Introduction: The past few years have seen a global explosion of aesthetic surgery development.While aesthetic surgery has historically been associated with more developed countries in the global North and emerging markets of Asia, the World Health Organization (WHO) Africa region is reporting an increase in aesthetic surgery uptake, with various institutions offering aesthetic procedures.
Objective: The primary objective of this study was to assess the practice of aesthetic surgery in Kenya.
Methodology: A qualitative cross-sectional study was conducted on a subset of 105 patients from a pool of 500 who underwent aesthetic surgery between January 2021 and December 2022. Participants were selected through non-probability purposive sampling, and data was collected from previous records. Questionnaires were fully completed without errors, and demographic details, procedure types, and costs were retrieved. Data was coded and analyzed using SPSS version 22 in line with the study objectives.
Results: A total of 105 participants were included, with most being female (87.6%) and Black/African (98.1%), residing in urban Kenya (95.2%). The highest age group was 35–44 years (44.8%). The most common procedures performed were abdominoplasty (28.6%), followed by liposuction (21.9%), mastopexy (10.5%), breast augmentation (9.5%), and Brazilian Butt Lift (8.6%). The most commonly performed procedures had a mean cost as follows; abdominoplasty 662,500 Ksh, liposuction 360 at 516,363 Ksh, and mastopexy at 313,793 Ksh.
Conclusion: The scope of practice of aesthetic surgery in Kenya was comparable to other African countries and the rest of the world. The cost of surgery in Kenya was relativelycheaper when compared to the USA and was at par with Asian and other African counterparts.