Affordable flights, low-cost procedures, and foreign climes have made cosmetic tourism an attractive option in recent years. However, the inexpensiveness of foreign plastic surgeries often masks a dangerous environment, with chronic regulatory gaps and lack of patient aftercare. The growing popularity of cosmetic tourism has been accompanied by increasing rates of complications and botched procedures.
In Australia, there has been a veritable explosion in overseas botched surgeries. Australian tourists have been travelling to developing countries such as India, Malaysia, and Thailand for cheap plastic surgeries such as breast augmentation and liposuction. As a result, complications arising from botched overseas procedures have risen 38 percent in the last year. Here’s how these complications break down:
- 72% of botched overseas surgeries could not be corrected.
- 62% of patients suffered permanent disfigurements.
- Almost half could have experienced life-threatening complications.
- The average cost to attempt surgical repairs was nearly US$6000.