For someone about to undergo a major operation, 23-year-old Parwin looks remarkably relaxed. Dressed in a yellow surgical gown with her hair tucked under a green cap, she sits in the waiting room of Afghanistan's first private cosmetic-surgery clinic, chatting happily about her decision to have a nose job.
'In Afghanistan, being beautiful means having big eyes and the right-size nose. My nose, it is nothing,' she says. 'I have been waiting so long for this.'
Cosmetic surgery is in its infancy in Afghanistan but is catching on thanks to its popularity in neighbouring Pakistan and Iran (by 2005, Tehran had become known as the 'nose job capital of the world'). The emergence of a middle class with disposable income is also driving the trend and the social stigma is diminishing because many Afghan celebrities - politicians, actors and sports stars - are known to have had work done. Two of Afghanistan's most famous cricketers, Taj Malik, the first coach of the national team, and fast-bowler Hamid Hassan, had hair implants after fans offered to cover the cost.
Aminullah Hamkar anticipated the trend. During the decade-long Soviet occupation of the country that began in 1979, Afghans were encouraged to undertake professional exchanges in the Soviet Union. Hamkar was invited to Tajikistan to learn cosmetic surgery and ended up staying for 18 years. In 2002, he invited a colleague, Daud Nazari, to join him in running a private clinic in Kabul. The decision is paying off. The two are struggling to meet the soaring demand for procedures.
On any given afternoon there is a steady stream of patients at the surgery, in the Demazang area of Kabul, which was on the frontline during the civil war. Many of the surrounding buildings still bear the scars from rockets and bullets, but most of the bandages seen in these parts today are covering the noses of burqa-clad women who have flipped back their veils to reveal their post-operation faces.
By far the most sought-after procedure at the Hamkar Surgical Clinic is that which reduces the scars from leishmaniasis (a parasitic disease spread by sand-flies) and burn wounds. Due to a lack of electricity, many Afghan families use gas and oil, and accidents are common.
Increasingly, however, patients are asking for nose jobs, tummy tucks and eyelid lifts.