Beauty from Afar

Chapter 4 Page 3 | Eyelids, Foreheads, Noses and Peels

Eyelids (Blepharoplasty)

Eyelid surgery is a procedure to remove fat — usually along with excess skin and muscle — from the upper and lower eyelids. Eyelid surgery can correct drooping upper lids, and puffiness or bags below the eyes. Upper and lower eyelid work will cost $4,000 to $6,000, on average, in the United States. Once again, in examining the Web sites of reputable and experienced surgeons overseas and in researching, one will find a range of perhaps $1,300 to $2,200.

Forehead/Brow Lift

A forehead lift can raise the eyebrows to a higher and more (presumably) aesthetic position. It should also improve lateral hoods (the droopy flaps of skin that hang over the outside corners of the eyes.) A forehead lift should also soften horizontal forehead wrinkles and lines between the eyebrows. A forehead lift in the United States costs in the range of about $3,500 to $5,000. The average cost abroad falls into the $1,300 to $2,000 range.

Nose Reshaping (Rhinoplasty)

Reshaping the nose is considered by many plastic surgeons to be one of the most delicate and difficult aesthetic procedures. Prices can vary substantially depending on what the patient wants. A rhinoplasty can cost from $5,000 to $8,000 or more in the United States. In general, median prices abroad, however, are 40 to 75 percent less than in the United States, or from about $1,250 to $6,000.

Chemical Peels (light, medium, deep)

A chemical peel is aimed at destroying outer layers of old skin, inducing the growth of new skin. The lightest of peels may be inexpensive ($50 to $100, even in the United States) and part of some regular beauty regimens. In many states, a medical degree is not required to administer even heavier chemical peels. Having seen people who had deep chemical peels, I for one can only barely imagine allowing a doctor, let alone anyone with lesser training, to do this to me. For days after a deep chemical peel, it’s difficult for someone who has never seen one before to think that they will ever look normal again. But the final results can be extraordinary.

Deep chemical peels in the U.S. can cost $1,500 to $2,500; overseas, they can cost from $300 to $800.

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The update on the introduction today is brief, just two paragraphs. I’m not sure why they merited their own subheading when Beauty from Afar copy was being finalized. I recall being told, pretty much, that the more catchy subheads we had, the better. So that’s how we end up with A Nose Job in Iran?

And the answer to the question is: Why not?

What I was trying to point out is as true now as it was in 2005: There is terrific medical care in parts of the world that many people do not associate with terrific medical care. So while many U.S. citizens associate Iran with mullahs, election fraud and threats to world peace, we should keep in mind that Iran is a large and diverse country; that there are more than a million Americans of Iranian descent; and that if we’re worried about Iran’s nuclear technology, we can certainly assume their plastic surgeons may have mastered rhinoplasty.

In fact, they’re known for being good at it, which is why I mentioned it at all.

However briefly.