Plastic Surgery Tourism: A Booming Industry

Majority of people love to travel. Some do it for business, some for education while others for plain leisure. A growing percent of people, however, view travelling as an opportunity to reshape their physical appearance, in other words; look more beautiful and sexy. This brings us to the topic of a rising trend referred to as ‘plastic surgery tourism’.

Just like any other trend, plastic surgery tourism has appeared for a reason. Several healthcare systems around the world are placing a lot of restrictions on the aesthetics industries. Clinics, for instance, are facing significant challenges under the shifting priorities of healthcare and the tightening eligibility criteria that many patients must to go through. This made several cosmetic procedures, in many countries, prohibitively expensive and only available to wealthy individuals.

Luckily, those healthcare restrictions aren’t the same in all countries. Thailand, Korea and Singapore, for instance, are considered hubs for plastic surgeries where individuals can receive all kind of cosmetic procedures from facelift to body contouring to breast implants for a reasonable price. The yet more incentive part that fuel plastic surgery tourism is not only the affordable price of these procedures but also the additional services provided such as transport and accommodation.  

With the current disruption in the aviation industry and the booming of low cost airlines, the opportunities of combining both a surgery and luxurious vacation can be hard to resist, even harder when the cosmetic procedures are relatively cheap. Medical experts have estimated that people going for plastic surgeries overseas might be paying 50 percent to 90 percent less than what they are paying locally.

For a long time, Asia is and has been a popular destination for the people seeking cosmetic procedures, But in recent years, this trend has expanded further to various parts of the world including Europe and South America. In Poland, Individuals can receive a contouring surgery for $20,000 only. But the offer doesn’t end there as patients are given a tour around the country to enjoy its scenic landscape and remarkable urban architecture.

Cheaper surgeries, low costing airline fares and touring services were factors that highly influence this trend. Nonetheless, what made cosmetic surgery tourism more popular is the positive testimonials from those who’ve tried it. A research conducted by Leeds University has offers insights into the trend. Professor Ruth Holliday, the head of research, has said that most of the patients she spoke to were satisfied with their surgery because they had changed something about their appearance that had troubled them for years.

Travel overseas to improve one’s look might not seem like a bad idea. However, cautiousness in choosing the right doctor and procedure is very crucial. Patents shouldn’t only look at price as a determining factor for their choice but also to quality and reputation of the services they’ve picked. There are numerous cases of people who’ve travel for facelift or a liposuction only to return home with less pocket money and disfigured body.

Such cases, nevertheless, are relatively rare but they provide many of us with an idea of the possible risks associated with seeking aesthetic treatments overseas. So does preferring local services reduces the chance for a cosmetic procedure to go wrong? No.  The results of procedures depend on many factors that include the expertise of the medical practitioners involved and the quality level of the service provided.