Would you buy a $3 lottery ticket for a chance to win almost $12,000 toward the plastic surgery of your choice? I certainly would, especially if I could buy a ticket (or ten) without having to wait in line.

According to a recent post on News.Yahoo.Com, Europa International, “the marketing arm for cosmetic surgery clinics in Prague,” has launched a monthly lottery to boost both business and body parts. Tickets are sold over the phone or via text messaging. The winner of the monthly draw will be randomly selected, then flown to Prague to receive the plastic surgery of their choosing. Only catch: the winner must pay the difference if the cost of their procedure exceeds the purse.

With medical tourism on the rise (the act of traveling to other countries to obtain medical, dental and cosmetic procedures that cost ten - if not twenty - times more in Western Europe or the United States), I find it difficult to knock EI for, well, doing their job. Certain members of the British Association of Aesthetic Plastic Surgeons (BAAPS), however, strongly disagree. Although Europa International requires that each lottery participant fill out a medical questionnaire, many doctors worry that lack of pre-surgical counseling will result in greater problems for the patient/winner long term.

What are your thoughts?