As the concept of travelling overseas for dental and medical treatment becomes more acceptable, Poland has emerged as a popular destination for cosmetic surgery (operacje kosmetyczne), with clinics (kliniki) across the country welcoming an increasing number of patients (pacjenci) from the United Kingdom and Ireland, other European countries and even USA.
Once the preserve of Hollywood stars and ladies who lunch, cosmetic surgery has become increasingly acceptable in recent years, as more and more men and women go under the knife (iść pod nóż) for elective procedures. There are now dedicated magazines featuring interviews with leading surgeons (chirurdzy), and television programmes which follow patients into theatre, then follow up with them post-surgery, exploring how their procedure had changed their life. There are even exhibitions, where patients can have an initial consultation (konsultacje) with a surgeon and find out more about the options open to them. While the idea of having a cosmetic procedure (zabieg kosmetyczny) may be more acceptable now than ever before, the price of the operation may be the only factor holding the patient back. Patients from the United Kingdom, Ireland, Germany and even North America are however overcoming this hurdle by travelling to Poland for their procedure, where a spot of nip and tuck can cost up to 60% less than at home.
Since joining the EU, Poland has emerged as a popular destination for cosmetic surgery. Initially, patients from Germany were driving across the border to take advantage of highly skilled surgeons operating in modern clinics (nowoczesne kliniki) equipped with the latest technologies (najnowsze technologie), but as low-cost airlines increased the number of direct flights to Poland from other parts of Europe, clinics found that they were also welcoming patients from the United Kingdom, Ireland and Scandinavia. Patients from North America, notably those with Polish roots, have also been known to travel to Poland for cosmetic surgery.
The decision to have cosmetic surgery is rarely one that is made lightly, and patients seeking a cosmetic procedure tend to spend time carefully researching their options. It is typically the case that patients travelling to another country for a procedure will be even more thorough in their research. There are many sources of information available to patients: as well as books, magazines and television programmes dedicated to cosmetic surgery, there are also websites and internet portals, where potential patients can chat to each other on forums and message boards, comparing different clinics and surgeons all over the world. Time spent researching cosmetic surgery in Poland is often worthwhile, as patients who travel to Poland for a procedure not only save money – in most cases, thousands of dollars – they are more likely to find themselves in the hands of some of Europe’s most skilled and experienced surgeons.
While there are no specific statistics that show the exact number of patients travelling to Poland for cosmetic surgery, individual clinics are reporting a definite increase in the number of patients that they are receiving from outside of Poland.
Do następnego razu… (Till next time…)
