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There's nothing like a good holiday to boost your looks but, if your best friend has just returned from a two-week holiday abroad looking suspiciously well, it may be down to more than a dose
of sunshine. A growing number of companies are offering cosmetic surgery package
holidays in countries as far afield as South
Africa, where you can
have surgery one week and recuperate by the beach - or even on safari -
the next. It's a booming industry, giving a whole new meaning to the
expression 'pack your bags'.
Statistics show we're becoming a
nation of cosmetic surgery devotees - in 2002, 100,000 people in Britain
had it, with summer being the busiest time for surgeons. 'It'
s no surprise that many women book cosmetic surgery from June to August',
says Dr Linda Papadopoulos, a reader in psychology at London Metropolitan
University who has researched body image. 'We fantasise about how we
will look in that new bikini. What better context to show off that new body
than lying tanned on a beach towel?'
Cosmetic surgery has also
become much less of a taboo with the rise in lunchtime treatments and
celebs talking openly about their procedures. We're living longer
and want to look younger. 'It's becoming much more acceptable to
have cosmetic surgery. We live in a more youth-orientated society
and there is more pressure than ever on women to look good. Women
are also staying in business longer and their image is important to them.
LA
TO BRAZIL
LA might be the cosmetic surgery capital of the world but
few British women travel there specifically for treatment because it's so
expensive. The fashionable destinations right now are South
Africa, Brazil,
South-East Asia, Barcelona and
Eastern Europe. All offer the full range of cosmetic surgery procedures but body trends, and therefore plastic surgery preferences, vary
according to location. 'In LA, it's wrinkle-free faces for women and
pec implants for men, so they can show off their triangular torsos,' says independent
cosmetic surgery adviser Linda
Briggs, who runs a
company arranging treatment for UK clients overseas.
'In Brazil,
they're big on bums and boobs, so it's a good place to go for bodywork.
Eastern European women tend to have very slim hips and thighs so a lot of
liposuction and breast reductions are carried out there because
smaller-framed women don't want to look top-heavy. She
receives thousands of enquiries monthly from UK women who are interested
in having breast augmentation.
CUT-PRICE TRIPS
Why go
abroad for a tummy tuck when you can have one here? For a start,
cosmetic surgery in places such as South
Africa and Asia is considerably cheaper: £5,500
can buy a facelift and 12 nights in a five-star hotel in Johannesburg or
Cape Town; £3,300 buys a nose job followed by a week recovering in the
world-renowned South
African Westcliff Hotel.
The same procedures here would cost about £5,500 and £3,200 respectively,
with no holiday thrown in. Price
differences can be explained by favourable exchange rates, while surgeons
in Eastern European countries such as Croatia currently offer good value
for money because theirs is an economy recovering from war, says Linda
Briggs. Psychological factors
also come into play. 'Combining cosmetic surgery with
a safari or beach holiday demedicalies the procedure so it can feel as
simple as having a massage,' says Dr Papadopoulos. Privacy is another plus,
she says. 'You don't have to tell your friends what you're doing.'
Sun, sea and sand also provide an excellent
environment for recovery, and many companies offer a tempting level of
pampering. Linda
Briggs will collect you
from the airport in a chauffeur-driven car, put you up in a top hotel and
provide a 'friend away from home' to take care of; your needs. After surgery,- you can chill out or do some sightseeing. 'Coming from a colder climate, many of our UK clients love to lie out in the sun
afterwards,' but -they're advised to protect the area where they've had
surgery.'
Apres surgery, you can relax on the beach' or explore the shops.
A recent client was a 19-year-old British model who underwent breast augmentation. 'Two days after the operation, she was up and a
bout shopping,' After a consultation at a UK clinic left her feeling
less than confident, 28-year-old Debbie booked a breast augmentation.
The doctor over here was so blasé about such a major decision she says.
It was a case of "How big do you want to be?" Then he plonked the implants on the table and promised me I'd look like Pamela
Anderson.'
