The Truth About Surgery Holidays

Medical Tourism Overseas vs the West

Surgery holidays have been considered a dubious venture to some, but with the advent of the internet, many people are starting to realize the benefits of traveling away for medical or cosmetic services. With long wait lists and high prices, many assume surgery is unattainable without the taking huge risks of traveling abroad for surgery. In most cases, a medical tourist traveling to Asia can save up to 40 – 70% off AUD, UK and US/CAN prices. And it is this significance in cost that has led throngs of these new type of tourists flocking to hospitals in Asia and South America. Also, the appeal of recuperating in privacy, whilst still enjoying a tropical vacation converts even the most non-believers.

“According to the National Coalition on Health Care, approximately half a million Americans traveled internationally to seek surgical treatment in 2007.” Source: Treatment Abroad

With international standards of service and equipment and private medical facilities requiring licensing from the local Ministries of Health, these locations are quickly becoming a preferred destination for foreign visitors seeking major and minor surgery at a fraction of the cost of identical procedures in their home countries. With state-of-the-art hospitals and highly-skilled surgeons, coupled with lower cost of living, our destinations in Malaysia, Thailand, Mexico and Costa Rica make it easy and affordable for overseas patients to spend an extended period of recovery plus enjoying the beautiful culture these countries have to offer.

How We Differ From the Rest – Cosmetic Surgery Benefits

The statistics for clients requiring review surgery with Gorgeous Getaways is in line with what you would find at home. Our client support is second to none. We now have over 5,000 clients with over 99% client satisfaction. We stand behind our services and offer the GG guarantee that covers flights, accommodation and medical costs in the case that you would require a follow up procedure.

Before making your decision you need to weigh up the facts:

  • The statistics of needing corrective surgery with Gorgeous Getaways is about the same as what you would find at home. We have had over 3,000 patients, and only a few have returned back for corrective work.
  • Our hospitals and surgeons are leading healthcare providers in their country, and all follow international quality standards. All surgeries are carried out in private hospitals attended by a full medical teams. The hospitals and medical teams are all of the highest standards, with many having extensive international qualifications and experience. They offer similar standards of private healthcare as you will find at home, with the same high quality technical and health care equipment.
  • Our surgeons are the best in their countries, and all are fully qualified Plastic and Reconstructive surgeons. Most of our surgeons have had training overseas, including in the UK, Canada, US, and Australia.

Best Value for Money

Our surgeons and hospitals are not the cheapest packages that you will find, but they are the best value for money, considering their experience, expertise and training. “Cheap” is not what we offer because quality costs a little more. Beware of anything less expensive than our packages, something will always be compromised, either the standards of the surgeon, hospital, implants or care.

As with any surgeon or destination, your risks are increased if you do not follow the surgeon’s advice. Making your own travel and accommodation arrangements to save a few dollars will mean no medical assistance or after care. We have guidelines for the safe length of stay, and strongly recommend that you stay in our accommodation which is recommended for patients, and includes daily nursing and customer service care.

Experience and Guidelines

Our guidelines extend to looking after your health – not smoking, resting and relaxing and following a proper diet – all assist with recovery. Complications can occur and health risks will definitely be increased if a patient does not follow their surgeon’s advice.

As with any surgery done anywhere, the more surgery you have, the more likelihood for some ‘touch ups’ and revision work. This should not be called anything more than a “touch up”, because, if you are having extensive surgery, then you need to expect that there may be a few areas that could do with improving. This occurs with patients having full body lifts combined with other procedures. A good example is liposuction, only a certain amount of fat can be removed safely during liposuction, so you may need to get this done again if you require more to be removed. Healthy expectations will go a long way for your satisfaction and enjoyment of your results.

Reducing Risk

Your risks are reduced by traveling with Gorgeous Getaways, as we have more support and services than any other operator. Our support staff include:

  • Customer Service Managers
  • Nurses
  • Assistants or Helpers
  • Our team is here to support and assist you throughout your stay, ensuring that you are healthy, happy and recover well.

Pre and Post surgery Care

We offer support and assistance before and after you travel, including the ability to speak with your surgeon on the telephone or by video conference. You can also meet and speak with past clients, who are willing to share their experience and results. Should you have any concerns about your surgery once you arrive home, we will discuss these in consultation with your surgeon and assess on a case by case basis.

At Gorgeous Getaways, we treat our clients as a favorite member of our family.

Compare all aspects to having the surgery done at home to the value you get through Gorgeous Getaways. Even though your surgeon may be ‘close’ to you at home, he/she may not be contactable. Is a guarantee available? Is corrective surgery free of charge? We have had many patients correct a procedure done at home because it would cost them even more to have their surgery done again with their original surgeon. So do your research carefully and ask your surgeon what guarantee he/she provides.

Best Results

For best results with any surgery, please consider the following:

  • Have reasonable expectations – do not expect perfection, any surgeon can only improve on your current assets. Those who are happiest with their results have reasonable expectations – for eg. Liposuction will not make you thin all over, facelifts will be ‘natural’ and not remove every wrinkle and line. Healthy expectations are the core of any successful surgery, regardless of the surgeon you choose.
  • Do know that there are surgery risks, have a healthy knowledge of these, read up on them. In reality the chance of these risks is so small, but it is still important to read about them. We will provide detailed information to you about the surgeries and the risks.
  • Do follow the advice and guidance of the surgeon post surgery. The most important is: no smoking, good diet, resting with no exertion for the first few weeks, taking your medications as prescribed. Failure to follow advice may result in health problems which could be serious.

Arrival Date

It is advisable to arrive 2 days before surgery so that you give your body a chance to get over the flight, and stay the minimum time that GG recommends for your surgery. This is very important to make sure that you have healed and rested before returning home. Your care is our main concern, problems can arise when patients return home too soon or go on a holiday by themselves without sufficient support.

  • Do understand that a small % of patients may have aesthetic problems, but this is so minimal. To reduce this risk, the most important thing is to talk in detail to your surgeon in the pre-consultation. Let him know what you want and don’t want. Be attentive to where the incisions and scarring will be. If you are not comfortable with the answers, then DO NOT proceed with surgery. If you do fall into the very small percentage of people who have problems with surgery – for eg. scarring that you would like improved – then we assess this as a case by case basis with the surgeon to find the best solution for each individual.
  • You will be able to see close to final results before you depart for home. Even though there may be some residual bruising and swelling. At your pre departure consultation you should discuss any concerns you may have with your surgeon. But remember assistance and advice is only a phone call away with us.

In summary, we cannot give absolute guarantees of perfection (We think this is impossible of most things in life!) But we do advise the cosmetic surgery benefits, and reduce the risks by having the very best surgeons, hospitals, implants, and our ground team to help you throughout. We only ask if you share responsibility with us during your crucial recovery period.

We encourage you to read the case studies and testimonials of our clients, telling you the ups and downs of surgery. You can also speak with any of these ladies, just ask your Gorgeous Getaways manager for details. Finally, do read about our many positive stories in the media and remember to be objective while making up your mind.