Ragini, a 24-year-old Delhi resident, went for a nose job before her parents could arrange a match for her. With a sharper nose, she felt much more confident of finding a handsome husband. "Earlier my nose used to be a bit flat. I went for a cosmetic surgery to lift it so that it looks sharp. Now I feel much more comfortable and confident as well," she said.
Like her, image conscious youngsters in India's metropolitan cities are going for a plastic makeover before marriage, with cosmetic surgeons saying the trend is witnessing a 25 percent growth.
"Today, marriage is a market where girls and boys are treated as products. Girls with good looks can easily find a better half who is tall, handsome and rich as well," said Ragini.
Anup Dhir, a senior cosmetic surgeon of Indraprastha Apollo Hospital in the capital, told IANS: "These days both guys and girls want to look beautiful and sport a perfect physique. The desire to look good is very much a trend among youngsters before their marriage.
"Generally would-be grooms and brides go for lip beautification, a nose lift or removal of scars from their faces. Some come to remove dark circles, pimple marks and those who are more conscious go for a breast augmentation."
He said cosmetic surgery is popular among women, but men are not far behind. "I get a number of guys who go for hair transplantation before they enter the matchmaking process. I feel the male-female ratio going for plastic surgery would be one man for every three women," he said.