SAUDI GAZETTE IF you believe filler injections and cosmetic surgeries are part of looking awesome and attracting attention, think again. Over the past decade, many Saudi women have undergone beauty treatments to make themselves more attractive. However, despite the increasing trend for plastic surgery and Botox injections, many Saudi men prefer natural beauty. They say women who undergo these surgeries have confidence issues. A recent statistic by a major plastic surgery center shows that 87.8 percent of cosmetic surgeries performed in Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries in 2016 were conducted on women, with men accounting for just 12.2 percent. Liposuction and rhinoplasty ranked top among cosmetic surgeries performed in a number of Gulf countries. Saudi Gazette interviewed several men in the Kingdom to find out what they think of cosmetic surgery. Private sector employee Safwan Makhdari, who is single and in his 20s, said: "Personally speaking, I do not like cosmetic surgeries because they change the original features. But there are some out of control purposes which make a person go with the option of having a plastic surgery, like medical reasons, for example a broken nose, deviated septum and accident injuries." He added that he believes that today plastic surgeries are substantially promoted for commercial reasons, and he does not think that these surgeries would make women prettier. HR manager Saad Nahouli, who is married and is in his 30s, said each woman has her own beauty, which reflects her personality. He believes that plastic surgery would alter a woman's original beauty. "Depends on the surgery. If she got breast cancer or any trauma and if such a surgery will get her back original shape and would help her, of course I will support her. Yet, unnecessary surgeries that shows lack of self-confidence, such as lip or facial injections, no," he said. Haitham Mair, a private sector employee who is married and in his 30s, said he totally rejects plastic surgery. "God created us like we are and we should have the self-confidence to accept it for a fact. Women do not need to change their looks to attract men. Any man who wants only pretty woman is in fact a trifler," he said. Ahmed Mohammed, who is in his late 40s, said: "I like when women take care of themselves. Botox and filler injections are invented to make women prettier and I encourage my wife to do them. She is pretty but if she wants to become prettier, why not? These surgeries and injections show how much a woman loves herself."
