1 Clinical trails: researching cosmetic surgery tourism
2 Cosmetic investments
3 Locating cosmetic surgery tourism
4 The work of cosmetic surgery tourism I: care-giving companions and medical travel facilitators
5 The work of cosmetic surgery tourism II: health workers and patients
6 Community and little narratives
7 Decentring and disorienting cosmetic surgery tourism
8 Cosmetic convivialities and cosmopolitan beginnings
9 Conclusions
Index

Beautyscapes is a fascinating and vibrant exploration of the rapidly developing global phenomenon of international medical travel. Documenting the complex and sometimes fraught journeys of those who travel abroad for treatment, this book focuses on patient-consumers and those who enable them to access treatment abroad, including key figures such as surgeons and facilitators.

Empirically rich and theoretically sophisticated, Beautyscapes draws on key themes of interest to students and researchers interested in globalisation and mobility, such as gender and class, neoliberalism, social media, conviviality and care, to explain the nature and growing popularity of cosmetic surgery tourism. As well as looking at the nature and power relations of the transnational medical travel industry, the book challenges myths about vain and ill-informed travellers seeking surgery from ‘cowboy’ foreign doctors, yet also demonstrates the difficulties and dilemmas that medical tourists – especially cosmetic surgery tourists – face.

Richly illustrated with ethnographic material and with the voices of those directly involved in cosmetic surgery tourism, Beautyscapes explores cosmetic surgery journeys from Australia and China to East Asia and from the UK to Europe and North Africa. It will be of interest to students and academics in Sociology, Geography, Cultural Studies, Gender Studies, Health Studies and Tourism Studies.