Medical tourism started becoming a trend because some areas such as Mexico offered common procedure’s at a cost up to a third less than the same in the US. That industry has grown worldwide but could the next phase be what might be called "jet set surgery?"
Forbes.com quotes a wealthy middle-aged couple as traveling to South Africa for facelifts. These types of travelers are often people valuing privacy over price, as well as those who seek to avoid questions from nosy friends, family and coworkers.
"With the help of Surgeon and Safari," says the Huffington Post. "Patients simply fill out an online questionnaire and then head to South Africa for the procedure and the ability to recover while on safari or at one of Cape Town’s luxury hotels."
A typical facelift in the US might run $9,000, while the South African version was about $4,400 or more than half off.
"While price and privacy drive many patients looking for plastic surgery to seek clinics abroad, other patients are looking for the latest procedures, which may not be FDA-approved in the US," according to Huffington.
Variations on medical tourism are also becoming popular.
"Some extremely wealthy patients are said to be bringing their surgeon and a friend with them, to a costly six-figure procedure when you total the costs of the procedure, plane tickets, resort stays and other travel expenses for the medical travel," the Post says.
But doctors warn of hazards in foreign medical treatment, citing cases where after care may not be up to US standards.
"It certainly sounds exotic to fly someplace, pay half price for a face-lift and recover by the pool and get a massage," New York City plastic surgeon Alan Matarasso, a spokesman for the American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery, told Forbes.com. He adds:
"But the reality is you can’t sit in the sun after major surgery, and flying after surgery increases your chance of deep vein thrombosis."
By David Wilkening
