Brazilian doctors provide liposuction and plastic surgery to the poor for free

Rio De Janeiro, Brazil- Plastic surgery and liposuction are generally a luxury that only the moneyed elite can afford in Brazil, but many doctors in the country are now offering procedures to the poor for free.  

Brazil is an emerging economy and is the second largest consumer of cosmetic surgeries worldwide, but many areas remain impoverished. Doctors in the country have long realized that improving a person’s appearance through liposuction or Botox transcends the superficial and can benefit an individual’s mental well-being. Over 220 clinics in the country have been providing discounted or free cosmetic procedures since 1997.

The doctors providing the free procedures have a simple philosophy: Beauty is a right, and even poor women deserve to be gorgeous. Dr. Nelson Rosas of the Brazilian Society of Aesthetic Medicine’s Brazil branch said, “What’s a wrinkle? Something minor, right? But when we treat the wrinkle, that unimportant little thing we are actually treating something more important: The patient’s self-esteem.”

Many people, who approve of plastic surgery and liposuction, would agree that these procedures have acted as de facto psychotherapy by making them look better and helping them improve their self-confidence.

Since these Brazilian doctors have been providing these cosmetic procedures for free they have treated close to 14,000 patients. Though U.S. doctors don’t generally provide free procedures to the poor, they often have discount offers so that people of lesser means also have the opportunity to look their best.