Between 2005 and 2013, the American Society of Plastic Surgeons reported an unprecedented increase in the number of cosmetic procedures performed on racial minorities in the United States. A 125% increase was noted in Asian-Americans, with an 85% increase seen in Hispanics, and a 56% increase in African-Americans. In comparison, Caucasians only registered a 35% increase in the same timeframe. And thus the rise of ethnic plastic surgery was noticed.

In this context, I’ve seen my work as a health consultant made more interesting with questions from patients – especially of color – on ethnic identity, standards of beauty, and diversity to add to the usual list of concerns on safety, expertise, and recovery.

These days, as healthcare professionals are learning firsthand, it’s not about having one standard of beauty, and more about developing our ability to combine and appreciate the ideals of “ethnic” and “traditional” aesthetics for a broader definition of what it means to be beautiful.

The History of Ethnic Plastic Surgery

In 1896, Japan became the first country in the world to perform the Asian eyelid surgery or what would be commonly referred to as an Asian blepharoplasty. The goal then was functional at best, to achieve symmetry on the patient’s eyes – one was a monolid, while the other had a creased eyelid.

Fast-forward 30 years later, and the American media was in a frenzy over another Japanese national who became the first Asian blepharoplasty patient on US soil. His intent was decidedly cosmetic: to lessen the “Asian-ness” of his features to satisfy the conditions set by his white fiancée before their upcoming wedding.

Modern blepharoplasty, on the other hand, is a more nuanced approach to people of color and their cosmetic needs. Pioneered by Dr. Robert Flowers, the predominant plastic surgery technique still in use today requires sedation and an incision made between the lashline and brow. He began performing the operation in the 1960s as a newly based doctor in Hawaii, where he encountered a more diverse set of features, of eye shapes, and nose sizes, among others.

He has been firm in debunking the myth that Asians want to “Westernize” their features when they sign up for blepharoplasty. In an interview with The Cut’s Maureen O’Connor, Dr. Flowers said, “But that’s not what Asian patients want. They want to be beautiful Asians.”

Treatments Available for Eastern and Western Patients

To satisfy the demand for making “beautiful Asians” and other people of color, I’ve had the privilege of connecting patients to surgeons who specialize in a number of “ethnic plastic surgery procedures”:

Rhinoplasty to raise bridges of low-lying noses common to Asians, African-Americans, and Hispanics;
Facial contouring, which includes procedures such as V-line jaw shaving (turns round faces into hearts in pursuit of a more feminine face shape) and double-jaw surgery (originally a corrective surgery for severe underbites, now used to create “mini-chins”);
Injectable solutions to raise nose bridges, enlarge earlobes (believed to be a sign of luck), and shrink facial and leg muscles.

But beyond the final looks post-surgery, plastic surgeons now also consider the need for subtler implants that fit better with the facial proportions of minorities, and the scar treatments that non-whites usually need to minimize hyperpigmentation and keloids after surgery.

Over the years, white patients have also come to embrace and ask for features that run counter to what’s natural to them. My peers and I see it every day: the typical Caucasian noses complemented by lips made plumper by fillers, their thighs made tighter, and their butts made more “Kardashian-like” with a few nips, tucks, and lifts here and there.

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Changing our Beauty Standards

In a 2011 Allure survey, 85% of respondents believed that increased diversity in media and on the streets had changed America’s beauty standard. And 64% considered mixed-race women as the epitome of beauty.

As more patients from diverse backgrounds come in, ethnic plastic surgery is poised for growth not only in revenue but also in expertise. It’s an exciting time for medical professionals, myself included, as we are challenged to know more about our new patients; to understand their needs and how best to serve them.

As someone from a non-American background, I am happy to participate and contribute to this ongoing change in the field of plastic surgery. Ethnic plastic surgery, in general, has, for me, never been about striving for white-ness or looking more like a certain race, but more about personal reinvention and satisfaction with a team of experts to temper one’s motivations and expectations.

Sources: The Washington Post, Plastic Surgery Practice and The Cut

About the Author

Abeer Saqer is a health care professional helping patients from around the world to receive the best in medical care and treatment in Houston, Texas. She has spent her career diligently establishing a bridge between Houston’s thriving medical community to the Middle East and beyond.