Plastic Surgery Tourism: Cheap But Risky

David Vega before and after body sculpting surgeries.

By Jose Bautista

According to the American Society of Plastic Surgeons, there were 15.6 million cosmetic procedures performed in 2014 in the U.S, with breast augmentation, liposuction, and nose reshaping being the most common requests.

Americans spent spent $12.9 billion in 2014 to change their appearance. Yet others sought out low-budget options in other countries, some with unexpected consequences. One popular choice for Bronxites, Dominicans in particular, is the Dominican Republic (D.R.). According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, medical tourism on the island is a growing industry.

In its 2016 Health Information for International Travel, the CDC warns Americans against unqualified practitioners. “As of March 2014, no public or private health care facilities have standards accredited by Joint Commission International.”

In March 2014, the CDC issued a report saying that 19 cases of serious infection had been reported by people in five states after they underwent cosmetic procedures in the D.R. Eleven of the cases were in New York. The most common procedures were liposuction (74%), abdominoplasty (58%), and breast implantation (32%).

Mirna Echabarria, 34, said she had to have multiple breast augmentation surgeries. “I got my boobs done three times,” said Echabarria. “I remember that the first two times were a disaster because I somehow ended up in the wrong hands with the wrong people. I was hospitalized for almost a month because the silicone that was put into my body was causing secondary reaction and marks. So, I went back with another doctor and decided to get it done one more time and the results were very satisfactory.”

Not everyone is so lucky, says Mari Rosario. “I lost my sister last year because she was seeking a cheap tummy tuck in the Dominican Republic. We are still looking for answer from the authorities.”

David Vega, 20, has had a series of procedure done for a fairly low cost of $5000. He started with his lips at age 16. “One year after that I went to Colombia to try to get my butt done and it was so depressing because they introduced a substance that wasn’t healthy,” he said. “It hurt very much and I ended up in they hospital for almost three weeks. I wasn’t satisfied so I decided to go to another doctor and get it done again, this time the results were very satisfactory. They introduced a substance called ‘bio-gel’ and it’s really good it doesn’t feel like my butt is fake or anything like that.”

Despite his mixed luck, Vega says the results are worth the risk. “I’ve got my hips, my stomach, my chest, my lips done and in total I have like eight surgeries,” he said.