We ve all seen it: women in oversized sunglasses and hats out and about in Cairo proudly wearing the most pretentious accessory of all - the nose job bandage. Why don't they just stay home until is heals, one might ask? The truth is, for today s active women, staying home, even after plastic surgery, just isn't an option. I had a nose job and intended to stay inside while it healed, but eventually I got bored and went out - I just told people I fell down and that s why I had the bandage, said Sally, a 20-year-old university student. Luckily, the increasing availability of non-surgical enhancement technologies means that active women like Sally can get the results they want without a hassle. Many women today have careers and busy schedules that won t accommodate an invasive surgical procedure involving anesthesia and a long recovery period. But, they still want to look fresh, and that is why our non-surgical treatments have become very popular, explained Dr Hisham El-Minawi, assistant professor of surgery at Cairo University and medical director of the Helios Clinic at the Zamalek Medical Center, which specializes in surgical and non-surgical enhancement treatments. The Helios Clinic offers non-surgical solutions for everything from acne to cellulite using a wide variety of new and innovative technologies. Though non-surgical options have been available in Egypt for over a decade, the popularity of these treatments has grown in recent years due to an increased awareness of their benefits. While some of the new non-surgical treatments are replacements for older, less successful techniques, many of the treatments have been developed to treat problems that were not effectively addressed before, such as cellulite. Cellulite is resistant to diet and exercise, so we do a treatment called LPG which basically helps to break up the cellulite and drain excess water and fat from the area, said El-Minawi. This treatment is one of the most popular at the Helios Clinic - not surprising, given the fact that 90 percent of all women suffer from cellulite. Other available treatments include chemical peels for acne, freckles and unwanted pigmentation - an approach developed to replace laser technology which runs the risk of burning and damaging skin. For unwanted hair removal, lasers have also been replaced with IPL (Intense Pulsated Light) technology, which can be customized to suit particular clients skin tones and hair colors. Breast and face fillers (Macrolayne and Restolayne) products offer women a non-surgical way to plump ageing, sagging skin. These methods work by replacing the substances that occur naturally in the body but diminish with age. Because they are based on natural methods, many of these products actually improve the health of the skin while making it appear more attractive. This is one of the key factors for women who wouldn t consider going under the knife, but are interested in maintaining the best possible appearance as they age. According to El-Minawi, botox remains one of the most popular treatments at the clinic, as busy women forego face-lifts in favor of less drastic, more natural approaches to enhancing their appearance. Though plastic surgery is often viewed as a tactic employed by ageing women with too much free time to achieve youthful looks, non-surgical procedures can benefit busy professionals of all ages looking to fix a problem such as cellulite or unwanted hair, or enhance their looks through injections or non-surgical liposuction - all without the hassle of invasive surgery. Who said working women couldn t have their cake and eat it too?
