MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

The land of beauty queens desperately short of quality breast implants

A recent addition to Venezuela's chronic shortage list is a scarcity of quality breast implants that has left beauty-obsessed Venezuelan women sorely deflated.

From a lack of toilet paper that caused a stink, to a dearth of staple food items that left shoppers sucking salt, the Venezuelan people have been reeling under the blows of almost constant shortages for well over a year.

 A recent addition to the chronic shortage list, and one thought worthy of the booby prize, is a scarcity of quality breast implants that has left beauty-obsessed Venezuelan women sorely deflated.

In a country that has produced more international beauty queens than any other, and in which physical perfection is paramount, cosmetic surgery was, until recently, an accepted part of the Venezuelan lifestyle.

The oil-rich country has traditionally had one of the world’s highest plastic surgery rates, with doctors performing 85,000 implants there last year, according to the International Society of Aesthetic Plastic Surgery. Only the United States, Brazil, Mexico and Germany – all with significantly larger populations – performed more procedures.

Until recently, boob jobs in Venezuela were so sought-after and commonplace that implants were offered as prizes in raffles held by pharmacies, workplaces and even politicians on the campaign trail.

So while the elusive implants may not be the gravest shortfall facing the foreign exchange-strapped country, surgeons say the issue cuts to the psyche of the image-conscious Venezuelan woman.

In a scenario unlikely to be witnessed anywhere else, signs protesting the dearth and rising price of breast implants jostled for position with posters railing against food shortages and currency devaluation during the anti-government street demonstrations earlier this year.

For some time now, implants approved by the US Food and Drug Administration that used to be readily available in Venezuela, are near impossible to find because restrictive currency controls mean local businesses have been forced to cut down on the importation of foreign goods.

As a consequence, some women are so desperate that they have turned to the Venezuelan equivalent of the bartering website Craigslist. There, vendors display images of black market implants of unknown origin in sealed packages, complete with stories of people who changed their minds about the procedure and reassurances that the pouches remain sterile.

Alternatively, women are turning to devices that are made in China, with less rigorous quality standards, but ringing in at a fraction of the 600 price of those approved by European regulators. Despite the difficulties, the deflated women aren’t getting much sympathy in their homeland.

Some critics joke that the scarcity will force Venezuelan women to develop their personalities instead, while others say the situation shows that the real shortage in the country is values. (caribbean 360)