Considering Cosmetic and Plastic Surgery Abroad
Many people in the United States and certain other countries seek to have cosmetic surgery in countries other than their own. There are several reasons for obtaining cosmetic surgery abroad, but two of the biggest factors are cost and anonymity. While cosmetic surgery abroad may be a reasonable option, it is important to realize all of the risks and benefits of having an aesthetic surgical procedure in another country.
The offers certainly sound enticing: get your plastic surgery abroad for half the price of cosmetic surgery at home in a beautiful and exotic resort spa. Not only do you get your body reshaped or augmented on the cheap, but you also get to visit a foreign country. Depending on the length of the surgery recovery, you may return from your “vacation” looking as you did ten years ago with any bruising and swelling fully resolved. On the surface it is difficult to see a down side to the arrangement.
There are some possible negative consequences of having cosmetic surgery abroad, however. In some cases, you get exactly what you pay for and, in others; you get far more long term hassle, expense, and disability than was ever included in the brochure.
Certainly there are top plastic surgeons in almost every country. Likewise, many countries do have an extensive training and credentialing process for their cosmetic surgeons. In other countries, the laws and regulations governing cosmetic surgery are no more restrictive than those governing hair dressers in the US. Thus it is sometimes difficult to determine which foreign surgeon is qualified to perform your cosmetic procedure.
One way of determining a surgeon’s qualifications is by determining if they are registered with the International Society of Aesthetic Plastic Surgery. This body certifies the training and qualifications of hundreds of surgeons worldwide. While there may be qualified surgeons not on that list, placement among those ranks is quite reassuring to anyone planning a cosmetic surgery abroad.
What are some of the hidden dangers of plastic surgery abroad? For one, the laws governing malpractice in the United States do not apply to foreign jurisdictions. Thus a botched surgery abroad leaves no mechanism to recoup any losses. Also, cosmetic surgery abroad is planned for a certain period of time; if any complications arise they may require the trip to be extended for prolonged treatment in a foreign hospital. Further, if serious complications do arise, many domestic plastic surgeons will refuse to revise the work of other surgeons. It is not that they are unfeeling or callous, but as soon as they operate on someone that has serious complications from a previous cosmetic procedure, all complications and outcomes become the domestic surgeon’s clinical and professional responsibility. Malpractice insurance carriers may forbid it. That means that in order to revise any unexpected or cosmetically unappealing outcomes, the patient must return to the original foreign surgeon that performed to plastic surgery.
Keep in mind, too, that recovery from surgery is not a vacation—it is sometimes painful and comes with a host of restrictions. Many cosmetic surgeons require that patients avoid physical exertion, alcohol, and long periods of sun exposure in the days to weeks following an aesthetic procedure. That means that the vacation destination of your cosmetic surgery abroad might very well be experienced while wrapped in bandages behind a pane of glass.
For many, cosmetic surgery abroad is a viable alternative to plastic surgery at home; however, the best results are contingent upon finding a surgeon that is trained and experienced in the surgical procedure.
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