The idea of combining the procedure with a holiday
appealed. 'Normally, she says, 'I can't sit still and I knew I'
d be forced to relax after the surgery.'
She was impressed with the
honesty and professionalism of the South African surgeon she met in London
prior to booking and has nothing but praise for the care she received,
I
stayed for 12 days after surgery, 'she says, and it was wonderful to relax
by the pool knowing the doctors were nearby if anything went wrong. My
operation was on day three and when I got back to my room there was a huge
vase of flowers. 'Her new 32D breasts have made her feel more confident and she has booked to return for an eyelift later this year.
Marsha,
39 combined a holiday in Croatia with
a necklift, Botox and fillers. 'My
budget was limited and the cost was so much less than here' she says.
Although I didn't meet the surgeon until I arrived, he'd done a fantastic job
on a friend's nose. But if I hadn't felt comfortable, " I wouldn't have gone ahead.' Her surgeon visited her in her hotel every day
for a week after the operation to check all was well. Marsha has since returned for breast augmentation and plans to have liposuction in
Holland.
HIDDEN DANGERS
While there may be advantages
to having treatment abroad, what about the drawbacks? Cosmetic surgery can go wrong anywhere in the world but pursuing a compensation claim
against a clinic in another country can be complicated and expensive, says
John Kitchingman, head of clinical negligence at Manchester solicitors Pannone
and Partners. If surgery goes wrong here you can sue through the UK courts, he says.
'If you've had it abroad, you have to seek redress through the courts that
country, which may be based on a different code of law to ours. 'Doctors in the UK are not always sympathetic if cosmetic surgery carried out
abroad goes wrong, as 31 -year-old Sefi found out. Eight months after a breast augmentation 'holiday' in Alicante, her left breast was so swollen
and painful, she thought it was going to explode. Two A&E doctors in different hospitals refused even to examine her. After eventually finding a consultant who would treat her, Sefi discovered
that her implants had leaked. 'Don't be seduced by a cheap deal,'
she says, 'because it could cost you more money and pain than you
bargained for'.
BUM DESTINATIONS
Experts are loathe to generalise on the best and worst locations as there are highly qualified professional cosmetic
surgeons worldwide, but Greece, Thailand, Turkey, Poland and Central
America are among the less favoured destinations. Linda
Briggs cites the case of
a woman who had breast implants in Poland and came home with such a
serious infection she had to have them removed on the NHS. A client of Dr Norman Waterhouse,
president of the British Association of Aesthetic Plastic Surgeons, had a
facelift in Istanbul that left her looking so 'devastatingly bad', she
needed extensive reconstruction to treat the terrible scarring.
Dr Waterhouse also stresses the importance of excellent aftercare.
'How can you get that when your surgeon is thousands of miles away?' he
asks. While acknowledging that some people are treated abroad with excellent results, he advises caution when being treated by a surgeon you've never
met. Some companies offer personal consultations with their surgeons in London before committing yourself to treatment, but not all companies
do.
THE RIGHT TIME?
What the experts are united on is
that the many 'drop-in' cosmetic-surgery clinics abroad are best avoided.
'
Some women walk in for a consultation about breast augmentation at 9am and
are on the table by 10am,' says Dr Waterhouse. These types of clinic are particularly big in Thailand and Poland, where people can drop
in for any procedure. 'Surgery should never be undertaken on impulse,'
'
It's important to have time to reflect. You need to feel confident
that you're making an informed decision.', The body needs time to
rest before surgery, and that detailed consultation and pre-med are vital.
- 'Never just fly in and decide to have treatment the next day.
If
you are considering cosmetic surgery abroad, do your homework. 'Research the-doctor before you agree to any surgery,' 'Cheek
out where they did their training. Are they a member of-the equivalent organisation in their country to the appropriate standard in the UK?'
Many companies offering cosmetic : surgery holidays are reputable
and their surgeons highly qualified but it isn't something to be booked
on the spur of the moment. It may be cosmetic but it's still surgery
and you should make sure you get the best practitioner you can find.
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