Brazil

Corcovado mountain overlooking Rio de Janeiro

Brazilians take beauty seriously, perhaps to a fault. If, for example, you’d like perkier ears on Snoozie, your family schnauzer, Dr. Edgado Brito, a Sao Paulo veterinarian of 20 years, has performed thousands of cosmetic alterations on pets worldwide—undoubtedly an extreme spillover from one of the world’s most body-conscious countries.

Brazil boasts more than 4,500 licensed cosmetic surgeons, with the highest per capita number of practicing cosmetic physicians in the world. Most international patients head to Sao Paulo and Rio de Janeiro, Brazil’s two largest cities. Smaller, cozier destinations, such as Porto Alegre and Santos, are also popular.

Prices vary widely. While the celebrity “surgeons-to-the-stars” command fees comparable to the highest found in the US, dozens of excellent, lesser-known clinics serve patients from all regions and income brackets.

Brazil is home to the internationally revered Ivo Pitanguy, the world’s most renowned plastic surgeon. The clinic and institute bearing his name were established in 1963, and more than 4,000 surgeons have visited there for training, workshops, and continuing education. Pitanguy and his proteges have set a standard for cosmetic and aesthetic surgery higher than anywhere else in the world.

Some Cautions

Sao Paulo, the country's largest city, boasts several world-class hospitals, including Hospital Israelita Albert Einstein, the world's first hospital to receive JCI accreditation. Yet, for all its notoriety, Brazil lacks the medical travel infrastructure found in some smaller, less developed nations, such as Costa Rica. The Brazilian government is just now awakening to international medical travel, with corresponding investment in partnerships, conferences and infrastructure building.

The language barrier looms large, and many of Brazil's 25 JCI-accredited providers have little to offer the English-speaking patient. Nonetheless, health travel services are gradually gaining ground, with growing numbers of conscientious, reliable agents, recovery accommodations, and travel support services. Health travelers intent on Brazil should redouble their efforts to work from a base of reliable information or through a trustworthy third-party agent.

Prices vary widely, and travelers will find cosmetic surgery in Brazil to be generally more expensive than in Mexico, Costa Rica or Southeast Asia. The best-known treatment centers cater to high-profile clients, driving prices to nearly US levels. Thus, when considering Brazil, savings will likely take a backseat to a vacation or retreat.