Is it really more risky to get plastic surgery abroad?

The media often describes the dangers of plastic surgery abroad, illustrated with shocking cases from overseas cosmetic surgery clinics. It is positive that these incidents are reported to the public, but does it mean that there is a danger of prospective patients starting to assume that the more expensive clinics in the UK will automatically be safer, more reputable and more competent? If so, then the following report about the real standards in UK clinics ought to be a real eye-opener!

With great regularity, the media goes into overdrive about botched cosmetic surgery in foreign countries. While it is quite right that the shoddy workmanship of poor surgeons at mediocre clinics abroad should be highlighted, it is important to retain a sense of balance, and realise that the same things can, and do, go wrong in British clinics.

The problem is that the media that are reporting the dangers of overseas surgery are all too often dependent on advertising revenue from the domestic cosmetic clinics. God Bless the BBC, then, for publishing a report by the National Confidential Enquiry into Patient Outcome and Death, showing just how far from ideal British clinics often are. (The BBC is, as we know, one of the few major corporations in the media that are mostly independent from private business and advertising, which is why they have been able to publish.)

One fundamental weakness was identified, that in many ways is the cause of many of the other failings. Out of all the cosmetic surgeons practicing in Britain, only a third of them are members of the British Association of Aesthetic Plastic Surgeons. It is clear that legislation and tougher regulation is needed.
For instance, it is recommended that a cosmetic clinic performs a set minimum number of a specific given operation per year. The reasoning behind this is that without practice, it is less likely that surgeon will be able to keep their skills up, which is really just common sense. An airplane pilot is not able to retain his license to fly without a certain number of flights per year, for the same reasons.

In the instance of plastic surgery, a minimum of twenty operations per year is recommended; however, the reality is that a great proportion of British clinics perform far less than this set level, yet still feeling confident to undertake surgeries that they rarely perform. Just one-tenth of the 361 sites reviewed managed to perform this number of ear pinning surgeries, while only 20% managed to reach this number of breast reductions. One quarter of the sample of clinics performed a sufficient number of facelift operations.

The results show that a large number of cosmetic surgery procedures in this country are being performed by surgeons of insufficient experience. In fact, what is being highlighted is more of a “have a go” mentality, rather than the experience and professionalism you would expect.

This was not where the criticisms ended. Just one third of the clinics, who have not been named, bothered to carry out any kind of psychological evaluation of the patients.


And while it a two-stage consent process is in place, to allow patients to properly consider their surgery options, less than a third of clinics manage to follow this recommendation.

More than half of all the clinics were insufficiently equipped, and one in five had no emergency readmission policy in place. Monitoring of patients before and after surgery was also found to be lacking.

It should not necessarily be inferred from this report that British Cosmetic Surgery Clinics are more or less dangerous than overseas ones. More, the prospective patient should use the results of this information to understand that in any country there may be superb clinics and also ones of a lower standard. The patient must make sure that the clinic they are considering does follow industry regulations and guidelines, and particularly that the surgeon who will be operating on them has sufficient experience. What the report does illustrate is that just because the prices are higher in the UK than those for cosmetic surgery abroad does not necessarily mean that the quality of surgery can be expected to be better.

Cosmetic Surgery Price Guide - How To Find the Best Prices

The are numerous websites on the internet that purport to be a Cosmetic Surgery Price Guide. These types of sites are often a very good way for the potential cosmetic surgery patient to work out what types of prices are likely, and to help them pay the lowest prices possible.

However, a few words of warning. What these cosmetic surgery price guides tell you is unlikely to be the full story, for a number of reasons.

Even the most well-trained cosmetic surgeon will only be able to ascertain what surgery is involved after a proper consultation with the patient. Prior to discussions about what sort of results are desired from cosmetic surgery, and about any issues that may arise, and the price that even the best cosmetic surgery websites can deliver is necessarily a ball-park figure.

