Dr. S or Dr. G

I am SO conflicted!   I have the money and the time to get a LBL this summer.  I've already decided on Mexico because the prices here are just ridiculous.  I need to hear all the pros and cons from people who have either gone to Dr. Sauceda (Monterrey) or Dr. Gutierrez (Tijuana) and why you chose one over the other.   My feelings so far:  

Dr. G:  Uses twilight sedation, careful about not doing multiple operations at once (a plus in my opinion), scar placement and stitching are unparalleled to anything else I've seen here or on RealSelf.  

Dr. S:  Uses twilight sedation, scar placement and stitching are acceptable but not stupendous, NOT located in a border town.  

Frankly, it's the whole Tijuana thing that has my husband freaked out!!  

Dr Victor Gutierrez without a doubt is the plastic surgeon that I would recommend 100%. His is the best when it comes to any procedure. I had a lower body lift, butt lift, arm lift, thigh lift and breast lift. Heck, my whole body needed help. Tijuana is a safe place.  Just like here in America, there are places and streets you will not go near, the same holds true for Tijuana.  The area, Zona Rio, the area where you will be staying if you decide on using Dr G is very nice and safe.  You are taken care of from the moment you arrive at the airport in San Diego.  In Tijuana, you are either in your hotel room, the clinic, in surgery, the recovery room, then back to the airport ready to fly home.  The time passes by too quickly. Your surgery results are what is the most important. You want the best and the best is Dr G.  He and Elsa will see to your every need.  

Thank you very much!  

Any information you need about Dr. Victor Gutierrez or about traveling in Tijuana, I will be happy to help as much as I can. 

I am so sad to hear that you have heard that Dr. Sauceda's scar and stitch placement is not the best. I had surgery with Dr. S  on 2/10/14 and I am as happy as a pig in (well you know). I had all my surgeries at once ( a big plus for me). Who wants to keep going back?

Dr. Sauceda told me that he does all the procedures at once because he is confident he can. Also, it is not like he cuts up all your body at once and then stitches you up. NO ... He does one procedure at a time in the operating table. If you are stable enough to move on to the next procedure he moves on to it. For example with me he started with my thighs. Then he did my LBL with anchor cut. Then he did my breasts and finally my arms. He did not start one until the previous was done and I was stable enough to move on. 

Here is my story. Feel free to read. 

https://www.evernote.com/shard/s208/sh/1c5a0bda-f6ba-4fe6-a5 ff-656700255c5a/649a0c06091ce43722b138085b505c19

Hey Frost - I'm not saying that his isn't good.  Obviously I think he does a good job or he wouldn't be one of my top two choices!   Just comparing his after-pics to Dr. G.'s after-pics, there IS a real difference.  I have to determine if it's enough of a difference.  

I read your entire story last week and really appreciate all the details you provided.  It's one of the things that helped me decide to do more research on Dr. S.   Thank you! 

I do not know anything about Dr G.  After I met Dr. S and read through several reviews I stopped researching other options.  

The multiple surgeries at once was a big seller for me.  I did not want to have to go through recovery more than once.  

My LBL scar placement is PERFECT.  I just got back from the Dominican Republic -- I wore 3 different bikinis and none of them showed the scar.  I was seriously shocked by what he did.  

I had planned on going to Tijuana for my VSG and my parents FREAKED out -- so I totally understand the stigma of the place.  MTY is also not insanely safe.  There was a police presence -- heavily armed police presence and Dr. S told us to stay in a very close area -- not to stray.  I think Mexico in general now is just a rough place to be.  As long as you follow the instructions of the doctor you will probably have no issues in either location.  

It sounds like you have two very good options to choose from.  I hope you LOVE your results :)

Thanks, Stacy! 

I'm a Dr Sauceda fan.  My scar placements are perfect.  For my Upper Body Lift, I took my bikini top for markup and it's totally hidden.  My LBL scar is low on my hips and my bikinis totally cover my scars.  We have several photos on the group site from people that have gone to Dr S. 

There will be 2 days of consults when Dr S comes up to Tyler, Texas on the 26th and 27th of June.  There will be several postops there so that preops can have a real looky-see.

I never felt unsafe on both of my trips to Monterrey.  I even went a few days early so that I could go out to the caverns and take in the Santa Lucia River Walk.

Thanks, Chris!