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Boob Jobs Go Global

On Tuesday, the WaPo's "Health" section ran a "cautionary tale" about the downsides of seeking cut-rate cosmetic-surgery in overseas locales such as Thailand. (For more on this trend, pick up Alex Kuczyski's 2006 book "Beauty Junkies"; a truly disturbing read.)

Then, in a piece today about how the economic downturn is causing Americans to hold off on plastic surgery, gym memberships, and diets, USA Today notes one bright spot: A weak dollar is now luring cost-conscious, comestic-surgery tourists to the U.S. from Europe. As one surgeon noted: "As the dollar got weaker, suddenly expensive New York plastic surgeons aren't as expensive anymore."

So any guesses as to how long it will be before the European media starts running horror stories about botched face lifts and boob jobs conducted by unscrupulous Park Avenue and Palm Beach butchers taking advantage of hapless German and British matrons? 

--Michelle Cottle