Cosmetic surgery abroad? When complications return to Italy

More and more Italians are choosing to undergo cosmetic surgery abroad. But when something goes wrong, postoperative complications can become a serious problem.
Giuseppe Giudice, full professor at the University of Bari “Aldo Moro”, explains: «Complications are all those adverse events that can occur, hopefully in the smallest possible percentage, during any type of procedure, whether general surgery or plastic, reconstructive, or cosmetic surgery. The problem arises when such complications occur in a way that is foreseeable but not preventable».

When this happens, patients are already back in Italy and must deal with the consequences of the procedure.

«To resolve them, they are forced to turn to hospitals within the national healthcare system or university hospital facilities».

Cosmetic surgery abroad: data, registries, and advice

The growing number of patients treated abroad who return to Italy with postoperative problems has highlighted an important issue.

These are cases that require hospitalization in Italian healthcare facilities, generating additional costs for the national health system.
To address this, SICPRE (the Italian Society of Plastic, Reconstructive-Regenerative and Aesthetic Surgery) has created a registry, distributed among the main specialist centers in Italy.

This makes it possible to gather essential information on the cases: «We use the registry to report the type and number of patients, the types of conditions most affected by these complications. Its purpose is above all to highlight, quantify, and qualify the problem», notes Prof. Giudice, who is responsible for the registry for SICPRE.

Preliminary data indicate that the procedures most frequently associated with complications «are breast surgeries(augmentation, reduction, or mastopexy); abdominal procedures; and procedures involving the lower limbs, particularly liposuction».

Undergoing surgery safely

Whether one chooses an Italian or foreign facility, the fundamental principle for safely undergoing cosmetic surgery is to «turn to individuals with an adequate résumé, extensive and verifiable experience, and who work in appropriate facilities such as hospitals or accredited and authorised clinics».

Moreover, by choosing surgery abroad, one risks not knowing the surgeon, who may perform procedures on patients he or she has never examined in person. Patients are also unable to verify the surgeon’s educational background, starting with the presence of the official qualification as a Specialist in Plastic Surgery.

In any case, it is wise to avoid those «who advertise their abilities on social media, and instead turn to recognised scientific societies and professionals specialised in plastic surgery who have been practicing this activity for a long time».