At a Mexican border crossing feeding into
Southern California, an immigration agent scrutinized a passport. He questioned
whether the face in the picture matched that of the woman standing before him.
Two days after getting a chemical peel in Tijuana, she was almost
unrecognizable.
“My face
was red and raw and coated in what felt like Vaseline; my eyes were swollen
shut,” says the 45-year-old Brooklyn-based bartender who declined to give her
name due to privacy reasons. “I went to Mexico since it was way cheaper than in
the US — $3,000 there compared to $6,000 here — and I wound up having the work
done inside a tiny office in the middle of Tijuana.”
While the
incident happened only five years ago, it hearkens back to the bad old days of
medical tourism — when the desperately ill (or the desperate to look beautiful)
took their chances with sketchy doctors using questionable equipment.
Currently, however, with medical tourism booming, options have increased and
conditions have improved.
An
international wing of the Joint Commission, a 65-year-old nonprofit
organization that monitors the quality of health-care facilities, has, as of
Feb. 29, accredited 561 international hospitals. Ten years ago, only 27 had the
seal of approval.
According
to Josef Woodman, CEO of the international medical and health travel Web site
Patients Beyond Borders, increasing numbers of people are going abroad for
health care. Judging by data from ministries of health and hospitals around the
world, he says, 1.2 million to 1.4 million Americans are now heading overseas
for surgery annually. And that number has been increasing by an average of 23
percent per year for the last 10 years. He attributes recent rises, in part, to
Obamacare making Americans increasingly comfortable with shopping for
physicians and insurance plans.
“You are
not going to a mud hut where they use rusty scalpels,” says Woodman.
But you
will be saving money. Doctors are often paid less overseas, where costs of
living are lower and overheads are more modest.
Jessica
Cooper, a 22-year-old school teacher from New Jersey, experienced that when she
visited Colombia to enhance her nose, which had gotten banged-up during a
childhood fall.
“It never
healed correctly and I had been completely self-conscious about it,” she says.
An aunt of hers had successfully gotten a tummy tuck in Medellín, Colombia,
plus several relatives live there.
“Surgery
is so much cheaper in Colombia — like half the price,” Cooper enthuses. “I had
no pain and a great doctor — he was from New Jersey and spoke perfect English.
Plus, the office was gorgeous.”
And she
couldn’t be happier with the result. “I love my new nose,” Cooper says.
“There’s no bump!”
But
before seeking medical care overseas, it’s imperative to do your homework. Make
sure your doctor speaks English, has practiced in America (or is US-board
certified) and graduated from a reputable medical school, says Woodman.
Here’s a
Woodman-approved guide to popular medical tourism destinations.
Mexico
Specialty:
Bariatric surgery
Procedure:
Gastric bypass
Price:
$6,600 to $8,500 ($25,000 in the US)
Recovery:
Two to three days
Why go:
Close to the US, doctors are often board-certified in both Mexico and America
(as is Dr. Alejandro Quiroz at Vida Wellness and Beauty Center in Tijuana).
While there, check out the cool, new wineries in Baja’s hot grape-growing
district Guadalupe Valley.
Colombia
Specialty:
Cosmetic surgery
Procedure:
Rhinoplasty
Price:
$3,300 ($6,200 in the US)
Recovery:
Two weeks
Why go:
There are 500,000 plastic surgeries performed in Colombia each year. The
industry was built on the sudden fortunes of narco-traffickers, and is now
popular among the middle class. Plus, you can heal while shaded on the beaches
of Cartagena — think of it as a mellower version of Rio — complete with cool
restaurants, hopping salsa joints and colonial architecture.
Barbados
Specialty:
Reproductive surgery
Procedure:
In vitro fertilization
Price:
$5,750 ($12,000 in the US)
Recovery:
None
Why go:
Barbados Fertility Centre is one of the few Joint Commission-accredited
fertility clinics outside of the United States, and claims twice the average
success rate that patients experience in America. And since you and your
beloved have already saved a bundle, why not splurge on a room at the island’s
luxury oceanfront Sandy Lane resort?
Hungary
Specialty:
Restorative and cosmetic dentistry
Procedure:
Four-implant bridge
Price:
$12,000 ($22,000 in the US)
Recovery:
Two days outpatient plus a followup visit in three to six months
Why go:
Hungary has more dentists per capita than any other country. Even better, you
can road-test your new choppers at one of Hungary’s new “home supper clubs,” in
which you dine in the residences of local epicureans.
India
Specialty:
Orthopedic surgery
Procedure:
Hip resurfacing
Price:
$8,000 ($34,000 in the US)
Recovery:
Up to three days inpatient plus 11 days outpatient
Why go: Considering
that 7 percent of physicians in America are of Indian descent, the country is
rising as a medical hotbed and breeding superstar bonemen such as Dr. Vijay
Bose. Bose, who’s based in Chennai, a city in eastern India, has performed more
than 1,200 hip resurfacing surgeries. Afterward, strolling through Chennai’s
gallery-rich Cholamandal Artists’ Village will help you get accustomed to your
new hip.
Thailand
Specialty:
Cosmetic surgery
Procedure:
Full face-lift (including neck)
Price:
$5,600 ($15,000 in the US)
Recovery:
One night inpatient plus seven to 10 days outpatient
Why go:
According to Woodman, Thailand is the world’s most traveled destination for
cosmetic surgery, and Bangkok’s Bumrungrad International Hospital feels more
like a top-flight hotel than a medical center. It ranks as the first Asian
hospital to receive accreditation from Joint Commission International. And
while you’re there, you can pick up some new threads. Thailand’s custom
tailoring industry mirrors its medical one: Prices are low and quality runs
high.
South Korea
Specialty:
Cosmetic surgery
Procedure:
Breast augmentation (gel implant)
Price:
$7,500 ($11,000 in the US)
Recovery:
One night inpatient plus four or five days outpatient
Why go:
The country boasts a highly regulated, government-controlled cosmetic-surgery
industry, and Woodman ranks it among the safest places in the world for going
under the aesthetic knife. Afterward, check out COEX, the largest underground
mall in Asia, situated in the famously ritzy Gangnam neighborhood of Seoul.
No comments:
Post a Comment