High: major surgery
One trip
At least 7 to 10 days (by procedure)
Plan it before you go
Not medical advice. Whether this treatment is right for you is a decision to take with a doctor or dentist who has examined you. Talk to your own doctor before you book.
What it is
Cosmetic surgery changes how you look rather than treating an illness. It can cost less abroad than at home, but the NHS asks you to weigh the savings against the risks: safety standards may not be as high, and overseas clinics may not provide follow-up treatment, or not to the same standard.
The most common procedures people travel for are tummy tucks, breast surgery, liposuction and nose surgery, and, more and more, the Brazilian butt lift, which NHS England warns about.
| Type | What it means |
|---|---|
| Tummy tuck (abdominoplasty) | Removes skin and fat from the abdomen and tightens the muscles. The NHS advises not flying for 7 to 10 days after it. |
| Breast surgery | Enlargement, reduction or lift. The NHS advises not flying for 5 to 7 days after it. |
| Liposuction | Removes fat with a suction tube. The NHS advises not flying for 5 to 7 days after it. |
| Nose and facial surgery | Rhinoplasty, eyelid surgery, facelift. The NHS advises not flying for 7 to 10 days after facial procedures. |
| Brazilian butt lift (BBL) | Fat taken by liposuction is injected into the buttocks. Fat reaching the blood vessels and the lungs can kill. The UK aesthetic surgeons' association (BAAPS, 2022) now accepts it only with the fat injected into the layer under the skin, never into the muscle, and with ultrasound used during the injection to check it. |
| Male chest reduction (gynaecomastia surgery) | Removes breast tissue and fat from a man's chest, by liposuction, by cutting the tissue out, or both. Gynaecomastia has causes a doctor should check first (hormone changes, being overweight, some medicines, and drugs such as anabolic steroids), and surgery is for when other treatments have not worked (NHS). |
Before you book
- Have a consultation with the surgeon who will operate, not only with salespeople. The NHS advises two consultations before any surgery, which gives you a cooling-off period (normally two weeks in the UK).
- Do not pay for a hospital you have never seen, or to see a surgeon you have not met.
- Plan to rest after the operation: the NHS says a holiday straight after surgery is unrealistic and increases the risk of things going wrong (no alcohol, sun, sightseeing or swimming).
- Take someone with you: you will need their support if things go wrong (Smartraveller, Australia). After a general anaesthetic, the NHS advises having someone stay with you for at least 24 hours.
- Blood clots: surgery and long flights raise the risk, and so do the combined pill (or a patch or ring with oestrogen), HRT and smoking (NHS). Tell the surgeon about them weeks before the operation, follow their advice on what to stop and when, and stopping smoking helps your recovery.
- Liposuction is not a treatment for obesity: it works best in people who are not overweight, after changing their lifestyle has not helped, and the result lasts only if you keep a healthy weight (NHS). Surgeons usually ask for a stable weight before body contouring.
- Nose surgery: the nose is made smaller by removing some cartilage and bone, or larger with cartilage from the ears or bone from elsewhere. Expect a splint for about a week, difficulty breathing through the nose at first, up to 2 weeks off work, and swelling for up to 6 months before the final result; breathing difficulty can be permanent (NHS).
- Facelift: full recovery takes about 2 to 4 weeks, with that time off work, no driving for some days, and the full effect after 6 to 9 months; nerve injury with loss of feeling or movement in the face is one of the risks (NHS). Tell the surgeon about your blood pressure and every medicine.
- Eyelid surgery can be done under local or general anaesthetic; the strips are usually removed about a week later and most people take about 2 weeks off work. Puffy, numb eyelids that are hard to close are common at first; blurred or double vision and uneven eyes can happen. Do not wear contact lenses or rub your eyes while you heal (NHS).
- Diabetes, heart disease or high blood pressure: get them as well controlled as possible before the operation and agree your medicines (insulin, pump) with your doctor and the anaesthetist in writing (NHS).
- Breast implants: most cases of BIA-ALCL, a rare lymphoma linked to breast implants, involve textured implants, and it can appear years later, often as swelling or fluid around the implant (FDA). Ask the maker, the surface (smooth or textured) and the model, and keep the implant card.
