scholarly journals Impact of Medical Tourism on Cosmetic Surgery in the United States

2013 ◽  
Vol 1 (7) ◽  
pp. e63 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lauren E. Franzblau ◽  
Kevin C. Chung
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Cosmetic Surgery ◽  
Medical Tourism ◽  
The United States

scholarly journals Transnational Body Projects: Media Representations of Cosmetic Surgery Tourism in Argentina and the United States

2013 ◽  
pp. 57-81 ◽  
Author(s):  
Erynn Masi De Casanova ◽  
Barbara Sutton
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Cosmetic Surgery ◽  
Global Economy ◽  
Medical Tourism ◽  
The United States ◽  
Media Representations ◽  
Comparative Approach ◽  
The Media ◽  
Professional Resources ◽  
Transnational Body

Cosmetic surgery tourism (CST) is part of the growing trend known as medical tourism. As people in the global North travel to less affluent countries to modify their bodies through cosmetic surgery, their transnational body projects are influenced by both economic "materialities" and traveling cultural "imaginaries." This article presents a content analysis of media representations of cosmetic surgery tourism in a major country sending patient-tourists (the United States) and a popular receiving country (Argentina). The power relations of globalization appear to be played out in the media. U.S. sources assert U.S. hegemony through a discourse emphasizing the risks of CST in the global South, in contrast with medical excellence in the U.S. Argentine sources portray Argentina as a country struggling to gain a foothold in the global economy, but staking a claim on modernity through cultural and professional resources. The analyzed articles also offer a glimpse of how patient-tourists fuel sectors of the global economy by placing their bodies at the forefront, seeking to merge medical procedures and touristic pleasures. There is a gender dimension to these portrayals, as women are especially likely to engage in CST. Their transnational body projects are tainted by negative media portrayals, which represent them as ignorant, uninformed, and driven mainly by the low price of surgery overseas. Our comparative approach sheds light on converging and diverging perspectives on both ends of the cosmetic surgery tourism chain, showing that patterns in CST portrayals differ according to the position of a country in the world-system.

scholarly journals Polyurethane-Coated Implants for Prevention of Double-Bubble Effect in Breast Augmentation

2021 ◽  
Vol 7 ◽  
pp. 2513826X2110289
Author(s):  
Vitali Bagirov
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Breast Augmentation ◽  
Cosmetic Surgery ◽  
The United States ◽  
Treatment Result ◽  
Lower Pole ◽  
Common Complication ◽  
Breast Volume ◽  
Double Bubble ◽  
Growing Body

Breast augmentation is the most frequently performed cosmetic surgery in the United States, with approximately 279,000 patients every year. The so-called double-bubble effect (DBE) is a common complication in breast augmentation. This complication is characterized by folds running along the lower pole of the breast, forming distinct bubble-like protrusions above and below the fold. Factors that increase the risk of DBE include bulbous breasts and a large native breast volume. There is evidence that polyurethane-coated (PU) implants may help to reduce the risk of DBE. We describe here the case of a 47-year old patient for whom DBE has recurred in each of 4 tandem breast surgeries. PU implants ultimately appeared to prevent the DBE, leading to an aesthetically satisfying treatment result for the patient. This case adds weigh to the growing body of evidence that supports the use of polyurethane implants to prevent DBE.

Medical Tourism Patient Mortality

2022 ◽  
pp. 143-162
Author(s):  
Alicia Mason ◽  
Sakshi Bhati ◽  
Ran Jiang ◽  
Elizabeth A. Spencer
Keyword(s):  
News Media ◽  
Cosmetic Surgery ◽  
Medical Tourism ◽  
Qualitative Content Analysis ◽  
The United States ◽  
Media Representations ◽  
Patient Death ◽  
Bereavement Counseling ◽  
Media Reports ◽  
Social Support Systems

