Americans going outside the US for PS?

[jerseyguy81]

Hey all,

I'm a 23 y/o that has a case of gyne (puffy nipples) that developed in my mid teens and never went away.  I've been to a local PS in the central NJ area and gave me a quoted price of $7,500 (!!!) for exision/lipo and other fees.  I can probably swing around $5000 but anything over is too much.  I've read a couple of posts by people who have had the procedure done by Dr. - and it seems like his price is still a little too high for me.

At any rate, I was recently told by a friend of mine who had had plastic surgery in a country in Latin America for a low price with results that she was happy with.  The person who had done her operation was a friend  of hers and she said that she could have him do an exision/lip for me for no more than $1,000. 

My question is are there any Americans here who have gone to other (non English speaking) countries to get the procedure done at a cheaper price that can retell their experiences?  If not, do any of you members think that it might be a good or bad idea to go through with it?  I'm afraid of going there, getting it done, and then having a worse condition as a result.  Any thoughts?

EDIT NOTE:  The country she went and had her procedure was Colombia.  I googled Colombian Plastic Surgeons and got this USA Today article
http://www.usatoday.com/travel/destinations/2006-03-14-colombia-surgery_x.htm
Again, any and all input would be greatly appreciated.

[Grandpa Bambu]

jerseyguy....

Welcome to the boards dude!

In my opinion, 'where' the proceedure is performed is not a top priority. The most important factor of any PS that you choose, is his/her credentials and how many GRS procedures they perform on a yearly basis. Experience, is more important than location.

Could you not swing a personal loan for the $7500?

John.

[jerseyguy81]

Thank you for the welcome, Bambu.

That's true and the more I read on these Latin American surgeons the more my interest is piqeued.  It seems many of them were trained in the states.

I'm against getting a loan right now since I've just started grad school and am already incurring a mountain of debt.

[Grandpa Bambu]

A few quotes from the article ('Tourists heading to Colombia for plastic surgery' Dated: 03.14.2006 USA TODAY)....

"The American Society of Plastic Surgeons cautions that there are risks to having surgery abroad. "Patients may take unnecessary risks, when choosing cosmetic surgery vacations, by unknowingly selecting unqualified physicians and having procedures performed in non-accredited surgical facilities," the organization states in a briefing paper on the issue."

"U.S. laws do not protect patients treated outside the country. There may be no legal recourse if surgical negligence by the physician or institution occurs, the society notes."

I cannot emphasize ehough....   DO YOUR RESEARCH/HOMEWORK!!!  make sure you know what you are getting yourself into.



"No official statistics exist on the number of tourists who visit Colombia on image improvement excursions. But plastic surgeon Andres Mejia says that for cities like Cali the volume is huge. Patients come from as nearby as Ecuador and Panama, and as far away as the U.S. and Spain."

Interesting.... US PS's may have to lower their fees a tad huh?  Can you say.... 'Competition'? 

John.

[headheldhigh01]

globalization makes its inroads.  there was a thread on caloca in mexico by a guy in ca who appeared happy with his results.  but he had to pay in cash, which for several reasons would have made me a little nervous 

[Paa_Paw]

Though I do not remember the particular Magazine, I recently read an article about Insurance companies sending patients to Hospitals outside the U.S. to take advantage of lower costs for surgery.

This is a subject well worthy of investigation.

Care, or course, should be exercised.

Remember that the person most concerned about the outcome of your surgery is not the surgeon, but you!

[jerseyguy81]

After about a day of reading up on some of the surgeons in Colombia it seems that there is no difference between them and domestic surgeons.  As I stated before, many of them trained in the states (Stanford, UCLA, FSU, NYU.. some of them even have fellowships that continue to this day with those institutions).  On paper they really seem to check out.

My question now, though, is recovery... if I did do this I could realisticaly stay there for about two weeks.  This essentially eliminates the possibility of follow up visits at the 3 and 6 month mark.  A year visit is plausible.

I understand that everyone heals differently but for the standard things like dealing with fluid build up and checking up on the scarring/bruising is it unwise to not follow up with a PS for a year or so prior to the surgery?

[Mr_Nip]

That's the main reason I chose to go more local.  During the recovery I've been able to go back for follow-ups several times at no extra cost.  One of those visits was to remove drains, another was to remove fluid in one side.  I've been back several more times just for visual checks and advice.  If I had been far away it would have been much more difficult to receive that level of care. 

[Paa_Paw]

I think that Mr_Nip has given a very strong reason for selecting a Surgeon within commuting distance.

The availability of local follow-up care would offset any potential difference in cost.