The issue of how to effectively give a price for any cosmetic procedure becomes even more clouded when discussing cosmetic surgery abroad. Some clinics offer packages, which may or may not include accommodation, some clinics even offer pick-ups from the airport. You really do need to take all of these factors into consideration when comparing different cosmetic surgery price guides.

When some clinics of cosmetic surgery offer an all-inclusive package at one price, and another is only charging for the surgery, how does one compare the prices? And between clinics in different countries, how do you put a value on accommodation costs in different countries with different going rates?

Another thing many people often find if organizing cosmetic surgery through a referral service is that that fees to the referrer are not always transparent, and are calculated in different ways.

For instance, one referral service might charge a flat fee to arrange cosmetic surgery, while with another referrer, there may not be a visible fee at all, as it is factored into the pricing of the cosmetic surgery clinic, and money would be passed to the referrer upon your booking.

Sometimes a cosmetic surgery clinic will include the costs for the anesthetic, if that is required, and surgery that requires an overnight stay may or may not be included in the price.

As you can see, it is not as easy to interpret a cosmetic surgery price guide as it would immediately appear. When arranging cosmetic surgery, you should always take care to make sure you understand exactly what you are paying for, as sometimes it is possible to get a nasty surprise!

Visit Cheap Cosmetic Surgery Abroad for Information, Articles & Price Comparisons.

Why Get Cosmetic Surgery Abroad?

"Why Get Cosmetic Surgery Abroad?"

This is my first blog post, ever, so forgive me if I ramble a little.

But this is a question I have been asked a few times, and it is an interesting one.

I guess when people ask this, what they really mean is "Is it Worth the Risk of Complications". And this is a complicated question to answer. Obviously, if the worst happened, then the answer will be an emphatic "NO", cheap cosmetic surgery abroad was not worth the risk.

However, the same will apply with getting any kind of surgery, in any country including one's own. It will only be "worth it" if it goes smoothly.

Now, the majority of Cosmetic Surgery operations both abroad and in your home country will go without a hitch. That's a fact, as otherwise cosmetic surgery would not be allowed to take place.

However, there will be occasions where something goes wrong, such as the tragic death of Miss Argentina, quite recently. Incidents such as this should teach us that cosmetic surgery is not something to go into lightly. Here we had a young woman who was clearly already very beautiful, getting surgery perhaps unnecessarily. And this is a shame and a tragedy.

However, this needs to be taken in the context of the many people who are getting cosmetic surgery abroad and at home, with no complications. Some of these people will have had extremely low-confidence and will have gained a whole new lease of life. Some of these people will have had reconstructive surgery following accidents, and will now be able to feel the way they did beforehand.

Around 200,000 people go to Singapore alone, for medical tourism reasons, the majority of them for elective medical treatment. Clearly the numbers of people traveling abroad for surgery are huge.

But somehow, I am surprised it is so few. Everything is price-sensitive, nowadays. We all research prices on the internet, check review sites, try to get the best deal. And virtually everything that we own was imported, from countries that are better and more efficient at manufacturing.

But for surgery and medical care, and I'm really talking about elective treatments, most of us seem to be content to pay over-the-odds, for standards that are not any better, and unfortunately are often worse.

I know a little about this, as I have a Polish wife who is genuinely appalled by the level of care in the UK, and I know more than a couple of people who have become very seriously ill in British hospitals. I know Indian people who will always go back to India for Medical and Dental treatment. This is not just to save money, but also to feel more confident in the level of service they will receive.

Now, obviously, in an emergency situation we are not in the position to make a choice, but when it comes to elective surgeries, like cosmetic surgery, I do ask myself why anyone in one of the more expensive countries would not choose to travel abroad.

I guess that many of us just find it hard to accept that it is possible to provide a better level of service at a lower price, because it reflects badly on our own medical system.

For more information about cheaper cosmetic surgery abroad, visit:

http://cheapercosmeticsurgeryabroad.com