Aussies warned about dangers of cosmetic tourism
Australians have been warned about the dangers of travelling overseas for cheap cosmetic surgery with a leading plastic sergeant saying she is seeing an increase in botched operations.
Dr Amira Sanki, a top plastic sergeant in Sydney, told Yahoo News that travelling for plastic surgery is a risk.
“We have definitely seen in our hospital, which is close to the airpot, an increase in complications from patients retuning from overseas,” she said.
These complications range from minor to life-threatening, Sanki said.
“For example we had a lady present with a grossly infected buttock fat graft that needed her to go back to theatre many times and have significant antibiotic therapy.”
Worryingly, in another instance, an entire family contracted hepatitis after travelling to India for dental implants.
The American Society of Plastic Surgeons has previously said that the rise is linked to ads on TikTok, and they are seeing a “a direct relationship between procedures that are trending on TikTok and what patients are coming to the office for”.
Sanki said that social media advertising is fuelling medical tourism as Australian practices are unable to advertise in that way.
According to the Australian Society of Plastic Surgeons “surgeons based overseas have no restriction on the way that they advertise. This means that their adverts may look more glamorous or illustrate good results, but may be less realistic.”
In the UK, The British Association of Aesthetic Plastic Surgeons reported that there was a 44 per cent increase in the amount of people needing corrective surgery in 2021, compared to the year before when people couldn’t travel due to Covid.
It has also been reported that the NHS – the UK’s national health service – is seeing a noticeable boom in people needing emergency care after surgeries gone wrong.
Some of the most common procedures that Aussies will travel for are butt lifts, breast augmentation, dental implants, liposuction, facelift, tummy tucks, eyelid surgery, and nose reshaping.
The global medical tourism market was valued at US$24.14 billion (AU$36.6 billion) in 2023 and is projected to be worth US$29.26 billion in 2024 and reach US$137.71 billion by 2032.
Email the Travel Weekly team at traveldesk@travelweekly.com.au
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