Medellin, Colombia is fast becoming referred to as a center for cheap plastic surgery procedures in Latin America. Many tourist all over the world are flying into this Colombian city to obtain their tummies tucked, their faces lifted, botox injected, their noses reshaped, breasts augmented, unwanted weight removed, lips made more plump, and even going to get their butts made more full and shapely. As the price of such procedures are often far cheaper in Colombia than the USA, Canada, and Europe, many cosmetic surgery enthusiasts are turning tourist and going to Medellin.
Small noses, well shaped butts, big breasts, full lips, and thin stomachs appear to be the driving muses behind the Medellin cosmetic surgery explosion, and women are flocking all corners of the globe to try and buy a body like Shakira. The women in Medellin have been demonstrated to be some of the most gorgeous women in the country, and this can be due in part to the scalpel and the masked men whose clients are beauty.
Natalia Paris - the oncoming of Medellin cosmetic surgery
In Colombia, cosmetic surgery gained popularity with the narco-estética (what drug traffickers think is beautiful) fashion trend, but has matured into a thriving industry. Vast sums of dollars happen to be invested into developing Medellin’s
cosmetic surgery facilities for foreign clientele, and many clinics have popped up around the city. Medical tourism was really part of Medellin’s six prong revival plan, and since its inception in 2008, this industry has taken in $7 million dollars and has serviced over 5,000 foreigners.
Though the “cheap plastic surgery” hype in Medellin might not live up to the reality. I spoke recently to some very disillusioned American who visited a number of Medellin’s cosmetic surgery clinics in search of the simple botox procedure, but found the is more expensive than in the United States.
“
In Beverly Hills I had been paying $150 for botox treatments, but in Medellin they were attempting to charge me $300. I’m not likely to pay more for botox in Colombia than in Beverly Hills!”
Adding the price of
travel to Medellin and additional bills when there onto the price of the various cosmetic procedures that foreigners are trying to find there, and the venture might not prove to be as much of an economic incentive as it initially seemed. Knowing this, the city is aiming more to draw in foreign clients who're after big medical operations instead of outpatient cosmetic surgeries.
But the prospect of combining cosmetic surgery having a vacation is attracting many foreigners to Medellin. Rhinoplasties and breast augmentations coupled with coffee tours have become ever more popular.