The western world has become accustomed to cosmetic surgery it is no longer a taboo subject and is a rapidly growing industry. However it may come as a surprise to many to hear that Iran also has a burgeoning cosmetic surgery trade.

In public, women in Iran are meant to show just their face and hands, and she must hide her curves under her clothes. So surely this means that cosmetic surgery is of little use after all, is there any point to a breast enlargement when you cannot show it off? Well, just because they must cover up does not mean they do not care about their looks in fact, many women who wear the hijab are very fashion and beauty conscious and some spend a lot of money each month on beauty products and creams.

So are there any other reasons for the cosmetic surgery industry increase in Iran? Women graduates in the country are starting to outnumber men. This means that more women are becoming business owners and entrepreneurs. With more and more women becoming independent, there is a large proportion who are willing to pay to enhance their looks and appearance – and it isn’t just the rich who are paying either the less affluent women are also turning to cosmetic surgery.

As women are starting to play more front-seat roles in Iranian society, emphasis on appearance is increasing. One can only hope that the do not fall into the same trap of wanting everlasting-youth that much of the western world has fallen into.