People getting cosmetic surgery abroad require further operations in Ireland
Along with tummy tucks and breast augmentation, the surgical procedures carried out on the patients outside Ireland included Brazilian butt lifts, breast lifts, breast reductions, face lifts, neck lifts, liposuction, and hair transplants. File picture
Cosmetic tourists undergoing plastic surgery abroad are requiring hospital stays and even further operations back in Ireland to treat wound infections, according to a new study.
In the largest study of its type, doctors from Connolly Hospital in Blanchardstown, Dublin, examined the records of 30 patients admitted with complications following aesthetic procedures performed between September 2021 and December 2022.
Along with tummy tucks and breast augmentation, the surgical procedures carried out on the patients outside Ireland included Brazilian butt lifts, breast lifts, breast reductions, face lifts, neck lifts, liposuction, and hair transplants.
Turkey was by far the most common destination, with 20 patients jetting to the country famous for its cheap surgical tourism packages which often include flights and accommodation.
Eight patients flew to Lithuania, and Germany and Kuwait accounted for one patient each.
Surgical site infections on returning cosmetic tourists treated by doctors in Ireland ranged from superficial skin abscesses to patients with collections of pus deep in their abdomen.
Some patients required operations to wash out their wounds or replacement dressings.
Some 65% of patients required medical procedures to treat infection, with 10 requiring surgery.
Three-quarters of the patients required hospital admission on their return to Ireland, with stays ranging from one day to 20 days, while all patients required antibiotics, with some requiring intravenous antibiotics in hospital.
The post-surgery infections, which occurred within 30 days of the initial procedure abroad, included skin necrosis in two cases.
Overall, researchers found 18 different species of bugs identified in the infected wounds including bugs resistant to several antibiotics.
“The identification of multiple MDROs [multidrug resistant organisms] in our cohort is a cause for concern for the potential problems they pose for treatment and the infection prevention and control issues they create,” said the authors.
“The presence of multiple concurrent infections in patients who had undergone more than one procedure was also found.”
The study, carried out by Dr Andrew Keane from Connolly Hospital found 40% or 12 patients had multiple procedures combined into a single surgery abroad.
Sixteen patients had an abdominoplasty, which is a tummy tuck, ten underwent breast enlargement, four had a breast reduction, three had liposuction, two had facelifts, two had neck lifts, and two had buttock enlargements.
The majority were female, only two of the 30 patients were male, and the average age was 40.
The research, published in the , said post-operative infections related to cosmetic tourism are a growing concern in plastic surgery.
“This practice has been reportedly increasing both in Ireland and internationally in recent years, although it is difficult to obtain accurate numbers— either of patients traveling or complications arising”, said the authors.
They added: “The prevalence of cosmetic tourism, both domestically and internationally, has reportedly surged in recent years, the covid-19 pandemic notwithstanding.
“Several reasons have been proposed for this in the literature to date including lower costs to patients, lengthy waiting lists, availability of procedures not available in the public health service, and patient perception that quality of care is greater in cosmetic tourism destinations.”
The authors highlighted concerns about the ability of patients to check the credentials of operating surgeons when they travel abroad.
“Outside of Ireland, it may be unclear or difficult to check if the surgeon performing the procedure is a suitably credentialled plastic surgeon as there may not be a specialist register easily accessible to members of the public.”
They said cosmetic tourists often present with complications to local health services in their home country due to limited post-operative care provided in the country of operation and the financial and logistical challenges related to returning to the hospital abroad.
“Medical and consumer protection legislation may be disparate even between neighboring countries and patients may find they have limited recourse to return and receive further treatment or care in the case of complications," said the authors.
“Infection is among the most common post-operative complications encountered in cosmetic tourism, often felt to relate to inadequate sterilisation and operative techniques, and presents as wound infection or dehiscence."
