Long famed as a tourist destination for its sunny beaches, exotic cuisine and historic sites, Morocco is now offering foreign visitors another attraction: plastic surgery clinics. The North African country is attracting growing numbers of foreign visitors looking to take advantage of lower prices for everything from face-lifts and nose jobs to tummy tucks.
Morocco: Sun, sea and surgery
The main growth areas are cosmetic surgery, laser eye surgery and dental tourism. Cosmetic surgery in Morocco, can cost between 30% and 50% less than in Europe. The country has 80 specialists and 12 cosmetic surgery clinics. 15% of the 14,500 instances of cosmetic surgery that take place annually in Morocco involve foreign patients. This would give Morocco just over 2000 medical tourists a year.
Women account for 75% of foreign patients, with liposuction and breast enhancements the most frequently performed operations according to the Moroccan Association of Plastic, Reconstructive and Cosmetic Surgery (SMCPRE).
We speak to Morroccan plastic surgeon Dr Mohamed Jamal Guessous MD to explain to us why Morocco is becoming Africa’s go to destination for medical tourism.