MALAYSIA - MORE Singaporean artistes are crossing the border to seek cheaper plastic surgery in Johor Baru.

With the rapid development of Iskandar Malaysia, more clinics offering plastic surgery services have been set up in Johor Baru over the past few years.

The city has since become another plastic surgery haven in Malaysia after Penang.

Due to the good reputation of the doctors and the lower exchange rate, more Singaporeans have chosen to do the surgery in Johor Baru instead of other countries.

Plastic surgery fees in Johor Baru are said to be three times cheaper than in the republic. The charge for breast enlargement is about RM10,000 ($4,106) plus in Johor Baru compared to some RM40,000 (S$16,424) in Singapore.

Plastic surgery has become quite common with more teenagers resorting to these artificial techniques to make them look more beautiful. Some of them are even accompanied by their mothers.

A doctor told China Press that a 15-year-old girl had turned to him for breast enhancement but was rejected due to her age.

Besides those who want to be prettier, agencies providing foreign brides are also regular customers of these clinics.

The agents will bring their "women" for artificial hymen surgery before they get married to the locals.

Those intending to seek the services in Johor Baru are also warned of the "Hotel and Plastic Surgery" packages offered by unscrupulous parties.

In these packages, the surgeries will be performed at five-star hotels in the city for the convenience of the customers.

However, those who perform the surgeries are not professional doctors but only foreign nurses or medical assistants who are on tourist passes.

Furthermore, the hotel rooms are not as hygienic as a germ-free operation theatre in a hospital.