Plastic surgery is growing in popularity, and that’s a good thing. More men and women are going under the knife to improve their look without having to deal with the stigma that used to be attached to procedures like liposuction or breast augmentation. Unfortunately, with such growth in this field, there also comes many questionable doctors hoping to cash in. They’re not just in the United States, but abroad as well. 

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recently reported that 19 people who went to the Dominican Republic last year for plastic surgery returned home with very severe infections. Although most of the patients went to the same clinic, public health officials traced the cases to seven additional medical establishments on the island nation. 

Almost all of the patients contracted a bacteria related to tuberculosis known as Mycobacterium abscessus. 

“Fourteen (74 percent) were hospitalized in the United States and required multiple therapeutic and corrective surgical procedures and long courses of antibiotics,” the CDC wrote in its report. 

So why did these people head to the Dominican Republic for surgery? The nation attracts many medical tourists because surgery is cheap and they can have a relaxing recovery on one of the island’s many beaches. As you can see, though, “cheap” surgery probably isn’t worth it. With the additional medical treatment that these patients need, they’ll probably spend much more than they would have  had they gone to a board-certified plastic surgeon in the United States. 

Are you interested in plastic surgery in a sunny locale? Why not Miami? Contact the office of Dr. Christopher Craft for an experienced Miami plastic surgeon today!