- If you have a heart stent or take a blood thinner or an antiplatelet medicine (for example clopidogrel), never stop it on a clinic's advice: stopping can raise the risk of a heart attack or stroke (NHS). Agree any change with the doctor who prescribes it; planned surgery may have to wait.
- Male chest reduction (gynaecomastia): ask your doctor at home to check the cause first. Hormone changes, being overweight, some medicines and drugs such as anabolic steroids can cause it, and surgery is for when other treatments have not worked (NHS).
Who it is for
- The surgeon should make sure you understand what the procedure involves, its limitations, the alternatives, and the risks and complications, and be able to show before and after pictures of their work (NHS).
- Tell the surgeon and the anaesthetist about every health condition and every medicine you take.
Recovery and travel
Usually under general anaesthetic: the effects can last around 24 hours.
No alcohol, sun, sightseeing or swimming while you recover (NHS).
Do not sit directly on your buttocks for at least eight weeks; if you must sit, use a pillow under your thighs so they are off the seat (American Society of Plastic Surgeons). Plan the flight home with this in mind.
Take it easy for several weeks: after a tummy tuck the NHS says about 4 to 6 weeks off work and exercise. Ask the surgeon in writing when you can lift, go back to the gym or to a physical job.
The NHS advises not flying for 5 to 7 days after these procedures.
The breast surgery rule (NHS: 5 to 7 days); the planner uses 7. Wear the compression vest as long as the surgeon tells you, and ask about clot prevention on a long flight.
The NHS advises not flying for 7 to 10 days after these procedures: air travel and major surgery both raise the risk of a blood clot, which can be life threatening.
The liposuction rule (NHS: 5 to 7 days); the planner uses 7. Ask your surgeon about clot prevention on a long flight.
The strips are usually removed about a week after eyelid surgery (NHS).
The NHS advises 7 to 10 days after facial procedures; the planner uses 10. Ask your surgeon.
Flying home: The NHS advises not flying for 5 to 7 days after breast surgery or liposuction and for 7 to 10 days after facial procedures or a tummy tuck. The planner uses the longer end for the procedure you choose (7 or 10 days): ask your surgeon for your own operation.
Trips: One trip, but plan how you would go back if you need more surgery, and how much that would cost.
Put these steps on your own dates
Risks
Blood clots
Air travel and major surgery both increase the risk of a blood clot, which can be life threatening.
Death after a Brazilian butt lift
Fat injected into the buttocks can lead to a pulmonary embolism, a blockage in a blood vessel in the lungs that can be fatal. Other serious side effects include cellulitis (a skin infection) and lumpy scars.
No follow-up
Overseas clinics may not provide follow-up treatment, or not to the same standard, and may have no professional at home you can go to.
Too much at once
UK surgeons warn about the number of procedures combined in one sitting and about a different procedure being performed from the one expected.
Red flags
- A 'consultation' only with salespeople or a coordinator.
- Discounts, all-inclusive packages with hotel and flights, or finance deals pushed through social media (NHS England warns about 'bargain-basement' BBL deals).
- Several procedures combined in one sitting to lower the price.
- A package that flies you home before the days health services advise.
- A "guaranteed" or "natural result guaranteed" promise: no surgeon can guarantee a result.
- A package that tells you to drive home within days of the operation: after a general anaesthetic do not drive for at least 24 hours, and only when you are fit to (NHS).
- A clinic that tells you not to involve your specialist, your transplant team or your doctor at home.
- No blood tests or other checks before an operation under general anaesthetic: a pre-operative assessment, often with blood tests, comes first (NHS).
Questions to ask the clinic
- Who is the surgeon, what training and qualifications do they have, which organisations do they belong to, and how many of these operations have they done?
- Does the surgeon speak a language I understand well enough to explain the procedure and my risks?
- When are my two consultations, and how long between them and the operation?
- What happens if there are complications, where is the follow-up, and who pays if I need more surgery?
- What insurance does the clinic or the surgeon have, and does it cover me?
- I take the combined pill or HRT, or I smoke or vape: what should I stop, and how long before the operation?
- For a BBL: will the fat be injected only under the skin, above the muscle, with ultrasound guidance during the operation?
