Men tend to seek nose surgery, corrective ear surgery, wrinkle repair procedures and tummy tucks.