Plastic Surgery Abroad...
Good Value, or Dangerous?

Plastic surgery abroad sounds attractive for a number of reasons.

Cheap cosmetic surgery in some exotic location, away from prying eyes... then time spent by the pool or sightseeing as you recuperate. The best of both worlds... get to look great on the cheap, and have a vacation at the same time.

If only it were that easy.

The reality is that lots of sun exposure, alcohol, and sight-seeing is not conducive to good wound healing; and you are at higher risk of Deep Vein Thrombosis and Pulmonary Embolus if you fly soon after your surgery.

* Many surgeons recommend against flying for 5-10 days after surgery.

Plastic Surgery Abroad... The Reality.

A survey carried out in late 2011 by the Australian Society of Plastic Surgeons reported a 38% increase in botched cosmetic surgery abroad requiring corrective surgery. Other statistics gathered were:

• 72%... of the plastic surgeons had cases they were unable to completely correct.
  
  
• 62%... had cases where permanent disfigurement and irreversible damage resulted.
  
  
• 45%... reported cases that would have been life-threatening if left untreated.
  
  
• 60%... of patents had been left psychologically scarred by their distressing experience.
  
  

Doctors warn of "Massive Risks" with Cheap Plastic Surgery abroad... And your Travel Insurance usually won't cover you for complications resulting from that surgery.

And as one surgeon pointed out...

"If you have to be careful drinking the water there...
why would you want to have surgery there?"

100,000 British citizens alone sought cheap medical and dental treatment abroad in 2007.

But some got more than they bargained for. In 2010 a new, antibiotic-resistant "super-bug" was discovered in 37 British patients returning from plastic surgery in Pakistan and India (it is estimated over 150,000 people seek cheap cosmetic surgery in India each year).

This super-bug was named NDM-1 after the first case was detected in a Swedish national hospitalised with it in New Delhi, India in December 2009. The infection couldn't be treated by Indian health workers and the patient had to be evacuated to Sweden.

'Few antibiotics remain active against these bacteria. Their spread underscores the need for good infection control in hospitals both in the UK and overseas, and the need for new antibiotic development.'... Dr.David Livermore, UK Health Protection Agency: DailyMail 12 Aug 2010.

* There is real concern of a possible global crisis within 10 years as more bacteria carry enzymes like metallo-beta-lactamose (the "M" in NDM-1), which may make them resistant to all currently available antibiotics.

Antibiotic-resistant Super Bugs risk from plastic surgery abroad... super bugs threaten to spread around the globe from places like India and Pakistan.