The benefits of overseas cosmetic procedures include costs, availability of treatments and travel opportunities. Having cosmetic procedures abroad allows patients to rest without alerting their family and friends. At the same time, they can also tour foreign cities while recovering.
However, overseas cosmetic procedures are not without potential drawbacks.
• Most of the information on the doctors and their clinics comes from hearsay or advertising campaigns, which may be inaccurate.
• A lack of stringent regulations and clinical standards
• Overseas cosmetic procedures lack post-treatment follow-ups since patients don't stay long enough in the host country after the procedure. Without follow-up, doctors may not be able to pick up complications arising from the treatment and will not be able to address them in time to prevent further deterioration.
• Other factors such as communication issues, language barriers, and cultural differences in perception of beauty may also cause complications or increase the chances of "botched jobs."
Under the rules set out by the Ministry of Health Singapore (MOH), cosmetic tourism agencies and representative offices are not required to be licensed. However, they are not allowed to provide and conduct medical consultation services. Foreign doctors who want to conduct consultations with patients must first register themselves with the Singapore Medical Council and, upon success, will be issued a practising certificate.
As MOH does not have jurisdiction over medical and healthcare institutions overseas, medical tourists who encounter issues will have to seek legal recourse in the country where the procedures were done.