Of the over 70,000 people that travel out of the country for cosmetic surgery, more than 25,000 do not take out adequate travel insurance, figures have suggested.
The results, just released by Post Office Travel Service, warn that those who fail to purchase the correct travel insurance policy are putting themselves at risk.
36 per cent of those who had travelled abroad for cosmetic or elective surgery, the survey said, did not confirm whether their insurance policy covered them for claims that could arise from their treatment, which include additional time spent in the hospital as a result of the procedure and replacement flight if the trip was extended.
One-in-five of these admitted that it did not occur to them that they needed to check their policy and that 16 per cent just assumed it was ok, in spite of worrying over it.
One-in-ten people, it added, checked their policy and realised they were not covered but still refused to make up by buying additional cover.
The study also found that women are usually more concerned about being covered than men, with at least a quarter of female travellers checking their policy and going ahead to buy additional ones compared to 9 per cent of males.
The research also revealed a growing desire to travel abroad for lower cost treatments among people in the UK. India comes as their first choice destination for cosmetic and medical surgery, trailed closely by Hungary, Turkey, Malaysia and Spain.
Breast implants, cosmetic dentistry, heart surgery and hip replacement cost 20 to 50 per cent less than private treatment in the UK, the survey showed, indicating that many of those who undertake the trip are attracted by lower cost.
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