13 April 2023 (Last updated: 13 Apr 2023 18:25)
“BAAPS (The British Association of Aesthetic Plastic Surgery) is a charity whose aims include championing patients’ safety in addition to having an educational remit. The BAAPS has been warning for many years about the risks and dangers of cosmetic tourism - undergoing surgical procedures abroad and we are concerned about this practice being actively promoted and permissible in the U.K.
There are many reasons that cosmetic tourism is considered riskier than surgery in the UK, and these include the variation of standards of hospitals and medical centres in different countries, a variability in oversight and regulation of medical establishments and variations in clinical standards.
In addition, all surgical procedures carry a degree of risk and have a complication profile, and it is imperative that any surgical procedure does not simply end at the time of completion of the operation, but that there is continued post-operative follow-up and easy access to the clinician and medical facility in which the procedure was performed - usually impossible once a patient has returned to the UK.
Whilst no surgical procedure is risk free, we would urge the public not to consider surgery abroad for the reasons above.” Marc Pacifico, President of The BAAPS.
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