Cosmetic surgery a booming business in Thailand

A drastic change in the public's perception of cosmetic surgery over the past ten years has created a huge demand among Thai consumers, who contribute most of the 20 billion baht (S$796 million) in income that surgery clinics enjoy each year.

Ten years ago, both surgeons and customers sneaked into backrooms in hospitals and beauty clinics for the operations. Now, clinics have mushroomed in all parts of the country as consumers welcome the idea of how a tiny appearance change can lead to greater beauty.

A recent survey shows that market value of the cosmetic surgery business has increased from 15 billion baht in 2010 to 20 billion baht in 2011. And this year, the value of this industry is expected to increase by another 20 per cent.

Meanwhile, the University of the Thai Chamber of Commerce's Centre for Economic and Business Forecasting estimates that cosmetic surgery will be the most popular business among investors this year as more and more teenagers want to undergo the surgery.