Feature: Plastic surgery spreads in conservative Gaza

Mona Nagy from the Gaza Strip looked more self-confident, attractive and slimmer than two months ago, due to the liposuction she had undergone.

The surgery helped Mona, in her twenties, integrate in the community after suffering years of psychological isolation as a result of overweight.

Mona is one of those ladies who took the initiative to make plastic surgeries in specialized centers in the Gaza Strip in recent months.

"I hesitated a lot before I had the operation as it is abnormal in my society," Mona told Xinhua, adding that "but now I am very happy and feeling more confident."

Mona said she did the surgery after taking the advice from a colleague who beautified his nose and removed body tattoo by having a plastic surgery.

Nael, who refused to tell his full name, said his wife also had a breast reduction surgery. "Early marriage and frequent pregnancies had reshaped the body of my wife to worse, which psychologically affected her."

"A plastic surgery was the best solution to bring her body and morale back to normal," Nael added.

Plastic surgeries are common in the Gaza Strip, but remained for decades limited to repair the defects resulting from repeated violence with Israel, such as severe burns and fractures.

However, complementary cosmetic surgeries began to receive popular demands in Gaza which is ruled by conservative Islamic Hamas movement.

According to data by Cosmetic and Laser Surgery Center (CLSC) in Gaza City, the center conducted 15 major surgeries and more than a hundred minor surgeries monthly during the last two years.

Jalaa Talmas, plastic surgery specialist and the director of CLSC, said beauty plastic surgeries are gaining popularity in Gaza, noting that the center was opened nine years ago, but has started to work well only during the past couple of years thanks to the growing popularity of plastic surgery.

The CLSC offers a variety of services related to plastic surgery, such as rhinoplasty, liposuction in different areas of the body, breast reduction and enlargement, fat injection, laser hair removal, treatment of craving, tattoos and freckles, Talmas said.

For Gazans, liposuction is the most requested surgeries, followed by rhinoplasty operations, according to Talmas.

"Other cosmetic surgeries related beautifying breast, the lips and cheeks injections still need some time to be demanded by the residents of Gaza," he added.

Talmas explains that the social acceptance for such operations in the Gaza Strip was slow because of the conservative customs and traditions of the society.

So far, Gaza has three centers conducting plastic surgeries.

Nafez Abu Shaaban, head of plastic and burns surgery department of Gaza's Shifa Hospital, believed that the openness to the world through the Internet and satellite TV channels quickened the spread of cosmetic surgeries in Gaza recently, referring that this kind of surgeries is now more requested by women than men.

He noted that the price of plastic surgeries was a big concern for customers considering the difficult economic conditions in Gaza. "Some specialized centers make significant discounts to attract more customers." Endit