Plastic Surgery in Mexico??

Hello, there was a Dr. Sauceda in Monteray Mexico that was all the rage on this forum. Has anyone used him in a while and does anyone have anything to add about him? Thank you so much. I am concerned for a few reasons, mainly being away from home, in another country and getting so much work done.

Tammy

I'm very interested in the replies you get. His specific discussion board is here http://www.obesityhelp.com/group/Dr_Sauceda_Patients/discuss ion but it is not an overly active board. I am currently reading through older posts, but would love to hear more recent reviews and reviews now from past patients a few years out. :-)

This isn't a review, just my observation. I got an estimate from this Dr and had two concerns. One was that he was willing to do four procedures, two at a time, just a few days apart. Of course the second surgery (inner thighs and upper arms) would have been based on my medical condition after the first two (LBL and breast lift). So maybe he was promising to much?

Second was the cost. Which was just $6,000.-$8,000. less than my cost for having the same procedures, 6-8 weeks apart, here in Portland. Including staying overnight in the hospital. Meaning I wouldn't have to stay in a hotel in Mexico for 12 days. When I considered the cost for me and a friend to help the price difference was just not enough to give up the benefits of having a local surgeon.

Thank you so much for your reply. Was his cost of 6-8$ for all 4 procedures?

Where in the US would you be able to get that done for that cost? If so, can you tell me where? I would rather stay in the US but for a tummy tuck alone, they want to charge me 9$. I want a full body lift.

I know that he operates using an epidural and twilight meds, but I was also concerned when one person wrote that she was on the table for 15 hours! No way! That is how blood clots happen. However, NO ONE has ever listed anything bad about him, he gets excellent reviews and is renowned for his work. Everyone says that he spends literally hours marking your body before surgery in order to get the results he wants.

I know that the hotel, private nurse, and everything is included in the cost when you spend a certain amount.

Did you get your surgeries done? If so, who with and I would love to see pics.

If I go to Mexico, I do not want to be alone.

Please reply,

Thank you,

Tammy

Well... it was $6,000 to $8,000 more here in the US for four procedures done two at a time 8 weeks apart.

His estimate was $19,900 for all four procedures done two at a time a few days apart. The surgeons fees weren't that different. The savings in Mexico are because of the cost of post op care.

Thank you,

Where did you have your plastic surgery done at? My tummy tuck alone, no lipo, was going to be $9,000

Hi Tammy,

I had surgery with Dr. Sauceda in Monterrey Mexico on July 31st. I had a good experience and, that is even taking into consideration a complication. For most of my career I worked with people from all over the world so it didn't seem very unusual or scary to travel for treatment. I would be happy to answer any questions you have.

Thank you so much for your reply. Wow, July 31st! That is so recent. If I may ask, what did you had done? Was it all in one surgery? How much weight did you lose before and after the surgery? When did you meet your goal weight and how long after you met your goal did you have surgery.

I met my goal weight years ago. Then I gained 50 pounds because I had an autoimmune disorder rear its ugly head after a routine surgery. So, I spent two years inactive and gained. I have now lost 20 of that:) I want to lose 15 more, then I will be where I want to be at. I do not want to be as skinny as I was earlier because I looked rather frail.

I have been reading about this doctor for years and really want him to do my surgery.

I would love to hear anything you have to say. I was concerned because one of the people said that the nurses do not wash their hands or wear gloves in his hospital when they come in to help you. Was that your experience?

Also, I had read that in Monterey, a few years back, tourists were kidnapped out of that hotel. Were you worried about your safety?. There is now yet another warning from the government for Americans not to travel to certain parts of Mexico.

Another concern is that the bloggers stated that they had to take the money for surgery in cash to Mexico. This is a big red flag for me. There is no way I am going to make myself a target and bring that amount of cash.

Did you have enough help at the hospital and at the hotel? What if you got sick at the hotel and needed help?

Also, no one wants to talk about costs. I know everyone is different. I am going to take photos and send them to him when I hit my goal weight. I want to know if I am looking at 15 or 25 thousand.

What were your complications? Did they occur when you were there? Did you have to find a doctor here to help you? If so, did your insurance cover that?

I do not want to overwhelm you and that was a lot of questions.

Thank you for reaching out. I am so eager to learn about this.

Sincerely,

Tammy

Hi Tammy,

I'm glad to answer your questions because I was in your shoes during my research phase. It was so hard to find answers to my questions! I am actually working on a blog and videos of my experience in the hopes that it helps someone. I will post an update here once I get everything updated.

I lost about 80 pounds and I've been at goal 4 years. I waited this long because I just wanted to be sure my weight was stable and I wanted to see if my skin problems improved with time. They didn't.

I had a 360 tummy tuck, arm lift and a breast lift with augmentation. Due to the type of anesthesia they use, it was done in one surgery which was 10 hours long. My surgery was done in a surgical clinic, and not the hospital. My 3 night stay was at the clinic as well.

The reasons I decided to come to Mexico was #1 the level of after care and #2 the level of attention from a surgeon that is an expert in doing surgery on compromised, fragile post weight loss skin. I would've been willing to go to several other countries as well due to their level of aftercare. In the US, they almost always do plastics as outpatient, then it's on you and your non expert non nurse family to try and take care of you. Basically the US is the last place I would have plastics. Doing things out of the US and engaging with others in other nations is not a big thing to me because I have a long history of working with people from all over the world. Mexico has many similarities to the US, but it is also very different in many ways. These differences may be more difficult for some to embrace. The hotel is a very nice business class hotel. It is well staffed by professional people.Several speak pretty decent English.

I did not feel unsafe at any time. One way Mexico is different is that it is very child, elderly and family friendly. It was so nice to see so many families together...young and old. Please note their federal police look VERY different than we typically see in the states. I saw one. He was armed with a long gun and suited up for what appeared to be battle.

I took cash across the boarder because to me, it just wasn't a big deal. I also had the option to pay by credit card, wire transfer or cashier's check. I would've been very worried if the doctor ONLY accepted cash. I did, on the advice of doctor Sauceda not wear any jewelry.

My stay at the clinic, I wasn't really paying attention to the hand washing. The nurses did not do it in my room if they did wash them. They did wear gloves. The bed was very uncomfortable. They managed my pain well, helped me get a shower. Rebandaged me, got me STUFFED into the compression garmet, changed the bedding every day, got me meals. The environment and people are more laid back than in the US. Nobody is in a hurry and rushing you. The meals are not on a strict schedule. It is not a US mealtime schedule meaning everything is 2 hours later than we are accustomed to. I was more comfortable at the hotel, if I had gotten sick: if bad enough to need urgent care I would've called the doctor or if he was unavailable the front desk people to get medical treatment (they know the doctor well). If just regular sick, I would've managed in the hotel and talked with the nurse and doctor when they came the next day.

The beginning of my complication (pubic line opening) happened while in Mexico. I received a lot of education about it and how it would progress, what to expect, etc. I am following up with the surgeon, my doctor here and a wound care clinic. My insurance covers this. This type of complication is handled by a wound specialist regardless of where your surgeon is located. I had a plan in place before going to Mexico for any issues that could come up.

I think you will be VERY pleasantly surprised at the price. It makes s big difference if you get more than 1 thing done. You get a big discount that way. I would be willing to bet you will come much closer to 15 than 20.

Hope that covers everything. Best of luck to you!

Hi, thank you so much for such a thorough response. I read that they do not even give you a pillow at the hospital. You and others say the beds there are not comfortable. I can not imagine the amount of money they are getting yet they do not get comfortable beds for people recovering from such overall surgery. What do you think?

Tammy