The growth in cosmetic surgery tourism in the United States

Over the past few years, we have witnessed a considerable increase in the numbers of people who are having their cosmetic surgery procedure performed outside of the United States. Cosmetic surgery clinics in countries including Panama, Costa Rica and Brazil all market themselves throughout the US, offering prices far below those available in the local market.

On the back of this rapid expansion in the numbers of people having their cosmetic surgery performed overseas, we have also witnessed the birth of a new phenomenon, that of medical tourism. Such has been the explosive growth in this industry, that is estimated that over 750,000 Americans travelled outside of the US for health care in 2007, and a recent report by Deloitte Consulting projected that medical tourism is set to increase by a factor of over ten times in the next decade. A large proportion of these patients are travelling abroad for their cosmetic surgery procedures including breast augmentation, liposuction and facelifts.

So why are so many people choosing to travel overseas for their cosmetic surgery? For the vast majority of people the answer to this is simple, price. On average, choosing to have your cosmetic surgery procedure performed outside of the United States can result in a saving of up to 50% on the equivalent surgery in your local clinic.

There are also other factors which have contribued to this increase in the numbers of people choosing to have their cosmetic surgery abroad. For example, the increased accessibility of the internet has made it considerably easier to research both the clinic and your prospective surgeons credentials and qualifications. Something which you would easily be able to do in a local clinic. Secondly, the rapid expansion of the cheap flights market has made travel to countries including Costa Rica, Panama and Mexico considerably cheaper in recent years.