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A new you for the new year
If all you really want for Christmas is an aqualine nose, enhanced breasts or flawless skin then a voucher for a package holiday complete with plastic surgery will hit the spot.
The idea of heading to luscious travel destinations in Southeast Asia for a beautiful holiday and a cosmetic procedure or two is not so new. But doing it with minimal risk is.
Louise Cogan began Gorgeous Getaways after she heard about the trend for women to head to Southeast Asia for cheaper plastic surgery.
She became concerned that the women were picking surgeons off the internet with no real knowledge of what they were getting. Many were not getting what they wanted or getting sick as a result.
"And I thought well what about an Australian company providing complete care and complete support while they were over there," Cogan told Breakfast.
The Australian based travel agency specialises in plastic surgery tours to Malaysia where clients get cut price body enhancing procedures and recover in five star luxury.
The public have taken up the concept pretty quickly.
Cogan set up the company website earlier this year and without any marketing, promotion or advertising they have sent 50 clients to malaysia for surgery so far in 2004.
Package surgery holidays are not just an Australian phenomena. Nearly 40% of Gorgeous Getaways market is from New Zealand.
"We market to the whole world including the UK and the US, so we do get people from all around the world," Cogan says. "In New Zealand the take up has just been incredible. I just put that down to them being adventurous and their willingness to try new things."
Cogan doesn't believe the interest is a reflection of the standard of surgery in New Zealand.
"It's a different product, it's a different package," Cogan says. "It's just simply because people want the five star holiday as well and they want a couple of treatments they just couldn't afford over here."
The cost of the packages varies depending on what the client wants to change.
"You've got the young girls going over just for a breast enlargement and the older ladies who are going over for two or three procedures," Cogan says. "It can be up to $15,000 to $20,000."
Ten years ago package holidays to beautiful places to surgically enhance how we look would have been a shocking idea. But in today's society, while the concept is still a little amusing - and worthy of a news story - it is largely accepted.
"It's so commonplace now, it's so talked about it and so many people have had it (plastic surgery). People talk about it openly and freely now and it's not hushed up,"
Cogan visited both Malaysia and Thailand when she was choosing a destination, but unlike most travel agents she assessed hospitals and doctors rather than resorts and restaurants. Malaysia was her number one choice for the surgery due to the excellent standards and experience of the surgeons.
Following surgery people visit either Penang or Langkawi for a two to three week recovery holiday in five star style. Managers and nurses check up on the clients regularly during their time away and a final check up is carried out before clients head home.
For those who don't want to go to Asia for the surgery but still want to get away from home, the company also offers trips to Cairns.
Every possible procedure you can think of is on offer from the standard breast enlargement and facelift through to dental procedures such as crowns and implants and it is not just people purchasing holidays for themselves.
Husbands and boyfriends are buying the plastic surgery holidays for wives and girlfriends - couples have also been taking holidays together.
Gorgeous Getaways had so many men buying packages for their partners that they began offering gift vouchers.
So much for the one you love, loving and accepting you for who you are!
Cogan says in her experience it is the woman's decision to opt for the surgery and the partner is acting on her wishes.
But maybe for the sake of personal safety it would be best to steer clear of those particular gift vouchers unless they are specifically asked for.
The repercussions could be far worse than hesitating before responding to a partner asking if she looks fat in whatever she's wearing.
Australia 21/12/2004
