Anyone?!

Get their plastic surgery out of the country? How was your experience?

I am about to go to Mexico for mine and have read many posts here from people who have gone out of the country for theirs. I think it is just as safe as doing it here. Afterall, we do have some good and bad surgeons all over the world including usa, just check your choice out carefully and get as many opinions as you can. Good Luck, Carole

You might want to peruse the plastic surgery journeys website.  You will find a lot of information about out of country plastics.  I would also suggest if cost is the reason you are looking at out of country options that you might want to consider one of the resident training programs.  http://www.plasticsurgeryjourneys.com/psj//home

Red

I've been here a long time and the reviews are mixed about this.  One of the big factors to consider is follow up care.  It is very common to have complications from plastic surgery which require treatment and possible revisions down the line.  Once you return to the USA, follow up becomes next to impossible.  Plastic surgeons here are often not willing to fix another surgeon's complication or problem due to insurance reasons. 

Red's suggestion about residency programs is a good one.  Good luck with your decision.

In addition to PS's in the US not wanting to take care of complications,

Not sure where outside the US you are thinking of going, but IIRC, I believe that in Mexico, for instance, you cannot sue for malpractice. This is one of the (many) reasons that it is less expensive there. I've seen one poster here on OH who did her surgery in Mexico and the PS butchered her, and she has no recourse.

I saw another poster reviewing her PS experience here in the US and she said she'd looked into doing it in Brazil, but after all the expenses were figured in (extended hotel stay, flights, transportation, nursing, etc) it didn't cost any less than doing it here with the surgeon of her choice.

Also, one PS here in the US mentioned in a lecture presented at an OH conference that in general, surgeries performed outside the country and surgeries for which insurance was not used/approved are problematic when it comes to complications.

Personally, even with a surgeon IN the US, I am very glad that the surgeon I am using for my PS (Dr. Agha in Newport Beach, California) carries a special policy called CosmetAssure, which is only available to Board Certified Plastic Surgeons . As patients, I believe we cannot buy this extra coverage ourselves, it is only available to plastic surgeons who are properly vetted.

 I know that I may get "flack" from some but I'd like to express some of the things I've witnessed as an OR nurse specializing in plastic surgery at a very busy trauma center for over 20 years. Just a couple of months  ago we had a patient that had gone to Mexico for a facelift. She had gotten a terrible infection there which wasn't treatable with antibiotics. This lady had large, red, raised lesions all over her face that the surgeon had to excise & drain. It was some strange bacterial infection that as the surgeon stated, "we don't see here". It was horrible & believe me when I say that I"ve seen plenty through the years. Anyway, this patient went to several surgeons before she finally found ours to treat her. He said that he usually won't see these patients either but he felt sorry for her.  So if you are contemplating going out of the US for plastics or any other surgery to save a few dollars, please think of situations such as these before you decide.  I would rather save up and be treated here where I have resources available for post-op complications that may arise. How helpless must have this lady felt until she found help! Good luck!