Nip & Tuck

How is demand for aesthetic treatment evolving in Peru?

Our client profile is evolving along with demand. Two decades ago the client profile was 95% women and 5% men, while today it is 40% men and 60% women. In terms of age, 40% of our clients are between 18 and 36 years old and 60% are in the 36-70 year old range. Image is a fundamental component of contemporary society: many of our clients are executives seeking special aesthetic treatments. Approximately 55% of the Clinica Morillas’ clients are from the highest socioeconomic strata. This clinic is highly ranked in the city, so our client profile is high.

How do you shape your competitive advantages and how are your clinics positioned within the industry?

About 41% of our clientele is international; 70% of our international customers are from the US while the remaining 30% are from Europe. This is good for us, because these clients are different from our Peruvian clients; one difference is that they do not discuss the price. International clients accept the price because they only want security, which is a great difference from the Peruvian clients, most of whom tend to haggle and are not concerned about the security of the procedure. Safety is a priority for us, and we invest a great deal in equipment and technology and send our doctors abroad for courses and training on security and techniques. All our physicians are trained within the clinic, and we have certain agreements with different universities and they send us the best student physicians. If a physician wants to study to be a plastic surgeon, the first of their tests are conducted here in this clinic, and all the physicians working here spend their first three years with us. We assure two things when it comes to the safety of our customers: techniques, which are standard for all of our physicians, and our protocols. The clinic specializes in abdominoplasty, prostheses like mammoplasty, and gluteoplasty, liposuction, facial rejuvenation, among others. In Peru rhinoplasty is the most common procedure because of our morphological structure.

How do you compete with other Latin American countries to make Peru an appealing destination among the international community?

We understand that people from abroad seek security and safety standards, so that is our goal and what we give them. The second point is our price, which is high; however, the value that accompanies it is justified and that is how we remain competitive in the industry.

On average, how long does a patient stay in the clinic?

The procedures themselves are quick, and patients are here for no more than two days. Some patients come from abroad, so we pick them up at the airport and bring them here. Sometimes they stay for 10 days, the first two being for medical reasons, and the remaining eight days are because they want to stay here as our facility is more comfortable than a hotel. This clinic has a spa atmosphere and is done up in the style of a colonial house. Dr. Morillas, for example, always says the best equation is a great doctor and a great clinic. If clients go to a building with offices inside and find plastic surgery facilities, then that is not ideal.

In addition to the expansion of the clinic, what other highlights will characterize the activity of Clinica Morillas in 2016?

We will initiate a USD70 million investment in the next six months that will be completed by 2018. This investment will be made to our current 5,000sqm location. We are currently working on the legal issues related to the expansion. Our aim is to continue growing; in the last four years the industry grew 13% while we grew 18%. We have surpassed the average. There is a great deal of competition in the market, which is also positive, because we want competition. Our first goal is to maintain this 18% growth at the minimum.