- For nose surgery: which implant or graft material will you use (for example cartilage from my ear or rib), and will its reference be in my records?
- I have a health condition or take medicines (for example diabetes, heart disease, high blood pressure or asthma): has the anaesthetist seen this before the day, in writing?
- Facelift or eyelid surgery: who checks my blood pressure, my eyes and my tear film before the operation? I have dry eyes, wear contact lenses or had thyroid eye disease.
- Where do I spend the nights after the operation: a licensed hospital or a recovery house? Who is on duty at night, and which hospital takes me if something goes wrong?
- Will the drains be removed before I fly, and who removes them otherwise?
- I have had caesareans or a hernia: will it be repaired during the tummy tuck, by whom, and what does it change for recovery?
- Breast implants: which maker, surface (smooth or textured) and model, is it registered in this country, and will I get the implant card?
- What exactly does a free revision cover, and who pays the trip back?
- Male chest reduction: has a doctor checked the cause (hormones, steroids, medicines), will it be liposuction, cutting the tissue out or both, and how long do I wear the compression vest and avoid lifting?
- I have a bleeding disorder (for example von Willebrand disease or haemophilia), or I bruise or bleed easily: who plans the operation with my haematologist, and which blood tests do you do before it? (NHS: tell your specialist team before surgery or dental treatment)
Ask for the answers in writing. A clinic that will not name the person who treats you has answered the first question.
Where to check the clinic
Each country has its own registers of doctors, dentists and clinics. Pick the destination:
The checks that apply everywhere
- Talk to your doctor or dentist at home first. They know your history, can tell you whether you need the treatment at all, and you will rely on them afterwards.
- Consult the person who will treat you, not a salesperson. Video calls do not replace an examination, and a cooling-off period between consultation and surgery protects you.
- Check the doctor's or dentist's registration yourself. Qualifications should be verified independently, not taken from the clinic's website.
- Check the clinic's licence. Clinics need an authorisation from the health authority; in some countries a separate one for international patients.
- Look for accreditation, but do not rely on it alone. International accreditation bodies list accredited facilities abroad, but accreditation does not guarantee a good outcome.
- Get a written plan, quote and contract. A treatment plan and a price should follow an examination by a qualified professional, and a written contract tells you what you can claim.
- Know what the price includes. Follow-up care can carry substantial extra fees, and revisions after a complication add to the cost.
- Arrange your aftercare at home before you go. Follow-up care might not be easily available at home and may not be covered by your health system.
- Get insurance that covers the treatment. Standard travel insurance does not normally cover elective surgery abroad, and an air ambulance home is very expensive.
- Plan enough days before flying home. Surgery and long flights each raise the risk of blood clots: the days before flying home matter most after major surgery.
- Bring your records home, in a language your doctor at home reads. Doctors at home need to know exactly what was done, with which materials and medicines.
- Be careful with agents and holiday packages. Private companies have a financial interest in booking your treatment; the UK government advises caution with websites selling surgery as part of a holiday.
Once you are home
- Before you book, find out what happens if there are complications, where the follow-up appointments will be, what happens if you need more surgery and how easily you could travel back, and how much it would cost (NHS).
- Check what insurance the clinic or surgeon has and whether it covers you, and what your travel insurance covers: it normally does not cover things going wrong in surgery.
What your health system covers after private treatment abroad depends on where you live:
🇬🇧 If you live in the United Kingdom
The NHS (Health and Social Care in Northern Ireland) does not pay for private treatment you choose abroad, and your EHIC or GHIC does not cover planned treatment. Standard travel insurance does not normally cover you if you travelled for elective surgery: you may need specialist cover.
The NHS is not liable for negligence or failure of treatment abroad, and the Foreign Office cannot usually help: planned treatment is treated as a commercial arrangement. Plan your aftercare and how records will be shared before you go.
🇮🇪 If you live in Ireland
The HSE Cross Border Directive scheme only refunds planned care in another EU or EEA country that is publicly funded in Ireland, with a referral, up to what it would cost in the Irish public system; travel and accommodation are not refunded. So cosmetic treatments, hair transplants and laser eye surgery, which are not publicly funded in Ireland, are outside it. In the EU: Your EHIC does not cover planned treatment in another EU country (EU): it is for care that becomes necessary during a stay. Hospital care with a night in hospital may need the HSE's approval before you go (EU).
