Medical tourism has become the next trend in plastic surgery. Forget about paying $20,000 for a facelift, where you can the same procedure done for $1250. Tea anyone?
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It used to be that only the elite Hollywood stars or the wealthiest of the world could afford cosmetic surgery. For decades, elective cosmetic surgery was an out of reach dream for women. The majority of insurance companies will not cover elective procedures such as face lifts, plastic surgery, implants and the like. An average facelift in the US has a starting price of $20,000, which supercedes the annual salary of someone employed at minimum wage.
Medical tourism offers hope for the millions of (primarily) women worldwide who desire to join the ranks of the elite by tucking, eliminating, erasing, or enlarging! Medical tourism is the practice of going to a foreign country to obtain medical services that are unaffordable or unavailable at home.
Ten years ago, the medical tourism industry was just beginning to emerge and was given bad press. Wrongly so, there was an assumption that third world prices in foreign lands meant third world quality of service. As the industry has grown millions are flocking to destinations such as Asia, Africa, Europe, Mexico and South America seeking lower cost medical care.
In a foreign country, such as South Africa, you can get a facelift for $1,250 vs. $20,000 in the United States!!! Many facilities are offering discount airfare packages as well as other low-cost incentives. Full recovery time is spent at a resort destination, and follow-up visits are done on-site by internationally trained doctors. If you were traveling to South Africa for a facelift, chances are that a Safari option would be included in your package, complete with having lunch with the giraffes and zebras!
Lower cost certainly does not mean lower quality! Case studies and statistics verify that medical tourism offers top quality medical care in accredited facilities. You will be encouraged to learn that several facilities that offer medical tourism are accredited by the IOS (International Organization of Standardization) and the JCI (Joint Commission International). Many of the doctors who work in these medical tourism facilities have studied in the developed countries and then have returned to work in their home countries. If you are having a medical procedure done, rest assured that you have the choice to be cared for by highly qualified staff, with proficient translators standing by!
The risks of choosing to have surgery abroad are no greater than at home. Just as one needs to research doctors and facilities in a home country, one also needs to research the options available in another country. Just as it is true that there are both good and bad available in developed countries, the same is true in tourist destination spots. Anyone considering surgery should research thoroughly and choose a facility wisely. There are resources available, such as "The Complete Guide to Medical Tourism" that can aid you in your decision making process.
Part of the decision of choosing a destination will be personal preference. One person may want to be in the midst of giraffes and zebras while another may want to be in the midst of white sand beaches being lapped by the warm ocean waters. Another piece of the decision will be determined by where the medical experts are that you need, and where the accredited facilities are. Additionally, you will want to ensure that you have acquired the proper approval for any surgeries you are seeking reimbursement for.
Easy access to the global medical community has made it achievable for a person to fulfill their dream of having a luxurious vacation that would rival that of any of those living the lifestyle of the rich and famous, at a fraction of the price. Long gone is the notion that a person simply cannot afford to have elective surgery.
Living in the 21st Century means that we are world travelers, and that there are no medical borders. If you have a passport, the world awaits you! For the same price as a week at a theme park or a ski resort, a person can have lunch and a facelift! Whereas the cost of a facelift in the US equals the cost of an inexpensive automobile, the cost in a foreign country is equal to the cost of an annual budget for a daily latte!
For those who have felt that option of cosmetic surgery was a lost dream, there is hope! Indeed, it is possible to have lunch and a facelift in an exotic location in a foreign country, at a top quality accredited state of the art facility, all at an affordable all inclusive price of a few thousand dollars!
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