Dubai authorities issue new plastic surgery guidelines

Dubai's Health Authority urged cosmetic patients to make sure their surgeons have the proper credentials and license to avoid botched operations.

According to the National, the health authority said that practitioners should present their credentials and prove that they use “quality products to avoid complications”.

The medicine and health sector in the UAE is increasingly contributing to the UAE’s GDP with the number of medical and health tourists in Dubai growing by nine percent in 2016. 326,649 of those are international medical visitors, the newspaper reported.

“Before any plastic surgery procedure it is important to ensure that your doctor is a board certified plastic surgeon licensed with the DHA,” Dr. Bander Aithan, a consultant plastic surgeon at Bella Roma, told the National.

“Secondly, people should be aware that plastic surgery is a field that has several subspecialties so choose a doctor who is specialized in the specific procedure you want to opt for,” he added.

The first Dubai International Symposium for Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery will be held later this month, and will be attended by leading surgeons.

“In general, cosmetic surgery procedures are becoming more and more popular in the UAE and globally. Among such procedures, Botox and fillers are becoming increasingly common,” Doctor Marwan Ahmed Al Zarouni, head of Plastic Surgery Department at Rashid Hospital and President of the Emirates Plastic Surgery Society, told the newspaper.

“The reason is that such rejuvenation procedures are quick and give the desired results. People leading busy lives do not need to take too much time away for these treatments. However, the key is to ensure that people go to licensed practitioners,” he added.