There are sectors in which saving money can be risky, one of which is, of course, the health sector, which also includes surgery and aesthetic medicine. The consequences of an unprofessional operation should by no means be underestimated, but in practice, the allure of low cost has unfortunately also invested this sector. There are even those who are prepared to travel abroad to undergo cosmetic surgery at much lower prices than in Italy, only to return home 'as good as new'. So much so that, with the increase in this type of demand, real companies have sprung up specialising in organising beauty trips that offer turnkey packages based on sun, sea and... surgery .Among these Tunisia and Morocco are the most popular destinations, India the cheapest.

Even when carried out in Italy, however, these low-cost operations often hide the fact that they are performed by surgeons with little experience who use inadequate techniques and are performed in unsuitable environments. Not to mention the new fashion that is also coming to Europe from the United States: quick and fast operations, to be performed during work breaks.

For our part, we are very keen to warn people against all this. When we talk about health and operations, whether in surgery or aesthetic medicine, the patient must expect only the best for himself, which means a trained and competent professional, an adequate facility, and top-quality instruments and materials. In these trips abroad, or low-cost retouches in Italy, patients in fact have no guarantee as to the preparation and qualifications of the surgeon who will perform the operation, and often these are situations in which very little attention is paid to post-operative care. The rates of post-operative complications in surgeries of this type are truly alarming, and often the results obtained do not correspond to the expectations one had, so much so that further 'repair' operations are often required. According to the latest data from the Aicpe (Italian Association of Aesthetic Plastic Surgery), the number of reparative surgeries to repair damage done by unqualified operators has increased by 20 per cent in the last three years.

Therefore, when choosing to resort tocosmetic surgery or medicine, it is essential to rely on a professional, only then will it be possible to have guarantees. Remember that a quality operation or treatment cannot be cheap, because the best substances and instruments have a cost. If you spend little, the risk is that of treatments carried out with shoddy products and thus of introducing untested, guaranteed or certified substances into your body, which can lead to a series of major complications.