Treat yourself and save thousands

If you fancy laser eye surgery, a facelift, a tummy tuck or just some basic dental work, you can save an absolute fortune by going abroad. But is there a catch?

As a lifelong glasses wearer, I've always been tempted by the idea of laser eye surgery. Imagine waking up in the morning and being able to see! No more struggling with contact lenses, no more two hour trips to Specsavers ("Are the circles clearer on the red or on the green?").

It sounds like heaven.

But, while I've often thought about getting the surgery done, one thing I've never previously considered is going overseas for treatment. However, it seems it could save me a small fortune doing just that!

Going abroad vs the UK

Figures from specialist travel insurer PJ Hayman last year suggested that you can save some serious cash getting your eyes fixed in Budapest rather than in Birmingham. In fact, the average cost of getting eye surgery in the UK is around £1,000, in Hungary it will set you back just £458.

That's a saving of £542!

Ok, so you'll have to shell out for flights, a hotel and travel insurance, but if you hunt around for a decent deal you'll still end up saving a few quid.

Other countries where you can get eye surgery cheaper than in the UK, according to the insurer's research, include India (£668), Tunisia (£750), Turkey (£793) and Thailand (£966).

The difference is even more marked if you want something slightly more serious such as cataract removal, which sets you back on average £2,350 in the UK.

In contrast, you'll shell out just £438 if you have the procedure done in Bulgaria - an impressive saving of £1,912! Other places to consider include the Czech Republic (£526), Thailand ((£615) and Hungary (£640).

What about a tummy tuck?

When it comes to cosmetic surgery, procedures such as tummy tucks, facelifts and breast enlargement tend to be the most popular, with thousands of Brits going under the knife every year. According to the British Association of Aesthetic Plastic Surgeons, more than 34,000 procedures were carried out by its members in 2008.

And it's on these procedures that you really can save thousands and thousands of pounds by snubbing local healthcare providers and heading overseas. I've put together the tables below to outline how the UK compares to the cheapest overseas nations:

Dental treatment

However, the reason Brits are most likely to head overseas for treatment is for dental work. According to Dentale, a dental implant training clinic in the UK, around 259,000 Brits aged 16-64 leave the UK for dental work each year.

Indeed, between the years of 2004 and 2008, a whopping 1.3 million people went overseas for dental work, in order to save money.

And the savings can be vast.

Let's take tooth whitening. According to the website TreatmentAbroad.net, the cost of a Britesmile tooth whitening procedure in the UK is around £560. If you instead head to Slovakia, that cost absolutely plummets to £128 - a fall of 77%!

What about porcelain veneers? If you can get a cheap trip to Malaysia, the treatment will set you back a paltry £97. That's substantially cheaper than the UK, where it costs £500. Indeed, even if Malaysia is a bit too far, in Serbia you can get your veneers for £130.

And finally, the worst of all treatments - root canal!

For treatment on a single canal, you should expect to pay around £200 in the UK. However, once again Eastern Europe is your friend - in Serbia the procedure will cost just £27, while it will cost £30 in Slovakia and £40 in Latvia.

Repeat visits

One thing to remember, particularly with dental work, is that a number of these procedures are not simply finished with after one visit - in many cases follow up appointments are necessary, which may require further trips overseas.

How safe is it?

It's one thing to know that your medical costs are going to be drastically lower by going abroad for treatment, but what should you expect from the practitioners there? Is it safe?

According to the Treatment Abroad Medical Tourism survey, 90% of medical tourists are either quite or very satisfied with the results, which is pretty encouraging.

But as with any transaction, the key is doing your research. Before you book anything, research the clinical success rates, how regularly the surgeon performs the operation, and what will happen if the procedure is unsuccessful or if there are complications. Don't just accept the testimonials on the practitioner's website - see if you can actually speak to any former patients, if possible.

One thing that might help you with your choice, if you are heading for a hospital, is to see if the hospital is JCI accredited - such a rating means it has reached the same standard as hospitals in the US.

TreatmentAbroad.net offers a full guide on the sort of things you should be looking out for, what you can expect from your surgeon, what questions you should be asking and - just as importantly - what not to do.

So long as you are fully prepared and go into it with your eyes wide open, there should be no additional risks getting treatment overseas. If it's only something basic, you can even make a holiday out of your trip!

More: 15 top holiday deals | How to pay for your summer holiday