Surgical holidays on the rise

Central North Island women are among the hundreds in New Zealand heading to Asian countries for surgery holidays.

According to independent holiday surgery operator, Gorgeous Getaways, more Kiwi men and women are heading for places like Malaysia and Sri Lanka for cosmetic surgery such as facelifts, liposuction and tummy tucks.

Since Gorgeous Getaways started in 2004 about 400 New Zealanders have gone on "surgery holidays", including about 20 from Rotorua and Taupo.

The difference in price is a major drawcard.

In 2006 Gorgeous Getaways had about 200 patients sign up for the holidays, while in 2007 they had seen more than 500 patients.

A full facelift costs about $20,000 in New Zealand, compared with about $8000 in Malaysia. The cost includes a hospital stay, 5-star accommodation for 14 days plus all care and land transfers.

Taupo woman Lynette Warn went to Malaysia for a mini-facelift and liposuction to her abdomen. The 44-year-old heard about the holidays through a friend. She was keen to get some minor touch-ups to her face and stomach area for a confidence boost.

She had had a tummy tuck years before but was unhappy with the results.

"It was a mess and he was meant to be one of New Zealand's top surgeons," Mrs Warn said.

When she asked him to correct his mistakes, Mrs Warn said he asked for more money. The experience put her off getting further cosmetic surgery in New Zealand.

Instead, she underwent surgery last July in Malaysia where she said the surgeons weren't impressed with her previous procedure. She was much happier with the results of her Malaysian holiday.

One of the best things about having surgery overseas was recovering away from home without people seeing her until the final result, she said.

While Mrs Cogan understood there was a perception that surgery in Malaysia and Sri Lanka was not as hygienic, professional or as high quality as those in New Zealand. However, those perceptions were wrong, she said.

Director of the Australian-based Gorgeous Getaways company, Louise Cogan, said surgeons in Malaysia provided much better quality services. She said when she had surgery there they made sure they told her about what she could do to speed up the healing process - a service she claimed she did not get in New Zealand.

Mrs Cogan said most of the women who went on surgery holidays were everyday housewives who wanted to look and feel better as a reward for being a mother and a wife.

"It's absolutely to improve confidence, improve their self-esteem."

A major reason more people were getting plastic surgery was because it was becoming more socially acceptable due to television programmes such as Extreme Makeover.

"There's a trend for women looking to feel as young and sexy as possible."