Standard medical insurance policies generally exclude coverage for not just cosmetic conditions but also for any complications arising from elective care, even if serious. Furthermore, many medical policies exclude coverage for any reason if such care is obtained in a foreign country.

Routine "travel insurance" policies that protect against lost baggage or theft seldom provide more than token emergency room coverage, if even that.

In essence, if you decide to travel out of the country for cosmetic plastic surgery, you're on your own, both for the cost of your primary surgery but also for the cost of treating any and all bad results or unexpected complications whether such secondary care is delivered in the same country during the same visit or after you return home.

Insurance regulations and professional liability laws vary tremendously from country to country. In most Asian countries, non-citizen medical travelers have little or no rights of legal recourse even if the foreign health care provider or facility is judged negligent.

Predictably, special insurance products specifically designed for medical travelers have emerged and are now marketed by medical tourism companies hoping to encourage the trend.

Most, however, are new and untested, and there is very little in the way of case law to determine just how such claims should be handled. For instance, even if you buy a special purpose policy, it may cover you only while you are actually traveling and not once you return to your home country to seek more advanced corrective operations.

Before purchasing a medical tourism insurance policy and feeling protected, be sure to study the fine print. As many patients have discovered, undergoing cheap plastic surgery is not always a bargain.