Tourists from the United Kingdom are flying into Cape Town, having face-lifts and recuperating on the beach before flying home.

Mediscapes, a Cape Town medical facilitator company, books clients through ebookers.com, a UK travel agency.

They offer an all-inclusive cosmetic surgery package: clients are fetched from the airport, booked into hotels or guest houses, accompanied to the plastic surgeon, booked into private clinics for surgery and provided with after hospital care.

Besides the fact that South Africa has excellent plastic surgeons, the price comparisons from Mediscapes' website give some explanation about why overseas tourists choose to have plastic surgery in Cape Town.

'It is better for clients to recuperate in Cape Town than in Johannesburg'
Breast implants in South Africa cost about R20 000, while in the US they would cost R46 500 and in the UK R54 000.

For a full face-lift, Mediscapes charges R23 000 while clients would pay up to R150 000 in the US and R84 000 in the UK.

Then there's the ultimate five-star pampering Forever Fabulous cosmetic surgery package, where clients stay in a luxury hotel for 10 nights and pay R49 300 for a face lift or about R37 000 for a nose job or rhinoplasty. This includes the services of a personal shopper.

Other treatments include Botox, hair implants, breast implants and even infertility treatment.

Deanne Coole of Mediscapes said UK infertility clients were sent medication and injections to be administered by a UK doctor, before arriving in Cape Town to have In Vitro Fertilisation (IVF). This takes about two weeks.

'After surgery they can't really do much'
Coole said IVF in South Africa costs less than a third of UK rates - without the long waiting lists.

Her company started almost three years ago and has about 20 clients a month, depending on the season.

"Hundreds of people are travelling to Cape Town each year. We are the biggest facilitator in Cape Town.

"It is better for clients to recuperate in Cape Town than in Johannesburg because we have the mountain and the ocean.

"After surgery they can't really do much. We're telling clients to come to Cape Town to heal. It's therapeutic."