Venezuela’s newest shortage: breast implants

A chronic shortage of brand-name breast implants in Venezuela is impinging on a cultural cornerstone: the boob job. It has also led to the use of devices that are the wrong size or made in China, where quality standards are less rigorous. Venezuelans once had easy access to implants approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. But doctors say they are now all-but impossible to find because restrictive currency controls have deprived local businesses of the cash to import foreign goods. Venezuela is thought to have one of the world’s highest plastic surgery rates, alongside countries like the U.S. and Brazil.

The women are complaining. Venezuelan women are very concerned with their self-esteem.”

President of the Society of Plastic Surgeons Ramon Zapata

Unable to find the devices in doctors’ offices, some women are turning to the Venezuelan equivalent of the bartering website Craigslist, where sellers post pictures of black market implants of unknown origin sitting in sealed packages on kitchen tables. Until recently, women could enter raffles for implants held by pharmacies, workplaces and even politicians on the campaign trail. During this spring’s anti-government street demonstrations, the occasional sign protesting the rising price of breast implants mixed in with posters railing against food shortages and currency devaluation.

It’s a culture of ‘I want to be more beautiful than you.’ That’s why even people who live in the slums get implants.

Surgeon Daniel Slobodianik

Odd News