( CNN ) -- Dr. Jason Diamond knows what it 's like to be sought after . The Beverly Hills plastic surgeon -- first made famous by reality show `` Dr. 90210 '' -- has operated on a range of A-list celebrities ( though he declines to name them ) . Yet even he was unprepared for the clamor that met him when he first visited Dubai in what was meant to be a one-time gig as a guest surgeon . `` For that week , I literally had people waiting until 2am for a consultation . The waiting room was filled 20 people-deep all day long , '' he recalls . That was in 2009 . Since , Diamond has returned to the city every two to three months as part of a partnership with the American British Surgical and Medical Centre . Over the years , he has enlisted the Who 's Who of Beverly Hills surgeons to join him at the practice . `` Every time I go , I do n't even sit down . I 'm running around from 7am until midnight . The demand is literally out the door , '' he says . In the last couple of years , Dubai has become a nip-and-tuck hub . Where once residents from throughout the GCC would venture to Beverly Hills , Brazil or Beirut for treatments , these days , they 're staying closer to home to have work done . `` In Lebanon , I 'd say it 's been about a 30-40 % drop [ in business ] , '' says Dr. Sami Saad , the national secretary for the International Society of Aesthetic Plastic Surgery ( ISAPS ) in Lebanon . `` A lot of surgeons are leaving . They 're moving to Dubai , Abu Dhabi , Qatar and Kuwait . These countries are safer and more attractive for plastic surgeons , '' he says . The Botox Brigade . Diamond notes that these days , `` there is no paucity of plastic surgeons '' in Dubai . According to the Emirates Plastic Surgery Society , their membership has jumped from 60 in 2006 to 150 this year . In fact , there are more cosmetic surgeons per citizen in the UAE than in either Brazil or the United States -- two nations lauded for their love of the scalpel . `` The market is very saturated , '' notes Dr. Luiz Toledo , a plastic surgeon who moved his practice to Dubai from Brazil in 2005 who is also on the scientific committee of the Emirates Plastic Surgery Society . `` Every day I get emails [ from surgeons ] saying , ' I heard Dubai is good for business . I want to come and visit , do some work , then come back home . ' Everybody thinks Dubai is this mecca full of rich people . They think they 'll come over and find gold on the streets . It 's not like that ; it 's hard work , '' he says . Despite the influx , experts say demand for plastic surgery is on the rise . According to the Dubai Health Authority ( DHA ) , in 2012 , medical tourists made up 8.7 % of total health sector revenue , with many seeking cosmetic procedures . `` The industry is growing very fast , '' notes Vasilica Baltateanu , founder of Dubai plastic surgery consultancy Vasilica Aesthetics . She says the city 's healthcare market is expected to grow 11.4 % over the next two years . A beauty smorgasbord . As Dubai is one of the most multicultural cities in the world ( 200 different nationalities call the emirate home ) , it 's no surprise that surgeons are noticing a broad demographic willing to go under the knife . `` Last year , I saw patients from 73 nationalities , which is a record , '' says Toledo . Though patients come from as far afield as Africa and Eastern Europe , the majority , he says , come from the GCC , with many making the trip from Saudi Arabia . Diamond also reports having operated on many Saudi woman , who traditionally wear a veil in their day-to-day lives . `` In America , you 're not exposed to too many people who cover their face , and you assume those who do do n't care about their appearance because they never show it off . But once you get to know the culture , you realize they 're not that different from us . Middle Eastern women love looking good just as much as American women do , '' he says . And it 's not just women investing in their looks . Surgeons in the area have reported seeing a growing number of men in their clinics , as well as teenagers ( Baltateanu estimates that 15 % of plastic surgery patients in the UAE are under 23 ) . She adds that in her experience , Arab patients are often more gung-ho than their Western counterparts . `` In Europe , America and Australia , people will try to adopt their lifestyle first . Liposuction , for instance , would be a last resort after you 've tried everything else . Here , it 's more , ' I 've gained some weight , I 'll get some lipo , ' and they 'll get the treatment four or five times , which is when it becomes dangerous , '' she warns . Part of her job , she says , is discouraging patients from over-indulging in treatments .
Dubai has dethroned Lebanon as plastic surgery capital of Middle East . There are nearly 3 times as many plastic surgeons in Dubai as there were in 2006 . 80 % of surgeries are performed on men .