Cheap Holiday Surgery Can Result In Higher Price To Pay, Warns Midlands Plastic Surgeon Birmingham, 27th October, 2008 – A leading Midlands consultant plastic surgeon in an interview with Central News, ITV, has spoken out about the dangers of going abroad for cosmetic surgery in what’s often touted as an attractive proposition with cheaper fees and a holiday thrown in. CC Kat is warning the public as this weekend brings The Health Tourism Show at Kensington’s Olympia, where seminars and exhibitors will entice visitors with massive savings compared with UK prices.
But these promises can often prove there’s a higher price to pay, as Jacqueline Evans, from Brownhills In the West Midlands, found out earlier this year. Her dream cosmetic surgery holiday to Poland to have a tummy tuck turned into a nightmare.Says the 42-year-old mother-of-two: “I decided I wanted a tummy tuck as I’d yo-yo dieted for years and it had taken its toll on my tummy. I inherited some money and decided it was time to invest in myself to make me feel better and more confident. I thoroughly researched the options, and decided to go to Poland, as I could get the operation for around half the cost of a tummy tuck in the UK. I researched the plastic surgeon and his credentials seemed impressive. “Nothing could have prepared me for the outcome. When I came round after the operation it was relatively late at night. The very next morning, first thing, I was put in a taxi and sent to my hotel from where I had to travel daily back to the hospital for check-ups and dressing changes. I developed an infection, and was very swollen and in a lot of pain. The holiday wasn’t really a holiday at all – I couldn’t wait to get back home,” she added.
Once back in the UK Jacqueline’s condition did not improve. She found that rather than showing off a new, flatter tummy, she was having to cover up a huge lumpy scar. A friend who’d had a tummy tuck in the UK advised her that the outcome was not normal and that she should see a specialist. Consultant plastic surgeon CC Kat was recommended to her, and she booked for a consultation.“Mrs Kat was horrified at the state of my scar,” said Jacqueline. “She informed me I’d have to go back under the knife in order to have the mess that had been created put right. The scar was so big and painful. It protruded and showed even through my clothes. I was booked in to have corrective surgery in September, and am delighted with the results. The aftercare was fantastic and the results are what I’d been after in the first place. I was in hardly any pain this time round.”
Jacqueline has spent £9,000 in total – and could have had the same operation in the UK for around half that cost. Says Mrs CC Kat, consultant plastic surgeon and member of the BAAPS: “Jacqueline’s story is unfortunate but sadly not that rare. She is just one of a number of corrective surgery cases I’ve performed as a result of botched holiday surgery, as more and more people are lured by the cost savings and relaxing holiday promises. But cheap can often end up being expensive, as when things go wrong and you’re back home, there’s no one to turn to in terms of aftercare. Choosing to have cosmetic surgery is a major decision and these companies should not trivialise it by advertising it as a so-called ‘holiday’.”
Jacqueline concluded:“I’ve learnt the hard way that the cash saving to be made isn’t always the best option. I was lucky enough to have the money to be able to put it right, but some people might not be so lucky and could be left scarred for life. I would urge anyone seeking cosmetic surgery to find a reputable practitioner on home soil, where you can receive the best aftercare.”