Middle income group heads for aesthetic clinics

Like any other man in his early 20s, Prithvi, a graduate losing hair everyday, dreaded baldness before 30. He was quick to decide to go for hair transplant and today after two years, he is happy to have made the decision to regain his confidence. Dr Jayanthy Ravindran, said that the growth in demand, especially from those from middle-income groups, calls for more efforts to reduce costs. Says Dr Jayanthy, chief cosmetic surgeon, Tamira, “80 per cent of my clients are common people, who just want to look good.” A focus on affordable solutions led Dr Jayanthy to come up with a facility at Gopalapuram, combining infrastructure, patient care and equipment.

Kauvery Hospital in the city sees a large volume of patients from the southern districts of the state seeking cosmetic surgeries, observes Dr Aravindan Selvaraj, Executive Director and Chief Orthopaedic Surgeon of the hospital. 

Dr K Sridhar, Senior Vice-President, Institute of Craniofacial, Aesthetic and Plastic Surgery, SIMS, observes the psychological impact of the procedures. 

“Someone with chicken pox scars might suffer from inferiority complex. An aesthetic correction would help them overcome the complex,” says Dr Sridhar. 

The lack of indemnity insurance for plastic surgeons is probably making them push up the price. “We could also have options for payment of these procedures in instalments or EMI's,” he says. 

With a huge dependence on equipment developed overseas, Dr K Ramachandran, Consultant Cosmetic Surgeon, Apollo Spectra Hospitals, wonders how one can bring down costs. “Some of them are recurring procedures and equipment-oriented,” he says.