Last-minute jitters are forcing brides and grooms in Dubai into extremes as they go under the knife in a frantic search for the body beautiful in time for their big day.
Lifelong commitment and the fear of being tied down used to be traditional fears that caused cold feet syndrome amongst grooms.
But, for an increasing number of men in the UAE, it’s now their looks that are giving them the jitters before they tie the knot.
Surgeons say desperate grooms-to-be are signing up in the droves in an attempt to eave goodbye to saggy man boobs, eager to avoid embarrassment on their wedding night - while brides are opting for botox and breast enlargements to please their new husbands.
Top cosmetic surgeon Dr Luiz Toledo says his clinic has been forced to print an advice leaflet specifically aimed at couples who leave plastic surgery too late before taking their vows. He said: “We see a lot of men who have insecurities about the way they look and want to do something to improve that before they get married.
“They usually come to me when they have left it too late to lose weight. I have men and women coming to me sometimes just a week before they get married, looking for perfection. Some of them don’t even tell their partners.
“These guys want to look their best for the wedding night, they don’t want to be embarrassed.” He added that removing man boobs is a popular procedure, adding that in up to 40 per cent of cases, it is needed because they were overweight and dieted before their wedding but were left with excess skin in that area.
Toledo says liposuction is a hit with both sexes eager for a quick fix before they walk down the aisle and some women are prepared to go through breastwork before they tie the knot.
“Breast enlargements are popular. Sometimes a woman might have it done before the wedding because she knows her husband-to-be likes women with big boobs. The scarring is minimal in these procedures so their partners might not even notice. Men are not always the most observant in these matters.”
Toledo says because he was receiving so many last-ditch nip and tuck requests before the wedding day, he had to start an awareness campaign to cut down the number of disappointed couples.
“You can’t perform surgery that close to a wedding,” he warned.
“Couples need to plan ahead. Even cosmetic treatments like botox should be done at least seven to ten days before the event and surgical treatments need a few weeks.”
Edwina Viel, manager of the London Centre of Aesthetic Surgery, says her Healthcare City-based clinic handles the same kind of cases.
“We do a lot of male breast reductions and female breast enlargements,” she said.
“The organic enlargement, using fat from the buttocks or thighs for the implant, is popular among local ladies because it is a very subtle procedure,” she added.
Viel, agreed that men are becoming increasingly self-conscious about their figures. “If you go to the beach and look at some of the guys, you can see they’re really conscious. They keep their T-shirts on all the time and won’t take them off until the very last minute when they have to go into the water.”
The breast reduction surgery typically takes 90 minutes and within a week or so, the patient will be back on his feet and moving as normal.
The operation costs between Dhs20,000 and Dhs25,000. Viel says her clinic is gearing up for a rush on surgery as patients clamour to look their best for summer and seasonal nuptials, with up to 25 per month expected to go under the knife.
But it’s not just nervous grooms striving for perfection.
“We’re coming into the busy period now,” she says. “We have a lot of what we call ‘CEO’s Belly’ cases. This is where successful guys, in their forties and fifties start to develop a pot belly and they wanted it sucked out.”
Relationship counsellor Helen Williams, warns that couples who feel the need to change their physical appearance before they settle down together are sowing the seeds for disaster: “Obviously, a relationship needs certain chemistry but making major physical changes without even consulting your spouse in some cases is not an ideal start for a marriage.”
By Nichola Jones
