Insurance for Cosmetic Surgery Abroad: What to Check

Many patients only think about insurance after they have booked their operation — and then find out that their travel insurance does not cover it. This guide explains what is and is not covered, what specialist cosmetic surgery insurance includes, and how to plan aftercare when you are back home.

Does travel insurance cover cosmetic surgery abroad?

Usually not. Standard travel insurance policies exclude planned medical treatment, and complications of that treatment, because the trip is made for the purpose of surgery. Your travel insurance may still cover unrelated events — lost luggage, a cancelled flight or an accident in the street — but not problems caused by the operation. Some policies even become invalid if you do not tell the insurer that you are travelling for surgery, so always read the exclusions.

What specialist cosmetic surgery insurance covers

Specialist medical-travel insurance for cosmetic surgery is designed for exactly this situation. Depending on the policy, it can cover:

• treatment of complications during your stay, such as infection, bleeding or a blood clot;
• extra hotel nights and a later flight if your surgeon says you are not fit to fly;
• travel and accommodation for a companion;
• treatment of complications after you return home, for a limited period;
• in some policies, the cost of corrective surgery.

What to check before you buy a policy

1. Which complications are covered, and how the policy defines a complication — a result you do not like is usually not a complication.
2. How long the cover lasts after surgery: some policies end when you fly home, others cover several weeks or months.
3. Where treatment is covered: only in the destination country, or also at home.
4. The excess you pay per claim and the maximum amounts.
5. Exclusions: certain operations, combined operations, BMI limits, smokers or pre-existing conditions.
6. Who you call: a 24-hour assistance line and how the insurer works with the hospital.

Buy the policy before you travel — most specialist policies must be in place before the operation.

Insurance is not a replacement for a good hospital

Insurance pays for problems; it does not prevent them. The best protection is still a licensed hospital with intensive care, a registered plastic surgeon with experience in your operation, enough days in the country before flying, and following the aftercare instructions. Our guide to plastic surgery in Turkey explains how to check a hospital and a surgeon.

Cosmetic surgery abroad with UK aftercare

If you live in the UK, plan aftercare before you go:

• ask the hospital how follow-up works — most international departments use photos and video calls;
• arrange a check-up with your GP practice nurse for wound care, or book a private aftercare appointment; some UK clinics offer paid aftercare for patients who had surgery abroad;
• bring your operation report, discharge summary, medication list and implant documents, and give copies to your GP;
• know the warning signs — fever, increasing redness, a swelling that keeps growing, shortness of breath or a painful, swollen calf — and when to go to A&E.

The NHS treats emergencies, but it does not provide routine follow-up for private cosmetic surgery done abroad, and corrections of a cosmetic result are usually not available on the NHS.

What the hospitals on our site include

The packages of the hospitals on our site include the hospital stay, check-ups during your stay and follow-up by the international patient department after you fly home; what each package includes is listed under its price on the treatment pages, for example for the tummy tuck or rhinoplasty. Insurance against complications is not included and is worth adding for larger operations.