Nose jobs, tummy tucks the rage as India parties

NEW DELHI, Oct 19 (Reuters) - Image-conscious Indians have been flocking to cosmetic surgery clinics across the capital for new noses, tummy tucks and larger breasts in the run-up to the country's biggest Hindu festival, Diwali.

Plastic surgeons say they have seen a 20-to-40 percent rise in the number of clients in the month leading up to the Oct. 21 festival of lights, seen as the Hindu equivalent of Christmas.

As offices and homes across New Delhi, a bustling metropolis of 14 million people, are decorated with lights, shops offer discounts on sequinned saris and gold jewellery, other Indians are looking for the ultimate makeover.

"We have more clients requesting cosmetic procedures at this time of year and I have done around 15 nose surgeries alone this month compared to eight normally," says Vijay Kakkar, a cosmetic surgery consultant at Delhi-based private hospitals Mata Chanan Devi and Max Healthcare.

"Many want to give themselves a gift for Diwali but also there are a lot of parties during the festive season and people naturally want to look their best."

Holidays often taken at this time of year provide a recovery period away from the view of colleagues.

Healing for the most basic procedures -- such a remodelled nose -- takes around two weeks by which time swelling and bruising has disappeared, say doctors.

The most popular surgery among Indians are nose jobs with some clients asking for noses like famous Bollywood actors.

Cosmetic surgeons say Bollywood heartthrob, Shah Rukh Khan's nose is popular amongst male clients, while many women ask for a nose like actress and former Miss World beauty Aishwarya Rai.

Surgeons say there is generally a rise of about five to 10 percent in the number of procedures ahead of the festive season, but this year has been unprecedented.

There are about a dozen private hospitals in the capital offering to perfect physical features and thousands of procedures are carried out every year.

Plastic surgery is gaining popularity in India with the emergence of a booming middle-class who have more disposable income for "non-essential spending" as well as more awareness from satellite television, the internet and newspapers.

Cosmetic surgery clients — who were largely made up of the capital's affluent elite five years ago — now comprise students, call centre workers and middle-class housewives, say surgeons.

"We have clients from across the board now," said Suresh Gupta, head of aesthetic surgery at Sir Ganga Ram Hospital.

"Some are college graduates who want to look better for job interviews, others are housewives and some are just young people who now have money to spend thanks to employment with all these multi-national companies who are setting up operations."

Private clinics offer procedures such as rhinoplasty (nose reconstruction), tummy tucks, liposuction as well as breast augmentation and reduction for prices five times less than offered in Western countries.

"It's becoming quite affordable now," says R.K. Seth, a plastic surgeon at Delhi's Apollo hospital.

"You can get a nose job for around 35,000 rupees ($770) and a face lift for about 100,000 rupees which is cheaper than in the U.S. or the U.K."

Surgeons add that about 30 percent of their clients now come from Europe and the United States with the emergence of India's medical tourism sector -- offering cheaper medical care but promising world-class service.

For suburban housewife and mother of two, Meena Bedi, a nose job a month ago has given her new confidence ahead of the festive season.

"I was always paranoid about my nose. It was just too big and I always felt people were too busy looking at my nose and not paying attention to what I was saying," said 34-year-old Bedi.

"It's still healing, but I can see that it's already better than before and feel good that I will be able to go to Diwali functions without being so self-conscious."