by Rod Hughes
We never thought we would see it happen in Costa Rica, the original “take me as I am” country.
Banks in this country are offering personal loans for extreme makeover plastic surgery that costs $2,000 and up, according to an article in the daily paper, Al Día.
Plastic surgery here has been in large part a sector of what some call “medical tourism,” the patients foreigners from developed countries. The surgeons are well-trained and some are bilingual, speaking fluent English they polished taking the specialty at U.S. universities.
According to plastic surgeons consulted by Al Día reporter Franklin Arroyo, although most of the resident patients are women, they are not all models. The younger Ticas (Costa Rican women) seek vibrosuction to remove fat cells and others seek breast augmentation, says Cristián Rivera, while the older women want breast reduction or re-shaping. Still others, he continued, want skin surgery for stretch marks after weight reduction.
But even a few Costa Rican men have caught the makeover craze for facial surgery and liposuction, according to Jorge Mora, vice president of the Costa Rican Plastic Surgeon’s Association. Women over 40 crave facelifts, he added.
But not all women are enthusiastic about going into debt. María Elena Rivera, a masseuse, told the paper, “I’m not satisfied with financing. It’s better to save up and pay cash.” (Judging from her photo in the paper, she really needs no alteration.)