The Ever-Present Costs of Cosmetic Surgery Tourism: A 5-Year Observational Study

Henry, Nader; Abed, Haneen; Warner, Richard C.

doi:10.1007/s00266-021-02183-w

Cited by 18 publications

(7 citation statements)

References 20 publications

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“…One study reporting mean costs of domestic and international medical tourism complications reported a mean cost per patient of $26,657, with physicians retaining only 9% of billed charges [ 14 ]. Cost analyses of medical tourism complications among UK patients found an average cost in the €5000–7000 range per patient, significantly lower [ 48 , 50 ].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Complications of Aesthetic Surgical Tourism Treated in the USA: A Systematic Review

et al. 2022

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Background Medical tourism has grown increasingly popular in the past few decades. Cosmetic surgery centers have developed in vacation locales, offering procedures at lower prices. However, surgeons and patients alike are often unprepared for management of complications after patients return to the USA. The aim of this study is to provide an overview of US cosmetic surgery tourism patients and the complications faced by US healthcare providers. Methods A systematic review was performed using the Web of Science, Cochrane, Embase, Scopus, and PubMed databases up to February 2022; included articles were full-text, English language, and reported complications of patients receiving postoperative care in the USA after cosmetic surgery abroad. Two independent reviewers performed screening for article eligibility with a 3rd for conflict resolution. Patient demographics, procedure characteristics, and outcomes were extracted and aggregated. Results Twenty studies were included, describing 214 patients. Most patients were female (98.1%, n = 210), middle-aged, and Hispanic. The most common destination country was the Dominican Republic (82.7%, n = 177) and the most common surgical procedure was abdominoplasty (35.7%, n = 114). Complications were mainly infectious (50.9%, n = 112) and required prolonged treatment periods often greater than two months, with high rates of hospitalization (36.8%) and surgical management (51.8%). Conclusions Cosmetic surgery tourism is a growing industry with adverse implications for the US healthcare system and patients themselves. This review aims to serve as a reference to prepare plastic surgeons for the scope of complications associated with cosmetic tourism and improve counseling to better prepare patients for the financial and health risks. Level of Evidence III This journal requires that authors assign a level of evidence to each article. For a full description of these Evidence-Based Medicine ratings, please refer to the Table of Contents or the online Instructions to Authors www.springer.com/00266.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Complications of Aesthetic Surgical Tourism Treated in the USA: A Systematic Review

et al. 2022

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“…39,40 The literature on such issues is growing with a review of 26 English patients who returned from overseas where they had undergone cosmetic procedures, in particular abdominoplasties and gluteal enhancement surgery, having complications costing the National Health Service an average of £5883 ($11095AUD) per patient. 41 The authors argued that 'Global governing bodies should focus efforts on educating patients and raising awareness on the everprevalent issue'. A study on claims to the Accident Compensation Commission in New Zealand has reached similar conclusions.…”

Section: Cosmetic Surgery Tourismmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In addition, there is likely to be a difficulty with liaison with the surgeon after the patient has returned home, as well as difficulty in access to overseas surgical and hospital records 39,40 . The literature on such issues is growing with a review of 26 English patients who returned from overseas where they had undergone cosmetic procedures, in particular abdominoplasties and gluteal enhancement surgery, having complications costing the National Health Service an average of £5883 ($11095AUD) per patient 41 . The authors argued that ‘Global governing bodies should focus efforts on educating patients and raising awareness on the ever‐prevalent issue’.…”

Section: Cosmetic Surgery Tourismmentioning

confidence: 99%

The changing face of cosmetic surgery regulation: a review of controversies and potential reforms

Jobson

Freckelton

2022

ANZ Journal of Surgery

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Cosmetic surgery is becoming increasingly popular in Australia with the industry estimated to be worth over 1 billion dollars annually. Regulators both in Australia and internationally have been criticized for not keeping up with the rapidly changing field and keeping patients sufficiently safe in an environment that is problematically entrepreneurial. In this article, we explore the current regulation of and controversies surrounding cosmetic surgery in Australia, including the use of the title ‘cosmetic surgeon’, consent processes and the phenomenon of medical tourism. Lastly, we review the potential future reforms in Australia and how other countries have regulated the industry to keep patients safe.

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“…A UK study calculated that each overseas cosmetic complication per patient costs 5888 pounds (AUD $10239) on average to the NHS. 2 Further studies are required to analyse the economic burden these complications place on the Australian healthcare system which may in turn guide future health policies.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

The impact of overseas cosmetic surgery on our public hospital system

Cheung

Aggarwala

Lam

et al. 2023

ANZ Journal of Surgery

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The Ever-Present Costs of Cosmetic Surgery Tourism: A 5-Year Observational Study

Cited by 18 publications

References 20 publications

Complications of Aesthetic Surgical Tourism Treated in the USA: A Systematic Review

Complications of Aesthetic Surgical Tourism Treated in the USA: A Systematic Review

The changing face of cosmetic surgery regulation: a review of controversies and potential reforms

The impact of overseas cosmetic surgery on our public hospital system

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