Imagine your dilemma, you want to travel somewhere for an exotic vacation with or without your "special someone", but you are not quite bikini-ready. Your belly is a little bigger than you would like and your 40-year-old breasts are not your 20-year-old breasts of yesterday. Do you stay home, work out religiously and buy a Wonderbra bikini to give you that special perk you so desperately need or do you take a vacation and get a little plastic surgery done at the same time? Strangely enough, more and more North Americans and their also-fashionable European counterparts are choosing the latter option.

According to a Forbes article:

"Dozens of third world countries are offering these vacations, such as Honduras, Costa Rica, Malaysia and Thailand. Many American surgeons are horrified at this growing trend, because of the dangers involved with flying after surgery, and worry that patients will not receive proper follow-up care, not to mention the possibility of infection in an inadequate facility. "

I am wondering how much physicians are really worried about sub-par care and how many are worried about the possibility of losing business to their cheaper counterparts? In 2001, the same article reports that Americans spent $9 billion dollars on plastic surgery alone with 8.5 million cosmetic surgeries performed. WTF and where have I been? I had assumed this was for only for the wealthy middle-aged women, or those in the 90210 zip code, but apparently, I am out of the loop.

For those interested in having your very own plastic surgery vacation, there are some interesting touring options. Surgeon and Safari is perhaps one of the more creative and involves a trip to South Africa to "get the job done" and then a safari. I am wondering if maybe the safari part of the journey is so that those getting their noses done can also show off some photos so they don't have to give their secrets away.

Of course, some procedures are a tad more noticeable after the fact than others. Thailand, for example, is famous for its amazing beaches, elephant treks, and inexpensive sex-change operations. (also known as genital surgical sex reassignment) One website touts Scrotal Skin Graft Vaginoplasty as a steal for 4 nights in the  6,500 USD. This, of course, does not sound like my ideal idea of a great vacation, but for those with gender identity issues, may perhaps be a tad cheaper than doing the surgery in the United States. For $2,600, US, a person can have have their breasts enlarged on at outpatient basis in Bankgkok. http://www.bangkokplasticsurgery.com/sex-change-surgery.html I don't know about you, but this gives new meaning to the 80's pop song "One night in Bangkok" new meaning.

Brazil and Mexico are also becoming "hot spots" for those looking for cheaper plastic surgery. MSN reports, "As it is for other types of medical tourism, to places as far away as India and Thailand, price is the driving factor in going abroad for care. Guerrerosantos, who is doing Guerra's surgery, says a tummy tuck that costs $4,000 in Mexico would be $15,000 in the U.S."