Cosmetic surgery is very popular in Lebanon with many girls looking to go under the knife. But not many can afford the cost of good cosmetic surgery and to keep up with the trends, they choose to go to surgeons who promise results for a lesser price. Many-a-times this leads to catastrophic results.

Coming to the rescue of people who would like to have cosmetic surgery but can’t afford it, is Lebanon’s First National Bank. The bank has rolled out a loan for cosmetic surgery, a concept that is unique in the Middle East.

An aggressive campaign featuring a flawless blonde model is displayed on over 1,000 hoardings across the country to publicize this loan. The cosmetic surgery loan was supposed to be launched last summer, but was pushed back to this year after the start of the war against the Hezbollah movement in Lebanon.

George Nasr is the head of the First National Bank’s marketing department. He is also the man behind the loan idea and he estimates that since 2000, the number of cosmetic surgery procedures has doubled.

The most common procedures are said to be carried out on the nose, lips and breasts, with about a third of all operations being performed on foreigners. It’s not just the women either - the number of men looking to cosmetic surgery is also on the increase.