Medical Tourism: The Risks of Travelling Overseas for Plastic Surgery

In recent years, many people have travelled overseas for various medical, cosmetic and dental procedures with high hopes of saving their hard-earned dollars. It’s an industry driven by attractive prices, great advertising — and in some cases,  an attractive holiday is thrown in as a bonus. However, while some overseas doctors and hospital facilities have garnered a good reputation (and delivered successful outcomes), it’s hard to tell good from bad.

If you’re thinking of having plastic surgery or cosmetic surgery soon, here’s what to look out for—and why you may want to change your mind and stay safely on home ground.

 

“What have you got to lose, other than your life?”

 

What is Medical Tourism?

Medical Tourism is when you go overseas for a cosmetic or medical procedure. It’s understandably an attractive option, as prices seem (initially) much cheaper. Common treatments include dental implants, cosmetic dentistry, cosmetic medical injections, facelifts, Tummy Tucks, Breast Surgery and Liposuction.

Problems With Cosmetic Tourism

There are many high-quality surgeons providing high-quality surgery overseas. Furthermore, many patients who travel overseas do achieve excellent results.

However, significant problems can and do occur, and many similar stories have been heard from patients returning from overseas surgery. Typical comments include:

• I only met the surgeon briefly before the surgery.
• The surgeon I thought would do it was not the one I saw.
• The surgeon didn’t speak English, and I had trouble understanding what they were saying.
• I didn’t really understand the consent process.
• What they said they would do and what they did was very different.
• What I went there for and what they did was very different.
• I got complications, and it was a nightmare.
• I’ve spoken to them about my results, and they said I have to come back for them to have another look.
• It was a lot cheaper, and now I know why.

While the best of surgeons can experience complications, when it occurs overseas, the treatment options are limited, and the potential for disastrous outcomes does escalate.

Consider All Costs

When it comes to overseas plastic surgery, the price of your procedure is not the only expense you need to consider. You’ll have to include the costs of airfares, taxis and accommodation.

You may also find yourself being confused or misinformed about pricing.  What you thought would be covered and what actually is can be two very different things, leaving you out of pocket. For example, perhaps your surgeon’s fees are covered, but your hospital and accommodation for the time in hospital are not.

Then, there’s the issue if something goes wrong.  If you had your procedure in Australia, it’s inconvenient, but easy enough to return to the doctor or surgery for further surgical procedures. Suppose your procedure was performed overseas, though. In that case, you’ll be burdened with the considerable expense (and time off work/home duties) of staying overseas or returning to the overseas facility for necessary corrections.

From the Australian Society of Plastic Surgeons: “ASPS strongly recommends patients (consider) the risk of potential complications, unsatisfactory results, and risks to general health that may occur if they travel overseas for cosmetic surgery.  What would you do if you developed an infection or bleeding problem after surgery and had to stay in the facility for a longer period?  If you became very unwell, you may even require transfer to another, more intensive hospital in that country at your own cost.  How would you manage that scenario?  How would you travel home under these circumstances? Would you have someone you trust to support you?  Do you have a readily available financial buffer if you need to stay longer? Would you feel safe?”

You’d also need to carefully check your travel insurance, as they may not cover you for more surgical care or a medical evacuation.

Quality and Regulation

Medical standards and regulations vary from country to country. Just because you see pictures of pristine-looking clinics or clean-cut surgeons doesn’t mean that either is of a high standard. Australia has exceptionally high quality and regulatory standards. Other countries may not.

Surgeon Qualifications

Not all surgeons are made equal, and not all international surgical qualifications are equal. You have no way of knowing if a surgeon who is labelled a plastic surgeon is indeed a qualified plastic surgeon. Further, the training and skillset of overseas trained plastic surgeons in places where the fees are extremely cheap are likely to be of a far lower standard than those from Australia. Given that the difference in skill sets amongst Australian-trained plastic surgeons is often significant, it follows that the difference between the average Australian plastic surgeon and the average overseas-trained surgeon is far greater.

