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Medical tourism is booming, as more and more countries have realized that they can bring in big money from foreigners who can get things done for far less than in their home countries. You might think that the travelers would be almost all Americans, but even people from countries with national healthcare systems like Canada and the UK are often unwilling or unable to wait for their number to come up on the waiting list, so having an affordable procedure done elsewhere is the best option.
There is also a huge industry built up in cosmetic and dental surgery, and many of these medical tourists are able to combine their procedures with sightseeing or relaxing beforehand or during the recovery period. If you want a nose job, having the people of India see the bandages isn’t quite as bad as having your neighbors see them.
Here are 7 of the major players around the world:
Brazil
Rio de Janeiro, Brazil The largest country in South America is a special kind of medical tourism destination because it appeals to the crowd who believe it’s much better to look good than to feel good. Brazil is notoriously looks-obsessed, and many will stop at nothing to make their appearance all it can be. The tropical sunshine and packed beaches mean that Brazilians spend a good portion of their lives wearing not much at all, which certainly adds to the formula that has made the country so accepting of cosmetic surgery.
The United States has around 5,000 licensed cosmetic surgeons, and Brazil only trails by a bit with 4,000, making it the world’s second largest plastic surgery market. The country is loaded with first-class facilities (for these sorts of things), and doctors who are considered the best at this in all of Latin America.
Popular procedures
As mentioned, it’s all about cosmetic surgery here. This includes common things such as breast augmentation, liposuction, facelifts, dental implants, and hair transplants, but also new procedures like internal bras, liposelection, jet peel skin rejuvenation, and threadlifts, all at prices about half of what you’d pay in the US or UK. Cosmeticvacations.com is an industry leader and a good place to start your search. Their website gently mocks visitors by playing The Girl From Ipanema as you browse their home page.
Today, many are crossing borders in search of medical immediacy and lower cost healthcare due to rising costs and longer waits at home. Medical tourism is now a global phenomenon with new regions on the rise as several countries continue to capitalize on their areas of expertise from the Thai tuck to the Brazilian booty. Whether you’re looking for a heart valve, hip or a lift, do your research well in advance, as the cream will rise to the top. Here are three red-hot regions and three facilities where the pleasure far outweighs the pain.
Brazil, known as the world capital of plastic surgery, has a long history in the market. According to Michael Boeckle, proprietor of Cosmetic Vacations based in Brazil, it’s all about quality, not quantity. Boeckle and Brazil take the business very seriously. Unlike in the U.S., where many procedures are simply done in an office, in Brazil they are not only done in a hospital, but in specific, plastic-surgery-only hospitals.
While clients flock to Brazil from all over the world, a shocking 90 percent of their clients are American. The trend for Americans is to focus on the body first — breasts, lipo, tucks and the world-renowned Brazilian booty. Europeans, on the other hand, are more likely to go face first, with body procedures coming in second.
The Brazilian Society of Plastic Surgery prohibits the listing of prices online or otherwise as all treatments and procedures are extremely personalized. “We are not selling used cars,” according to Boeckle. But, expect a 30 to 50 percent decrease from U.S. fees. A new trend with Cosmetic Vacations will be visits to U.S. cities starting this fall, where doctors will work one on one with potential patients. All the guesswork will be worked out well in advance. Expect to stay a minimum of one week and as long as three or four in Rio, Porto Bay or the Copacabana Palace. CosmeticVacations.com
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>> Find Karin Loftus' Article in Z!INK Magazine Online
July 29, 2008
The technique of Professor Doctor Ronaldo Miguel uses no scalpel and suture points, which is 90% less traumatic than a dental extraction. In the majority of the cases, the final treatment is completed within 10 to 15 days.
In light of being a simple procedure, individuals between the ages of 16 to 80 can be eligible for this treatment.
In 2002, Professor Doctor Ronaldo Miguel received the medal and diploma from Scientific Merit in the Worldwide Congress of Dental Implantations, in Bucarest , Romania . In this same year, he was invited lecturer of the International Congress of Implantodontie in Francavilla, Al Maré, Italy .
Professor Doctor Ronaldo Miguel points out: "I started in 1970, when I performed several dental implantations then I went to France where I became Professor of Societe’ Odontologique des Implants Aiquiles, Paris . At that time, the majority of my colleagues did not subscribe to “Implantodontia” (Dental implantations). However, with the passage of time, things have changed as Bertold Brecht says: “ The truth is the daughter of time and not of authority.”
>> Find out more about the Dentist who performs this technique in Rio de Janeiro
July 15, 2008
by PR.com
The Medical Tourism Association has launched “accreditation” to ensure the safety and overall positive results for patients traveling from one country to another. “Having the right processes and procedures in place to assist international patients has a direct correlation to better surgical outcomes for those patients.
Patients who dropped most pounds went off diabetes meds and into remission, study found
June 18, 2008
by Robert Preidt, Healthday News
Weight loss plays a major role in improving diabetes after obese patients have stomach-reduction surgery, say Duke University Medical Center researchers.
Previous studies have suggested that gastric bypass surgery -- which re-routes how food is sent from the stomach to the small intestine -- helps improve diabetes by causing changes in the way hormones are secreted from the gut and pancreas.
But the metabolic effects shouldn't overshadow the importance of losing weight after surgery, the Duke team said.
"Yes, there are physiologic changes related to the restructuring of the gastrointestinal or GI tract that appear to influence the rapid improvement in diabetes following gastric bypass. But our study shows the patients who were able to get off medications completely and go into remission were the ones who lost the most weight," Dr. Eric DeMaria, director of bariatric surgery at Duke University Medical Center, said in prepared statement. Read More...
