Bollywood stars who have gone under the knife are driving the cosmetic surgery industry in India, currently worth more than $110 million.
Hollywood’s cosmetic surgery industry is getting some fresh competition, and it’s coming from Bollywood. New statistics show that India’s celebrity-driven cosmetic industry is climbing by 34 percent every year. Currently, the industry’s worth is beyond the U.S. equivalent of $110 million.
Plastic surgery in India began in the 1980s with the influence of Bollywood. At the time, Bollywood movie stars and fashion icons often had cosmetic surgery, but tried to keep it a secret. Inevitably, rumors of celebrity breast implants and nose jobs spread like wildfire, and the public followed the trends.
Indian plastic surgeon Dr. Vijay Sharma said that 80 percent of today’s radiant Bollywood celebrities use cosmetic surgery to keep a pretty face — this includes actors and actresses of all ages. A study showed that while cosmetic surgery isn’t new in India, the industry has grown strongly in the past five years due to rising demand from people in urban areas like Mumbai, Delhi and Bangalore.
The same study showed that India’s cosmetic surgery industry is getting some help from customers abroad. Patients from America, Europe, the Middle East, Africa, and Asia regularly visit India for procedures. On average, cosmetic surgeries there reportedly cost a third of what you’d pay in America or the UK, while maintaining the same high quality.
October 21st, 2009 at 12:32 am
India seems to be competing on a lot of industries. They continuously work on improving their present skills but still rate less than the US.