Ten years ago Dr Ashraf Metwally, a cosmetic surgeon in a Maadi clinic, used to do two breast augmentation surgeries per year, but now he gets at least 45 a year. "There has definitely been a boom, he told Daily News Egypt. "Female breasts are every woman's most precious asset. It's the part that reveals most of their femininity, said Dr Metwally, a plastic surgeon since 1992. But the boom is mainly credited to the increase in social acceptance of cosmetic surgery and the influence of the increasingly popular entertainment industry. The first breast augmentation surgery was done in 1895, but it was only over the past two decades or so that it became so popular. A few years ago, Egypt caught the fever. Much credit is due to the entertainment media which presents audiences with flawless women with perfect features. "Many girls wish to look like their favorite singer, actress or model, who may have had breast implants themselves, said Dr Hala Hammad, child and adolescent psychiatrist and consultant and medical director of the Psychological Medicine Hospital. A number of women opt for the surgery because they believe it will help them advance in the workplace. "Everyone seeks to be the best and get the finest opportunities. As we all know businesses want to employ beautiful and presentable people for their companies. Every girl wants to look and feel confident. Plastic surgery can offer this in every sense, Dr Metwally said. Breast Augmentation or "Augmentation Mammoplasty is defined as a surgical procedure to reshape and enlarge the breasts. It can also correct and reconstruct breasts after pregnancy and lactation. There are two available implants on the market right now; silicon and saline. The type of implant used is usually the patient's choice. The age bracket for women considering the surgery is from 18 to 75. "I mostly get women of around 22 to 45. They are the bulk that wants breast augmentation surgery, Dr Metwally said. People are generally more accepting of plastic surgery nowadays than they were before with more parents and friends willing to support the women considering it. Amal (not her real name), who underwent the surgery, said her parents and friends were supportive. "The majority told me that I should go for it, she told Daily News Egypt on condition of anonymity. However, there is still a social stigma when it comes to breast enhancement as people can feel it is a waste of money to "fix something which is not broken. "People are more tolerant now but more so in the west than in the Middle East as many people here see it as undergoing a surgery for no good reason, Dr Hammad explained. Amal said that many don t tell anyone to avoid being judged. "If you go to the beach and take a second to look around you will see how much work has been done on so many people. So while they're doing it and accepting it in private, it's still denied in public, Amal said. In a predominantly Muslim country, many religious figures frown upon plastic surgery for enhancement reasons. "Surgeries for beautification are in vogue today as the result of the materialistic pattern of Western civilization. Men and women spend hundreds and thousands of dollars to reshape their noses or breasts . unnecessarily changing what Allah has created, said Sheikh Yusuf Al-Qaradawi. However, Islam accepts surgeries if the body parts are abnormal and cause the person physical or psychological stress, he added. "In this case, he may treat the defect and thus alleviate the embarrassment that makes his life miserable. Many doctors are careful with the psychological factor and also examine the media's influence on the women who want plastic surgery. "Some of these women have low self esteem for many other reasons and when they see images of glamorous women on television, they have unrealistic expectations of feeling better about themselves after the surgery, Dr Hammad explained. To avoid this however, most doctors would only operate on patients once they have met them and found out if the patient is physically and mentally healthy. "As soon as I sit down with them to determine their psychological wellbeing and rule out any unrealistic expectations beforehand, I accept to operate on them, Dr Metwally explained. The majority of women who do go in for breast implants are generally satisfied with the results. "In my experience, women who have a breast augmentation have the highest satisfaction rates out of all plastic surgeries, Dr Metwally said. Thanks to the positive outcomes of breast augmentation surgery, many predict that demand will grow. "I believe more and more people will undergo some form of plastic surgery in the years to come as it becomes more acceptable, Dr Metwally said. Amal said: "If you think about it, it's such an easy almost magical solution to any problem one may have.
