Cosmetic Surgery Tourism- Survey

In 2008 BAPRAS surveyed 208 UK consultant plastic surgeon members to find out if they had seen patients who had problems following cosmetic procedures performed outside the UK

Overview of results

Thirty-seven per cent of respondents said they or a member of their team had seen patients with complications following cosmetic procedures outside the UK. Of those who answered yes, 83% (62) consultants completed the rest of the questionnaire detailing the impact of cosmetic tourism on their NHS services.

215 patients were seen by consultants or members of their NHS team with complications or concerns relating to cosmetic procedures performed outside the UK

60% of those surveyed believe the number of patients presenting to their NHS team with complications from cosmetic procedures outside the UK has increased

41% of consultants felt that an increasing number of patients undergoing cosmetic procedures abroad will have a significant impact on their NHS service

Complications by type of procedure

Procedure	Number	%
Breast augmentation	61	29
Abdominoplasty	53	25.2
Breast reduction	33	15.7
Face/neck lift	22	10.5
Mastopexy	12	5.7
Blepharoplasty	11	5.2
Rhinoplasty	10	4.8
Buttock/thigh lift	3	1.4
Gynaecomastia surgery	2	1
Other (unspecified)	2	1
Skin reduction (non-breast)	1	0.5

Cosmetic surgery destinations abroad

Location	Number	%
Eastern Europe	82	41.2
Western Europe	67	33.7
Asia	22	11.1
South America	6	3
Middle East	5	2.5
North America	3	1.5
No response	3	1.5
Australasia	0	0

Patient Referrals

Patients were referred by	Number	%
GP	102	55
A&E	62	33
Consultant in private sector	14	8
NHS consultant	8	4

Patients referred to	Number	%
Out-patients clinic	122	64
As an emergency	69	36

Complications and treatment

Patients presented with	Number	%
Post-operative complications requiring treatment	145	74
Cosmetic concerns/dissatisfaction	50	26

Patients required	Number	%
Out-patient non-surgical treatment	69	34
Elective surgery	65	32
Emergency surgery	52	26
In-patient non-surgical treatment	17	8