Medical tourism is becoming increasingly popular and plastic surgery is one of the most popular types of medical procedures patients choose to have done abroad. In some cases they decide to travel thousands of kilometres to get their surgery done. Top destinations for medical tourism include India, Mexico and Thailand. What are the patients’ motivations and what can be some potential risks of this type of tourism? Specialists from Arizona cosmetic surgery PeoriaCosmeticSurgery.com shared their insights:
Benefits of plastic surgery tourism
Better health care
One of the reasons medical tourism has gained such popularity is the lack of satisfying health care in some countries. Their citizens decide to travel to another country because they know they can count on more professional care, with top doctors, better quality facilities and more developed technologies. If they need to have a complicated cosmetic surgery, they want to make sure they will get the best treatment possible.
Lower costs
Money is also one of the main reasons why a person can decide to leave their own country for a plastic surgery. If their country offers highly expensive health services, it might turn out to be significantly cheaper for the citizens to pay for return flights and medical care in another country.
Holiday opportunities
Very often medical tourists are busy working people who cannot afford to take much time off, so they decide to combine the recovery period with a change of scenery. They look for exotic places with top healthcare, and benefit both physically and mentally from this type of trip.
Risks of plastic surgery tourism
Language barrier
Language barrier hinders communication which may be challenging even when you decide to go on a normal holiday. Spending time in a hospital, recovering after a serious surgery may turn out to be extremely difficult for a patient who needs mental support and is not able to receive it from the medical staff if they cannot communicate properly. Additionally, patients need to be able to understand medical documents they might be asked to sign. Misunderstandings can also affect the treatment procedure if the patient is not able to communicate his or her needs properly.
Follow-up care
Another issue resulting from getting your plastic surgery done abroad is lack of proper care after the procedure. Traveling can increase the risk of infections and post surgery complications, and it might be impossible to receive the right treatment once you leave the country. Patients may be left with no choice but to spend exorbitant sums of money on additional treatment in their own country.
