Skip to main content
Logo for WebMD
Logo for WebMD
  • Coronavirus Update
  • Check Your Symptoms
  • Find A Doctor
  • Find A Dentist
  • Connect to Care
  • Find Lowest Drug Prices
  • Health
    A-Z
    Health A-Z
    Health A-Z
    Common Conditions
    • ADD/ADHD
    • Allergies
    • Arthritis
    • Cancer
    • Coronavirus (COVID-19)
    • Depression
    • Diabetes
    • Eye Health
    • Heart Disease
    • Lung Disease
    • Orthopedics
    • Pain Management
    • Sexual Conditions
    • Skin Problems
    • Sleep Disorders
    • View All
    Resources
    • Symptom Checker
    • WebMD Blogs
    • Podcasts
    • Newsletters
    • Questions & Answers
    • Insurance Guide
    • Find a Doctor
    • Children's Conditions A-Z
    • Surgeries and Procedures A-Z
    • Featured Topics
    • woman experiencing chest discomfort Symptom Checker COVID-19: Check Your Symptoms Now
    • photo of migraine Slideshow Get Help for Migraine Relief
  • Drugs &
    Supplements
    Drugs & Supplements
    Drugs & Supplements
    Find & Review
    • Drugs
    • Supplements
    Drug Basics & Safety
    • Commonly Abused Drugs
    • Taking Meds When Pregnant
    Tools
    • Manage Your Medications
    • Pill Identifier
    • Check for Interactions
    • Drug Comparison Tool
    • Featured Topics
    • assorted vitamins Slideshow Vitamins You Need as You Age
    • berry and yogurt on spoon Slideshow Supplements for Better Digestion
  • Living
    Healthy
    Living Healthy
    Living Healthy
    Diet, Food & Fitness
    • Diet & Weight Management
    • Weight Loss & Obesity
    • Food & Recipes
    • Fitness & Exercise
    Beauty & Balance
    • Healthy Beauty
    • Health & Balance
    • Sex & Relationships
    • Oral Care
    Living Well
    • Women's Health
    • Men's Health
    • Aging Well
    • Healthy Sleep
    • Healthy Teens
    • Featured Topics
    • grocery cart Article Smart Grocery Shopping When You Have Diabetes
    • walking sneakers Quiz Do You Know the Benefits of Walking?
  • Family &
    Pregnancy
    Family & Pregnancy
    Family & Pregnancy
    All About Pregnancy
    • Getting Pregnant
    • First Trimester
    • Second Trimester
    • Third Trimester
    • View All
    Parenting Guide
    • Newborn & Baby
    • Children's Health
    • Children's Vaccines
    • Raising Fit Kids
    • View All
    Pet Care Essentials
    • Healthy Cats
    • Healthy Dogs
    • View All
    • Featured Topics
    • apple slices and peanut butter Slideshow Smart Snacks When You're Pregnant
    • photo of dogs kissing Slideshow Surprising Things You Didn't Know About Dogs and Cats
  • News &
    Experts
    News & Experts
    News & Experts
    Health News
    • Coronavirus News & Updates
    • COVID-19 Vaccines -- Latest Updates Here
    • COVID-19: Check Your Symptoms Now
    • Coronavirus in Context: Interviews With Experts
    • Social Distancing, Quarantine Explained
    Experts & Community
    • WebMD Blogs
    • News Center
    • Featured Topics
    • photo of coronavirus cell WebMD News Get the Latest COVID-19 News Here
    • photo of person typing Newsletters Sign Up to Receive Our Free Coroanvirus Newsletter
  • Mobile Apps
  • Subscriptions
  • Sign In
  • Subscribe
  • My Profile
    • My Tools
    • My WebMD Pages
    • My Account
    • Sign Out

    Healthy Beauty

    • Home
    • News
    • Reference
    • Slideshows
    • Quizzes
    • Videos
    • Questions & Answers

    Healthy Beauty Guide

    • Cosmetic Surgery
    • Cosmetics & Makeup
    • Hair Care
    • Healthy Nails
    • Spa Treatments
    • All Topics

    Related Topics

    • Fitness & Exercise
    • Hair Loss
    • Healthy Aging
    • Skin Problems & Treatments
    • Psoriasis
    • Women's Health
    • More Related Topics
    • Healthy Beauty
    • Videos

    Psoriasis: Simple Skin Care Tips

    Overseas Cosmetic Surgery

    Video Transcript

    Narrator: It's cheaper, but is it safe to have my surgery performed overseas?

    Robert Kotler, MD: The question is what are the risks of traveling 8,000 miles, say to South Africa or down to Costa Rica and having cosmetic surgery and is it a good deal? Well, dollars and cents wise, it is a good deal, but remember you have to factor in the air fare and all those other issues.

    Robert Kotler, MD (cont.): But let's just say that the total expenditure is less and it may well be. Uhm, it's not the craziest thing in the world frankly, for some people. And by some people I mean those who are a little more adventuresome. Here's why. First of all, you do combine it with a vacation, but you better take the vacation part of it first, because you don't want to be bouncing around on a safari truck after you've had your tummy tuck.

    Robert Kotler, MD (cont.): But secondly, the real issue is what if there is a problem, and who presides over the post-operative care, because you know the care of the patient doesn't end at the end of the operation, or even a week or ten days later. Because after all, there are wounds that have to mature, sometimes they heal better in one person than another, and who's going to preside over that so the issue is who is going to give the post-operative care.

    Robert Kotler, MD (cont.): That's the best scenario problem. But the worst scenario problem is what if I get a complication or infection and now I'm 3,000 miles or 10,000 miles away from home, it's costing me X amount of money because my health insurance doesn't even cover this medical problem that I have because I'm in a foreign country, I don't have any family here. Is that likely? Most of the time not, frankly. I will tell you that the South African surgeons are very good.

