Destination for a surgery vacation.

last updated 8 January 2015

Argentina

Graciela Gioberchio

Argentina is enjoying a “scalpel boom,” said Graciela Gioberchio in Argentina’s Clarín. Last year, we shot up to third in plastic surgery procedures, behind only the U.S. and Mexico. Most of those getting face-lifts and boob jobs are locals, of course, but a rapidly increasing chunk of them come from abroad. Some doctors say more than 30 percent of their patients are foreigners—mostly Spaniards, Israelis, Americans, and Chileans. The weakness of our peso means that top-quality surgery and post-op care cost far less than in other countries. The tourist industry is already offering special packages “combining a visit to an Argentine clinic with a recovery stay in a luxury hotel.” The combo approach is particularly appealing to the growing number of men who choose plastic surgery. When they return from vacation, colleagues will attribute their fab new look to tanning and rest, not realizing the credit belongs to an eye-lift or tummy-tuck. “If their post-op goes well,” says one surgeon, “the men often go hiking while they’re here.”