COSMETIC SURGERY TOURISM

Mark Bury, CEO of SurgiCare comments on cosmetic surgery tourism: “Over the past few years, opting to have a cosmetic procedure abroad has grown in popularity, and as a result, we have seen a huge increase in very unhappy people calling us desperate to fix the mistakes cowboy surgeons abroad have made.

“You get what you pay for and although going abroad for surgery can sometimes appear cheaper, access to important after care solutions will not be available to the patient once they are back in the UK, and if something does go wrong when they are home, the patient will have to pay out again for any corrective procedures.

“It is vital for patients to have access to a close support network after any kind of surgical or non-surgical procedure – particularly weight loss surgery, which is one of the most popular procedures people travel abroad for. We offer our patients a comprehensive range of after care solutions and our partnership with the BMI hospitals in the UK means our clients are always close to the experts should they need any support.

“I also think it’s misleading and wrong for companies to sell surgery abroad as part of a holiday ‘package’. What isn’t said is that exposure to the sun is the last thing people should be doing after a surgical procedure as it can have a negative effect on the healing process, leading to possible infection and deeper scarring. Also, the time spent in hospital overseas after surgery is usually substantially longer than in the UK – meaning less time to enjoy the holiday anyway.

“So our advice would be to have a procedure in the UK with a company that you know can be trusted, once you have fully recovered, treat yourself to holiday that you can fully enjoy - and show off your new body at the same time.”