Medical tourism is a process in which a consumer travels from one's place of residence and receives medical treatment, thus becoming a patient. Patients Beyond Borders (PBB) forecasts some 1.9 million Americans will travel outside the United States for medical care in 2019. This chapter explores media representations of patient mortality associated with medical tourism within the global news media occurring between 2009-2019. A qualitative content analysis of 50 patient mortality cases found that (1) a majority of media representations of medical tourism patient death are of middle-class, minority females between 25-55 years of age who seek cosmetic surgery internationally; (2) sudden death, grief, and bereavement counseling is noticeably absent from medical tourism providers (MTPs); and (3) risk information from authority figures within the media reports is often vague and abstract. A detailed list of health communication recommendations and considerations for future medical tourists and their social support systems are provided.

MEDICAL TOURISM AND DIABETES CARE: EXPERIENCE FROM A TERTIARY REFERRAL CENTER

2020 ◽  
Vol 26 (10) ◽  
pp. 1125-1130
Author(s):  
Khawla F. Ali ◽  
Alexandra Mikhael ◽  
Christine Zayouna ◽  
Omar A. Barakat ◽  
James Bena ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Diabetes Mellitus ◽  
United States ◽  
Hemoglobin A1c ◽  
Medical Tourism ◽  
Cleveland Clinic ◽  
The United States ◽  
Cleveland Clinic Foundation ◽  
Clinic Foundation ◽  
Group 2 ◽  
Group 1

Objective: Medical tourism, a form of patient mobility across international borders to seek medical services, has gained significant momentum. We aimed to assess the outcomes of medical tourism consultations on chronic diseases, more specifically diabetes mellitus, amongst a cohort of international patients, originating from different healthcare systems, and referred to the United States for medical care. Methods: We identified international adults with established diabetes mellitus, referred globally from 6 countries to the United States between 2010 and 2016 for medical care, and were seen at the Cleveland Clinic Foundation (CCF). Group 1 included adults seen by an endocrinology provider during their CCF medical stay, whilst group 2 included those not seen by an endocrinology provider. To assess the impact of our consultations, changes in hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) were assessed between visit(s). Results: Our study included 1,108 subjects (771 in group 1, 337 in group 2), with a mean age (± SD) of 61.3 ± 12.7 years, 62% male, and a median medical stay of 136 days (interquartile range: 57, 660). Compared to group 2, group 1 had a higher baseline mean HbA1c (8.0 ± 1.8% [63.9 mmol/mol] vs. 7.1 ± 1.4% [54.1 mmol/mol]; P<.001). After 1 visit with endocrinology, there was a significant decrease in mean HbA1c from 8.44 ± 1.98% (68.3 mmol/mol) to 7.51 ± 1.57% (58.5 mmol/mol) ( P<.001). Greatest reductions in mean HbA1c were −1.47% (95% CI: −2.21, −0.74) and −1.27% (95% CI: −1.89, −0.66) after 3 and 4 visits, respectively ( P<.001). Conclusion: Short-term diabetes mellitus consultations, in the context of medical tourism, are effective. Abbreviations: CCF = Cleveland Clinic Foundation; GCC = Gulf Cooperation Council; HbA1c = hemoglobin A1c; IQR = interquartile range; U.S. = United States

scholarly journals Aesthetic Surgery Training during Residency in the United States: A Comparison of the Integrated, Combined, and Independent Training Models

2014 ◽  
Vol 2014 ◽  
pp. 1-7 ◽  
Author(s):  
Arash Momeni ◽  
Rebecca Y. Kim ◽  
Derrick C. Wan ◽  
Ali Izadpanah ◽  
Gordon K. Lee
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Minimally Invasive ◽  
Plastic Surgery ◽  
Cosmetic Surgery ◽  
Online Survey ◽  
Aesthetic Surgery ◽  
The United States ◽  
Surgery Training ◽  
Aesthetic Procedures

