- Title: SOUTH AFRICA: HOLYDAY MAKERS CAN COMBINE SAFARI EXPEDITIONS WITH COSMETIC SURGERY
- Date: 20th April 2002
- Summary: JOHANNESBURG AND CAPETOWN, SOUTH AFRICA (RECENT) (REUTERS - ACCESS ALL) 1. AERIAL HELICOPTER CARRYING TUULA WESTLAKE TO SEE WILDLIFE 0.04 2. TUULA LOOKING OUT TAKING PHOTOS (3 SHOTS) 0.13 3. AERIAL HELICOPTER 0.16 4. ANIMALS ON GROUND 0.19 5. SV LION IN BUSHES 0.22 6. (SOUNDBITE) (English) TUULA WESTLAKE, SAYING "Today was one of the most incredible days of my whole entire life. It was just incredible. You would never believe it-unless you were here for yourself." 0.30 7. TUULA IN JEEP DRIVING THROUGH SAFARI PARK 0.36 8. TUULA SITTING DOWN TO EAT 0.38 9. VARIOUS OF PLASTIC SURGERY OPERATION TUULA UNDERWENT BEFORE GOING ON SAFARI (4 SHOTS) 0.50 10. (SOUNDBITE) (English) RICK VAN DER POEL, pLASTIC AND RECONSTRUCTIVE SURGEON, SAYING "A lot of women have had children so they have a lot of loose skin on their tummy, they want to tighten up the tummy. Or they want to have a breast enlargement because they have very small breasts and then obviously you have got the older women who want to have a facelift. It's really staying young and looking good." 1.04 11. TUULA IN HOSPITAL BED RECEIVING VISIT FROM LORRAINE MELVILLE FROM 'SURGEON AND SAFARI' (3 SHOTS) 1.21 12. (SOUNDBITE) (English) LORRAINE MELVILLE, SURGEON AND SAFARI, SAYING "The whole idea of combining the surgery and safari was you can tell your friends back home that you are going to Africa on a safari - come here and we will pamper you and in the lap of luxury and you go back looking absolutely rejuvenate. And all your friends will say "But gosh! Africa looks good on you!" 1.37 13. VARIOUS OF ONGOING PLASTIC SURGERY OPERATION 1.45 14. DOCTOR VISITING TUULA 1.51 15. (SOUNDBITE) (English) TUULA WESTLAKE, SAYING "I could not believe the value for the service that I was getting. Also what I did was when I was in New York I went to quite a few consultations with the plastic surgeons there-both Manhattan and Long Island. And comparing their service. And what I was most impressed about was like after the surgery here I am in hospital for two days. And in New York actually what ends up happening is that they send you home right away and I wasn't very happy with that." 2.09 16. TUULA IN WHEELCHAIR IN HOSPITAL CORRIDOR 2.12 17. LORRAINE MELVILLE GETTING INTO CAR WITH TUULA AFTER OPERATION 2.20 18. JAMES RUSSELL, PATIENT FROM NETHERLANDS BEING PREPARED FOR HIS OPERATION (3 SHOTS) 2.31 19. RUSSELL BEING TAKEN INTO OPERATING THEATRE 2.35 20. (SOUNDBITE) (English) JAMES RUSSELL, SAYING "If I am going to be truthful it's a question of vanity. And yes I am gay and the society in which I socially move places great emphasis and therefore quite a lot of stress on the individual to bathe in the fountain of youth." 2.56 20. TUULA HAVING TEA WITH LORRAINE 3.01 21. GV SAFARI PARK 3.04 22. ZEBRAS 3.08 23. TUULA DRIVING THROUGH PARK 3.12 24. CAR DRIVING THROUGH PARK IN SUNLIGHT 3.16 Initials Script is copyright Reuters Limited. All rights reserved
- Embargoed: 5th May 2002 13:00
- Keywords:
- Location: JOHANNESBURG AND CAPETOWN, SOUTH AFRICA
- City:
- Country: South Africa
- Topics:
- Reuters ID: LVA3DWY25YX0W4TZXMMHCNOUU39U
- Aspect Ratio:
- Story Text: For most people, plastic surgery operations mean
time away in hospital and parting with quite a bit of money.
Not many think of combining such an operation with a holiday
and yet that's exactly what a South African company has come
up with. Under their marketing strategy, patients fly to
South Africa for their operation and later enjoy a holiday
in one of the country's Safari Parks. The concept is called
Surgeon and Safari.
Tuula Westlake is having a great time far away
from her home in New York City.
First a helicopter ride above South Africa's Entabeni
Game Reserve, then the chance to view the wildlife up close.
She says "Today was one of the most incredible days of
my whole entire life. It was just incredible. You would never
believe it-unless you were here for yourself."
But game drives and helicopter rides are only the second
half of Tuula's schedule. Several days ago, Tuula went under
the knife.
At a private clinic in Johannesburg plastic surgeons
spent over five hours reshaping her body.
Plastic and Reconstructive surgeon Rick van der Poel
says " A lot of women have had children so they have a lot
of loose skin on their tummy, they want to tighten up the
tummy. Or they want to have a breast enlargement because
they have very small breasts and then obviously you have got
the older women who want to have a facelift. It's really
staying young and looking good."
It's the marketing strategy of a South African company
called Surgeon and Safari. Their customers sign up for a
Scalpel Safari package. As an incentive a short vacation
follows the required cosmetic surgery.
Lorraine Melville from Surgeon and Safari says "The
whole idea of combining the surgery and safari was you can
tell your friends back home that you are going to Africa on
a safari - come here and we will pamper you and in the lap
of luxury and you go back looking absolutely rejuvenate. And
all your friends will say "But gosh! Africa looks good on
you!"
It's not just the promise of good looks you save a lot
of money by exchanging dollars for South African rands.
Tuula's bill ended up costing sixty percent less than it
would have in New York.
"I could not believe the value for the service that I
was getting. Also what I did was when I was in New York I
went to quite a few consultations with the plastic surgeons
there-both Manhattan and Long Island. And comparing their
service. And what I was most impressed about was like after
the surgery here I am in hospital for two days. And in New
York actually what ends up happening is that they send you
home right away and I wasn't very happy with that", she says.
Women aren't the only ones taking advantage of South
Africa's favourable conditions. James Russell is here from the
Netherlands having what he thinks is a much-needed face-lift.
"If I am going to be truthful it's a question of vanity.
And yes I am gay and the society in which I socially move
places great emphasis and therefore quite a lot of stress on
the individual to bathe in the fountain of youth", he says.
When most people decide to undergo plastic surgery, this
is probably not how they plan on getting it done. But this
combination of nature's beauty, and the skill of probably
the best plastic surgeons in Africa, is hard to resist.
ENDS
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