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. 2023 Sep:84:9-29.
doi: 10.1016/j.bjps.2023.05.021. Epub 2023 May 19.

Infective complications of cosmetic tourism: A systematic literature review

Roberta Gilardi  1 , Luca Galassi  2 , Massimo Del Bene  1 , Guido Firmani  3 , Paola Parisi  4
Affiliations

Infective complications of cosmetic tourism: A systematic literature review

Roberta Gilardi et al. J Plast Reconstr Aesthet Surg. 2023 Sep.

Abstract

Background: Cosmetic tourism has increased dramatically over the years. We performed a systematic review of the literature to find reports of infective complications following cosmetic surgery, focusing on epidemiology, clinical, and surgical management. In addition, we identified cosmetic tourism trends in terms of mobilization from the country of origin and travel destinations.

Methods: A search on PubMed, Embase, and Web of Science was performed between March and August 2022. The search was not restricted based on study date. Only English manuscripts were assessed. Reviews, short communications, letters, and correspondences were excluded after reviewing their references for potentially relevant studies. Articles related to non-cosmetic surgeries were also excluded from the study.

Results: We identified 152 articles, of which 31 were duplicates and 47 were excluded based on title/abstract assessment. Three non-English manuscripts, 13 reviews, 12 letters to the editor, and 10 articles that did not feature clinical cases were also rejected. Thirty-six articles were included for analysis. We found 370 patients with infective complications following cosmetic surgery. The severity of complications was stratified according to the Clavien-Dindo classification. Most reports were from the United States (56.5%), followed by Switzerland and the United Kingdom. Travel destinations included the Dominican Republic (34.3%), Turkey, and Colombia.

Conclusion: Infective complications commonly occurred after abdominoplasties in patients who underwent cosmetic surgeries in Latin America or Asia. Most infective complications required management with surgical procedures that involved the administration of local, regional, or general anesthesia. Gluteal augmentations were the fourth most common cosmetic procedures; however, they were associated with the highest number of severe cases, which required intensive care treatment.

Keywords: Clavien-Dindo; Cosmetic tourism; Infective complications; Medical tourism; Necrotizing fasciitis.

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Conflict of interest statement

Declaration of Competing Interest All authors hereby certify that to the best of their knowledge no financial support or benefits have been received, neither by themselves directly nor by any member of their immediate family or any individual or entity with whom or with which they may have a significant relationship from any commercial source that is related directly or indirectly to the scientific work that is reported in the article. None of the authors has a financial interest in any products, devices, or drugs mentioned in this manuscript.

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