By eHow Travel Editor June, 2008
Cosmetic surgery vacations are a recent travel trend. While going abroad for your face-lift or tummy-tuck can save you money and gain you a share of privacy, it is important that you prepare carefully. Follow the steps below to increase your chances of success.
Treatment abroad, April 11th 2008
Brazil is an excellent consideration for cosmetic surgery with breathtaking scenery and warm hospitable people and is known all around the world for its professionalism and the expertise of its plastic surgeons, who undertake eleven years of intensive study and training in order to practice. Looking good is very important to the Brazilians and due to the favourable exchange rate cosmetic surgery is available at a fraction of most UK prices. The medical tourist in Brazil can expect to pay £1,550 for rhinoplasty compared with between £3,000 and £4,000 in the UK, and a facelift can cost under £2,000 compared with typical prices of £4,300 to £6,000 in the UK.
The bulk of plastic and cosmetic surgery clinics are located in the cities of Rio de Janeiro, São Paulo and Recife and, in fact, Recife is known as the plastic surgery capital in the world and the most popular city in the north east.
Private clinics/hospitals in Brazil have modern operating and anaesthesiology equipment and must adhere to the government’s high standards of hygiene. Portuguese is the national language but it will probably sound quite different to the Portuguese you may have heard on holiday in the Algarve - both in intonation and accent, but medical staff who work in the private Brazilian clinics and hospitals do speak English, or have qualified bilingual assistants to hand.
Jan 26, 2008
I've suffered my whole life with an awful nose and ha no idea I could fix it so easily. In America, where I leave, I could never afford a plastic surgery. My great experience started as I found out Brazil Cosmetic Vacations, acompany that helps people to go to Brazil, the country that offers the best plastic surgeons for the lowest price. Once I made contact with Cosmetic Vacations, all I had to do was send pictures of my nose, and they help me with all I needed: the best doctor indicated for my case, hotel reservation, an agent to guide me from airport to the appointment and then to the hotel, a nurse... I mean, I didnt have to worry about anything because the Cosmetic Vacations dedication and experience took care of all. If you think plastic surgery the best place to do it is in Brazil, and with Cosmetic Vacations !
In Germany, there aren´t many places you can go to for a plastic surgery, or one where the results are completely satisfying. After much online researching, I found many results, and most of these seemed to be directed to a clinic in Brazil. That didn´t impress me, seeing as people there tend to be very beautiful, so I looked into some sites for further information and eventually found one which included the best deal, called Cosmetic Vacations. I contacted them and they helped plan my trip thoroughly, with flight and accomodation expenses included and taken care of, as well as someone to personally assist you in the pre and post operation process. The results were more than satisfying and they´ve won a customer in Germany.
Posted 1/8/2008 7:45:56 AM
Brazil's Ivo Pitanguy is one of plastic surgery's founding fathers. The surgeon, 80, has performed face- lifts, breast enhancements and other operations on thousands of patients. He has taught more than 600 cosmetic surgeons, who are practicing in at least 43 countries, and is the inventor of procedures reproduced around the globe, including techniques for minimizing scarring, and the "Brazilian butt-lift", in which flesh is added to a patient's behind to make it rounder. [read more]
A growing number of Americans are taking that path, traveling to countries like Thailand, Costa Rica and Malaysia for cosmetic, orthopedic and heart surgeries and other medical and dental treatments that cost 20 to 80 percent less than at home.
Last year, Medical Tour International sent 1,324 people to India, Costa Rica, Thailand and Brazil for procedures like in-vitro fertilization, dental work and orthopedic surgery. Ms. Sulger says she expects sales this year to reach $1 million...[read more]
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Cosmetic Vacations and NBC´s Today Show presents:
Sun, Sand & Surgery, the TV article about Cosmetic Surgery in Rio de Janeiro Brazil.
CosmeticVacations was chosen by NBC to feature on the Today Show, America's oldest and most highly rated breakfast show. The segment on medical tourism showcases the first class medical talent and world-renowned plastic surgery facilities that form the heart of CosmeticVacations remarkable business in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. ''Americans are heading overseas, combining a cosmetic surgery with a vacation''- says Peter Greenberg - Today Show's Travel Editor
Lisa Causarano, a successful young businesswoman from Kentucky was interviewed about the procedure (breast augmentation) performed by Brazilian surgeons and the services provided CosmeticVacations. She's very pleased with the results and amazed by the way CosmeticVacations conducted the whole program.
I researched my options on the internet and thought CosmeticVacations was the best, plus Brazil is the capital of plastic surgery " - says the delighted Lisa Causarano
CosmeticVacations featured in an E! News Specialentitled - Hollywood's Plastic Surgery Secrets.
The next airing will be on Thursday, December 29, at 10pm Eastern Standard Time. See the next airings on the Website E! Entertainment.
It will premiere in Europe and the Rest of the World on January 2, 2006 and will continue showing for 6 months.
We invite you to watch the show to learn more about the great advantages of a surgical getaway with CosmeticVacations in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
Brazil is famous for its stunning women and by admission, many get a helping hand, so it is only natural that it is home to a number of cosmetic surgery clinics marketing themselves to foreigners. CosmeticVacations... [read more]
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CosmeticVacations, featured on NBC's Today Show.
Click here to watch the video.
CosmeticVacations features in an E! News Special entitled - Hollywood 's Plastic Surgery Secrets. Read more...
Linda K Nathan
January, 2006 - Read more
Win a complimentary stay in Rio
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