Nip-tuck trips in quest for bum like Kim Kardashian behind spike in surgeries back home
COSMETIC surgery tourists returned home to Ireland after procedures such as bottom implants went wrong during the height of the pandemic, a new study reveals.
Endless Zoom meetings are said to have fuelled the demand for plastic surgery during the lockdown. The coronavirus outbreak also meant people could hide the traces of surgery behind masks and recover while working from home. But patients who had complications arising from their nips and tucks also had to seek medical help back in Ireland.
According to a new study, the Department of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery at St James Hospital, noticed an increase in complications arising from overseas surgery ‘since the outbreak of Covid-19 and the subsequent temporary closure of Ireland’s elective reconstructive and cosmetic surgery due to restrictions’ in favour of patient safety.
The study, led by Dr Marlese Dempsey, revealed eight young women were admitted to the Dublin unit over a four-month period during the pandemic with difficulties following elective surgery in various European
‘They had infection and wound splitting’
plastic surgery destinations.
The patients experienced infection, wound splitting, implant extrusion and the build-up of fluid under the skin. All surgery was performed within Europe, with 75% of cases in Lithuania or Turkey. One patient had flown to Romania and another to Belgium. The length of stay ranged from one day to nearly three weeks, with nearly two-thirds of patients requiring invasive intervention.
The study examined Google trends and found the popularity of plastic surgery topics initially fell at each lockdown date but rose to pre-pandemic interests after a short period.
The researchers found search topics for procedures which included the terms, ‘Turkey’ and ‘Lithuania’ shot up in popularity by more than 5,000% between January 2019 and February 2021.
The authors of the study said their case series showed cosmetic tourism is imposing a significant cost on healthcare resources despite the pandemic.
‘Analysis of Google Trends has shown that interest in these procedures is increasing despite travel restrictions and risks associated with the pandemic,’ the authors noted. ‘The public need to be informed of the negative consequences of cosmetic tourism and be discouraged from undertaking surgery overseas.’
From November 2020 to February 2021, eight patients were referred to the unit for treatment of post-operative complications after cosmetic surgery abroad. The surgeries included liposuction, buttock lift, buttock filler injection, breast augmentation, abdominoplasty and breast implants.
Half of the patients had surgery procedures on their buttocks. This trend is thought to be down to the huge popularity of reality superstars and, in particular, Kim Kardashian, who is famous for her body shape of a tiny waist and curvy hips and buttocks. The famous family are also credited with helping to normalise cosmetic surgery, as they are open about their procedures and have even featured them on their reality series. Over the past 20 years, the fashion for a more rounded physique has become popular thanks to superstars such as Beyoncé and J-Lo, who was first known as La Guitarra when she became famous.
The study, published in the Journal of Plastic, Reconstructive and Aesthetic Surgery, reveals all patients were female, aged from 18 to 48 years.
The most common complications requiring admission and intervention were surgical site infection and wound dehiscence, which refers to wound splitting. Others were implant infection in a third of cases, as well as seroma, which is fluid build-up. The study in St James Hospital said the costing department estimated the financial burden for treating the eight patients came to €30,558, an average of €3,819.75 per patient.
It found cosmetic tourism has been booming in recent years due to the lower initial cost to the patient, a lack of waiting lists and some aspect of anonymity.
But the doctors warned: ‘This low cost can come with an unforeseen price due to deficiencies in standards of post-operative care, such as short stays and lack of follow-up. Complications associated with cosmetic tourism end up as the responsibility of the traveller’s home country. The cost to our healthcare system is evident as 80% of our patients required surgical intervention under general anaesthetic.’
‘Low cost can come with an unforeseen price’