This morning as I sat down to read CNN online, I was struck by the article “Nip and tuck on a budget in Argentina.”  If you’d like to read it for yourself, here’s the link:  CNN.  The highlights of the article are “Thousands visit Argentina for cheap cosmetic surgery.  Combination of top doctors, weak currency make country attractive.  Patient: It would have cost $50,000 dollars in Canada but only $10,000 in Argentina.  Estimates say that 1 in 30 Argentines has gone under the knife.”   

This article is totally one sided and in my mind a disservice to the public.  It plants the seed that medical tourism is a great concept without any problems.  The issue that I have with this article is that it fails to recognize that Plastic Surgery is in fact surgery.  

The author likes to talk about the benefits of having surgery in a foreign country.  But what about the risks?  How can a potential patient assess the qualifications of the foreign surgeon?  Is the procedure being performed in a safe and clean environment?  Are there appropriate protocols in place to avoid the transmission of hepatitis or HIV or other diseases?  How will the followup be arranged?  Who’s going to responsible for this care?  Is it really a good idea to be mixing recovery with some vacation activities like swimming or remote locales?  What if there is a complication?  How is that handled?  At what cost?  What legal recourse will there be if there is a disaster? 

If you believe all the marketing hype about beautiful results in exotic locations, let me point you to an Australian Society of Plastic Surgeons survey that polled 68 surgeons.  59% of them reported  seeing patients with complications from cosmetic surgery done abroad.  22% of them had treated patients on more than one occasion. 

Furthermore, when you return home, what type of welcome do you think that you’ll receive if you need followup care or care for a complication?  From a kind and caring surgeon that you have an established relationship with?  Or, from one that is angry, worried about you, and concerned about medical  liability from a mess that you created?   There is a lot of resentment in the medical profession towards individuals that seek surgery away and then expect to be seen for care.  I received a response to my post “After medical tourism, how exactly do you plan to follow up?  that hits this sentiment squarely on the head.  The respondent notes, “I hope the medical tourism has turned out to be a medical disaster for the patient. ”

Our websites www.beauty-surgeon.com and www.drmckane.com have additional information and before and after photographs of aesthetic plastic surgery for review.  I invite you to schedule a consultation with me if you would like to learn more about medical tourism or any of the procedures that we offer.  Please feel free to contact our office at (713) 661-5255 if you have any questions.

-Brice W. McKane, M.D.

© 2009, Dr. McKane. All rights reserved.