Mania de peitao

"Mania de peitao" is a song by the Brazilian singer Seu Jorge. Peitao means chest in Portuguese. The only other word I can decipher in the chorus of the song is silicone. But I think that's enough to figure out what the song's about, eh?

Though he's from the country next door, Seu Jorge could be singing about Argentina. The plastic surgery industry here is HUGE. Combine a devalued currency, a public health system and a high concentration of doctors and surgeons and you've got people from all over the Americas booking "plastic surgery vacations" to Argentina.

No really. You can get implants or face lifts here even in a private hospital for a fraction of the price you'd pay in Chile or the US. For an American it costs less to fly here, stay here for a week and pay for your operation in pesos than it does to get your nip and tuck in a private hospital in the States. And people do it all the time. Browse through the in-flight magazines on flights arriving into Argentina and they're full of ads telling you to " Take home the you you've always wanted."

Newspapers and magazines are full of ads for plastic surgery, complete with prices. I have no idea how much a facelift costs in Canada, but here how much these procedures cost here is common knowledge.

They say that the quality of the plastic surgery here is quite good, as well. Though you'd be forgiven for thinking differently after watching a bit of Argentine TV. The Argentine version of "Dancing with the Stars" is full of has-been actors that would probably look fine without the peroxide dye jobs and the silicon boobs as big as their heads.

(But then again, it's not like the American version of "Dancing with the Stars" is an example of natural beauty either...)