The late Stella Obasanjo could scarcely have imagined her conservative country warming up to cosmetic surgery. Two decades after her fatal medical trip, Nigeria is fast becoming a hub for aesthetic medicine.
In Lagos, Abuja and other major cities, sleek cosmetic clinics are springing up to cater to this surging demand. A quick Google search for “Plastic surgery in Nigeria,” churns up dozens of options—complete with glowing testimonials from former patients and Instagram-worthy shots
Around the world, cosmetic surgery has become one of medicine’s fastest-growing specialties. The USA, home to some of the world’s top-tier plastic surgeons, recorded 15.6 million cosmetic procedures in 2020—up from 5.7 million in 2000—fuelled by Internet-driven beauty standards.
Nigeria’s cosmetic procedures pale in comparison, but for plastic surgeons in the country, the field is proving to be a lucrative frontier.
A private facility in Port Harcourt, southern Nigeria, recorded 175 patients for cosmetic surgeries between January 2020 and December 2021, according to a study published in 2023.
Most of the patients were young, university-educated women eager for body enhancements such as the Brazilian Butt Lift, or BBL, liposuctions and tummy tuck—procedures that are now promoted by Nigerian socialites and celebrities who openly share their stories and flaunt their eye-popping transformations on TikTok and Instagram.
The outcomes can be dramatic. Previously obese entertainers reappear online with sculpted curves, flatter bellies and reduced breast size.
What was once taboo is now a fad as the stigma surrounding cosmetic procedures now fades.
The rising popularity of cosmetic procedures has helped to tamp down the social stigma once associated with it. This reduced discrimination is due in part to increased awareness derived from higher education, as the 2023 paper observed.
An increase in disposable income has also allowed for the country to spend on personal and aesthetic enhancements. What was once an exclusive preserve of the elite is now open to middle-class citizens, including married women looking to snap back into shape after childbirth.
Even in Nigeria, plastic surgery is an expensive process, but the cost is often a fraction of the charge in Western climes, thanks to the depreciation of the naira. This affordability has been a major draw, triggering an influx of patients from neighbouring countries such as Ghana and Senegal.
Whereas the costs of a BBL in the US range from $5000 to $16,000 in the US, the procedure costs anything between N2.5 and N3.5 million, depending on the surgeon.
@zicsaloma Update on my nose job
More and more Nigerian doctors abroad, sensing the booming demand, have returned to the country to set up their own practices. This influx has not only improved the quality of service but has also bolstered public trust in the domestic industry.
This increasing demand presents downsides, however, manifested in the rise of underqualified practitioners and illegal clinics. Alongside brilliant transformations, tragic stories of botched surgeries and complications leading to fatalities have multiplied, suggesting the urgency for stricter regulations.
Despite its prominent role in promoting plastic surgery, social media has given rise to misleading and unrealistic expectations of what people should look like.
Yet between self-expression and social pressure, the country’s new beauty industry is still negotiating its place.
When the Nigerian skit maker Zicsaloma posted a clip in February showing that he’d undergone a nose job, a trail of mixed reactions followed.
While some praised the comedian’s new looks, others questioned his motives for adopting superficial looks. “Anyone telling you fake nose is better doesn’t like you for who you are,” one user commented under the video.
Cosmetic surgery is gaining popularity in Nigeria, challenging the conservative norms once envisioned by figures like the late Stella Obasanjo. Major cities like Lagos and Abuja are seeing a rise in cosmetic clinics catering to increasing demand. Although the 175 cosmetic surgeries recorded in Port Harcourt from January 2020 to December 2021 pale in comparison to the USA's numbers, Nigeria's market is growing, driven by social media and celebrity endorsements of procedures like Brazilian Butt Lifts and liposuctions. The diminishing stigma surrounding these surgeries is largely attributed to increased awareness and education.
The affordability of cosmetic procedures in Nigeria, due to the depreciating naira, has made them accessible to the middle class and attracted patients from neighboring countries. However, this popularity surge also leads to issues, such as the emergence of unqualified practitioners and illegal clinics, highlighting the need for better regulation. While the industry offers self-expression opportunities, social media also promotes unrealistic beauty standards, complicating societal perceptions of beauty. A recent example is comedian Zicsaloma's nose job, which received mixed reactions from the public.
