Patients choosing to have cosmetic surgery abroad are risking their health unnecessarily.
This is the stark warning from one plastic surgeon in Australia, who is concerned that having surgery abroad can often mean a serious lack of post-operative care for patients.
Americans who choose to go abroad for cosmetic surgery such as liposuction can save up to $6,500 (£4,150).
This is according to a recent report by Reuters, published to illustrate the rise in medical tourism. The report looks at the potential savings to be made from travelling abroad for surgery, but also at concerns that the World Health Organisation (WHO) has about this trend.
Recent research has suggested that increasing numbers of American patients are seeking cheaper cosmetic surgery in Asia, due to the high cost of healthcare in their home country.
The findings, published in the Los Angeles Times, show that in some cases American-trained surgeons working in Asian countries are offering cosmetic surgery at prices of up to a third less than those of the same procedure in America.
According to the LA Times, Thailand attracted more than 140,000 patients from overseas in 2009, with a large percentage of those coming from America. These medical tourists are advised to be aware both of the risks of undergoing surgery in unlicensed clinics, but also of the potential complications once they have returned home.
Paul Keckley, Executive Director of The Deloitte Center for Health Solutions, the company that carried out the research, said Americans go for: “short-stay surgical procedures where people don’t perceive much risk.”
Patients interested in cosmetic surgery procedures are being strongly advised against seeking cheap fixes abroad, due to the risks involved in choosing unqualified and unethical surgeons.
Kent News reports that a cosmetic surgeon in the region, Brent Tanner, has observed a growing “wave of people going to foreign countries” for cheap plastic surgery. According to Mr Wells, as many as 10 per cent of patients report complications arising from these procedures, which require repairs from qualified surgeons back home. (more…)
An exhibition to showcase treatments offered abroad taking place in London this weekend has prompted warnings from the British Association of Aesthetic Plastic Surgery (BAAPS).
Daily Mail reported that 120 clinics from around the world will take part in the event that seeks to promote medical treatments from cosmetic surgery to kidney transplants or dentistry in other countries. For example, the showcase will include a centre in Barcelona that offers heart surgery for £4,500 and a clinic in Malta that offers rhinoplasty (nose jobs) for under £3,000 with flights and accommodation included. (more…)
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