Posts Tagged scalpel tourism
Australian Plastic Surgeons Warn of Overseas Surgery
Posted by admin in plastic surgery news on October 11, 2011
A young Australian woman has a two-centimetre bald strip across the top of her scalp after a botched eyebrow lift in Thailand. Another returned home from an overseas breast enlargement with no cleavage as a result of a surgical error.
Source: theage.com.au/news/National/Warnings-on-plastic-surgery-mistakes/2006/01/17/1137466979953.html
In Australia, it seems patients are trying out cheaper surgery in Bangkok, the Philippines, Indonesia, Argentina, Iran and Ukraine. There is a little more on the treatment of mistakes in this piece. They do not talk about problems that cannot entirely be corrected though. Scalpel tourism strikes again.
Best Regards,
John Di Saia MD
Originally posted 2006-01-25 22:57:00.
A Plastic Surgical Tourism Disaster
Posted by admin in plastic surgery complications, plastic surgery news, surgical tourism on April 4, 2011
Stacey Cavaliere’s story starts off pleasantly enough. After two years of diet and exercise she lost 135 pounds, and as a reward she was planning a Costa Rica vacation, where a nice relaxing trip awaited her. Or that’s what the tourist Web site promised her. It also promised that Caveliere, 35, would come back lifted, tucked and toned in places where her extreme weight loss yielded excess hanging skin. But upon returning to the U.S., Cavaliere wasn’t showing off her new body — she was rushed to the emergency room where her abdomen had to be completely reconstructed after a botched body lift. Only after eight surgeries did she end up with the body she wanted.
Source: aolhealth.com/condition-center/plastic-cosmetic-surgery/medical-tourism
The problem with trying to offer large scale surgery on the cheap is that you often are short changed on the technical and safety aspects …the stuff that really matters. Any patient can get a wound infection, but if these are detected early in good follow-up they are much less damaging. Using the proper precautions they are rare, but what if some of those precautions are skipped because they are deemed too costly? You are the one who loses here.
When your surgeon lives on another continent, it is difficult to get good follow-up care even if the surgical care was good. This woman had a catastrophe requiring eight operations by a domestic plastic surgeon for repair. In this case, cheap became really expensive.
Best Regards,
John Di Saia MD
Related:
Tameka Foster (Usher’s Wife) and Surgical Tourism
Dr D’s “Cheap Plastic Surgery”
Originally posted 2009-03-27 14:25:00.
A Mexico Plastic Surgery Story
Posted by admin in plastic surgery news, surgical tourism on January 12, 2011
Lisa, 51, a twice-divorced mother of three who did not want her last name used, enters Clinica San Antonio in Laredo Mexico June 18 2004. She was rejected for plastic surgery in Texas because of a heart condition. Lisa says she is depressed about her appearance and plans to under go an eye lift, face lift, arm lift, leg lift, tummy tuck, breast augmentation, and bladder lift — all for $8000.
Source: msnbc.msn.com/id/7222558/displaymode/1107/m/mid/framenumber/1/s/1/
Do you really want plastic surgery in Mexico? This story of a woman who went to Mexico for a cheap plastic surgery overhaul has images of a dirty operating room and ants on the sink. She set forward to do massive marathon plastic surgery after having been turned away in Texas because of a heart condition. Despite her problems with the schedule she had set for herself she is fortunate not to have been more severely injured. She apparently got infected in her tummy tuck wound and was given incorrect antibiotics by the Mexican clinician. Patients with heart conditions can be high risk for even moderate length surgical cases.
The pictures are kinda graphic. This story shows the world of the “chop shop” and illustrates exactly what you avoid by going with a reputable plastic surgeon. Safer smaller scale surgery might have been possible but at a much higher price tag in the US and over a longer time period.
If you are thinking of cheap third world plastic surgery, here is the story of a woman who did just that.
Best Regards,
John Di Saia MD
Originally posted 2006-08-31 15:55:00.
Cheap Plastic Surgery Leaves Woman With Rock Hard Breasts
Posted by admin in plastic surgery news on December 6, 2010
People undergo cosmetic surgery for a variety of reasons, but they all do it to look better. However, some patients get the opposite result, KPRC Local 2 reported Wednesday. As a professional makeup artist and spa owner, Gina Hern knows firsthand the high cost of beauty. “People come here wanting to be the best that they can be,” Hern said. So, when she decided to get breast implants, she went comparison-shopping only to find the average price was $6,000 to $8,000. “I went online and did some research to find a less expensive way to get what I wanted,” Hern said. She found the best bargain over the border at a clinic in Mexico. Hern got her implants at the rock-bottom price of $2,000. But when she returned home to Houston, the implants turned rock hard.
Source: click2houston.com/health/6842979/detail.html
When you make a run for the border for plastic surgery you are taking a risk. There is a price at times for that which is cheap. And fixing that cheap surgery may be very expensive if it is even possible.
Preventing Bad Plastic Surgery:
** Know what you are seeking – a qualified and skilled surgeon – this might cost you some money, but the “cheapie version” might leave you deformed or worse
Be careful.
Best Regards,
John Di Saia MD
Originally posted 2006-02-17 11:40:00.
Tummy Tuck in Malaysia – Yuck Tuck!
Posted by admin in bad plastic surgery, Sloppy Plastic Surgery on October 28, 2010
People are going to third world countries for plastic surgery. The reason is cost. It is cheap there. At the minimum, the cost of the hidden price is frequently mediocre (or lower quality) work. Sometimes there is tragedy. This one falls under the category of sloppy work or a “Yuck Tuck.”
