Vacation makeovers
Plastic surgeons in the United States say this to patients who travel overseas seeking a deal: You get what you pay for. It can be hard to assess the competency of a foreign surgeon, says Robert Bernard, president of the American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery (box, below). Plus, the doc will not be available for follow-up care.
Ann Seton got the benefit of a U.S.-trained surgeon and a fabulous recuperation spot. The Manhattan interior designer, 45, checked into Jamaica's MoBay Hope Medical Centre in September for a face-lift and eyelid surgery. She recuperated a few hundred yards from the hospital, in a villa furnished in wicker and mahogany, with a terrace and private pool. Seton's doctor was Paul Lorenc, a New York-based, board-certified plastic surgeon who splits his practice between Park Avenue and Jamaica. Because he is based in New York, many patients, including Seton, have pre- and post-operative visits there. Of course, they pay for the privilege: Lorenc charges New York fees for his Jamaica work. In Seton's case, that means $8,500 for the lift and $5,500 for her eyelids (plus hospital charges of $3,400). But that hasn't hurt business. In October, Lorenc began offering "medispa" weekends for patients who want to fly down for Botox injections or Restylane treatments, the injectable "filler" just approved by the Food and Drug Administration.
For many, what makes medical tourism so appealing is that no one need know there was anything medical about the trip. Stan and Phyllis Albright visited South Africa a year ago for tummy tucks, liposuction, and eyelifts. (The couple, 68 and 61, respectively, asked that their real names not be used.) Back from South Africa, they threw a Super Bowl party. "Friends kept saying we looked fantastic," says Phyllis. Funny how a good vacation can be such an uplifting experience.
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