Is Lipotourism Worth The Risk?
Cosmetic surgery is booming in the U.S., with roughly 800,000 Americans opting for it each year. However, the cost is steep, so more Americans are increasingly going under the knife overseas.

Costa Rica is a tropical paradise known for its beaches, rain forests and volcanoes. One new thing for which the country is known is plastic surgeons.

Many American patients are coming to the country by the thousands.

"I'm not sure to what extent we're going yet; I'd like to say from my eyes to my knees," said Susan Nobles, who came to Costa Rica from California.

Nobles arrived in Costa Rica for liposuction after learning from her Rotary Club that the nation is the Beverly Hills of Latin America.

According to reports, 14% of all visitors to Costa Rica come for a medical or dental procedure.

Medical tourism expert Richard Feldman said, “You can save up to 75%off U.S. prices for most procedures."

A gastric bypass in Costa Rica costs us$10,000, while it is between us$35,000 to us$45,000 in the U.S. A breast augmentation is us$3,000 compared to us$7,000 to us$10,000 in the U.S. Getting a face-lift in Costa Rica costs just us$4,700 but costs up to su$15,000 in the U.S.

There are even packaged deals for us$2,000 more that includes airfare and a stay at a five-star hotel staffed by nurses.

"The level of medicine here is very high. We have the same level or mortality and complications that you have in more developed countries," said Costa Rica surgeon Dr. Graciela Cortez Ramos.

Ramos said surgeons in Costa Rica are often trained in the U.S.

The hospital where Ramos works, Clinica Santa Maria, is upscale and brand-new. Some of the private rooms in the hospital are very well-equipped, and include Internet access and flat-screen TVs.

The products and equipment at Clinica Santa Maria are approved by the Food and Drug Administration.

Ramos said, “All the regulations that you have in an operating room in Costa Rica you have in the United States.”

What makes plastic surgery in paradise more affordable?

Rudy Rupak, of Los Angeles-based medical tourism company Planet Hospital, said it all comes down to less liability and overhead.

“An American doctor and a foreign doctor will get the same salaries, same cost per surgery," said Rupak. “The difference is in the hospital costs.”

Still, cost is only one consideration.

"How do you determine the quality of a program you're going to go do? How much risk are you willing to take to save a dollar?” asked Dr. Ted Mazer of the California Medical Association.

Mazer said patients going abroad must do their research, plan for post-operative care and accept the potential risks.

“Can we control the quality over our borders? No, we can't,” said Mazer.

Nobles considered the risks, but after arriving in Costa Rica she said she’s more excited than nervous.

“It’ll keep me young,” said Nobles.

If you are considering cosmetic surgery abroad, there are safety guidelines from the American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery