US EditionBotox under burqas: Cosmetic surgery in vogue in Afghanistan
Despite poverty and restrictions, about 20 clinics in Kabul attract mostly women and some Taliban clients for affordable cosmetic surgeries like Botox and hair transplants.
- Cosmetic surgery clinics flourish in Kabul as of September 18, 2025, attracting mainly women despite strict Taliban rule and social restrictions.
- The rise follows decades of war, conservative Taliban policies banning hair salons and restricting women's movements, while classifying surgery as medicine.
- Clinics are upscale, equipped with imported devices, staffed by segregated gender teams, and treated clients including women covered head to toe and some men with thinning hair.
- A Negin Asia co-director said many patients seek surgery due to Instagram trends, adding some clients borrow money for treatment before weddings despite widespread poverty.
- This trend suggests Afghan cosmetic clinics thrive amid hardship, reflecting a paradox where personal beauty investment persists despite severe social and economic constraints.
43 Articles
43 Articles
Botox under burqas: Cosmetic surgery thrives under Taliban rule in Afghanistan despite salon ban
KABUL, Sept 18 — Decked out with fake crystal chandeliers and velvet sofas, cosmetic surgery clinics in Afghanistan’s capital are a world away from the austerity of Taliban rule, where Botox, lip filler, and hair transplants reign.Despite the Taliban authorities’ strict theocratic rule and prevailing conservatism and poverty in Afghanistan, the 20 or so clinics in Kabul have flourished since the end of decades of war in the country.Foreign docto…
Kabul, Afghanistan. In the Afghan capital, in a universe parallel to the austerity of the Taliban regime, cosmetic surgery clinics are operating decorated with fake glass chandeliers and velvet sofas, where botox, lip fillings and hair transplants reign.This is about 20 clinics that have thrived in Kabul since the end of the war almost a five-year period ago, despite the strict theocratic rules of the Taliban authorities and the conservatism and…
Rare in war-ridden Afghanistan, aesthetic clinics have hatched since the Taliban returned to power.
In Kabul, a city where many restrictions apply, and women are even forbidden from going to the hairdresser, there is a paradox that cosmetic surgery has become an imperative, so the beauty clinic business is booming.
In Afghanistan, under the Taliban regime, cosmetic surgery clinics are full. Women come to do botox injections or lifts. Men are also rushing for capillary transplants. - In Kabul, cosmetic surgery is in fashion (International).
Botox And Beards In Afghanistan: Cosmetic Surgery Flourishes Under Taliban Rule
Decked out with fake crystal chandeliers and velvet sofas, cosmetic surgery clinics in Afghanistan's capital are a world away from the austerity of Taliban rule, where Botox, lip filler, and hair transplants reign.
Coverage Details
Bias Distribution
- 46% of the sources lean Right
Factuality
To view factuality data please Upgrade to Premium
