Question:
I have done a lot of research on plastic surgery in Costa Rica.

I have met with a couple gals that had their surgeries done there, and they are very pleased and just love the place. They went to the Rosenstock Clinic. One was a nurse that is certified in Infection Control. Anyway, I was wondering if anyone else has gone there and what their experience was, or if anyone is thinking of going there. Thanks! JoAnn    — JoAnn A. (posted on June 1, 2004)

June 1, 2004
Hi Joann, i went to south america..equador to be exact for plactic surgery.liposuction and abdominalplasty.i meet the dr here and knew he he was the right surgeon..as a nurse i was very impressed..infact i scrubed into the OR and watched him perform his magic on mnay patients. last i know he was openeinng a practice in miami florida. he was going to live here part of the year and south america the rest.all the best! Tracey
   — traceybubbles

June 2, 2004
Here is a website for a reconstructive surgery board you can join. It's really good and informative. Several people have gone to Costa Rica. Some with excellent experiences and some with horrendous experiences - learn where NOT to go and where you SHOULD go in CR. http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ossg-plasticsurgery/ There is also a Costa Rica surgery group with yahoo, I think. Good luck!
   — [Deactivated Member]

June 2, 2004
Someone on the Yahoo OSSG group just posted a long note about her awful experience with plastic surgery in Costa Rica. She got a terrible infection and felt the doctors there weren't responsive at all. Her conclusion: "...I would NEVER NEVER NEVER NEVER NEVER go to Costa Rica for surgery...not even an ingrown toenail." She also mentioned that she has run into other unhappy patients, including from the Rosenstock clinic, though that's not where she had her work done. Another pull from her post: "They have to pack the wound and keep me on strong IV antibiotics for two days....asking all the time why would I go to a third world country to have major surgery just to save a few bucks...and they are right....a few thousand dollars is nothing when you have doctors looking at your belly and seeing the look on their faces and one telling me to pray for God to help me." Certainly things can go wrong in the States, and infections and complications happen...but I'd want to be where I had confidence in my surgeons and the sanitation practices and confident that if I needed extended treatment I wouldn't have to be away from home and paying a hotel bill during all that time.
   — Celia A.

June 2, 2004
I am familiar also with the posting that Celia Ann referred to from the ossg-reconstructive surgery group on yahoo. I think it should be noted, however, that Costa Rica is not a third-world country and the doctor that referred to it as that was mistaken. Yes, the woman who had a bad experience has every right to suggest that no one go to Costa Rica. But, it should also be noted that several posters on the same ossg-reconstructive surgery site stated that they, or someone they know, had good experiences in Costa Rica at different clinics and with different doctors. I had my WLS and plastic surgery in Mexico and I may be somewhat bit defensive when someone refers to Mexico in the same light - as a third world country with sub-standard medical equipment. I'm a college educated professional woman and I would not ever put myself in a position to receive sub-standard care. That said, there are bad physicians in EVERY country - United States included. I've heard just as many horror stories from US doctors who didn't handle infections properly or didn't do a good job with incisions, etc. It behooves us to do the most research we can. Talk to as many people as we can. And then do some more research before making any choices regarding our medical care. It takes a lot of trust to put your health in someone else's hands and unfortunately, sometimes our trust gets taken advantage of. Anyway, good luck to everyone.
   — [Deactivated Member]

June 2, 2004
I'm with Paula on this. Its buyer beware no matter what country you're talking about. Yes, there are bad ones in the US too. I've had a good experience with a Mexico PS myself, twice now. I've also heard very good things about a PS in Curtiba (Brazil). Definitely check out the board mentioned, if you haven't already. The more information you can find and the more options you explore the better. Good luck!
   — Shelly S.

June 3, 2004
Hi. I think I need to write an article on this subject for the next magazine issue. Infections and other issues requiring postop care by the surgeon DO happen in any country, to any doctor. Thats not the issue. In another country, you do not have insurance, you do not have legal protection, you do not have ready access to the surgeon except while you are down there, and there is little if any regulation of the hospital industry (so blood supply, medications, etc may not be the best). I have been on the receiving end of many patients transferred up by our helicopter/jet LifeFlight service from Central and South America (Houston is the closest regional Level 1 trauma center) The care there is simply not standardized and rarely "up to par." Ethically, surgeons take an oath NOT to perform "itenerant surgery." That is surgery where you do not have the ability to manage your patients afterwards. It is a patient safety issue and comes after the bad old days of the "snake oil doctors" who would "slash and dash." I see the distances and difficulties involved in getting to Mexico and elsewhere and feel that this is in fact itenerant surgery. It should be avoided as this is an area where saving money is simply not worth the risk.
   — DrL