Brothers sponsor beauty treatments for sisters this Rakhi

New Delhi: It might be too expensive a gift, but some brothers don`t seem to mind shelling out the big bucks for beauty conscious sisters this Rakhi. For some it is a lazer procedure to remove scars and acne, for some simply a peel treatment to make the skin glow.

Cosmetic surgeons say they had a rare stream of visitors this month -- women who came in for beauty enhancing treatments sponsored by brothers as a Raksha Bandhan gift. Preeti, 23, of Mumbai, met with an accident while learning to ride a two-wheeler five months ago. As her vehicle hit a divider, she fell to the ground sustaining injuries on her face. Ever since, scars on the face have been depressing for her, and doctors said a laser therapy could help. "She was quite pretty before that accident, and was very particular about her face. These scars on her face were troubling me equally and I thought it was my duty to make her happy again," says Yuvi, Preeti`s 22-year-old brother, who last week sponsored the scar removal treatment. Prominent cosmetologist Dr Rashmi Shetty says she received four or five such requests this month. "Women seeking treatments to restore or enhance beauty have usually come asking for Q-Switch laser treatments for removing acne scars and hyperpigmentation, or simply Botox shots to look younger. "But, this year, some of my patients told me that their brothers were sponsoring their treatments as a Rakhi gift," Shetty told reporters. Mumbai-based cosmetologist Dr Srilata Trashi who treated Preeti for the scars said she has been witnessed the trend for three years now. "While over the last two years I received two such cases, this year three women came to me for treatments gifted by their brothers," Trashi said. While one of them was Preeti, she said, the other was an older sister who was brought in by her younger brother for the age-defying Botox treatment. Arun Kumar, a senior executive in a communication consultancy in Delhi, is gifting a Juvederm Voluma dermal filler procedure to his 35-year-old sister Surabhi to help her regain the lost volume of her cheeks. "My sister has always been very beauty conscious. As she aged, she started loosing volume from her cheeks and wrinkles creeped in her face. She was quite upset with that," says Arun. "I really wanted to make her happy again and nothing could make her happier than giving back her youthful looks," he said. The doctors said a rise in awareness about cosmetic procedures is an important development over the years and given the availability of a range of options and costs, even the middle class people have shown inclination to cosmetic treatments. PTI