COSMETIC TOWN JOURNAL



The Reasons Why Beauty Tourism is Growing in Popularity

Posted November 06, 2019
Learn the reasons why beauty tourism grows in popularity

When it comes to having a youthful look and keeping the skin refreshed and rejuvenated in appearance, patients are willing to travel all over the globe to get the results they desire. The practice of traveling overseas for cosmetic procedures is often called “beauty tourism” and it is growing in popularity. Some of the most popular beauty tourism treatments include liposuction, cosmetic dentistry, rhinoplasty and Botox.

Why Patients Travel Overseas for Beauty Tourism

Patients make the decision to travel overseas for a variety of reasons including shorter waiting periods to have a procedure and lower costs to have a cosmetic treatment that is not covered by insurance.

In a recent interview, Daniel Levine, CEO of the Avant-Guide Institute (a trends consultancy), said that this “type of travel is growing and it is inspired by vanity, brag-ability, the desire to add meaning to one’s travels and the promise of saving money.”

Thanks to the lower costs that are often found outside of the United States, many patients travel overseas and this makes beauty tourism a phenomenon that is primarily driven by the price of the treatments. The cost of a cosmetic treatment depends on a number of factors including:

  • The country where the beauty tourism is performed
  • The type of treatment the patient is having performed
  • If the cosmetic treatment is covered by insurance

According to Patients Beyond Borders, patients can save anywhere from 15\\%-85\\% over the cost of a procedure in the United States. In addition, Patients Beyond Borders says the medical tourism market is worth an average of $87.5-billion dollars as patients spend an average of $3410 per visit. While this might seem like a large number per patient, it is also relatively small since the price includes medical care costs, accommodations, transportation and inpatient stays. The average of $3410 is a fraction of the cost of what some of these procedures would cost in the United States.

Overseas Beauty Tourism Top Destinations

Patients that want to travel overseas for beauty tourism often choose these destinations:

  • Thailand where patients can save up to 25\\% of what they would spend at home
  • Brazil where Americans can save around 40\\% on their procedure costs
  • Mexico, Turkey, Taiwan and Costa Rica allow patients to save around half the cost of cosmetic procedures in the United States
  • India can help American patients save up to 90\\% of the costs they would expect to pay in the United States

Beauty Tourism and American Patients

Thanks to the rise of social media, patients are constantly exposed to images of what they think they are supposed to look like at all time. Since travel is easy for almost anyone to book, having a cosmetic procedure in another country is not hard for people to enjoy.

It is estimated that around 1.9-million Americans will travel outside of the country to undergo procedures this year. Their destination largely depends on the type of treatment they are seeking to have performed on their body.

Countries that have high investments in healthcare infrastructure, by both the government and the private sector, are top destinations for patients. In addition, American patients are looking for countries with a commitment to transparency and international accreditation. There are more than 950 hospitals and clinical departments around the world that have accreditation from the JCI which is the U.S.-based Joint Commission’s international affiliate agency. That number looks to grow by about 20\\% per year according to Patients Beyond Borders.

The cosmetic procedures that are the most popular surgical choices include:

The most popular non-surgical procedure continues to be injectables and the most popular choice is Botox.

Beauty Tourism Patients and Research

While patients that practice beauty tourism to get the results they desire have many choices when it comes to countries to visit, they still need to do their research and watch out for potential risks or issues.

They need to keep in mind the amount of recovery time they will need to undergo for surgical procedures as well as less-invasive treatments. They should also plan on having a friend or a family member travel with them so they won’t be alone in a distant location during the recovery period.   

Many countries package their beauty travel treatments with hotel stays that offer time at the pool and other fun activities. Patients should keep in mind that they will be recovering during their stay overseas so they might not be able to take part in fun, outdoor activities. Americans that plan on traveling overseas for cosmetic procedures should be more concerned with the quality of their medical care and less concerned with the extra activities that are available to them during their visit.

Finally, patients should be aware that any complications might be hard to manage after they have returned home from an overseas trip. Having a cosmetic procedure performed at home means the cosmetic surgeon will be able to easily provide patients with any necessary help or instructions. The ability to easily visit, or speak, with a cosmetic surgeon that is located in another country can make a smooth recovery an issue for some patients. They might have to pay out-of-pocket for additional care and will also need to find a new doctor in the United States to take care of any complications that occurred overseas.

MA

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