There is a lot of pressure to look our best at all times in today’s society. For some reason, US culture has dictated that anything that wrinkles or sags even slightly is “bad” and must be eradicated at all costs. And boy do we buy into that narrative. According to the International Society of Aesthetic Plastic Surgery, surgical and nonsurgical aesthetic procedures increased by 3.4% in 2023, which is up to 34.9 million. And that is just in the United States.
“Medical tourism” is on the rise globally as a direct result of health care costs in the US. According to Market.us Media, the medical tourism industry has grown between 15 and 25%. Although there are some who travel for surgeries involving medical conditions such as reproductive health and cancer care, cosmetic surgery remains the most prominent reason.
People are flocking to other countries in hopes of saving a buck or two, as procedures cost 30 to 80% less abroad for not only the surgeries but attentive aftercare as well. The saying “you get what you pay for” really comes to mind, however, especially when you hear some of the horror stories that come out of these medical excursions.
According to The Mary Sue, hairstylist Chanel Darjean shared a story that she overheard at her salon detailing the wild ride a client had while pursuing cosmetic surgery abroad.
@lasef_langka The things I learn from salon clients never cease to amaze me!!! Salon tea is served honey!!! #BBL #organharvest #kidneytransplant #breastaug ♬ original sound – Chanel – Mayari Luxe LLC
“She goes on to tell us that she went down to Mexico to have a consultation to get some cosmetic work done, some cosmetic surgery done, like boobs, BBL type of stuff,” Darjean explains. “Anyways, they told her about their post-op care and all that kind of stuff, and, you know, walked her through the whole thing. Sounded good, the prices sounded good.”
She went on to say that the customer noted that her sister and friend were interested too, and she was told that if there were several of them it’d be even more affordable with a more luxurious place to recover in. Although the surgery went well and post-op was fine, two weeks after returning home the client said she felt some unusual pain.
“So she went to her doctor to check and see what was up, what was wrong with her,” Darjean claims, per The Mary Sue. “One thing leads to another. She finds out that they took a kidney.”
Horrified, she called the two women she was with, and as it turns out after further investigation, they too had their kidneys surgically removed.
“I know we want to look good and feel good and all that kind of stuff,” Darjean added. “But, you know, we need to make informed decisions. Crazy.”
People’s reactions to the story varied from horror to complete disbelief.
“OMG! You hear about these things but never in a million years thought it would happen,” wrote one of Darjean’s followers. “Liposuction doesn’t warrant opening you up. So I’m guessing they had a tummy tuck/abdominoplasty. Why didn’t they question the scar before leaving? So scarry.”
“I keep hearing the same story. Is this true? And what Dr.?” another commenter asked.
Because this is a story Darjean overheard from an unnamed source, a healthy amount of skepticism is required. You can harvest a kidney laparoscopically, which is minimally invasive and leaves a barely traceable scar, the Mayo Clinic notes.
Although a case hasn’t been tried for organ theft, there very much is an organ black market. The World Health Organization recognizes Colombia, India, Pakistan, and the Philippines as “four of the leading global hot spots for buying and selling human organs.”
That isn’t to say that all medical tourism is a waste; plenty of accredited, skilled surgeons operate in these destinations that offer legitimate procedures that yield results. The key is to make sure you can verify their credibility. You can look into their medical licenses, validate what hospital they are connected with, look for patient reviews and more.
Personally, in a world where the Epstein files exist, I believe anything is possible. If a deal looks too good to be true, it probably is.