Surgical Facilities

The surgical facilities utilised by these cosmetic tourism places are unknown and likely not up to the standards of Australian hospital facilities. Australian hospitals must be regularly accredited for safety and hygiene. The government strictly mandates safety guidelines regarding cosmetic surgery in Australia. This includes nursing ratios, staff accreditation, after-care and discharge plans. Even many plastic surgeons in the USA will perform surgery in their private clinics, a process designed to avoid the costs of operating in a large, accredited private hospital. This is not something that Australian Plastic Surgeons practice.

After-Care Factors

Your post-operative care is critical to your recovery. You must have a clear after-care plan that includes essential phone numbers for support and advice and a list of follow-up appointments.

Insurance And Legal Issues

Have your plastic surgery procedure in Australia, and you can rest assured you’ll be legally protected should something go wrong. Have your procedure overseas, and there’s no grounds for protection. So ask yourself, what would you do, legally, if the worst does happen?

Emotional And Psychological Issues

We can easily forget what it’s like to be in another country where English is not your first language. Imagine waking after surgery in a strange room with medical staff not speaking your language. How will you ask for help? How will you understand what the doctors and nurses are saying? And will you have the support of your loved ones around you? All these factors can add significant emotional stress at a time when you need comfort and care.

Antibiotic Resistance Or Antimicrobial Resistance

According to Smart Traveller, anyone considering surgery abroad should check to see if there have been reports of antibiotic-resistant bacteria in the hospital. These infections may not be treatable. (Antibiotic/antimicrobial resistance occurs when viruses, bacteria, fungi and parasites no longer respond to antimicrobial medicines.)

Any medical procedure can result in complications. However, surgery has an increased risk of sepsis and wound infections. Take yourself overseas to a tropical country, and you increase the risk of infection. Why so? The bacteria and viruses in the environment will differ from those in the Australian hospital environment. As you may not have been exposed to these bacteria during your lifetime, your body may not have had the chance to develop an immunity to them. This puts you at an immediate disadvantage compared to someone who has lived their life in this country. What would happen if you faced an infection that your body and medications can’t fight?

Be Aware Of ‘Surgery Ghosting’

Surgery ghosting is an unethical and illegal practice where a different surgeon carries out your procedure than you’re expecting. This can happen because the doctor is unwell, overbooked or wishes to use a cheaper practitioner to perform the procedure. If this happens to you whilst overseas, what is your recourse? You won’t have legal protection — all you’ll have is the results of your surgery. And if they are inferior, not much can be done. Worse still, if you suffer an infection or require more surgery to repair complications, your overseas surgery will suddenly become a lot more expensive, with potentially lasting consequences to your mental and physical health.

Air Travel Increases The Risk Of Blood Clots

Air travel after surgery carries risks. A long flight puts you at risk of developing deep vein thrombosis (blood clots in the legs) and pulmonary embolism (blood clots that travel to the lungs). If you plan to have surgery such as a Tummy Tuck or a large volume of Liposuction, this further increases your risk of clots. Combine air travel with surgery, and you can significantly increase your risk of clots. Although deep vein thrombosis can be treated if addressed in time, a pulmonary embolism can be a medical emergency with the risk of fatality.

Cheap Surgery Comes at a Big Cost

Quality Plastic Surgery in Australia is not cheap. If you want to give yourself the best chance of a high quality result, you’ll need to cover the cost of a highly skilled surgeon. Yes, cheaper alternatives do exist in Australia:

• Some plastic surgeons offer cheap surgery because they have just ‘qualified’ and are at the very steep end of their learning curve.
• Some plastic surgeons have a practice where they are a ‘jack of all trades’ and provide some cosmetic plastic surgery but at a far lower standard than those with a far more focused practice.
• There are non-plastic surgeon doctors who ‘dabble’ in cosmetic surgery procedures.

 Ultimately, unfortunately, the old saying is true – you get what you pay for. So, how much is your body and health worth to you?

References

Australian College of Plastic Surgeons- Cosmetic Tourism

https://plasticsurgery.org.au/protecting-patient-safety/cosmetic-tourism-is-a-price-driven-practice/

Smart Traveller – Going overseas for a medical procedure (medical tourism)

https://www.smartraveller.gov.au/before-you-go/health/medical-tourism#before-you-go