Cortes is a titular member of the Brazilian Society of Plastic Surgery and visiting professor at Hospital Ipiranga in São Paulo, where he holds the position of Chief of Surgery.

The Brazilian plastic surgeon Cortes has contributed to several professional publications, national and international, on the subject of cosmetic surgery.

Few would argue that the Brazilian derrière has become the global standard against which all others are measured. In a nation of close to 190 million; perfectly round, shapely butts proliferate.

The explanation for this phenomenon lies in the diversity of the Brazilian gene pool. In the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries the northern Brazilian state of Bahia saw the arrival of more African slaves than did the entire United States.

The blend of these shapely African rear-ends with the lean Anglo-Saxon form found in the south of Brazil gave rise to the modern day bumbum – Brazilian slang for butt.

The Brazilian shape is admired universally; few deny that such sensuous curves give women charm, elegance and graceful beauty.

"There are also the psychological advantages of increased self confidence and higher self-esteem that come from one’s new look," says Dr. Cortes.

"The two most sought after buttock surgery procedures are Micro Fat Grafting and Buttock Implants," says Peter Ryan, Director and Founder of Cosmetic Vacations.

Micro Fat Grafting, commonly referred to as lipo-sculpture, involves repositioning fat removed from one body area to the buttocks – significantly increasing the gluteal volume.

"However, nothing compares to an implant, which produces a defined volume and, most importantly, an almost perfectly predictable and permanent result," comments Dr. Cortes.

Thanks to J-Lo, gluteal or butt implant surgeries appear to be on the rise, and statistics from ASAPS show that 3,885 of the procedures were performed in the U.S. in 2003 — that’s up 533% since 2002.

"Soaring healthcare costs in America and Europe motivate clients to look abroad for more reasonably priced Cosmetic Surgery," says Ryan. Highly specialized Buttock surgery is performed by only a handful of surgeons in the US – consequently prices are steep.

CosmeticVacations clients travel to Brazil for high quality treatment and care, plus to enjoy time in Rio de Janeiro – one of the world’s most charming, breathtakingly beautiful locations.

CosmeticVacations LLC, a United States Corporation, arranges Cosmetic Surgery and Cosmetic Dentistry combined with a Brazilian vacation experience.

Formed in 2003, Cosmetic Vacations is the only medical tourism enterprise of its kind operating in Brazil. Cosmetic Vacations has a multi-lingual support staff consisting of personal assistants, nurses, and guides.

CosmeticVacations arranges Cosmetic Surgery, Cosmetic Dentistry and customized vacation packages for a broad range of international clients. CosmeticVacations was featured in the Frommer’s Guide, "Tips and Tools."

CosmeticVacations – www.cosmeticvacations.com

Although there are many qualified hospitals abroad, one question still remains; how is the American consumer going to choose which overseas hospital will be best suited for their specific procedure?

For American company MedRetreat, the answer to this question lies in the opportunity of having access to a network of pre-qualified hospitals. Easy to access, pre-qualified healthcare provider options, they say,  will empower the consumer to make the best choice based on their specific needs.

Patrick Marsek, Managing Director of MedRetreat, LLC, states, "We’re the first U.S. company to provide a list of qualified hospitals to Americans who want to go overseas for medical procedures, cosmetic surgery or dentistry. To date, we’ve had extremely positive feedback from many satisfied clients going to Malaysia and Thailand via MedRetreat.

"As a result of these successes, we’ve recently added five other countries to our network including Argentina, Brazil, India, Turkey and South Africa. By expanding our network to seven countries, Americans now have a more diversified selection of destinations to choose from based on their cultural preferences. Regardless of their choice, they’ll find world-class, state-of-the-art, certified hospitals to address their healthcare needs."

Marsek goes on to say, "MedRetreat has invested several hundred thousand dollars in research, and, has traveled to these destinations to inspect and verify the quality of healthcare facilities abroad. Through our due diligence process, we’ve also identified the hospitals that do not meet the stringent criteria to participate in providing medical tourism services to Americans.

"It’s quite amazing how the marketing efforts of many foreign healthcare providers have proven to be misleading. For this reason, it’s very important to utilize a diligent medical tourism service agent, like MedRetreat, to prepare your medical tourism itinerary. This task should not be taken lightly. Safety should always precede price."

According to MedRetreat, the devaluation of the real (Brazilian currency) against the US dollar, has made Brazil an excellent destination for low cost, world-class medical treatment.

In recent years, Brazil has become internationally renowned for their famous cosmetic and plastic surgery clinics, where the rich and famous have been going in order to maintain their anonymity and recuperate along the pristine Brazilian beaches.