Ask your GP before you go how follow-up would work once you are home, and check whether your travel insurance covers planned treatment and its complications: many policies exclude it.
🇫🇷 If you live in France
Purely aesthetic procedures and their follow-up are not reimbursed by the Assurance Maladie, in France or abroad. Other planned care in another EU country is refunded only if it is reimbursable in France, and at most at the French rate: care without a night in hospital, such as most dental care, needs no prior authorisation; send the paid invoices with form S3125 to your CPAM. In the EU: Care with at least one night in hospital (a sleeve, for example; a purely cosmetic operation is never refunded) needs your CPAM's prior authorisation (form S2) before the trip, and the French eligibility criteria, to be refunded (EU). Outside the EU: Outside the EU, the EU rules on refunds for planned care do not apply: planned treatment there is at your own cost (EU).
Ask your CPAM (health insurance office) and your mutuelle (top-up insurer) before you go how care for a complication would be covered once you are home, and check your travel insurance.
🇺🇸 If you live in the United States
Check whether your health plan covers anything abroad: most do not cover planned treatment, and Original Medicare generally does not pay for care outside the United States, with limited exceptions. Consider supplemental cover, including medical evacuation.
Seek care promptly if a complication develops, during travel or after you return, and bring your overseas records in English. Legal recourse abroad may be more limited than in the United States.
🇦🇺 If you live in Australia
Medicare doesn't cover you when you're overseas, reciprocal health care agreements only cover some situations, and basic travel insurance rarely covers medical tourism: get a specialised policy for your procedure, its complications and medical evacuation, and tell your insurers everything. Ask your private health fund whether it pays anything for complications of surgery done overseas, and about waiting periods for treatment at home.
You, your family or your insurer pay for further care or an evacuation. Consular staff can contact your family and give lists of English-speaking hospitals and lawyers, but cannot pay bills or recommend surgeons. Smartraveller advises taking someone with you.
🇳🇿 If you live in New Zealand
Make sure your travel insurance covers complications and medical evacuation, and talk to your health practitioner in New Zealand about the procedure and its risks before you go. ACC does not pay for treatment costs overseas: ask ACC before you go what it would cover if you are injured by the treatment and need care once you are home.
Get copies of your surgical details before you leave: problems can appear once you are home, and your practitioner in New Zealand will need them. Check with a health practitioner before flying after surgery.
🇸🇦 If you live in Saudi Arabia
The Ministry of Health sends patients abroad at its expense only by royal order or on the decision of the High Medical Commission. Planned treatment you choose yourself, such as cosmetic surgery, is private and at your own cost.
Ministry-referred patients are followed by the Saudi health attaché in the country of treatment. If you go privately, nobody follows you: get supplemental insurance that includes medical evacuation before you go (CDC), and ask what it pays for treating a complication, talk to your doctor in Saudi Arabia before you leave, and if a problem starts once you are home, see a doctor at once and bring your records.
🇩🇪 If you live in Germany
Statutory insurance (GKV) can refund planned care from a provider in another EU or EEA country or Switzerland, at most what it would pay in Germany and only for care it covers; hospital treatment needs your fund's approval first (§13 SGB V). Cosmetic surgery is not covered. Private insurance (PKV) depends on your policy: ask before you book. If an aesthetic operation that was not medically needed leads to an illness, your statutory fund must make you pay a fair share of the treatment and can refuse or reclaim sick pay for that time (§52(2) SGB V).
Check your travel insurance for complications, and agree with your doctor at home who will see you afterwards.
🇨🇦 If you live in Canada
Provincial and territorial health plans rarely cover any of the cost of care outside Canada, and then usually only a small part (Government of Canada). In Ontario, OHIP pays for planned treatment abroad only with written prior approval from the Ministry of Health before the treatment, applied for by your doctor, and only if the procedure is not available in Ontario (or a delay would be life-threatening or cause serious irreversible harm); travel, accommodation and meals are never covered. Other provinces have their own rules: ask your plan before you book. Provincial plans pay for medically required care: do not count on any cover for a cosmetic operation, its revision or its follow-up, at home or abroad; ask your plan in writing. Rules differ by province (Ontario's prior-approval rule is above): check your own plan's out-of-country rules, for example BC's MSP, Quebec's RAMQ or Alberta's AHCIP, before you book.
