When you go abroad for cosmetic surgery...

How to pick the clinic and how to negotiate?

We have talked about plastic surgery abroad in the past and one conclusion is obvious. It is not just the Americans rushing to Mexico or Thailand. On the other hand, even countries like Belgium are able to offer lower costs to people living in more expensive countries like the UK. And it is only a matter of time before countries like India and China become the preferred medical destinations for plastic surgery. 

Picture of a plasitc surgeon performing liposuction.While medical fraud exists in the United States and any other developed country, it is somewhat more common in poorer countries that also offer inexpensive cosmetic surgery. It does not imply that you should not fly overseas for plastic surgery - it just means that you should do your research well and be careful all along. After all you are going to save thousands of dollars. “It’s important to do it right with careful planning from the start. A medical traveler is almost always on a tight time schedule, with no spare hours for delays or changes,” comments Julie Munro, CEO and Chief Medical Concierge of Cosmetic Surgery Travel. Below are a few tips from her on how to pick the right clinic.  (Related:  How to select a plastic surgery clinic abroad?)
  Don’t rely only on the Internet for your research: The Internet is an excellent resource for initial research. Therefore, do visit home pages of these clinics, learn more about the surgeons, take notes for comparison purposes, and then come up with a short list of clinics that meet your criteria. If you know someone who has had surgery in  that country, get their input. At that point you may also want to work with a medical concierge like Munro. Join our cosmetic surgery forum to ask others.  Once you pick one or two surgeons, research them in-depth. Call them before you make up your mind, ask questions about the facilities and the credentials of the surgeon who will be performing your operation (what matters is who operates on you rather than who founded the clinic or who is head of the organization), and get it all in writing. Munro reminds that before you depart, make sure that you know your costs, procedures, dates and times of the consultation and surgery, number of nights in the hospital and contact names and telephone numbers where your loved ones can reach you.Don’t cut costs by going with the lowest bidder: Keeping down the cost of surgery or staying at a cheap hotel may sound tempting at first, but experience shows you may be sorry later. You should also plan for any unexpected costs. Talk to your surgeon about how they handle emergencies and who pays for it.
Plan ahead, especially if you’ll be traveling at peak tourist times: You’ll be competing for treatment with other medical travelers and for hotel space with regular tourists. Also plan the treatments you want to have. 

Don’t be stingy with your vacation time: Take advantage of the medical attention that is available to you during the recovery period so that your return home is uneventful. Better to spend an extra day or two in recovery than to start traveling too soon. Next, you need to set aside enough time to recover. Eye and nose procedures can take as little as 45 minutes but patients will need 3 days to a week to recover completely. We also do not advise combining a vacation with your surgery. Focus on getting your surgery right - the vacation can always come later.

Don't feel you're "stuck" with the doctor you first chose when you were at home: First, be skeptical of a doctor who insists on full/partial payment prior to your arrival. If you have to do so in order to confirm an appointment with a famous surgeon, a token deposit is all that you might need. And for this purpose you should use your credit card rather than pay cash. And when you arrive, if you do not like something, either renegotiate or just walk away rather than risk your life. Don’t take stupid chances, advises Munro.

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