One in four cosmetic surgery patients are medical tourists

A survey by the international cosmetic surgery portal Estheticon.com found that one in four cosmetic surgery procedures carried out in the Czech Republic in 2008/2009 were for international clients. This shows a significant rise from the year before when only one in five were from abroad.According to the clinics, the main reasons for the rise were the economic crisis (people were prepared to travel for cheaper surgery procedures) and the increase in quality of treatment, including complementary services such as accommodation. The Czech Republic offers patients skilled medical treatment for an extremely low price.

Pavel Hilbert of Estheticon.com comments, “Many cosmetic surgery clinics have put great emphasis on their overall presentation together with quality, professionalism and range of services so there is no difference from reputable clinics in Western Europe. Good surgery alone is not enough nowadays. Clients expect excellent overall quality including consultations, professional staff, pleasant surroundings and various complementary services.”

The number of foreign clients differs across clinics. 38% of all clinics report that international clients make up not more than 5% of their overall client number. In contrast, 26% of clinics (especially the bigger ones) report that international clients can be very important at 30% to 50% of their total clientele.

Most of the international clients for Czech clinics come from Germany, Britain, Austria, Switzerland, Slovakia and the United States. A survey among doctors and clinics showed 92% of them stated that Germany is one of the top four countries for international clients, while 63% of doctors say that Britain is in the top four. Other countries mentioned ranked in the following order: Austria (one of the top four countries for 24% of doctors), Switzerland (20%), Slovakia (15%) and United States (11%). International clients also come from Italy, Canada, Ireland and Russia.

Pavel Hilbert advises that when considering patient safety there are a few general recommendations that patients should be aware of when choosing a clinic or doctor:
•    Cosmetic surgery qualifications.
•    Membership in relevant cosmetic surgery society.
•    Years of experience.
•    Number of treatments performed.
•    Rapport with and confidence in the doctor.
•    Time to reflect on the procedure after initial consultation (14 days is recommended).

A survey conducted by Estheticon.com in Germany showed that 44% would definitely not travel to another country to have surgery, however cheap the price is.

ISCARE Clinic is to exhibit at London medical tourism show Destination Health. The clinic opened in 1995 and since then has offered a range of services in assisted reproduction. It has a high success rate. The IVF team was trained by leading specialists from Israel, where the success rate in treating infertility is the highest in the world. In  2005 it added the treatment of obesity, including bariatric and surgical methods. In 2007 the clinic added gastroenterology and cosmetic surgery.