The human body may be a beautiful piece of machinery, but it does have its imperfections. For some, those imperfections are as slight as a mole on the back, but for others it can be a detriment to their everyday life. Whether we like to believe it or not, we live in a society that puts a great deal of emphasis on beauty, and for some, getting a job can depend as much on their talent as their looks.
Cosmetic surgery is an incredibly popular practice, with 11 million procedures being done in the United States in 2006 alone. In other words, three percent of the American population had cosmetic surgery that year.
With such an influx of individuals going for cosmetic surgery, doctors are often swamped with patients who are looking to improve on their bodies. As well, the costs of cosmetic surgery can run into the several thousands of dollars. Since cosmetic surgery is considered to be an elective procedure, as in it is the patient’s choice, it is not covered by insurance, which can be a strain on the finances of many people. Thankfully, other options do exist and all it takes is quick trip over the border or across the ocean.
An increasingly-popular industry, medical tourism, is offering solutions to individuals who want to eliminate the wait times and high costs often associated with cosmetic surgeries. Nowadays, many cosmetic-surgery hopefuls are traveling to India, Thailand, Costa Rica, Hungary, South Africa and Mexico in the hopes of improving on themselves at a fraction of the cost they would pay in America. For example, a full face lift in the United States costs $20,000, while in South Africa the cost will run you only $1,250. Many individuals are able to pay half the cost, which includes staying in a hospital, hotel and airfare to the country of their choice. The low cost is due to favorable exchange rates, lower salaries of the doctors and fewer medical lawsuits, which has a huge effect by giving lower malpractice-insurance costs.
1 response so far ↓
Steven B // February 6, 2008 at 1:41 am
My wife just had plastic surgery in the Dominican Republic. It went perfectly and she looks and feels great Our doctor was excellent, well trained and a real jewel. I think that there is a lot of bad press due to the competition to the American Doctors. Every aspect was premium grade. I would recommend him to anyone and have. A friend just had another procedure and everything turned out excellent too.
The price was way less than anywhere in the USA. I am confident that what we were told was exactly the truth.
“The low cost is due to favorable exchange rates,lower doctor and staff salaries,fewer lawsuits,lower insurance costs and much more”.
Sincerely,
Steven B
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