Sun, sea and SURGERY
0 Comments | Daily Mirror, The; London (UK), Aug 30, 2010 | by MIRIAM STOPPARD
I’m worried that so-called surgery tourism is more popular than ever, despite many horror stories of botched boob jobs and liposuction for patients who go abroad.
Latest figures show 60,000 of us a year are heading away for operations ranging from nose jobs to dental surgery, with Eastern Europe and South America among the most popular destinations.
Many patients hope to save cash but making price the biggest factor is a foolish economy when it comes to your health.
The trouble is, cosmetic surgery has become so commonplace it’s easy to forget the risks involved in these major operations. However, the list of things that can go wrong is terrifying…
The dangers:
LANGUAGE BARRIERS – Medical jargon can be hard enough to understand in your mother tongue, let alone in a language where you struggle to string a sentence together. There’s a good chance you won’t be able to communicate clearly with your surgeon.
INSURANCE PROBLEMS – Standard travel insurance policies give no cover for medical or dental procedures abroad which are planned as part of the travel.
They will also generally exclude ALL cover, if you’re travelling for cosmetic treatment. This means if you take out standard travel insurance and the purpose of your trip is surgery, the insurer may refuse your claim even if it is related to something non-medical such as lost luggage.
LACK OF SUPPORT – It will be hard to get back to the clinic for follow-up appointments or if you have any problems later. The cost of flying back and commitments to work and family can make this impossible.
NO RELATIONSHIP WITH THE SURGEON – The distance means there’s often no chance of meeting the surgeon before treatment. I strongly disapprove of this medically, as this makes it impossible to have the best medical care.
COMPLICATIONS ARE COMMON – If trouble occurs after you’re back home and you can’t return abroad, you may have to pay a surgeon at home for corrective treatment. This can often cost two or three times as much as the original op, making your cut-price surgery very expensive.
The British Association of Plastic, Reconstructive and Aesthetic Surgeons say one in four patients returned home with complications that needed emergency surgery in 2008.
FLYING TOO SOON AFTER SURGERY IS DANGEROUS – Both surgery and air travel increase the risk of developing deep-vein thrombosis or a pulmonary embolism.
NO COMPENSATION – There’s a big chance patients won’t be able to seek correction or compensation if things go wrong. Hospitals will treat lifethreatening complications but any other problems must be fixed by you, either by going back to the clinic where you had treatment, or paying privately.
The destinations – and the risks
HUNGARY
FOR: Teeth
There’s a huge rise in people travelling to Hungary for cosmetic dentistry such as tooth implants, thanks to the lack of dentists and soaring costs.
WATCH OUT FOR…
Dodgy dentists. They might not be as well trained as those at home and you’ll have little redress if things go wrong.
SOUTH AFRICA
FOR: Tummy tucks
Tummy tucks cost around EUR3,650 in South Africa, compared to EUR7,300 at home.
WATCH OUT FOR..
cosmetic surgeons sydney