Cosmetic Surgery Holidays

13 January 2009

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Plastic surgery is becoming increasingly popular amongst men and women to improve their appearances, but with very few procedures being carried out by the NHS and without health insurance, people must pay large sums of money to have the work done.

Therefore, many people are opting to travel abroad for plastic surgery in an effort to reduce costs, and some companies offer Surgery/Holiday packages, which include flights, accommodation and after-care services for a fixed price.

In the UK, liposuction costs an average of £3,000, including hospital and doctors’ fees, whereas it can be as little as £517 in Brazil, according to the Treatment Abroad Price Watch Survey 2008. (1)

This is a saving of 83%, but doesn’t include the extra costs that traveling abroad ensues, such as flights and accommodation, and there is no guarantee that hospital facilities will be of high quality.

People wanting to ensure that their surgery abroad is safe are consequently opting to travel with companies such as Gorgeous Getaways and Cosmetic Surgery Holidays.co.uk, which offer surgery packages in countries such as Malaysia and Sri Lanka.

Liposuction to the abdomen, hips and thighs costs £2,707 with Gorgeous Getaways, which includes ten nights stay in a five-star accommodation in Sri Lanka, after-care services and transfers to the airport and hospitals.

Gorgeous Getaways claim to have a 99% satisfaction rating, but Beauty Treatment Experts (2) warn against getting plastic surgery abroad, as not all results are positive, and surgery can sometimes lead to infections, scarring and bruising.

A survey carried out by the British Association of Aesthetic Plastic Surgeons in 2007 showed that a third of its members reported an increase in the amount of people wanting repairs done for cosmetic surgery carried out abroad, which suggests that package holidays are not always a beneficial means of avoiding costly UK prices for surgery.

For women, the most popular forms of surgery are breast implants (augmentation), eyelid surgery to remove excess fat from the upper and lower eyelids (blepharoplasty), facelifts, liposuction and breast reduction, according to Cosmetic Surgery Consultants. (3)

Cosmetic surgeons saw an increase of 36% for facelift procedures between the years 2006 and 2007, and a 15% increase for liposuction in the UK, but this increase in popularity is likely to be even higher in countries where such procedures are comparatively cheaper than they are in Britain.

Breast implants cost around £4,350 in Britain, and a mere £713 in Cuba.According to Treatment Abroad

For example, facelifts costs an average of £6,750 in the UK, according to Treatment Abroad, and they cost approximately £1,074 in Brazil. Likewise, breast implants cost around £4,350 in Britain, and a mere £713 in Cuba.

Such low costs could imply a lack of after-care facilities, consultations and cleanliness, and plastic surgery can sometimes have negative implications. Infections can occur if wounds are not properly looked after, and scarring can worsen if they come into contact with sunlight.

Also, some packages do not include overnight stays in clinical accommodations such as hospitals, and people are expected to stay in less-than-satisfactory accommodation immediately after undergoing cosmetic surgery.

Despite this, it appears that many people are still determined to go under the knife to improve their looks, and Cosmetic Surgery Consultants (3) reveal that in 2007, over 29, 000 people underwent cosmetic surgery, ranging from nose jobs (rhinoplasty) to brow lifts.

There has also been a notable increase in popularity of the ‘designer vagina’, which can include labia reduction (labioplasty) and vaginal tightening (colporraphy). These procedures are most common amongst women who have given birth, and Gorgeous Getaways offers this ‘designer vagina’ package for £3,780 in Malaysia, which includes a ten night stay in an apartment for two people.

Such an increase in popularity could largely be a result of plastic surgery becoming more acceptable within western societies, combined with a reduction in people’s self-perceptions following this trend for improved appearances.

A recent survey by Cosmetic Surgery Consultants (3) showed that 90% of women said that their body made them feel ‘down’, and that two thirds of these women would consider undergoing plastic surgery to achieve their perfect look.

The survey also revealed that the body parts women least like are their hips, thighs, bottoms and waists.

Rarely, such dissatisfaction with their appearance enables people to have cosmetic surgery through the National Health Service for free. These are exceptional cases though, and normally the NHS will only consider plastic surgery for health reasons.

According to the British Association of Plastic Reconstruction and Aesthetic Surgeons, “There must be a full clinical assessment of the patient by the general practitioner, the plastic surgeon and, where appropriate, a psychiatrist or psychologist.