Going Outside the country for plastics

Since my plastics will be self-pay anyway (thank you, insurance), I'm considering going out of the country for my procedures. I'm at the beginning of searching for doctors and such.

If anyone has any advice or suggestions for surgeons, which places to avoid, etc., I'd really appreciate it. I want to make sure all of my "homework" is done before I make any decisions.

My main surgical wishilist includes a lift/reconstruction of my poor, disfigured breasts and upper torso, and an inner thigh lift. I could also use a TT, but I'm only going to worry about the real problem areas for now. If it doesn't bug me, I'm not cutting on it.

Thanks!

Sarah

Sarah, I had my plastics about five miles from my house so I can't offer specific advice about traveling overseas, international surgeons, post-op blood-clots/embolisms during long flights, or finding a hotel/speaking the language ...

BUT ...

I urge you to ask yourself:  "In the countries where I might travel for surgery, how do the people THERE find reliable surgeons?"

All too often people forget that message boards are filled with anonymous people with no medical qualifications -- and sometimes no personal ones either.  I appreciate that you're doing your research, but if you are thinking of traveling to Costa Rica, Brazil, Mexico, Canada, etc ... find out how Costa Ricans, Brazilians, Mexicans, and Canadians (for instance) get qualified, quality referrals for medical care ... and do it that way.  

Wishing you all the best on this journey --

Hi Sarah! I went to Mexico to have my surgery after researching for months.  I am 4 1/2 weeks post op and love my results and the care that I received.  If you would like more info on what I did, please check out my blog at www.livingtheskinnylife.blogspot.com or you can send me a private message.  I will try to answer any questions that you have.  I had a lower body lift, breast lift with augmentation, small/medial thigh lift, and lipo with fat grafting to my butt.  My Dr is Dr Sauceda in Monterrey.

Jessica

I have no personal experience with the guy, but I've heard not to go to Dr. Quiroz in Mexico. There are a few unhappy campers on this board. I'm going to Dr. Sauceda in Monterrey Mexico this week as well. You can search through who other people use on the www.psjourneys.com website. They have country specific boards. You may also want to check out www.makemeheal.com.

Both Robin (username: Go-besity) and I went to Dr Quiroz and neither of us are pleased with our results. I've heard great things about Sauceda and I've spoken with him a couple of times - considering going to him for revisions.

On the flip side, Michelle  (theworldaccordingtoeggface.blogspot.com) went to Quiroz and she is happy (that I know of) with her results.

Do your homework. :)

BTW, Don't be discouraged by anything that certain people say about out of country plastics.

Hi Sarah

I will not bash other doctors but will be glad to answer any questions about my surgeron and going to Mexico . Feel free to ask anything and if I don't know the answer then there is a good chance I might know of one of his other patients that could help you .

And no matter where you go please research and do your home work .  Plus listen to your doctor --  no matter who or where that turns out to be ! Or else you might end up just going to someone five miles down the road - having problems -- being uphappy and then in the end up just wanting to stay on the forum and cause everyone else to feel bad like you  !!  

Good luck and keep researching !!
Tony

I will be going to Dr. Sauceda in Monterrey, Mexico for surgery on December 17th.  He was highly recommended by my VSG surgeon and after meeting with him personally and speaking one-on-one with him in person and his former patients, seeing his results and skill, I knew that he was the PS that I wanted!

I did also have consults with two other PS's...one 30 minutes from my home and another one from Houston.

Do your research...and in the end, you will know who to choose.

Best of luck.

DW

I think travel for surgery is a viable option, provided you do some homework ahead of time. Here are a few facts, and some things to plan for:

Limited aftercare: you will not easily be able to see your surgeon after 2 weeks, so you will need to arrange followup with another doctor before you leave. Anyone can see from these boards that questions, problems, and issues requiring medical expertise are quite common many weeks and months after TT and LBL.   Email and digital photo are a valuable tool, as my patients often email over photos for me to help them out with questions. So plan your aftercare.

Limited or no insurance coverage: insurance plans vary widely, so you need to check. If you have a problem requiring an extended stay overseas, you may be asked to get out your credit card and pay on the spot. Some insurance may help, some does not. Check your plan ahead of time. Ditto for after you get home....some INS will cover problems from PS, some will not.

Limited  implant warranty: if you have breast implants placed outside of the U.S., you cannot get the free replacements and the $1000 - $3000 payment from the companies for replacement costs here in the states. You will need to travel back to wherever they were placed. Also, the monetary amount you can recieve is a maximum of $1000 (for Mexico).

Increased Blood clot risk: Patients having TT or other abdominal procedures, who wear a compression garment, and who then travel are at increased risk of blood clot. You should question your family doc and your PS about preventative measures before your surgery (and just taking an aspirin is not a preventative measure). This is the standard of care here in the U.S., and there is almost no disagreement on this issue.  So educate yourself about  proper preventative medication for blood clots.

No legal protection: unless you have dual citizenship and are travelling outside the U.S., you have almost no legal protection and limited ability to settle a dispute with a PS be it medical, financial, or monetary. So you will need to know ahead of time and in writing, what the doctor's revision policy, complication policy, and refund policies are. Do you owe for travel costs, hospital, clinic fees if you need another trip to surgery ?

Facility and Doctor Accreditation: there is no agency like JCAHO or AAAAS in most other countries where you can independantly verfify a clinic's adherence to standards.  There may be no standards in some cases. Here in the U.S., there is extensive regulation in place to protect the public, and that raises the costs. Same with doctor's verification.  The "standard" here is word of mouth, which is important, and you will hear many voices on that subject. 

My hope is to raise awareness and foster patient safety through awareness and education.

Please note that nowhere in this post did I berate, disrespect, or talk down about any doctor in any country.

What would be interesting is if there were a system that used a hospital built to U.S. standards, staffed by U.S. doctors, yet located outside the U.S. so patients could have reduced fees but still receive quaility care.

Hey Dr L

You can take this anyway you want to -- but here goes !  To your statement below :

"What would be interesting is if there were a system that used a hospital built to U.S. standards, staffed by U.S. doctors, yet located outside the U.S. so patients could have reduced fees but still receive quaility care."

I am very thankful my surgery  was done by a Mexican Surgeon .  And what would really be nice if in the U.S. a patient could have a "doctor" that would  treat a patient the way I was treated both by my Mexican WLS and by my Mexican P/S !!  

Now back to what I have said before -- all doctors in Mexico are not the same just as you agreed all doctors in the US are not the same !! Plain and simple . And the part about travel would be NO different if I traveled to Houston or Monterrey  -- end result is I would still have to TRAVEL !! 
Plus if I would have traveled to Houston to have surgery with you -- would you have came to my home town to do the follow up care -- or would I have had to either come back to Houston or find someone in my home town ?? 

And also I have heard you say several times about hearing from patients about how their surgery went in "other" countries  ---  well have you ever HAD any surgery done in Mexico ?  Then let me tell you first hand the quality of care I received was BY far above and beyond anything I have ever received in the U.S. !!   So I am just saying -- you might want to be careful for what you wish for -- because it might turn out different than you think !! 

Just a Happy Patient who has been there and done that !!
Tony

I agree Tony!  So far, my experience as being a patient that has went to Mexico for surgery has exceeded all my care as being a patient who has underwent at least (10) prior surgeries in the U.S.  I really don't understand why, patients can't receive and get the same care here in the U.S.?  I have also had surgeries in different hospitals in different states and my Mexico experience was better than all of them!  I really don't understand why this is??  Maybe, I have just been lucky with the surgeon(s) that I have chosen in Mexico? 


DW