    Robert Kotler, MD (cont.): We've seen excellent work coming up from Costa Rica, but we've also seen some very substandard work coming up from Costa Rica. For example, I could tell you the same thing about Mexico, I could tell you that I've seen people come back who have had very nice work done, and we've had other people that walked into this office without an appointment, having a massive abdominal infection because the doctor that operated on them across the border is gone, is missing, doesn't respond to phone calls, and they walked into this building because they know we have a lot of cosmetic surgeons in this building and they need help.

    Robert Kotler, MD (cont.): So for those who are adventuresome, who tend to worry less, it's probably okay. Pick your country, pick your doctor well. The more advanced countries I think offer you a little more sophistication and safety. Again, you can ask the same questions by the way, the questions that I suggest people ask, about board certification, which by the way, there are many board certified specialists. I should say board certified by American boards practicing in other countries. That is the world wide standard of excellence by the way. American board certification is it, and many doctors come here from other countries to study, to pass the boards, so they can go home and say I am an American board certified specialist, so there are running good practices outside the United States.

    Related Videos

    Editor's Picks

    • woman with cup of coffee

      Video

      The Truth About Coffee
    • tongue scraper and tongue

      Video

      5 Ways to Beat Bad Breath
    • couple having sex in bed

      Video

      Why Orgasms Feel Good

    Latest Videos

    Top Picks

    • Hair Going Gray? Here’s Why
    • Makeup Dos and Don’ts
    • Safest Ways to Straighten Your Hair
    • Stretch Marks Getting Under Your Skin?

    further reading

    • How to Prepare for Surgery
    • Way Too Personal
    • 8 Questions to Ask Your Doctor About Endoscopic Surgery
    • Taking Life Away
    • Digital Medicine
    • Lupus on the Job: Your Rights and Responsibilities
    • Caregivers: The Invisible Patient
    • Preparing for Surgery Topics

    Today on Radiance

    tea tree oil

    Beauty Oils: Benefits of Coconut, Argan, and More

    The benefits of coconut, argan, tea tree and more.

    woman applying sun cream

    Sun Safety: Tips to Help Save Your Skin From Damage

    Tips to help save your skin from damage.

    Woman with reading glasses

    Reduce Wrinkles: 9 Secrets to Smoother Skin

    9 secrets of smoother skin.

    Recommended for You

    Smiling woman Slideshow

    Age-Defying Makeup Tricks

    close up of feet Video

    Foot Care Made Simple

    cotton swabs Slideshow

    Are You Making These Beauty Mistakes?

    cucumbers on eyes Slideshow

    Banish the Bags Under Your Eyes

    woman with wavy hair Slideshow

    Best Styles for Your Hair Type

    drinking water Slideshow

    Foods for Beautiful Skin

    hairstylist sectioning hair Quiz

    Think You Know How to Care for Your Hair?

    woman applying bright eye shadow Slideshow

    Secrets for Stunning Eyes

    Tools & Resources

    • Do You Need a Special Eye Cream?
    • The Benefits of Botox
    • Guide to a Perfect Pedi
    • How Safe is Hair Dye?
    • When Fashion Hurts
    • Beauty Time-Savers

    Health Solutions

    • Penis Curved When Erect
    • Could I have CAD?
    • Treat Bent Fingers
    • Long-Term Acute Care
    • Enlarged Prostate Facts
    • Cancer Detection
    • Rethink MS Treatment
    • Is My Penis Normal?
    • Risk of a Future DVT/PE
    • Discover hATTR Symptoms
    • Weight-Loss Surgery
    • Healthy Weight Loss
    • Bent Finger Causes
    • AFib-Related Strokes
    • Preventing Infection
    • Missing Teeth?

    More from WebMD

    • Finding the Care You Need for MS
    • New Hope for Narcolepsy
    • Eat Better in the New Year
    • Psoriatic Arthritis and Your Sleep
    • What Psoriasis Feels Like
    • First Psoriatic Arthritis Flare
    • Talking to Your Doctor About RA
    • Start a Home Fitness Program
    • Avoiding Crohn’s Flares
    • Common Psoriasis Triggers
    • Relief for Blocked Hair Follicles
    • Types of B-Cell Therapy for MS
    • Tackling Pain of Psoriatic Arthritis
    • Why Prostate Cancer Spreads
    • When Ulcerative Colitis Flares
    • Where Breast Cancer Spreads
    • Logo for WebMD
      • Visit WebMD on Facebook
      • Visit WebMD on Twitter
      • Visit WebMD on Pinterest
    • Policies

      • Privacy Policy
      • Cookie Policy
      • Editorial Policy
      • Advertising Policy
      • Correction Policy
      • Terms of Use

      About

      • Contact Us
      • About WebMD
      • Careers
      • Newsletter
      • Corporate
      • WebMD Health Services
      • Site Map
      • Accessibility
    • WebMD Network

      • Medscape
      • Medscape Reference
      • MedicineNet
      • eMedicineHealth
      • RxList
      • OnHealth
      • WebMDRx
      • First Aid
      • WebMD Magazine
      • WebMD Health Record
      • Dictionary
      • Physician Directory
    • Our Apps

      • WebMD Mobile
      • WebMD App
      • Pregnancy
      • Baby
      • Allergy
      • Medscape

      For Advertisers

      • Advertise with Us
      • Advertising Policy

    © 2005 - 2019 WebMD LLC. All rights reserved.

    WebMD does not provide medical advice, diagnosis or treatment.

    See additional information.