“Certainly, the cost of treatment offered here is the biggest attraction for NRIs like us. And the fact that Indian expertise now is at par with the best in the world, it makes all the sense to come here and save money. I have explored the services available in the UK and found that India offers the same treatment at very cheap rates,” reasons Shukla, a pharmacist who visits India twice a year.

And the Shuklas aren’t alone who have chosen Chandigarh for cosmetic and dermatological treatments. The numbers of NRIs coming here for facelift, botox, hirsuitism (facial hair) and treatment for pigmentation is increasing by the day.

Claiming to have treated nearly 500 NRIs in 2007 alone at his hospital, Dr Vikas Sharma of the National Skin Hospital says the treatments ranging from anti-wrinkle facelifts, botox, hirsuitism and other expensive laser treatments are quite a rage with the patients from overseas.

“There is a vast difference in the rates of the treatments offered in the West and that in India. In most cases, the same treatments offered in countries like the US or the UK cost 10 to 20 times more than what is being charged here,” says Dr Sharma.

He has a patient couple coming from the US after regular intervals for treatment of pigmentation. Dr Sharma says while a single sitting in anti-ageing treatment, involving blastoplasty, costs Rs 2,000 in India on an average, it is available for Rs 50,000 in the US or the UK.

Pigmentation removal procedures available here at Rs 1,500 per sitting cost around Rs 40,000 per sitting in the western countries.

The Fortis Hospital in Mohali, too, has many foreign patients lining up for the cost-effective skin and laser treatment. Dr Daljeet Kaur, head of the dermatology department, says the patients were being offered special packages to make their stay comfortable.

“Since laser and dermatology treatments are not covered in the insurance policies, these treatments get more expensive in the western countries. With all latest technologies now available in India, the difference in the cost is a major attraction for the foreigners,”

she says.

“We are getting a lot of queries for treatments like botox and facelifts. It makes a lot of economic sense for the patients to come here for botox treatment, which takes just half an hour and costs Rs 350 per unit. In the US, it costs at least $100 per unit,” says Dr Kaur. She adds that the packages offered by the hospital club the treatment cost and the stay in the city.