Abstract
Taking Brazil as a case study this chapter analyzes the broader inequities and ethical issues involved in cosmetic surgery tourism. Brazil is the world's second largest market for cosmetic surgery, behind the United States. In light of the international respect enjoyed by Brazilian plastic surgeons, and relatively low prices charged by some, it is not surprising that the country has also become a top destination for cosmetic surgery tourism. The growing demand for cosmetic surgery has often been heralded, in Brazil at least, as a national triumph. Drawing on ethnographic fieldwork conducted in Brazilian plastic surgery clinics, this chapter discusses the institutions, clinical practices, and medical construction of women's bodies underlying cosmetic surgery tourism. Cosmetic surgery tourism to Brazil illustrates that a developing country is effectively competing in a global market of private medical treatments, but does so by utilizing economic and “human” resources provided by a state-funded healthcare system.
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