This section provides factual reference information on medical and dental procedures commonly sought through medical tourism. Each procedure page includes international price ranges, typical recovery times, common risks, key considerations, and questions you should ask any clinic before proceeding.
Price ranges reflect what international patients typically pay at clinics abroad — not domestic costs in the US, UK, or other high-income countries. Prices vary significantly by country, clinic, surgeon experience, and specific clinical requirements. Always confirm what is and is not included in any quoted price.
Cosmetic Surgery
Abdominoplasty (Tummy Tuck)cosmetic surgery
Abdominoplasty removes excess skin and fat from the abdomen and tightens the underlying abdominal muscles. It is commonly sought after significant weight loss or pregnancy. Full abdominoplasty involves a hip-to-hip incision and navel repositioning. Mini-abdominoplasty addresses only the area below the navel.
Breast Augmentationcosmetic surgery
Breast augmentation involves the placement of silicone or saline implants to increase breast size or restore volume. Fat transfer (lipofilling) is an alternative for modest increases. The procedure is performed under general anaesthesia and typically takes 1-2 hours. Implant placement can be subglandular or submuscular.
Rhinoplastycosmetic surgery
Rhinoplasty (nose reshaping surgery) is performed to change the shape, size, or proportions of the nose for aesthetic or functional reasons. It may involve modifying bone, cartilage, and skin. Open and closed approaches exist, each with different recovery profiles and scar visibility.
Price range$2,500–$10,000
Submuscular Breast Augmentationcosmetic surgery
Submuscular breast augmentation places the implant beneath the pectoralis major muscle, in contrast to subglandular placement under the breast tissue alone. The submuscular approach (which is most commonly the 'dual-plane' variant, where the upper pole of the implant is fully submuscular and the lower pole is in the subglandular plane) is preferred for patients with thin breast tissue, thin overlying skin, or a preference for a more natural-looking upper-pole transition. Compared to subglandular placement, submuscular implants have lower capsular contracture rates, better mammographic visibility, and a smoother appearance under thin tissue — at the cost of a longer recovery, more initial post-operative pain, and visible 'animation deformity' on chest contraction in some patients.
General Surgery
Hernia Repairgeneral surgery
Hernia repair surgically corrects a protrusion of tissue (most commonly fat, omentum or bowel) through a weakness in the abdominal wall. The most common varieties are inguinal (groin), femoral, umbilical, epigastric, and incisional hernias; surgical principles are similar across all but operative approach varies. Two main techniques exist: open repair, in which the surgeon accesses the hernia through a single incision and reinforces the defect with sutures and/or a synthetic mesh, and laparoscopic (or robotic) repair, which uses small ports and a camera to place mesh from the inside of the abdominal wall. NICE TA160 supports the laparoscopic approach for selected primary unilateral inguinal hernias and for bilateral and recurrent cases, where it is associated with faster return to activity at the cost of slightly longer operating time. The choice of approach depends on hernia type, size, prior surgery, patient comorbidity and surgeon experience. Synthetic mesh has become the standard of care for most adult repairs because of materially lower recurrence rates than primary suture repair, though the trade-off is a small risk of mesh-related chronic pain or infection.
Laparoscopic Hernia Repairgeneral surgery
Laparoscopic hernia repair is a minimally invasive technique in which the hernia defect is approached from inside the abdominal wall using small ports and a camera, with mesh placed in the preperitoneal space to reinforce the defect. The two main variants are transabdominal preperitoneal (TAPP) repair, which enters the abdominal cavity, and totally extraperitoneal (TEP) repair, which dissects the preperitoneal space without entering the peritoneum. Compared to open repair, laparoscopic approaches offer faster return to normal activity, lower acute pain, and better cosmesis — at the cost of a longer operative time, the requirement for general anaesthesia, and a steeper learning curve for the surgeon.
Hair Transplant
DHI (Direct Hair Implantation)hair transplant
DHI (Direct Hair Implantation) is a hair transplant technique in which follicular units are extracted from a donor area using a small punch (similar to FUE) and then implanted directly into the recipient site using a Choi pen-like implanter device. The Choi implanter creates the recipient incision and inserts the graft in a single action, allowing precise control of graft angle, direction, and depth, and eliminating the need for separate recipient-site creation. DHI is marketed as a distinct technique but is, mechanically, an FUE variant that uses an implanter rather than a forceps for graft placement.
FUT (Follicular Unit Transplantation, Strip Technique)hair transplant
FUT (Follicular Unit Transplantation), commonly called the 'strip technique', is a hair transplant method in which a long, narrow strip of donor scalp is surgically excised and dissected under microscopy into individual follicular units, which are then implanted into the recipient area. FUT is the older of the two main hair-transplant approaches (preceding FUE) and remains the technique of choice for very large graft counts in a single session, when donor density is limited, or when trichophytic donor closure is sought to minimise scar visibility.
Hair Transplant (FUE)hair transplant
Follicular Unit Extraction (FUE) involves harvesting individual hair follicles from a donor area (typically the back of the head) and transplanting them to areas of thinning or baldness. Results take 9-12 months to fully develop. The procedure is performed under local anaesthesia.