A tummy tuck shouldn’t have a deep crease at the closure. This case wasn’t made very tight as the excess on the top hangs over the closure. There is also no dip at the belly button.
Cheap Price = Low Quality.
Best Regards,
John Di Saia MD
Surgical Tourism For Breast Implants – The Price You Pay
Posted by admin in breast implant pre-op tutorial, makemeheal question, surgical tourism on October 18, 2010
As some of you know I used to host a forum at MakeMeHeal upon which I addressed questions. Sometimes people need more than can be offered via the internet alone.
The Question:
Hi There,
I had my BA in Oct 2007, My left breast swelled up 2 days after surgery so I had to go back and have my implant taken out and put back in, I was not told why this was. The surgeon then checked it 3 days later and everything was fine. [Ed - This was probably a hematoma.] BUT I am now noticing that my left breast at the top seems firmer then the right – like a ridge??
It is not painful and I am not unwell from it. BUT I am concerned maybe its CC? or does it look a strange shape because my Nipples are so saggy? I am looking into a Nipple lift but am worried sick about my breasts. I had my surgery in Belgium and its proving Impossible to talk to them. My GP is now closed until Monday and A&E are unable to help me…
My Answer:
Hello,
You went out of your country to have your breasts operated. Now you ask a surgeon in a third country to help you sort out what’s going on. You need someone to examine you in order to properly address your concern.
Without seeming cruel, your case exemplifies a leading problem with surgical tourism. You had an operation by a surgeon you couldn’t have possibly been able to validate who is unavailable now that you need post-operative assistance. This is the price you pay to get it cheaper in that other country. I do hope you are able to get things properly evaluated but using the internet alone is really inadequate for you at this stage.
Best Regards,
John Di Saia MD
Originally posted 2008-06-23 07:30:00.
Resistant Superbug Returning with Overseas Cosmetic Surgery Patients
Posted by admin in plastic surgery news on August 11, 2010
A new superbug that is resistant to even the most powerful antibiotics has entered UK hospitals, experts warn. They say bacteria that make an enzyme called NDM-1 have traveled back with NHS patients who went abroad to countries like India and Pakistan for treatments such as cosmetic surgery. Although there have only been about 50 cases identified in the UK so far, scientists fear it will go global.At least one of the NDM-1 infections the researchers analyzed was resistant to all known antibiotics.
Source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-10925411
One of the often overlooked risks of going out of the country for cheaper medical care is the possibility of contagion. That could make your cheap cosmetic surgery really expensive and now even dangerous. Apparently the scalpel tourism business has created a new monster bacterium that is resistant to the most powerful antibiotics we have. Do you feel lucky?
Best Regards,
John Di Saia MD
Liposuction Surgeon Jailed Over Patient Death
Posted by admin in plastic surgery complications, plastic surgery news on September 29, 2009
The Independent has a story of a liposuction-related death in Marbella. A high profile patient died after some pretty nasty events occurred at surgery”
During her treatment at the Molding, Marbella’s biggest plastic surgery clinic, the court heard that a tube used to remove fat was placed by mistake in the patient’s abdominal cavity, puncturing her colon and cutting into her liver.
[A] court in Malaga convicted cosmetic surgeon Antonio Mena Molina of negligent homicide, sentencing him to a year in prison, fining him €120,000 (£110,000) and banning him from practicing medicine for three years.
It makes you wonder what exactly were the circumstances. Mistakes can happen, but was something not right here that made it much more likely? A criminal conviction after a plastic surgery related death is uncommon unless something else is awry at least in California. This is definitely surgical tourism gone bad.
Best Regards,
John Di Saia MD
Reader Laura’s Comment: Surgical Tourism Story
Posted by admin in surgical tourism on September 23, 2009
Reader Laura’s Comment:
“Single mother traveled to Panama for operation to turn brown eyes blue… and was almost blinded”
Just the title of this story sounds scary to me. I’m not sure why she would risk her eyesight in this manner. I’m also not sure why the doctors went ahead with the surgery when her doctors back home told her not to have the surgery.
When a federal agency refuses to approve a procedure in the US (or in the UK in this case,) sometimes there is a very good reason. Going to unregulated countries removes this protection and exposes patients to risk. Third world countries really have little regulation of medical procedures.
People tend to think when a board certified plastic surgeon “talks down” something, the only reason is money. It isn’t.
The Bottom Line:
Research very carefully before you go to a third world country particularly to have large scale surgery, surgery not approved in your native country or surgery requiring precision and training. The reason is apparent from this case. This woman nearly lost her sight.
Best Regards,
John Di Saia MD
Australian Government Getting into Scalpel Tourism?
Posted by admin in surgical tourism on September 22, 2009
The Australian Tourism Export Council (ATEC) wants to lure what it describes as “high-spending overseas tourists” seeking medical services to Australia.
Are they going to cover the costs of travel and additional surgery for follow-up and problems? Good follow-up particularly after large scale surgery can avoid problems. These are amongst the items that people don’t tend to consider.
There is also the tendency for patients who price shop to assume that surgery is the same when you go from surgeon to surgeon. It isn’t. As usual it is “buyer beware.” Just be careful.
Best Regards,
John Di Saia MD
Related:
Dr D – Your Orange County Surgeon
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