Aesthetic surgery is going through an unprecedented boom: in 2024 more than 17 million procedures were performed worldwide, according to the International Society of Aesthetic Plastic Surgery (ISAPS). Argentina, which is among the 15 countries with the greatest activity in this area, is also part of that wave. However, behind the record numbers an unavoidable warning appears: security does not always accompany growth.
The mirage of “low cost”
One of the great engines of this industry is the promise of accessible treatments. But what seems like an opportunity can become risk. When a price is too low, the reduction does not occur in the superficial, but in critical aspects: lower quality materials, facilities without qualification or professionals without adequate training. The cheap, in this case, can end very expensive. In many countries, cases of poorly practiced surgeries that derive in permanent sequelae or the need for expensive reconstructions are already multiplied.
Argentina and the region on the global map
Brazil leads the world’s increasing world ranking, with 14% of global operations; The United States follows it closely with 13%. Argentina, with more than 28,000 annual interventions, was consolidated as a destination chosen by both local and foreign patients. The so -called “aesthetic tourism” provides visibility and currencies, but also increases the pressure on a system where the strictest protocols are not always met.
In parallel, a fact illustrates the transformation of the market: for the first time, in 2024 the blepharoplasty – the eyelid surgery – surpassed the liposuction and breast increase as a procedure most performed on the planet, with 2.1 million interventions. This turn to techniques that promise quick and discreet results reinforces the need for controls.
Security: the three key filters
Beyond fashion, specialists agree that security rests on three basic axes:
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Accredited professionals: belonging to scientific societies is not a bureaucratic detail, but a guarantee of continuous training and clear protocols.
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Enabled centers: A sanatorium with intensive therapy, laboratory and guard 24 hours makes the difference between safe surgery and risky bet.
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Prior evaluation: Every intervention must be programmed and depend on clinical studies without irregularities. The patient’s enthusiasm cannot weigh more than his real health status.
The value of “no”
Not all patients should be operated, even if they have the money and the decision taken. Cases of aesthetic obsession or disorders linked to self -image demand psychological accompaniment, not scalpel. The true professional does not measure his success for the amount of surgeries performed, but for his ability to identify when the answer must be negative.
Social networks and false expectations
Instagram, Tiktok or YouTube transformed the relationship between patients and surgeons. If the contact was direct and limited to the office, today the influencers promote procedures as if they were mass consumption products. This visibility democratizes information, but also disseminates dangerous examples: treatments in unable places, promotions impossible to sustain or unreal results that generate frustrated expectations.
The central warning
The message that is repeated among the most experienced professionals is simple: Security is priceless. Before deciding, each patient should take the time to verify credentials, check the authorization of the center and distrust offers that seem too good to be true.
Aesthetic surgery can improve self -esteem and quality of life, but only when practiced under serious standards. In a market that does not stop growing, the best investment remains the information. Because in this field, a discount can cost too expensive.
Juan Manuel Seren (Mn 107.174) is a pioneer in the implementation of protocols of rapid breast recovery and creator of the innovative protocol erabas of breast surgery that allows a rapid recovery.
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By Juan Manuel Seren