In terms of general medical treatment, Brazil has the most hospitals of any country outside the US that are fully accredited by the Joint Commission International (JCAHO), the largest US Hospital Accreditation organization.

MedRetreat says that their partner hospitals in Brazil are fully JCAHO Accredited and are among the top hospitals in all of Latin America.

Brazil is located in South America and can be reached from most US cities within 8 to 12 hours. MedRetreat offers service to three cities in Brazil: Porto Alegre, the capital of the southernmost state of Rio Grande do Sul; Santos, a beach town 45 miles from São Paulo city and São Paulo, South America’s largest city.  

Brazil is the largest and most populous country in Latin America, with 186 million inhabitants. Named after brazil wood, a tree highly valued by early colonists, Brazil is home to both extensive agricultural lands and rain forests. Exploiting vast natural resources and a large labor pool, it is today South America’s leading economic power and a regional leader.
 
São Paulo is one of the largest cities in the world in terms of population. This modern, fast-paced urban area is also Brazil’s chief commercial and industrial center. Porto Alegre is one of the charming cities in South America. The city is known throughout the world for its famous barbecues, exciting nightclubs, and modern shopping malls.  
 
Brazil’s people come from many backgrounds. About half the country’s population is of European ancestry–mostly German, Italian, Portuguese, and Spanish. Many other Brazilians are of mixed African and European ancestry, and some are of only African descent. Indians, the original Brazilians, form less than 1 percent of Brazil’s people.
 
Brazil shares many traditions with Portugal. It was a Portuguese colony from 1500 to 1822 and is the only Portuguese-speaking nation in Latin America. The early Portuguese colonists also brought Roman Catholicism to Brazil. Today, Brazil has more Catholics than any other nation.

MedRetreat – www.medretreat.com

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Here in Brazil, I see so many natural looking, attractive, fit people. So, I guess that I shouldn’t be surprised to read that there are twice as many plastic surgery operations than five years ago. One of Carnaval’s nicknames is “Silicone Carnaval” because so many people get chest and or derrière implants for the occasion, (which has even led to silicone shortages!).

Miss Brazil 2001 supposedly had 23 cosmetic treatments before her 22nd birthday, beating Michael Jackson, Joan Rivers, and Cat Lady.

Driving back from a social event, my fellow, ex-pat friend, Wendy, exclaimed, “Golly! Does everyone get plastic surgery once they move to Brazil? Am I going to be expected to get surgery too, along with doing my weekly manicure, pedicure, facial, and waxings?”

“Well, I haven’t anything done (yet). And, it wouldn’t surprise me if I’m not alone.” (I didn’t have the heart to tell Wendy about my plastic surgeon consultation scheduled for later that afternoon).

“Well,” Wendy replied, “Out of the thirty some, middle aged women that I met at the art show this morning, I tallied seven tummy tucks, sixteen implants, ten nose jobs, and three face lifts – not to their mention chemical peels, dyed hair, botox, and acrylic nails. And, I’m sure those were just the ladies who were open about their work done or whose bandages were showing.”

“Where do these women think they are, LA or Hollywood?” Wendy ranted, disgustedly. “I had a friend who got silicone boobs and got breast cancer, another one got fat and divorced after her liposuction, and another one got old and croaked anyway. I’m not going to let that happen to me!”

To my own surprise, after moving to Brazil, I’ve considered plastic surgery. First of all, I can never resist a bargain. Plastic surgery here is like a going-out-of-business sale, compared to US prices. Once you have surgery, it’s done, except for the bruises, hospital stay, bill, and having to reintroduce yourself to people who knew the “before” you, like an identical twin. Lastly, the medical care in Brazil is superb!

During my consultation with Doctor Faca, he recommended a major overhaul for my face. My non-beauty pageant beak, cheekbones, and chin would require a major fashion overhaul. He included the skin damage from the tanning salon, the scar under my lip from blowing out a flaming marshmallow, and the scar over my left eyebrow that I got from accidentally hitting myself with a hammer. There would also be aging wrinkles to snip, nip, and tuck. He would assess below my neck during another visit.

I started to worry. What if Dr. Faca pulled too much skin back on my face, making me look terminally surprised, and requiring me to dine through a straw? What if he slipped with the scalpel, and snipped off my Cindy Crawford burnt sienna, fuzzy mole that my botanist aunt admires so much?

Would I loose my physical identity that took me all of these years to acquire? Well, I guess if that were to happen I could express my physical uniqueness in other ways. Then, I could always opt for tattoos, body piercings, and perhaps, even be a little less careful with our power tools.

This article was written in a humorous vein and should not be taken seriously.

D.E. Finley is a writer and graphic artist. You can visit her website at http://defDesigns.com

© D. E. Finley 2005.