Background. Three educational models for plastic surgery training exist in the United States, the integrated, combined, and independent model. The present study is a comparative analysis of aesthetic surgery training, to assess whether one model is particularly suitable to provide for high-quality training in aesthetic surgery. Methods. An 18-item online survey was developed to assess residents’ perceptions regarding the quality of training in aesthetic surgery in the US. The survey had three distinct sections: demographic information, current state of aesthetic surgery training, and residents’ perception regarding the quality of aesthetic surgery training. Results. A total of 86 senior plastic surgery residents completed the survey. Twenty-three, 24, and 39 residents were in integrated, combined, and independent residency programs, respectively. No statistically significant differences were seen with respect to number of aesthetic surgery procedures performed, additional training received in minimal-invasive cosmetic procedures, median level of confidence with index cosmetic surgery procedures, or perceived quality of aesthetic surgery training. Facial aesthetic procedures were felt to be the most challenging procedures. Exposure to minimally invasive aesthetic procedures was limited. Conclusion. While the educational experience in aesthetic surgery appears to be similar, weaknesses still exist with respect to training in minimally invasive/nonsurgical aesthetic procedures.

Banding in Bangkok, CABG in Calcutta: The United States physician and the growing field of medical tourism

Surgery ◽  
2010 ◽  
Vol 148 (3) ◽  
pp. 597-601 ◽  
Author(s):  
Elliott Mark Weiss ◽  
Peter F. Spataro ◽  
Ira J. Kodner ◽  
Jason D. Keune
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Medical Tourism ◽  
The United States

“Medical Tourism” and the Global Marketplace in Health Services: U.S. Patients, International Hospitals, and the Search for Affordable Health Care

2010 ◽  
Vol 40 (3) ◽  
pp. 443-467 ◽  
Author(s):  
Leigh Turner
Keyword(s):  
Health Care ◽  
Health Services ◽  
Cosmetic Surgery ◽  
Medical Tourism ◽  
Safety Information ◽  
The United States ◽  
Global Market ◽  
Public Health Care ◽  
Labor Costs ◽  
Global Marketplace

Health services are now advertised in a global marketplace. Hip and knee replacements, ophthalmologic procedures, cosmetic surgery, cardiac care, organ transplants, and stem cell injections are all available for purchase in the global health services marketplace. “Medical tourism” companies market “sun and surgery” packages and arrange care at international hospitals in Costa Rica, India, Mexico, Singapore, Thailand, and other destination nations. Just as automobile manufacturing and textile production moved outside the United States, American patients are “offshoring” themselves to facilities that use low labor costs to gain competitive advantage in the marketplace. Proponents of medical tourism argue that a global market in health services will promote consumer choice, foster competition among hospitals, and enable customers to purchase high-quality care at medical facilities around the world. Skeptics raise concerns about quality of care and patient safety, information disclosure to patients, legal redress when patients are harmed while receiving care at international hospitals, and harms to public health care systems in destination nations. The emergence of a global market in health services will have profound consequences for health insurance, delivery of health services, patient-physician relationships, publicly funded health care, and the spread of medical consumerism.

Cosmetic Surgery and the Internal Morality of Medicine

2000 ◽  
Vol 9 (3) ◽  
pp. 353-364 ◽  
Author(s):  
FRANKLIN G. MILLER ◽  
HOWARD BRODY ◽  
KEVIN C. CHUNG
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Health Insurance ◽  
Managed Care ◽  
Medical Practice ◽  
Breast Augmentation ◽  
Cosmetic Surgery ◽  
Medical Specialty ◽  
The United States ◽  
Eyelid Surgery ◽  
Internal Morality

Cosmetic surgery is a fast-growing medical practice. In 1997 surgeons in the United States performed the four most common cosmetic procedures—liposuction, breast augmentation, eyelid surgery, and facelift—443,728 times, an increase of 150% over the comparable total for 1992. Estimated total expenditures for cosmetic surgery range from $1 to $2 billion. As managed care cuts into physicians' income and autonomy, cosmetic surgery, which is not covered by health insurance, offers a financially attractive medical specialty.

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