One of the hottest spots for medical tourism is India. While the Asian subcontinent boasts the splendor of the Taj Mahal, bustling Mumbai and sumptuous food, it is now also home to nose jobs, facelifts and breast augmentations for under $3,000, according to a Wikipedia article. Compare that to as much as $6,000, $15,000 or $8,000 for the same procedures in the U.S..

A Radio Canada article claims medical tourism is growing in India at about 30 percent a year, and it predicts that India could be generating as much as two billion dollars in revenues from medical tourism by 2012. The reason? A "top-rated education system" and a reputation for being a world leader in advanced medicine, as well as the blessing of the government - the Radio Canada article also notes that "India's National Health Policy declares that treatment of foreign patients is legally an 'export' and deemed 'eligible for all fiscal incentives extended to export earnings.'" Since medical tourism is now big business in India, you may also expect better service delivery than in the states - "Instead of having one nurse running around answering buzzers and call buttons and saying, 'I don't have time,' there are nurses coming in at the same time, asking, 'Can I get you some water?'," says one woman who accompanied a friend to India for heart surgery to a reporter for the Portsmouth (NH) Herald.

On the cosmetic procedure front, you can opt for hair restoration strategies (including hair implants, hair flaps and scalp reductions); rhinoplasties; age-fighting procedures like face lifts, eyelid surgery and brow lifts; double-chin removal, dermabrasion, otoplasty for protruding ears, enlargement of the chin and cheek; lip reductions; breast augmentation and reduction; and liposuction, according to the Medical Tourism India Web site. Last year, a half-million Americans took advantage of India's many medical tourism offerings, according to the Portsmouth Herald article.

Ready to make a body-altering pilgrimage to India? Look to hospitals in the Apollo chain, a major medical group in India. The Indraprastha Hospital in New Delhi, a 692-bed hospital serving 10,000 international patients a year out of a total of 200,000 patients, offers procedures including eyelid surgery, liposuction, breast augmentation, breast reduction, breast lift, face lifts, rhinoplasty and abdominoplasty.

Apollo Hyderabad also has a cosmetic surgery center. A wide range of procedures are available. Brow lifts; cheek, chin and jaw implants; lip augmentation; liposuction; breast augmentation; liposuction; tummy tuck, chest, calf and buttocks implants; labia reshaping; penile enhancement; services to correct acne, birthmarks and moles, brown spots, melasma, freckles and cellulite; and tattoo removal are just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to offerings. The hospital additionally performs surgeries to revise previous cosmetic procedures.
The Apollo system makes planning a trip easy for international patients. An Apollo Web site discussing amenities for international patients says Apollo offers airport pick-up and drop-off, arrangements for local sight-seeing, translators, accommodations assistance, and visa and foreign exchange assistance.

Kerala is another region that is known for medical tourism, according to an article from The Hindu. Two facilities in this region are Specialist Hospital and Malabar Institute of Medical Sciences (MIMS). Specialist Hospital offers a plastic surgery department and a cosmetic laser unit. Plastic surgery procedures done there include breast lifts, augmentations and reductions; tummy tucks; penis reconstruction; rhinoplasties; facelifts; body contouring and liposuction; and lip augmentation. Laser treatments are numerous and include removal of unwanted hair, port wine stains, spider veins, warts, pigmented lesions, scars, skin tags and keloids; hair transplantation; and rosacea treatments.

At MIMS, a 35-bed facility whose front façade is painted a tranquil pale turquoise color and overlooks a tiered fountain, one can undergo dermatology treatments including electrolysis. Plastic/reconstructive surgeries available at the institute include liposuction, breast shaping, rhinoplasty, scar correction, eye lid surgery and wrinkle correction. Other hospitals include the Pune Cosmetic Surgery Centre, in Maharashtra, and VM Plastic Surgery, in Chandigarh.

For more information on Medical Tourism, read Body-Philosophy's Medical Tourism 101, A Complete Guide.