Beware Of Overseas Cheap Plastic Surgery, Say Leicester Hospitals Surgeons, England

Main Category: Cosmetic Medicine / Plastic Surgery
Article Date: 16 Dec 2008 - 0:00 PST

email to a friend   printer friendly   view / write opinions   rate article

Plastic surgeons at Leicester's hospitals have issued a stark warning against cheap overseas plastic surgery. Surgeons at the Leicester Royal Infirmary have seen a rise in the number of cases of botched surgery from overseas which has gone wrong and required treatment or even emergency or reconstructive surgery on the NHS.

Of the 10 cases which occured this year, five were related to breast augmentation (breast enlargement or breast reshape) and five to other operations including tummy tuck, face and neck lift and nose job. Of the 10 cases, five required emergency surgery and two now face more complex reconstructive surgery. Destinations for surgery ranged from Eastern Europe, the Far East and India.

Going overseas can save hundreds or even thousands of pounds compared to having private treatment in the UK.

Plastic surgeon Graham Offer said: "We have seen an increase in cases of surgery carried out overseas, including women who have undergone breast implants that have become infected and need removing, and one patient who has required reconstructive surgery on her nose, using skin from elsewhere and rib grafts after part of the nose was damaged by infection.

"There are two main problems with overseas surgery: firstly that it may be poor surgery with poor infection control. Secondly an infection can occur after surgery, wherever it was done, but if it was done overseas, there is no follow-up. Patients may come back to the UK and not feel quite right, but don't know where to go. In the UK patients can see their surgeon and get antibiotics, but if you had surgery overseas, you can't hop back on a plane.

Patients tend to leave it until it gets serious and then it requires more extensive treatment, and even reconstructive surgery. The operation may only cost the patient a few hundred pounds but can end up costing the NHS thousands."

One of his patients, Louise, from Leicester, now in her 40s, had a botched nose job while on holiday in the Far East. The operation cost £600 - in the UK it would be closer to £4,000.

She said: "My nose was broken when I was a teenager and as I got older it became more prominent. I didn't plan it, but was going on holiday anyway and a friend said they had he best surgeons in the world there and that it was cheap. So I went in to a centre and was out in two hours."

"But it began to smell funny and I went back a week later and was told it was okay."

On returning home, she left it for four months before going to see her GP, who gave repeated courses of antibiotics, which failed to work. By the time she saw Mr Offer, her nose had to be partially removed, and eventually reconstructed. She has now undergone five operations to rebuilt her nose.

"I was too embarrassed to tell anyone what happened, other than my family what and told friends it was an injury - even now they don't know the truth. I am very grateful to Mr Offer for all that he has done, and it does look better now.

"I suppose you get what you pay for."

It comes following research published by The British Association of Plastic, Reconstructive and Aesthetic Surgeons (BAPRAS) which found rising numbers of patients being treated on the NHS for complications related to cosmetic surgery performed outside of the UK. At least 208 cases occurred in 2007 and more than a quarter had to undergo emergency surgery.

There is no clear NHS policy on treatment of these patients for complications of their surgery or for revisions of their procedures. For example infected breast implants will be removed, but not replaced.

BAPRAS warns that cosmetic operations involve major surgery and anyone considering surgery abroad must make sure they are fully aware of the complications that can occur and think about how these will be dealt with. It says they should not assume that the NHS will pick up the pieces and, they may find themselves having to pay privately for follow-up surgery here.

"We would advise against going overseas for cosmetic surgery, but if you do, do plenty of research into the surgical centre you choose and consider how it can be followed up if there any complications," added Mr Offer.

Cosmetic surgery operations revise or change appearance, colour, texture, structural position of body features to achieve what patients perceive to be more desirable.

The British Association of Plastic Surgeons was founded in 1946 and is the professional representative body for plastic and reconstructive surgeons in the United Kingdom. It changed its name to British Association of Plastic, Reconstructive and Aesthetic Surgeons (BAPRAS) in July 2006 to reflect better the breadth of the work that its members do.

BAPRAS has 770 members in total. Anyone can check the GMC to find out if a surgeon is on the plastic surgery specialist register: http://www.gmc-uk.org/register/search/index.asp

Source
Communications
University Hospitals of Leicester NHS Trust
www.uhl-tr.nhs.uk