How Safe Is Medical Tourism?

If you’ve ever considered planning your entire vacation around a plastic surgery enhancement, you’re not alone.

Medical tourism, or “med travel” as it’s referred to by supporters, is becoming one of the fastest growing trends in the field of cosmetic surgery.

Recipients flock to exotic locations like Columbia, Singapore, or Thailand to have medical procedures performed at a significantly lower cost than they would in their own country.

Rather than wait the years that it might take to have a hip or knee replaced, “medical tourists” can travel to a foreign country and have the procedure done as quickly as the day after they debark from the plane.

It almost sounds too good to be true. A lush, paradise environment with surgical procedures that cost 1/10^th of what you would pay in your own country? How could there be a catch?

Unfortunately there are quite a few and doctors are concerned that people may be putting themselves in harms way without knowing all the facts.

The Cost Benefit Of Medical Tourism

The first thing that you may notice about medical tourism is the difference in procedure rates. They are rather significant.

Here are just a few examples:

Procedure	US	Bolivia	India	Costa Rica
Rhinoplasty	$6,000	$1,200	$1,700	$1,500
Breast Aug.	$8,000	$2,500	$3,900	$2,900
Liposuction	$13,500	$2,700	$4,800	$3,200
Face Lift	$15,000	$2,600	$4,500	$2,900

Countries like South Africa, Thailand, Columbia, Hong Kong, and Brunei are advertising their comparative surgery prices as a marketing tool to bring more visitors in from abroad.

Questions You Definitely Need To Ask

A lot of times people are blinded by “great results” or the promise of a cheaper, better deal. When this happens, the drawbacks don’t always seem as evident.

The American Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS) recently came together to discuss the potential hazards of medical tourism; the things many people aren’t aware of.

Together they formulated some basic questions that you should answer before you start reaching for your carry-on bag and passport.

How Qualified Is My Doctor? How Safe/Sanitary Is The Facility?

Even in your own country these questions apply to every doctor you see. However, when traveling outside of your normal region it can be harder to verify. In some places, medical qualification standards are very different than they are in the U.S., and sometimes you might not be comfortable with the amount of training a foreign doctor is required to have.

There are many free services online you check for medical certification:

• ASPS Member Surgeon Abroad program
• Corresponding Members Service.

Doctors practicing outside the U.S. can be Board Certified by the American Board of Plastic Surgery or the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada.

What Happens If Something Goes Wrong After I Come Home?

One of the drawbacks to traveling abroad for surgery isn’t what happens during the procedure, but what happens after you come home. Many are not prepared for complications and because there is such a large distance between doctor and patient, a face-to-face checkup is completely ruled out.

• Research all potential complications before surgery.
• Make sure you are medically insured in your own country.
• Saving a bundle on one surgery does not mean you will be able to afford another to fix complications.

How Much Of A “Vacation” Will I Really Have?

It’s ironic that many people go on medical vacations to relax, even though cosmetic procedures require a rehabilitation period that is anything but.

Many surgeries, no matter how small, have a set list of do’s and don’ts. Strenuous activities have the potential to cause more harm than good during recovery. Most patients do not stay in the country long enough to completely heal.

Be sure to consider the following:

• How long will your return flight be?
• The more time spent on a plane at high altitude, the higher the risk for pulmonary embolism or blood clots.
• The potential for blood clotting can exist up to 4-6 weeks after surgery.

The Bottom Line For You

There are certainly many reasons why a medical vacation would be appealing. There are also many reasons why it may not.

As with any procedure you are considering having done, it is important to be knowledgeable of all aspects and options; even the ones that seem mundane.