*Disclaimer – There is no guarantee of specific results and results can vary from patient to patient. Our team of consultant plastic surgeons will ensure you are in safe hands and discuss your results at your consultation.

During the past decade, we have seen a growing trend in the number of people travelling abroad for cosmetic surgery procedures in an effort to save money. Unfortunately, as the percentage of people travelling abroad for surgery increases, the number of horror stories of botched operations, unhappy patients and corrective procedures needed to fix the damage done increases also. Whilst we’re all trying to save money where possible, the results are often not worth the risks and as with all matters relating to cosmetic surgery, extensive research is essential and doing your homework before making the decision to travel abroad for surgery is highly recommended.

Lack Of Regulation

A lack of regulation in many of the countries people are travelling to means that standards vary greatly from clinic to clinic and from surgeon to surgeon. In some cases, it can be difficult to verify and assess the doctor’s credentials or the clinic’s safety properly without first going in person. Additionally, the language barrier and lack of familiarity with the country can raise further difficulties. At The Avoca Clinic, we have assembled a team of surgeons, award-winning nurses and patient care specialists who have now cared for over 5500 patients in Ireland alone. Each member of the team has been personally selected based on their expertise and the quality of their commitment to the well being of the patient.

The situation in Ireland is mirrored in the UK where an increasing number of patients who have travelled abroad for cosmetic surgery procedures have had complications. According to The Guardian newspaper, “a survey by the British Association of Aesthetic Plastic Surgeons (Baaps) revealed the number of patients reporting complications after treatment abroad is on the increase. Three out of five Baaps members reported a rise of at least 25%-35% during the past five years”. Furthermore, according to research carried out by the comparison website Confused.com, almost half the patients who travelled abroad from the UK were not happy with the results of their surgery and a worryingly high proportion ultimately needed corrective treatment after returning home.

Aftercare

Whilst it can be tempting to travel abroad for surgery from a financial point of view, one of the key factors to consider before choosing to do so is the potential lack of aftercare both immediately after your surgery and over the following weeks and months. Travelling abroad for any kind of surgical treatment is potentially dangerous because if a problem arises the patient is a long distance away from the clinic who provided the initial treatment. At The Avoca Clinic, we pride ourselves on our excellent patient aftercare which is documented by numerous happy patients of ours who opted to document their journeys with video blogs which you can view on our website here as well as countless positive testimonials and reviews. Ciara Drea, a recent patient of ours who underwent Breast Augmentation surgery in July remarked on how the clinic was always there for her before and after her operation, stayed in touch with her in the days following her surgery and arranged a series of follow up meetings to assess how she was getting on during the recovery period.

Our state of the art clinics, which are located in discrete and private settings, are the perfect environments in which a patient can relax and recover in peace, comfortable in their surroundings. Those who travel abroad for surgery risk doing so in an alien and potentially less than the ideal environment which is usually more difficult to properly research before making the decision to travel. Furthermore, we offer the additional benefit of our Crisalix Virtual Aesthetics technology, 3D software which renders images of patients breasts and bodies to show them exactly how they will look after surgery with us, which is unlikely to be found at most clinics offering cut-price procedures abroad.

At the end of the day, the most important thing is your health and wellbeing and at The Avoca Clinic this is paramount to our vision and why we are Ireland’s leading cosmetic surgery clinic. We cannot emphasize enough the importance of research before choosing to travel abroad for surgery. If you have any questions or are considering one of the many surgical or non-surgical procedures we provide and would like to book a free consultation, do not hesitate to call us on 01 201 4563 or send an email to info@avocaclinic.ie.