“In February, get your nose done with a special discount,” ran the ad placed by plastic surgeon Dr. Elie Gharios on his website. With a price of only $700 instead of the regular $900, Gharios had expected a 50% business increase. “Unfortunately,” he said, “business was very slow following the death of [Rafik] Hariri.” Educated in France, Canada and the United States, Gharios runs three plastic and aesthetic surgery clinics in and around Beirut. He does on average 20 nose jobs, or rhinoplasties as it is officially called, a month. “Some 80% of the Lebanese have a small bump on their noses,” he said. “That is just genetically determined as such, but most people wish a straighter, more European nose.” These days, having your nose done is no big deal in Lebanon, where women wear their after-surgery plaster with pride. Yet, plastic surgery is not just for women. An estimated