Buy travel medical insurance that covers the treatment's complications and transport home: Ontario encourages it even when the treatment has prior approval. Foreign hospitals can be very expensive and may ask for cash in advance (Government of Canada).
🇳🇴 If you live in Norway
For care received in another EEA country, Norway refunds only care you would have had cover for in Norway, at most what it would have cost the public system there; hospital treatment follows separate rules and may need prior approval. A hair transplant or a cosmetic operation is not care folketrygden pays for in Norway, so HELFO does not refund it abroad either. Outside the EU: Outside the EEA the refund rules for care in another EEA country do not apply: planned treatment there is normally at your own cost.
Talk to your doctor or dentist in Norway before you go, keep every invoice and record, and check your travel insurance for complications. If the care is something folketrygden covers and you had it in the EEA, apply to HELFO within the time limit.
🇸🇪 If you live in Sweden
For planned dental care in the EU or EEA, Försäkringskassan can refund what you would have received for necessary dental care in Sweden, afterwards; cosmetic dental work is not refunded, and you can ask for an advance decision (förhandsbesked) on the amount. For other planned care you can apply in advance; you pay travel and lodging yourself (1177). A hair transplant or a cosmetic operation is not care the Swedish public system pays for, so it is not refunded abroad either: refunds are only for care you would have had in Sweden (1177). Outside the EU: Outside the EU and EEA the cross-border refund rules do not apply: planned treatment there is normally at your own cost.
Agree with your region or health centre (vårdcentral) how the follow-up works once you are home, keep every record, and check your travel insurance for complications.
🇧🇪 If you live in Belgium
For planned care in another EU or EEA country you are refunded at most what the Belgian insurance would pay, and only for care it covers in Belgium; care with a night in hospital or very specialised care usually needs your mutualité's prior authorisation (INAMI; EU). Travel and accommodation are yours to pay (EU). A hair transplant or a cosmetic operation is not care the Belgian insurance covers, so it is not refunded abroad either. Outside the EU: Outside the EU and EEA, the EU rules on refunds for planned care do not apply: planned treatment there is normally at your own cost (EU).
Talk to your doctor or dentist in Belgium before you go, ask your mutualité in writing what it would refund, keep every invoice and record, and check your travel insurance for complications.
🇳🇱 If you live in the Netherlands
Your basic insurance refunds care abroad only if the same care is insured in the Netherlands, up to the usual Dutch rate; ask your insurer beforehand, as it can set conditions such as a referral (Zorginstituut Nederland). For adults the basic insurance covers surgical dental care, X-rays and removable dentures; implants only in special cases (Rijksoverheid). A hair transplant or a cosmetic operation is not insured care in the Netherlands, so the basic insurance does not refund it abroad either.
Talk to your GP (huisarts) or dentist before you go, ask your insurer in writing what it would refund, keep every invoice and record, and check your travel insurance for complications.
🇸🇬 If you live in Singapore
MediShield Life is designed for subsidised bills at public hospitals in Singapore and does not cover treatment overseas; MediSave can be used for elective hospitalisation and day surgery abroad only at accredited hospitals (Ministry of Health, 2024). For Malaysia: Crossing to Johor by road: plan who drives you back after any sedation or anaesthetic, and where you are seen if a problem starts once you are home.
Ask your Integrated Shield Plan insurer in writing what it covers abroad, agree the follow-up with a doctor in Singapore before you go, keep every record, and get insurance that covers complications.
🇦🇪 If you live in the United Arab Emirates
What your UAE health insurance pays for planned treatment abroad depends on your plan: ask your insurer in writing before you book, and get insurance that covers complications and transport home.
Agree with a doctor or dentist in the UAE who will see you once you are back, keep every record and invoice, and check what your insurer pays for treating a complication of care done abroad.
