Once upon a time, the last thing you wanted to happen when you went on holiday was to end up in hospital. Now, with the advent of so-called ‘facelift holidays’, thousands of British women are swapping the sunbed for the hospital bed and flying home with a look that lasts much longer than a surface tan.
An increasing number of clinics across the globe are offering all varieties of cosmetic surgery to those prepared to undergo an operation in a foreign country. The reason? Money. Clinics from Brussels to Buenos Aires trumpet prices which are far less than you would pay in the UK. It seems an unbeatable deal – a trip abroad and a new pair of breasts, a tummy tuck or nose job at a fraction of the cost you might pay at home.
But is it? Does the thought of having surgery in a foreign hospital, where a majority of staff might not speak English fill you with trepidation? What happens if something goes wrong? And who do you turn to should you need aftercare following your operation?
Despite these very real fears, an estimated 50,000 Britons are heading abroad specifically for surgery. Naturally, the first port of call for anyone considering such work abroad is the internet. A Google search using the words ‘cosmetic surgery abroad’ yields more than half a million hits, and knowing where to start is the first big step.
Realistic advice Linda Briggs is a UK-based cosmetic surgery consultant with a website under own name (www.lindabriggs.co.uk) and six years’ experience of helping people travel abroad for surgery. She is down-to-earth, realistic and sensible, and the advice contained on her site, which attracts almost 40,000 hits a day, reflects her personality.
“It is not the country where it is done that counts, it is the surgeon doing it,” she says. “That’s the difference between a good job and a bad job. I always tell people to look for a surgeon first, and then I can help them after that. Each country has its own equivalent of GMC registration, and on my website there is a comprehensive list of these qualifications which surgeons should hold.
“People also need to know exactly what they want. I know a surgeon who works in Rome but was trained in Brazil, and he does boob jobs the Brazilian way – big and round with a wide gap in the middle, a bit like Pamela Anderson’s. They’re fine if you like that look, but a lot of British women want a more natural look, so it wouldn’t be suitable for them. What I’m saying is that you really have to do your homework first.”
Find the right surgeon Although finding the right surgeon is vital, Linda admits that choices are almost always based on money. For example, a nose job in the UK might set you back £4,000 in the UK, £2,500 in Belgium and just £850 in India. If you’re prepared to travel as far as that, the financial incentives are obvious, but then you must consider the flight home afterwards.
The fear of not seeing her family again was very much in Angela Arnold’s mind before she flew to Tunisia for a tummy tuck. The 37-year-old management consultant, of Ruislip, Middlesex, lost seven stones on the Lighter Life diet with the result that her stomach sagged terribly.
She was desperate for a tummy tuck, but was reluctant to pay the £10,000 she was quoted for work in the UK. After long consideration she opted for surgery in Tunisia, which cost her £3,900, including five nights in the hospital.
“I went in March for my surgery and overall I would give it nine out of ten,” she said. “I was extremely happy with the surgery, and I found the hospital to be very clean and the staff extremely friendly. I was over the moon with the job they did.
“The only thing I would knock a point off for was that there wasn’t enough information in English. The staff were very helpful and hands on but sometimes it was hard to understand what they were saying, and to make myself understood. It wasn’t too much of a problem for me, but it might be for other people.”
Angela spent a year researching her operation and, after meeting him first, finally settled on Dr Hamza as the surgeon who would carry it out in Tunis.
“I met him, talked to him and I found him to be very reassuring. One thing I particularly liked was that he would come to the UK after my operation and do a follow up with me.”
And the issue of aftercare is a vital one. Some surgeons will travel to the UK post-operation to conduct a follow-up examination, but it must be said that the majority of British GPs are very reluctant to carry out such follow-ups.
“I’ve been looking for three years in the UK for a GP who will remove stitches from patients who’ve been abroad for surgery, but it has not been easy,” said Linda Briggs. “There’s a big market out there for lots of different things relating to overseas surgery, including after-care, but most GPs in the UK won’t touch it because they’re clouded in their judgements and it seems to be a bit of an old boys’ club as far as that is concerned.”
What's the professional's take? So what is the view of the UK medical establishment towards cut-price cosmetic surgery abroad? In a word, dim. The British Association of Aesthetic Plastic Surgeons (BAAPS) urges caution, and warns that cheap can actually be expensive.
Douglas McGeorge, Consultant Plastic Surgeon and BAAPS President-Elect commented: “As a surgeon I frown on holiday surgery and am amazed that people go for these so-called deals. Usually counselling for the patient is inadequate, they have no idea of the standards of care in the country they are visiting and no knowledge of the abilities or experience of the surgeon. Follow-up is difficult. Complications do occur and are usually left to the British system to pick up.”
Mr. McGeorge has counselled two patients for abdominoplasty who went to Eastern Europe for treatment. They came back with wound breakdown and were upset – the standard of surgery that had been performed was poor and the hospitals were deemed ‘awful’.
According to Adriaan Grobbelaar, Consultant Plastic Surgeon and BAAPS member, ‘cheap can be expensive’. “If patients need things put right, or are worried and need a follow up consultation they may have to fly back. That additional cost can wipe out the original saving. Alternatively they may have to pay a surgeon in the UK to review the procedure or the NHS gets burdened with it. It will also be difficult to hold the surgeon accountable long distance.”
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Despite these very real fears, an estimated 50,000 Britons are heading abroad specifically for surgery. Naturally, the first port of call for anyone considering such work abroad is the internet. A Google search using the words ‘cosmetic surgery abroad’ yields more than half a million hits, and knowing where to start is the first big step.
She was desperate for a tummy tuck, but was reluctant to pay the £10,000 she was quoted for work in the UK. After long consideration she opted for surgery in Tunisia, which cost her £3,900, including five nights in the hospital.