Beauty surgery abroad?
The fact is: Because a plastic surgery is not necessarily medically necessary, privately and legally insured have to pay for it yourself. Price example: Breast augmentation in Germany costs around 5,000 to 6,000 euros, eyelids raised to 2,000 to 3,000 euros. If you want to save money and not hide behind big sunglasses in the next few days in front of your neighbors and colleagues, there are now clear offers waiting for you. Particularly iridescent, these fall out on the Internet: Agencies mediate about beauty surgery trips to Eastern Europe at a fraction of the local cost. From "... save up to 70% in our Czech EU beauty clinics ..." is there the speech. Elsewhere, the beauty safari in Cape Town is touted. But which offer is really serious?
In which direction it should go for a plastic surgery, must be planned exactly.
Sabine M. had to learn that one should not rely on a clinic's Internet presence. The therapist from the Rhineland wanted to have her breast enlarged and landed during her research on the tidy homepage of a Prague clinic. She made contact, traveled to the Czech Republic to take a closer look at the practice. "Everything made a very modern impression, like in a good private clinic, my surgeon spoke German, took 45 minutes for me, and readily answered all my questions, saying that he was a plastic surgeon who studied in Germany and had breast augmentations It all seemed correct. "
Sabine M. decided to undergo surgery. And she was satisfied with the result - until her right breast collapsed within nine months of the procedure. She turned to her surgeon in Prague, sent emails and letters. After the unanswered, she finally went to a Cologne clinic. There the plastic surgeon dr. Michael König of the young woman a knotted, broken condom: "Apparently filled with a saline solution, which was absorbed by the body and excreted," said Michael King. Sabine M. had previously selected 400 milliliter silicone implants from a leading manufacturer together with the Czech doctor.
An extreme example, certainly. But not an isolated case: Again and again come patients in which something went wrong, in doctors' offices. And there is no question that even in Germany there are self-appointed plastic surgeons who are better at dazzling than mastering their craft - if they have ever learned it. Because "cosmetic surgeon" is not a protected term, as well as "aesthetic surgeon". In contrast, "Specialists in Plastic and Aesthetic Surgery" have a special education. "Of course there are also competent colleagues outside Germany", confirms the secretary-general of the International Association of Plastic, Reconstructive and Aesthetic Surgeons (IPRAS), Dr. med. Marita Eisenmann-Klein.
You should look carefully, who padded there because of wrinkles or lips
But there are a few things that you need to keep in mind when deciding to have plastic surgery abroad, for whatever reason. For example, Marita Eisenmann-Klein recommends that people who are willing to work be in the hands of medical specialists who have several years' training as a plastic-aesthetic surgeon. "The plastic surgery training program at the Charles University in Prague, for example, is very good, but you never know if the training was completed, and the members in the professional societies of the countries own them in any case." Whether a physician belongs to this, can be found out about the Internet.
In addition, you should be able to communicate with the doctor without any problems. Do not accept a remote diagnosis by questionnaire, and do not rely on the opinion of a single doctor, but discuss the planned procedure at rest with at least two different doctors. Because this may be difficult in a possible foreign surgery, you can also arrange one of the preliminary talks with a specialist in Germany. Get informed about the risks at such an appointment and explain the treatment plan. And do not rush anything! "At least two weeks should pass between the consultation with the doctor and the decision on the operation," recommends Anne-Dorothee Speck from the Hamburg Counseling Center of the Independent Patient Counseling Germany (UPD).
Expenses for anesthesia, medication, meals and accommodation at the operating theater price can also be incurred abroad. Clarify this in the preliminary discussion with the clinic. Consumers recommend to arrange in writing the free aftercare.Because only after a few weeks, the correct fit of implants or the success of a nose surgery can be assessed. Since it is impractical when the clinic is far away - and German doctors are usually not thrilled to review the work of other colleagues. Marita Eisenmann-Klein, who is the chief physician of Plastic Surgery at the Caritas Hospital St. Josef in Regensburg, is quite pragmatic: "Even if money has already been invested - if you have an uneasy feeling, listen to your inner voice and step on it You're back, an operation can not be undone. "
Tips and information
If you first want to get an overview of plastic surgery: The information brochure "Beauty Surgery" can be ordered on behalf of the Verbraucherzentrale Hamburg. It costs 1.80 euros plus 2 euros shipping and postage. Telephone order: 040/24 83 20; bestellung@vzhh.de
The model project "Independent Patient Counseling - UPD" will run until 2010: A team of experts from physicians, lawyers and social psychologists informed and supported with questions (telephone 018 03/11 77 22, 9 ct / Min. From the German fixed net, www.unabhaengige-patientenberatung.de)
A "specialist in plastic and aesthetic surgery" After completing medical studies, she must complete a six-year further education in aesthetic and reconstructive (restorative) surgery and have independently performed over 600 surgeries. These doctors are organized in the "German Society of Plastic, Reconstructive and Aesthetic Surgeons (DGPRÄC)". Information at www.dgpraec.de. Attention: "Cosmetic surgeon" or "aesthetic surgeon" can call any doctor - even without special experience or training. If you are looking for a qualified doctor internationally, you can visit the associations / association clinics and the medical teams of the respective countries via the homepage of the European Association (www.espras.org). Disadvantage: The websites are written in the national languages, but at least the name can be identified. If you would like to research the world, you will find the International Society of Aesthetic Plastic Surgeons (ISAPS) on the Internet at www.isaps.org.
Attention in Internet forums and chats! Again, there are contract workers who write good reviews for dubious quacks.
Legal Issues: If a so-called claim occurs, the place of jurisdiction is where the damage occurred - ie at the place of the OP. For problems within the EU, the independent, EU-wide and free consumer advice "Euro Info Consumers eV" helps. continue (Rehfußplatz 11, 77694 Kehl am Rhein). Tip: If a foreign clinic advertises in Germany, be it in the newspaper or with flyers, it is easier to take action against them - then German law also applies. How it looks with Internet pages, must be clarified in each case. Make an info or reminder log in any case. Get a copy of everything, or at least contracts that you sign.
Trip home: The longer the anesthetic took, the longer you should wait with a flight. So at least 14 days, if the surgery took two to three hours. After surgery, the risk of thrombosis generally increases.
