Will I be able to take care of myself after a tummy tuck?

Short answer, I think that you will be pushing it!

Unfortunately, patients do go abroad in search of cheaper surgery, but if all the costs of travel etc are added up, it may not seem as cheap as it initially appears to be. It is not advisable to board a long haul flight about four weeks "before" or after a major procedure as it can increase the risk of clots in your legs or lungs that can potentially be life threatening. There are lots of other things that you need to consider...


Although, you may get a good deal in going some where far from home, there are quite a few problems with medical tourism. At the end of the day, although it is a cosmetic procedure, it is still is an operation and it needs to be respected as such.

Quality, Safety and Risks:
The standards of the clinic you go to or the surgeon operating on you may not be regulated. There are significant risks with travelling long distances immediately before of after your surgery. Patients may not tolerate travel very well, or may not have inherent resistance to some of the diseases in the host countries

Patient satisfaction:
The overall experience may leave you dissatisfied and once you return home, you cannot pop down the road to consult with your surgeon again.

Clinical outcomes:
Clinical outcomes can be variable, but it is not uncommon for us in the NHS to be picking us the pieces of patients who have been abroad for cosmetic surgery. A survey of the British Association of Plastic Reconstructive and Aesthetic Surgeons (BAPRAS) has shown that 37% of us have seen a patient in the National Health Service with complications arising from overseas cosmetic surgery. In another survey in the UK, 60% of complications were of emergency nature requiring inpatient admission

Continuity of care - before and after your surgery:
Unfortunately, this vital part of your treatment is non existent. Medical tourism involves travelling to another country and your body may take time to acclimatise to that country's ecosystem. A detailed physical examination is not possible prior to your procedure and the contemplated surgery is at its best a good guess as to what you may need. You may contact disease that it completely irrelevant to your surgery in the country you are travelling to. Long haul travel immediately before or after your surgery increases your risk of clots in your legs or lungs which can be potentially life threatening. Should you be unfortunate enough to have a complication once you return home, your surgeon (who should be your principal carer after your surgery), will not be around.

Privacy and confidentiality:
This is very variable and difficult to regulate outside your own country. Data protection may not have the same confidentiality when you are travelling and your photographs could potentially end up on the internet.


Infection and cross-border spread of antimicrobial resistance and dangerous pathogens:
This is a serious problem and not only does it lead to spread of rare infections from country to country, but it can result in a patient returning from a country and being sick with symptoms that the local physicians may not be familiar with. This can delay diagnosis and treatment and can have serious implications on the health of the patient.

External Quality Assessment and accreditation:
Medical tourism services remain largely unregulated and a huge issue that needs to be faced up to is whether or not the quality and safety standards on offer through medical tourism are to be trusted. One of the major concerns related to medical tourism is the ethical aspects of treatment and if treatments offered are justified or simply offered to run a business.

Accreditation:
It is very difficult to verify the qualifications of your so called plastic surgeon when travelling abroad. In the UK, a fully trained and qualified Plastic Surgeon is a Fellow of the Royal College of Surgeons in Plastic Surgery (FRCS Plast), is on the Specialist register for plastic surgery with the General Medical Council (GMC) and is usually a member of the British Association of Plastic Reconstructive and Aesthetic Surgeons (BAPRAS) and British Association of Aesthetic Surgeons (BAAPS).

Recovery from a TT varies from person-to-person. Your recovery from the procedure will depend on several factors, such as age, general state of health, body weight, and type of TT. Staying in close proximity to your PS for 10 days is beneficial.
Recommend that you ask for your PS's opinion regarding the three hour flight on day 11. Neither are there hard and fast rules on when to fly after a TT nor is there little evidence based medicine to support firm guidelines or recommendations on timing of air travel.
Strenuous activity and lifting more than 10 pounds must be avoided for 6 weeks. A general guideline for returning to maximum activity after a tummy tuck is to use the comfort level as a guide.