Category Archives: Medical Tourism/Health Tourism

Hair transplants are nothing new, but now facial hair grafts are all the rage in Turkey.  Allure  dives into the phenomenon behind this new tourism trend.

Forget Brazilian butt lifts, the newest hot thing in medical tourism? Hair transplants in Turkey — not only for the head, but for lush facial hair. (Not every fella has a natural Selleck ‘stache or Jon Hamm beard!) After getting a travel press release noting that 15,000 people come to Turkey for hair transplantation, we did some digging on this trend to find out if having cosmetic procedures while abroad is a safe option.

The men who are getting these procedures done (and it is mostly dudes) aren’t American; they’re from countries like Italy, Greece, and recently from Saudi Arabia and Kuwait, says Celik Nuri, a plastic surgeon and the International Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery’s National Secretary for Turkey. Facial hair transplants are the most popular amongst Arab patients: “Over the last 10 years, all of the male models in fashion magazines have become less feminized and have a ton of facial hair to be more masculine,” he says. He personally is doing a lot more lipo-sculpting on Arab patients to mimic a muscular build. It’s all a part of an overall boom in plastic surgery in Istanbul.

Initially, it was all personal referral: Turkish populations living in other countries would tell their friends about the relatively lower-cost, high-quality medical care in Istanbul, but now companies in European countries organize medical tours to the city. Because of more relaxed vacation policies, Arabic and European patients typically plan to be in Istanbul for a week. They have the surgery and then stay to enjoy the city and get any necessary immediate follow-ups. “You see a lot of men at historic sites around the city who clearly have just had hair transplant surgery,” says Nuri.

In Istanbul, it’s common for foreign and local patients alike to use email and Whatsapp to make appointments and send photos of their progress to their doctors. “Almost 100 percent of my patients communicate with Whatsapp — it’s so visual,” says Nuri, a reconstructive specialist. “I ask for photos every week, and then every month. My hair transplant colleagues ask for weekly updates.” If a patient, now at home, is unsatisfied, docs will tell them to hop on another plane to Istanbul, or if they’re having complications, refer them to a local physician who can attend to them immediately.

Michael Edwards, president of the American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery (ASAPS), says that Europeans and Middle Easterners visiting Turkey for plastic surgery is akin to a Canadian coming to the United States for a medical procedure, and he doesn’t advise Americans to go all the way to Turkey or elsewhere for a hair transplant — or any procedure. “There are wonderfully talented, great doctors around the world, but if you have surgery abroad you’re not going to have the same access to them as you would a closer doctor,” says Edwards. “There are also equally as many, if not more, people that are out to try and capitalize on vanity — and whatever the hot trend in surgery is at the moment. What’s if there’s an issue in wound healing? They’re just going to tell you to go to a local ER.”

If you do see a foreign medical professional who isn’t actually that professional, your options for recourse are limited. Edwards, who practices in Las Vegas, says he sees reconstructive patients who “have gone South of the border for breast or tummy surgery” and now need it corrected. “There was no follow-up,” he says. “They ran a credit card and said ‘Adios’ and ‘Send me your friends.’ It’s important to do your homework on facilities and their practices.”

Nuri heartily agrees. While he hasn’t had any referrals made to him because of medical tourism gone wrong, there are patients going to under — or completely unqualified — practices. “The International Society [of Aesthetic Plastic Surgeons] takes these clinics to court and shuts them down, but often the same people will just open a new clinic,” he says. “It’s the Society’s responsibility to stop this, but it’s also the patients’ responsibility to see proper certification papers — not just a cheap price.”

source: http://www.popsugar.com / Popsugar / Home> PopSugar> Beauty> Hair / by Allure / March 12th, 2015

Belo Medical Group, headed by Dr. Vicki Belo, is in the global spotlight once mofe for its innovation and achievement in cosmetic surgery and aesthetic dermatology.

This time, Time Magazine cited the clinic in the same  issue that featured the 2014 Person of the Year: The Ebola Fighters.

Belo Medical Group is recognized for being at the forefront of the medical tourism industry. The article named the Philippines “the Rising Star of Beauty Tourism,” a $3 billion industry, thanks in large part to Belo’s contribution.

Belo Medical Group has been around for over 24 years and has successfully performed thousands of liposuction, rhinoplasty and breast augmentation procedures others. It has grown into the preferred and most trusted name in the field.

The article noted that Belo Medical Group has “received the Platinum award from Allergen for being the Philippines’ top performing Botox treatment clinic for ten consecutive years (2007-2012). In 2010, it received the Reader’s Digest Platinum Awards as the Most Trusted Brand in Beauty Clinic Category. In 2014, it was a finalist at the ASEAN Business Awards.”

“My vision is to make the Philippines a world-renowned beauty destination,” says Belo. “We have continuously invested in raising the standards of quality in our procedures and patient care.”

Indeed they have, and the world is taking notice, putting the country on the map through Belo’s world-class services.

source: http://www.manilastandardtoday.com / Manila Standard Today / Home> Entertainment/ by MST Entertainment / March 02nd, 2015