🇩🇰 If you live in Denmark
For care bought in another EU or EEA country you can get the subsidy you would have had in Denmark, never more than you paid; planned hospital treatment with at least one night in hospital needs your region's prior approval (Styrelsen for Patientsikkerhed). You pay first and claim afterwards. A hair transplant or a cosmetic operation is not care the Danish public system pays for, so there is no subsidy for it abroad either. Outside the EU: Outside the EU and EEA the subsidy rules for care bought abroad do not apply: planned treatment there is normally at your own cost.
Talk to your doctor or dentist in Denmark before you go, ask your region's patient office what it would pay, keep every invoice and record, and check your travel insurance for complications.
🇦🇹 If you live in Austria
For planned care in another EU or EEA country you are refunded only for care you are entitled to under Austrian law: outpatient care at 80% of the Austrian contract tariff (the Wahlarzt rule), never more than you paid; hospital treatment needs your insurer's approval first (oesterreich.gv.at). A hair transplant or a cosmetic operation is not care Austrian health insurance pays for, so it is not refunded abroad either. Outside the EU: Outside the EU and EEA the EU rules on refunds for planned care do not apply: planned treatment there is normally at your own cost.
Talk to your doctor or dentist in Austria before you go, ask your health insurer in writing what it would refund, keep every invoice and record, and check your travel insurance for complications.
🇫🇮 If you live in Finland
Kela can refund treatment in another EU or EEA country if it is medically necessary and part of the services of the Finnish public system, at most what it would have cost in your wellbeing services county; you pay first, claim within 6 months of paying, and can ask Kela well in advance how much it would refund (Kela). A hair transplant or a cosmetic operation is not part of the services of the Finnish public system, so Kela does not refund it abroad. Outside the EU: Outside the EU and EEA, Kela's rules for treatment in another EU or EEA country do not apply: planned treatment there is normally at your own cost.
Talk to your doctor or dentist in Finland before you go, ask Kela for advance information, keep every invoice and record, and check your travel insurance for complications.
🇨🇭 If you live in Switzerland
Basic insurance covers treatment in Switzerland and emergencies abroad, not planned treatment abroad: the exception is a treatment not available in Switzerland, when your doctor applies to the insurer's medical adviser first (FOPH). Supplementary insurance may cover more: ask it in writing. Switzerland is outside the EU: the EU cross-border refund rules do not apply to Swiss residents, wherever the clinic is.
Agree the follow-up with a doctor or dentist in Switzerland before you go, ask your insurer in writing what it covers, keep every record, and get insurance that covers complications.
Sources
- NHS: Cosmetic surgery abroad nhs.uk · checked 7 Nov 2026
- NHS England: NHS warns of 'bargain basement' BBLs (21 Dec 2024) england.nhs.uk · checked 25 Oct 2026
- NHS: General anaesthetic nhs.uk · checked 25 Oct 2026
- BAAPS and BOMSS joint statement on surgical tourism (20 April 2023) baaps.org.uk · checked 25 Oct 2026
- Smartraveller (Australia): medical tourism smartraveller.gov.au · checked 25 Oct 2026
- CDC Yellow Book: Medical tourism cdc.gov · checked 7 Nov 2026
- NHS: Deep vein thrombosis (DVT) nhs.uk · checked 25 Oct 2026
- BAAPS: Bottoms up (gluteal fat grafting guidelines, 2022) baaps.org.uk · checked 25 Oct 2026
- American Society of Plastic Surgeons: recovering from a Brazilian butt lift plasticsurgery.org · checked 25 Oct 2026
- NHS: Liposuction nhs.uk · checked 25 Oct 2026
- NHS: Nose reshaping (rhinoplasty) nhs.uk · checked 25 Oct 2026
- NHS: How and when to take clopidogrel nhs.uk · checked 26 Oct 2026
- NHS: Facelift nhs.uk · checked 26 Oct 2026
- NHS: Eyelid surgery nhs.uk · checked 26 Oct 2026
- FDA: breast implant associated anaplastic large cell lymphoma (BIA-ALCL) fda.gov · checked 26 Oct 2026
- NHS: Gynaecomastia nhs.uk · checked 27 Oct 2026
- NHS: Tummy tuck nhs.uk · checked 27 Oct 2026
- NHS: Von Willebrand disease nhs.uk · checked 27 Oct 2026
Next review due 25 Apr 2027. Found something wrong or out of date? Tell us via the contact address.