An alarming story from the BBC was published today. The headline ‘My doctor flew off when cosmetic surgery went wrong’ sounds dramatic and scary, but it is also increasingly common. This is a real problem that we continue to see more and more of, and it goes to show that if you don’t choose your surgery provider carefully, these types of things can happen.
According to the BBC, in the UK over 65,000 cosmetic operations were carried out in 2018. It is clearly a growing industry that’s now more accessible than ever. However, that doesn’t mean that you should rush into it. It is imperative that you carry out thorough research before choosing a provider as we have seen countless horror stories come in to the public eye in recent years.
To save costs and increase efficiency, a growing number providers tend to use ‘fly-in fly-out’ surgeons, which means that if complications were to arise following surgery, the surgeon who carried out the operation may no longer be in the country to treat their patients. A lot of the time, putting more pressure on the NHS to pick up the pieces. The BBC highlight the story of a woman who after 4 operations to re-shape her nose, had to find a new surgeon who eventually took bone from her ribs to make her look ‘normal’ again.
We often hear of people who decide to go abroad for their weight loss surgery as it can be cheaper than having a procedure in the UK. However, when going abroad for surgery you’re paying for an operation, that’s it! Once it’s over you don’t get regular check-ups or any aftercare whatsoever which is a key ingredient to the success of a weight loss procedure. You can read our 10 reasons to not have weight loss surgery abroad here.
Do your research
If you are looking for a provider make sure you research every aspect of the company thoroughly. Aftercare is equally as important as the actual surgery and many providers don’t offer aftercare at all. You are placing the way you look in the hands of another person, so make sure you have built the required trust and understanding with your provider before going under the knife. You also need to look for consistency which is where reading customer reviews can help you in your decision. Not only should you look for a great service pre-op, you should be seeking an aftercare package to help maximise the success of your surgery.
We believe that a weight loss surgery provider should be lifelong. With Healthier Weight you are not just paying for a procedure, you will also receive long term aftercare. Take a look at the reasons you should choose Healthier Weight for your procedure here. Putting your looks in someone else’s hands might be daunting to some, but we’d like to make it clear that you won’t be alone during your weight loss journey with Healthier Weight. We are here to help you every step of the way.
You can read more about the risks of having weight loss surgery abroad in our extensive guide on that specific topic. Download the guide here.