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“Almost invisible scars”: medical tourism to Brazil.
- Source :
-
Signs [Signs (Chic)] 2011; Vol. 36 (2), pp. 297-302. - Publication Year :
- 2011
-
Abstract
- Along with a handful of other nations in the developing world, Brazil has emerged as a top destination for medical tourism. Drawing on the author's ethnographic fieldwork in plastic surgery wards, this article examines diverse factors - some explicitly promoted in medical marketing and news sources, others less visible - contributing to Brazil's international reputation for excellence in cosmetic plastic surgery. Brazil's plastic surgery residency programs, some of which are housed within its public health system, attract overseas surgeons, provide ample opportunities for valuable training in cosmetic techniques, and create a clinical environment that favors experimentation with innovative techniques. Many graduates of these programs open private clinics that, in turn, attract overseas patients. High demand for Brazilian plastic surgery also reflects an expansive notion of female health that includes sexual realization, mental health, and cosmetic techniques that manage reproduction. Medical tourism is sometimes represented as being market-driven: patients in wealthier nations travel to obtain quality services at lower prices. This article ends by reflecting on how more complex local and transnational dynamics also contribute to demand for elective medical procedures such as cosmetic surgery.
- Subjects :
- Beauty Culture economics
Beauty Culture education
Beauty Culture history
Beauty Culture legislation & jurisprudence
Brazil ethnology
Developing Countries economics
Developing Countries history
Health Services economics
Health Services history
Health Services legislation & jurisprudence
History, 20th Century
History, 21st Century
Cosmetic Techniques economics
Cosmetic Techniques history
Cosmetic Techniques psychology
Health Care Costs history
Health Care Costs legislation & jurisprudence
Marketing economics
Marketing education
Marketing history
Marketing legislation & jurisprudence
Medical Tourism economics
Medical Tourism history
Medical Tourism legislation & jurisprudence
Medical Tourism psychology
Surgery, Plastic economics
Surgery, Plastic education
Surgery, Plastic history
Surgery, Plastic legislation & jurisprudence
Surgery, Plastic psychology
Subjects
Details
- Language :
- English
- ISSN :
- 0097-9740
- Volume :
- 36
- Issue :
- 2
- Database :
- MEDLINE
- Journal :
- Signs
- Publication Type :
- Academic Journal
- Accession number :
- 21114074
- Full Text :
- https://doi.org/10.1086/655909