By Dr Ehsan Jadoon
Please note: MedAesthetics is a non-surgical cosmetic medicine clinic and does not perform cosmetic surgery. This article is cautionary education about the risks of travelling overseas for surgery. Where people come to us with concerns after an overseas procedure, our role is limited to non-surgical care where appropriate, and referral on where it is not.
Many Australians travel overseas for cosmetic surgery — including to countries such as Thailand — often because it costs less. Cosmetic surgery overseas can cost less than half of what the same procedure costs in Australia. But is it worth the risk? Let’s look at that question honestly.
There are internationally recognised cosmetic surgery hospitals in Asia, and many Australians who have surgery there are satisfied with their outcome. As with anything, though, there is another side to consider. In recent years the media has reported a rising number of Australians who have experienced adverse outcomes after surgery overseas. In most of those cases the problems have to be addressed back in Australia, because the cost, logistics and health considerations of travelling overseas again for corrective surgery are significant and often impractical.
Below is a summary of three issues that people have raised with us at MedAesthetics about having surgery overseas.
1. You may not know who actually performs your surgery
Your initial consultation may take place — in person or by video call — with a senior, well-known surgeon, and you may reasonably expect that same doctor to perform your operation. In practice, once you are under general anaesthetic, the procedure may be carried out by one or more junior or trainee doctors working under that surgeon.
Part of the reason some overseas hospitals can offer lower prices is that they operate at very high volume, running multiple theatres and treating many patients on the same day, with a lead surgeon overseeing operations carried out by others across different rooms. It is worth understanding this model before you commit.
2. Regulatory oversight and safety standards vary
Hospitals can only run safely where strong occupational health-and-safety laws exist and are consistently enforced. That level of oversight is not uniform around the world, and it varies between countries and between individual facilities.
Where infection-control and hygiene standards are weaker, the risks are higher — for example, infections can spread more easily within a facility, and blood-borne diseases such as HIV or hepatitis C can, in the worst cases, be transmitted through contaminated instruments or blood transfusions. Standards vary from place to place, so it is important to research the specific facility, not just the country or the headline price.
3. Every surgery carries risk — and distance can add to it
Complications can occur with any surgical procedure, no matter how skilled the doctor, and they happen in Australia too. However, several factors influence whether surgery goes well, and one important factor is the individual’s own healing ability — not everyone heals in the same way, and some complications only arise weeks to months after surgery.
These can include, but are not limited to:
- acute or chronic wound infection, including cyst and abscess formation;
- deep vein thrombosis (DVT);
- tissue contraction and scarring;
- formation of keloid scars;
- the body’s rejection of an implant;
- contracting a communicable disease such as HIV or hepatitis C through cross-contamination;
- contracting an antibiotic-resistant infection such as Staphylococcus (“golden staph”), or another infection unrelated to the surgery.
When something goes wrong overseas, distance makes it harder and costlier to have it addressed — a real consideration that is easy to overlook when comparing prices. Put simply, a low price can carry a hidden cost: a faulty purchase can be replaced, but the results of a poorly performed operation may have to be lived with.
The purpose of this article is not to frighten you away from cosmetic surgery, but to help you make a considered, well-informed decision. Individual circumstances and outcomes vary, so research the facility and the practitioner carefully, and seek independent advice before committing.
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