There is no doubt that health care in America can be prohibitively expensive. Even with good medical insurance, some procedures can still incur heavy out-of-pocket costs. For procedures that medical insurance will not cover, however, the costs can skyrocket even further. For that reason, many individuals start looking for cheaper solutions. One option that many people start exploring is traveling elsewhere to have certain procedures performed. There is no doubt that traveling overseas can seem like a more cost-effective option but it may not be as cost-effective as it might appear. Here are three reasons why traveling overseas (or across the border) to have cosmetic procedures performed is not advisable and why you want to use a local plastic surgeon Tampa.
1. Education, training and licensing
There are reasons that health care in America is so expensive. One of those reasons is because of how heavily regulated the health care industry is. Surgeons and physicians in the US are not allowed to perform any procedures without several years of training and a license that is difficult to obtain and closely monitored by a state licensing board. In fact, even when doctors come to the US from overseas, they often have to undergo further extensive training to become licensed to practice in the U.S.
2. Regulation
One of the things to always keep in mind about undergoing any type of surgery or procedure is that you have no idea what a doctor or surgeon is actually doing or what the quality is of the supplies they are using. They might be using legitimate products that are carefully monitored, regulated and inspected, or they might be using black-market supplies or even just plain saline. Even worse, they could be using supplies and materials that are actually harmful. In the U.S., not only are doctors and physicians themselves carefully monitored but so are all of their supplies and even certain practices like how their equipment needs to be sterilized and prepared.
3. Legal protection
Undergoing surgery puts you in an incredibly vulnerable position where you are quite literally putting your life in the hands of your surgeon. At the very least, you want to be sure you are protected by heavy laws and regulations that would put a surgeon’s livelihood in jeopardy for any carelessness or wrongdoing. If you travel overseas or out of the country to have any type of medical procedure performed, you are giving up all of the legal protections afforded you as a US citizen. If a procedure goes badly, it could end up costing you thousands of dollars in medical bills to have the problem corrected. Procedures you will have to pay out of pocket because they will not be covered by your medical insurance.
3. Follow-up care
Every procedure, no matter how minor or routine, carries with it the potential for negative outcomes. Not only do most procedures carry with it the risk of infection, but they can also cause previously unknown allergies to develop or any number of other problems. Surgical procedures carry with them the potential for all types of complications to develop, some of which may not become apparent for days, weeks, months or even years. In some cases, botched surgical procedures can leave you permanently scarred for life or with permanent health conditions.
Even cosmetic surgery comes with any number of risks, so you want to ensure you get the best care possible the first time around. A plastic surgeon Tampa can help you get the look you want and the care that you need without the risk of life-long complications