Dubai has started attracting plastic surgery patients from the US and the UK as most modern facilities, including professional surgeons and well-equipped clinics, are available in the city.

This was disclosed in an interview by renowned Dubai-based plastic surgeon, Prof Dr Luiz S. Toledo of Gulf Speciality Hospital, who is also compiling a book on the development of plastic surgery in the Gulf.

"Dubai has the potential to develop into an international centre for plastic surgery," he said. "The trend of patients coming from the West for treatment in Dubai is recent. We are receiving patients and appointment bookings for August are already done."

Prof Toledo said that his book on plastic surgery would consist of contributions, based on experience and case studies, from the plastic surgeons in the region and is planned to be published next year.

"The book will also deal with problems specific to the Gulf region," Prof Toledo said. These are related to the type of skin, the type of fat, the type of obesity, and their treatment, he said, adding that 90 per cent of the patients were women, who could not maintain their body shape after pregnancy.

Prof Toledo, who is well known among patients in the Gulf and the Middle East, said that plastic surgery, combined with diet and exercise, was the best treatment for any patient.

"Dubai is the future of the modern world. I was impressed by its vitality and progressive entrepreneurial lifestyle," he observed.

"People in Dubai are getting more conscious about their body and improved diet. As plastic surgeons, we have the responsibility to guide people in the right direction and to regulate the medicine to protect the patients," Prof Toledo said. who has just organised a workshop on plastic surgery, said.