Cosmetic surgery tourism weighs down Swiss health system

The costs for cosmetic surgery are often lower abroad than in Switzerland Keystone / Miguel Gutierrez

Complications after cosmetic surgery abroad are a burden on the Swiss health system, according to a study published in the journal Swiss Medical Weekly with figures from the University Hospital Zurich.

A total of 228 patients (207 women and 21 men) were treated at the hospital for complications after cosmetic surgery between 2015 and 2019 – one patient every week. In only a sixth of cases did the complications occur due to a procedure performed in Switzerland.

Most patients had travelled to Turkey (16%), the Czech Republic and Brazil (13.4% each) or Germany (11.2%) for their cosmetic surgery.

During the study period the number of complications after cosmetic surgery remained constant, the hospital said in a statementExternal link on Tuesday. The authors of the study attribute this to better patient care abroad.

Compared with previous studies, however, the type of complications had changed, said Nicole Lindenblatt, head of the study. There were fewer acute problems, such as wounds and infections, and more long-term dissatisfaction with the aesthetic result. Long-term complications, such as capsular fibrosis after implant placement in the breast, had also increased sharply.

In addition, the study observed an increase in men with complications after aesthetic surgery. The researchers put this down to the growing social pressure on physical appearance.

High costs for the health system

The costs for cosmetic surgery are often lower abroad than in Switzerland. “However, if there are complications later, the calculation is no longer correct,” Lindenblatt said.

If it is a matter of purely aesthetic correction, patients have to pay the costs themselves. The treatment of a health problem, on the other hand, is covered by health insurance and is a burden on the public health system.

The costs for the follow-up treatment of the 228 patients from the observation period came to almost CHF720,000 ($900,000). According to the study, the highest costs are caused by wound infections and problems with wounds healing.

According to the University Hospital Zurich, infections are also problematic because many patients returning from abroad have unusual or multi-resistant bacteria in their wounds.