Going abroad for an operation is fairly popular nowadays. People do that if the specialists in their country cannot perform that kind of very difficult operation that the patient requires or for financial reasons. Surgery in some parts of the globe is a lot cheaper and some people prefer travelling to be operated on to receiving the services of a surgeon in their own country.
Countries outside the UK like Thailand may offer cheaper nose surgery, but buyer beware!...
Plastic surgery has developed tremendously in the last decade. People who need the size and shape of their noses altered or structural abnormalities in the nose corrected do not waste much time before making an appointment with a surgeon and getting their problem fixed.
Like any other type of cosmetic surgery, rhinoplasty is not cheap. There are several costs involved in the process and one could never pay less than £3000 for nose surgery in Western Europe and the USA and it is quite possible that for some difficult operations the total cost should go as high as £6,000 and above. The cost may include the surgeon’s fee, surgical facility cost, anaesthesia fee, prescriptions for medication and a series of medical tests that are not quite cheap either.
When rhinoplasty is done to improve the breathing function of the nose, the procedure may be covered by insurance as it is considered reconstructive. However, performed for aesthetic reasons (unless it was caused by a terrible accident), the cost of nose surgery shall be paid by the patient. This is one of the reasons why some patients gather information about similar procedures in other countries and make plans about flying there and having their problem solved at a more convenient price than what they may be charged in their own country.
Going abroad for nose surgery should be all right if you have in mind the cost of the procedure and the adjoining fees. However, there are some other details that you might need to revise before making such a decision. First, it’s the distance, travel fees, booking a hotel for a few days before the procedure and at least one week after it. Then, there is a lot of talking involved before the operation, between you and the surgeon; language could be a barrier if the two of you don’t speak the same language (at the same level), and even if you do there could easily be misunderstandings.
Though nose surgery may not be very difficult for a specialist, there are risks involved and some of them may need attention weeks or months after the procedure, which means commuting again to your surgeon’s clinic if you can’t receive proper care over the phone. Also, if the operation is not successful and you need revision rhinoplasty, the best choice would be to see the surgeon who has performed the primary rhinoplasty, as he is familiar with your nose structure, has records and pictures of your nose and most likely knows what exactly he has previously done to it. Yet, another surgeon might be as good for a revision nose job; some of them have specialised in mending what others have done a bad job of.
Another reason why you should not go abroad for nose surgery is your inability to check the doctor for the state of his licence, disciplinary actions and malpractice judgements. In case anything happens to you, a foreign doctor’s insurance may not cover your loss. Moreover, you will probably be unable to talk to his former patients and that may add to the emotional problems a patient sometimes gets before such an operation. Let’s not forget medication – which differs from country to country – and also the plain fact that in a difficult moment like this you find yourself among strangers.