Chin up, Tummy tuck, nose straight... are you ready for work?

Young professionals are increasingly going under the knife to look their best before being recruited

Chin up, Tummy tuck, nose straight... are you ready for work?

Young professionals are increasingly going under the knife to look their best before being recruited

Cosmetic surgery shops in the town are buzzing with business.

No, it is neither B-Town boys and girls nor models who are rushing to get under the knife, but young professionals who are looking for or going to join a new job.

Even though recession has eaten into jobs this year, yet there are some that are up for grabs. And young professionals are ready with perfect smiles and shapes.

"Today's youth wants to look good to feel more confident and get the best in this competitive environment," said Dr Vivek Kumar, a cosmetic surgeon at Sir Gangaram Hospital.

Liposuction (removal of fat) in thighs and abdominal area and rhinoplasty (cosmetic correction of nose and lips) are the most sought after surgeries among girls.

"There is a 20-30 per cent increase in the number of people going for such surgeries and the majority young professionals," said Dr Vivek Kumar.

Interestingly, it is not only girls that are conscious about shapes and curves, increasingly boys are also seeking to improve their figure. Gynaecomastia (surgericalu00a0 removal of abnormally large mammary glands in males) is the most common procedure boys opt for.

"There has been a dramatic rise in the percentage of boys going in for such surgeries," says Dr Vasundhara, senior consultant, cosmetic surgery Sir Gangaram hospital.

The main reason behind this craze is the cut-throat competition and the images that are regularly flashed in the media. Dr Smita Deshpandey, head of the department (Psychiatry), Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital, said: "The impact of media is one of the major reasons behind the increasing urge in the youth to improve the way they look. Kareena, Katrina and Hrithik are their models."

Dr Bhavna Burmi, clinical psychologist at Fortis Hospital said, "The society has become superficial today. Success is basically related to physical appearance and therefore the people especially the youth want to have an edge over others."

Anup Malhotra (name changed), a 23-year-old management professional who got his nose corrected surgically, said, "People used to tease me for my broad nose wherever I went, now I am about to enter into a profession and I don't want people to focus only on my nose when I meet them."

Good looks play a considerable role in recruitment, said Ravi Bhushan, deputy manager (HR) Walechand Nagar Industries Ltd.

"Though qualification and experience do matter but at first instance an HR employee checks the personality of the person to be recruited. Moreover knowledge can be gained in due course of time," Bhushan added.

Harsh Vardhan, assistant manager SAP, Vishal Retail Ltd, said, "Though the requirement varies as per the nature of job but it is true that personality plays a major role in the recruitment of a person."

Dr Ajay Kashyap, cosmetic surgeon, Fortis hospital, said before planning to go for such a surgery one must make sure that they should get it done by a qualified surgeon and at a reputed centre having all facilities.

Put your best face forward: 1) & 2) Pictorial representation of correction of male mammary glands; 3) Before and after pictures showing how liposuction helps remove flab from the abdomen

Cost of looking good

Liposuction done on abdomen or thighs
Rs 40,000-45,000
Gynaecomastia
Rs 40,000-45,000
Rhinoplasty
Rs 50,000-55,000

Dream gone sour

A women in her late twenties went for liposuction in a hospital in Mumbai but a drainage tube was left in her abdomen during the surgery. The women, a resident of Delhi, is now being treated at Fortis Hospital in the Capital.

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