Out of town patients

Plastic surgery isn’t what it used to be. With the brilliant technological advances we’ve experienced, the Internet has also allowed for us to expand our patient reach. Through email, Skype, and other means of communicating, we can perform surgery on anyone in the country and have successful follow-up.

I’m bringing this up now because I’ve gotten a ton of emails from people out of state. It is impossible to do a formal consultation over the internet, and one has to be very careful about patient privacy. Many of the questions have to do with follow-ups and aftercare. I try to get out of town patients to come in early so they can start the Whole Being Plan treatments:

Prior to their surgery, the patient and I have extensive Internet and phone conversations to determine whether or not they are a candidate and if it will be worth it for them. I actually recently got a patient who is working in Saudi Arabia.

I also make sure the patient has an adequate place to stay. We have several levels of hotels to fit different budgets. A favorite of ours is the Encantado Resort in Santa Fe, which has spa facilities. We can also set up a private nurse and transportation.

After the patient goes home, we continue to have extensive phone, email and photo sharing until they are completely healed. Let’s talk about this? Do you have any concerns or questions I could answer?

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Travel & Plastic Surgery aka Medical Tourism

As a plastic surgeon in New Mexico, I am often asked why my prices are higher than those a few hours away in South America. In other parts of the world, prices for plastic surgery are indeed lower, but I would ask– what are you getting for the money? There are a few things to think about before going outside of the U.S. for plastic surgery. You might be taking a risk — although there are many skilled and qualified physicians practicing all over world, it is almost impossible to assess their training and credentials. It’s also hard to assess the qualifications of the facility where the procedure would be done, not to mention the anesthesiologists who work there. Don’t you want to know who is going to operate on you? You are going to trust your body, your beauty, and your health to the surgeon and their team. Some vacation destinations do not even have formal accreditation boards to certify physicians or medical facilities. Also, the devices and products used in cosmetic surgery abroad may not meet U.S. standards as they may not have been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

You have to realize that cosmetic surgery is real surgery, and every surgery has some risks, even at the highest level of care right here in the U.S. Infections are the most common complication seen in patients who go abroad for cosmetic surgery (and the bacteria can be particularly nasty). Another common complication I have seen in those who have gone abroad are unsightly scars, especially after tummy tucks. Also, travel too soon after surgery significantly increases the risk of complications such as blood clots, which can be fatal. I tell my patients to wait about 7 – 14 days before flying, depending on the procedure.

Here’s another point: if you were to have cosmetic surgery abroad, once you return to the United States, who would you go to for your follow-up care and monitoring? This is a very important part of any surgery. It is difficult to find a qualified plastic surgeon to treat a problem or revise a procedure that was done abroad. I have had to revise several of these surgeries: the initial technique used by the foreign doctor was substandard, and the revision surgery was more complicated than the initial operation! If you were to have complications, your bargain surgery will end up being very costly.
Here is a short video discussing the topic:

The medical tourism pendulum has begun to swing back to the United States, where board certified surgeons are able to provide good follow-up care and monitoring. My advice to you is to make an appointment with a board-certified plastic surgeon in your area for a consultation. He or she will discuss with you the risks associated with the surgery, as well as the options of in-office or hospital procedures. Because cosmetic surgery is rarely covered by insurance, many plastic surgeons offer financing plans to their patients. Talk to your surgeon about your payment options.

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