It has become increasingly common for U.S. citizens to travel abroad for cosmetic procedures. Early this year, I published an article for the American Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS) on the dangers of medical tourism. Among the many reasons not to have plastic surgery performed abroad include unsanitary conditions, unqualified physicians and high complication rates however, there may be less obvious reasons why patients should reconsider this risky option. According to a recent international study, there are varying opinions on the ideal breast augmentation among plastic surgeons throughout the world. The most notable are differing perspectives on desirable outcomes for breast and areola shape and size. For example, in India patients seek a fuller breast while in other countries such as France they prefer a smaller overall shape and size. Additionally, Germans prefer a smaller-sized areola while the U.S., India and France prefer larger. Many people assume there is an international standard of “beautiful” or “most aesthetically pleasing” but research proves this is not always the case.
This information re-emphasizes my previous argument on why I do not recommend traveling overseas for plastic surgery. Because of varying cultural differences, traveling patients increase their risk of having unsatisfactory results. Dr. Greenwald reduces the likelihood of undesired outcomes by having thorough discussions with each of his patients. “My responsibility is to listen to my patient’s concerns and provide the information they need to make an informed decision.” He adds, “We discuss all options and together determine a surgical plan to achieve optimal results.”
