Jamican Plastic Surgery

PLASTIC surgery is a four decade-old business in Jamaica, starting with one specialist in the field then doubling to two a decade later in the 1970s.

Now there are six surgeons who do lucrative business from reconstructive, corrective, as well as the more popular cosmetic procedures like facelifts and breast implants.

The demand for plastic surgery, however, continues to outpace the available pool of surgeons. To meet the demand, says Dr Guyan Arscott, a veteran in the field, a formal training programme is being designed to qualify and boost the number of plastic surgeons in the island.
Their services range from $20,000 to $300,000, but some procedures range beyond $1 million for maxillo-facial surgery, depending on the complexities and degree of damage to repair.

But more and more Jamaicans are willing to spend big to nip and tuck their bodies; others want to correct abnormalities or deformities for which insurance is available, making the procedures more affordable to many.

"It now has grown to a certain extent where we now have a full plastic surgery service at the University Hospital of the West Indies, the Kingston Public Hospital and at the Cornwall Regional Hospital," said veteran plastic surgeon Dr Guyan Arscott who practises in Kingston.
"We have a full service - we have a clinic, we have a ward, operating theatre time, just like other services."

Arscott says corrective or cosmetic surgeries are infrequent in the public hospitals; those cases tend to end up in the private clinics.

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