Going Outside the country for plastics

Tony, because you asked, I have extensive experience in Mexico both culturally, personally, and medically.  My boys mom is Mexican (from La Frontera, Matamoros to be exact),  we are a bilingual family.  I have a place in Mexico. 

I seriously entertained staffing a rural clinic in Costa Rica during my many years of travel there and met many student doctors and residents.  I have toured the CIMA hospital down there this year, and myself been treated at one of the Paseo Colon clinics for an illness. 

I have visited the (plastic surgery) Clinica Rosenstock-Lieberman in San Jose and met the doctors, and recently made a referral to them from these boards.

I traveled to El Salvador first during the revolution as part of Amigos De Los Americas doing basic health screening, and then later as a surgeon operating on children with facial deformities as part of Austin Smiles.  Met the first lady, Elizabeth Calderon-Sol and talked about her health-care initiatives.  Arranged burn care for a wounded Salvadoran soldier but couldn't get the visas worked out.

I broke my leg and suffered a concussion in Tiliaran, C.R., and was treated down there.  I was a physician for Life Flight, and made several trips to pick people up from hospitals in Mexico to be bring them to the states.

In short, and since you asked, I do have firsthand experience with healthcare in Mexico and Latin America.

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I agree with you 100% if you came and saw me in Houston vs. went to Mexico you would still travel.  But once home from Houston, you could have Cosmetassure insurance (covers all complications for 30 days), you would have legal protection, an implant warranty valid in all 50 states, health insurance if I needed to order a test on you back home, and the possibility that I might know somebody in your hometown to partiicpate in your followup care.  Also easier communication with a doc in your hometown. See the difference ?

Sarah said in her post

"I want to make sure all of my "homework" is done before I make any decisions."

This is not about comparing Mexico to the U.S., nor Mexican doctors to U.S. doctors. We all know there are good and bad in both places.

One of my points is that you have no way to objectively check credentials on a doctor or facility outside the U.S.  If I am mistaken, please correct me, and better yet furnish the information so we can all learn and "do our homework."

I am happy to refer anybody to numerous links here in the U.S. where you can check doctor and hospital credentials.  Internet message boards are not suitable for checking credentials, but an independent agency charged with protecting the public is.

For those who have "been there done that" in mexico or elsewhere, why not address the issues I bring up in my post and share your thoughts and solutions so we can all learn ?  If you feel my points are irrelevant or not of concern, feel free to comment.

For instance Tony, in an earlier post you had some misgivings on low-cost University residency programs based on incomplete information. I tried to furnish more complete information on how they work based on my involvement with such a program.

IMHO, that's the best way to help the most people make a good decision on this important matter.

Here is the link to show which Dr's are Certified by the Board of Mexican Plastic Surgery.  I guess I should have taken a picture of his certificates on his wall too.

http://www.cirugiaplastica.org.mx/estados/nuevo-leon.html

Oh I am sure I would rather listen to an "agency" where people probably get "paid" off for what they say !  Much like a doctor prescribes more of the meds from the sales rep.  who buys the most lunches for the office , gives the most samples , plays the most golf and seveal other things .

And why would I ever want to listen to a living person who has actually been thru the surgery !!  I'm sure none of your patients ever ask to talk to some of your former patients !

And you told me that even if a 6 or 7 year student had any questions that you or someone like you would be there to help with the surgery . But what happens the next year when they are out doing surgery on their own and have problems ??   And I do not think you addressed my question about how many  patients they would have seen with major weight loss ?  Isn't it a good idea to find a surgeon who has a lot of knowledge on the subject ? Remember I explained to you that I had dropped over two hundred pounds and there was another patient just like me exactly one week earlier .

Also there was the comment about traveling . Is there any difference in traveling across the US to a doctor versus traveling to another country ? Or is traveling the same and you think we should use a local doctor ? 

Please help answer all the questions you can because I do believe research is the best think anyone can do for themselves !! 

 Oh I am sure I would rather listen to an "agency" where people probably get "paid" off for what they say !

I'm so sorry.  This gave me one of only two good laughs I had today.  I have never heard the ASPS (or the AMA or AAPS any of the other peer-associated groups overseeing medical care) referred to this way, but you better believe I'm emailing my physician friends right now to let them know.  LMAO!

Dr. Aceves is a WLS and is a FACS as well but is a Mexican Dr.

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

Hi there -- I'm pretty sure that I am the "certain people" that Laura above is referring to (not sure, but I think I am).  But the term caveat emptor is not  MY creation.  If you're gong overseas (or even traveling long distance) then take in many opinions -- but wow, make sure they are QUALIFIED opinions.  Anonymous opinions floated on an anonymous message board = HIGHLY UNQUALIFIED.

People in Costa Rica and Mexico and India and wherever do not irrationally shop for physicians by checking message boards -- they get highly qualified references from people they know and trust to have qualified information.

That's my best advice.

I don't think most people go by message boards alone. Like talking to a friend IRL it's a starting place to get referrals.

There are a great many people whose primary and even sole source of information about surgeons -- plastic or otherwise -- comes from message boards.

The right "starting place to get referrals" is from someone else who knows medicine and who knows where the skeletons (literal and figurative) are buried.

We've already had that discussion and I disagree based on my experience. I have the right as a patient to do my own research and not blindly follow a referral just because it comes from a medical professional.

If I had done WLS here based on a referral I would have been limited to RNY or a band and the band was $17000 self pay. Just because my Dr. had the right intentions doesn't mean I should just do what he says.

I am intelligent and am able to research on my own. I have a daughter that has a rare genetic disorder that NO one in my town is familiar with. I have had to educate local Dr.'s and medical professionals and they respect that. I've not ever had one professional give me flack for not following their referral.

I have had to research on my own and ask GASP parents and those whose children have the same condition advice. I am sarcastically known as the the queen of research in real life because I live in a town without specicialists so I've had to learn to do it all between my IVF, my triplet pregnancy where I birthed only one survivor, Noonan Syndrome, Hypertropic Cardiomyopathy, Austism, Weight Loss Surgery and now looking at plastics.

I am MORE than confident in my abilities to choose a reputable and skilled surgeon in or out of the country. I even looked at Brazil as my husband travels there yearly on Mission trips. But I didn't want to wait til summer to go as my children would be with us and the return flights home would have been about 24 hours ass opposed to 3ish. I 

Some people may make a decision based on a message board referral but you are speculating on how many. I've not seen any reputable data to back that up.

If I could afford plastics in my area with a skilled and reputable Dr. I probably would do it as I would like to be closer to home. I just do not have the capability to do it withint 5 miles of my home. I would have to travel regardless. I have considered Dallas and Houston thus far and both are 3 ad 7 hours from me. Thus I can either drive 3-7 hours in Texas or fly out of the country for about 3ish hours . In or out of the country some of the said travel risks are the same.

It's not a black and white decision for all of us.