Cosmetic Surgery Blog

The question for today is, ‘would I have my cosmetic surgery abroad?’ Well, yes and no. I might depending upon the procedure and the surgeon, but I’m iffy on the subject. Now, there are some top-notch surgeons in France, Italy, and Brazil. I know a few people who have traveled to have ‘speciality’ work done (mostly facial revisions), however, I also know a lot of foreigners who travel HERE for their procedures.  But, would I go to one of those gimmicky surgery-is-cheaper vacations. No indeed not.

Having plastic surgery abroad in general isn’t the most comforting thought to me. My chief concerns are getting there and back, regulation, liability, the lack of numerous patients to meet with beforehand, having to travel for possible revisions, and legal recourse if necessary. Quite frankly it scares me. And truthfully, it boggles my mind considering the amount of skilled surgeons we have at home. Don’t get me wrong; I am not saying there aren’t skilled surgeons in other countries. I just feel going out of the country for plastic surgery based simply on expense is dangerous.

Sure, there are plastic surgery disasters right here in the States every day. There are lesser surgeons operating day in and day out and charging top dollar on top of that fact. But you can do your research here at home, with the help of patient and medical record access, extensive pre-operative meetings and repeat consultations. But in Medical tourism, your options are strictly controlled by the party with vested interest. In my opinion, it gives you less freedom over your destiny as a patient.

Abroad you usually have less of an understanding regarding the regulating agencies, the standards they must be held to, the accuracy of the disciplinary records, etc. If you have access to the information you need to alleviate these concerns, then I can understand the draw of a cheaper procedure in a relaxing vacation atmosphere. But this isn’t a Scuba trip to Fiji, this is a surgical procedure where things already are known to go wrong. Why increase your risk with the unknowns?

Do you really believe the skill of a foreign plastic surgeon is so great that you are willing to take the chance and travel? Besides, the packages I have seen where complete makeovers (which are risky in general) are less expensive than a single face lift in the States, are downright dangerous. Full liposuction, a tummy tuck, breast implants and a face lift all crammed into a 12-15 hour endurance surgery is dumb, if you ask me. What are you thinking having when scheduling a Gastric Bypass and a face lift in one go?  A. You will lose weight and will need another face lift. This is serious surgery! 

Remember, I am not saying the surgical talent of a plastic surgeon abroad is inferior to one in the states. Not at all! I am just saying traveling for the sake of a cheaper cosmetic plastic surgery is getting greedy and opening yourself up to risks you would not otherwise take.  If you’re going to choose to do so anyway, please be safe.  All that glitters is not gold.