Since I am pretty new here, I have noticed that there is a lot of interest in Plastic Surgery in Mexico. Having just had my LBL done down there 7 weeks ago I thought I would share about it. Having surgery in Mexico, is not new to me as I had my RNY done in Ensenada back in 2003. Then last year I had three procedures done, a lower face/neck lift, arm skin removal and a breast lift/implant all due to the weight loss. At that time I did not do all the checking that I should have and didn't pay attention to the red flags I saw, but went ahead and went to the "Fancy Clinic" all made of white marble and glass. Well the center was nice but my results didn't turn out so great, as I am now in need of having two of the procedures completely redone. So please do your homework, do not just go by what someone tells you. Why well I have seen raving reviews from a person whose photos show horrible work. I was like that too, I saw improvements in the beginning and the fact that I had sung the praises of this certain PS, I was ashamed to later say I was wrong, it wasn't until people started telling me they wanted to go to my PS that I knew I had to come forth and say something, as I did not want to be responsible for anyone's bad outcome. All I will say about The Vida Clinic, is do your homework, don't just check out the good reviews but also the not so good ones. Pictures do not lie...
So today for me to give a good review of a Doctor you know he has to be pretty darn good.Thankfully for my recent surgery I found just such a Doctor. It took me a whole year to do so. I spoke with Doctors from Tijuana to Monterrey, even driving out to Beverly Hills to met with Plastic Surgeons. Some were great just way over my budget as in $40,000, where others had great prices, but not so great cut lines and sewing. I checked out every online site there is, reaching out with phone calls to past patients. I saw some incredible incision and sewing lines done by this one Doctor, who I was a little nervous about since he didn't have as many reviews as other Doctors had, but had the highest marks from the viewers that he did have. So I took a chance and called and spoke with him for quite a while, I felt good so I took a leap of faith, and I am so glad I did, because he turned out to be a master at his craft. Not only is he a board certified Plastic surgeon he also has a specialty in Micro-Surgery, thus those perfect incisions and sewing lines. He had his Plastic Surgery training all done in Israel where the standards are some of the highest in the world, which I am sure why he is so above the rest.
I flew into San Diego and Dr. Victor Gutierrez picked me up himself! so we could get to know each other on the short drive down to his clinic. Later that day I had a two hour mark up...He is very detailed minded. Next day surgery, spent the night at the center, and I woke up feeling great, since he uses twilight sedation, you don't get that horrible anesthesia hangover. And just as he said, I was not in any pain. This is after having a full stomach muscle repair. When I asked about how this could be, he explained it was due to the gentle way in which he handles the tissues....
Well recovery went well and on day 7 after surgery I was on my way back home. A quick trip to the San Diego airport where there was a wheelchair to greet me I was soon home. The best part is that all my stiches were internal so no waiting to have the stiches removed and this way the incision line remains very pencil thin... I have posted some pictures taken at two weeks on my profile. So if you are in need of a Great Surgeon for any of your extra skin removal, I highly recommend my new surgeon Dr. Victor Gutierrez

Edited July 21, 201412 yr by AZDee

Glad to hear you've had a great experience this time round.

Out of interest (and I am yet to check your profile), would you mind posting the 'before' work you had done and the after on this thread; just for comparisons sake?

I'm in the process of considering plastic surgery options and I'd be eternally grateful to see what is good and 'bad' work.

Best regards,

Revs

Hello Dee,

I think that's your name. Thank you so much for talking about this here. IF I go forward with this operation, I really must know of a PS that is good. I know it will be in Mexico, so again, thank you for sharing. It is much appreciated.

I actually started looking at PSs in South Korea, after seeing a thing on tv a short while ago, and looking at some pretty AMAZING before and afters online (like, hundreds of them). So happy yours turned out great. Keep us posted.

best,

triss in utah

Is there a way to post pictures on this group? I posted some on my profile, but not a lot of before's since they are nude shots...They are posted on realself. I have the same name over there so if you do a lower body lift search, my review with the pictures will come up. I didn't say but the first set of surgeries were also in Mexico at the CosMed or Vida Clinic, and although the clinic was beautiful my results were not. So like I stated I learned a very expensive lesson, that one must do their own homework...And Tiss, there really isn't the need to travel so far and spend so much in air travel and hotels when there are some really good options close to home. I paid about 1/3 of what the surgery would have cost in the states and not only that, I had a surgeon which rivals most of the work I have seen my others in every state here...

thx for you response, dee, i will go try to find your pix. after reading your comments i went and looked at your doctor's work on his website and saved it to my pinterest board for mexican doctors/surgery. i do like his work. if you don't mind me asking, or you don't think its rude, may i ask what a good price is for a body lift? at this point in time i am looking seriously at trying one LAST time to lose weight without really changing the shape of my stomach... things like endobarrier and the obalon endolumenal baloon. also there are some new meds coming down the line. I finally came to decide on a sleeve and then started reading doctors reports about it, you know the clinical studies. i reallly want to try b4 i go there. its hard... really. to come to the decision, search for a mexican doctor, and then read the studies. there are very high rates of suicide for wls folks after they start to put the weight back on.. and i tend to float close to the depression line in daily life. so its going to be a first try with the milder forms of wl, like meds, and actually i think the endobarrier looks very promising. i may get that in Mexico or europe since they are doing that there now. and may try that for a while, then try a balloon for a while.. and see where that gets me. I also thought about some plastics, like these body sculpting and cold laser reshaping, so hopefully your doc does that too. i appreciate your suggestions and i am sorry your journey took a tough step with the first wrong doctor. my problem is that i errr, research TOOOO much. i've been looking at wls for like 8 years now. i am glad i waited, as there are more things out there now. i was going to get a band, glad i did not. anyhoo, thanks again.

I actually had a lot of regain after the little the weight I lost when I had my RNY back in 2003...I never got to goal and then over the course of the next 8 years I put on 5 lbs a year, not too bad until you fast forward 8 years and realize you are almost when you began...My daughter and her husband did the hcg diet, and lost 45 lbs each in two months, out of shear frustration I told them to get me some, really just so I could show them that nothing worked...then I started losing any where from 1/2 lb to 1 lb each day until 9 months later I had lost 102 lbs!!! that was over 3 years ago and I have kept it off...I believe my problem was hormonal and hcg is a natural hormone found in the body so that's why it worked when nothing else did....

Edited July 7, 201412 yr by AZDee

Here is a belly shot of the before belly...

Four weeks post op....not too bad for 60 years old!!!

Edited July 8, 201412 yr by AZDee

Here is the contact information:

http://www.realself....Victor-Gutierrez

Telephone number: 619-564-4059

Edited August 14, 201412 yr by AZDee

These photos were taken at the two week mark, shows the incisions closed. You can see the groin lift scar showing in the bathing suit photo. Still very swollen at this time...

Your results are outstanding! Simply beautiful! I know you are happy! Do you plan on getting any more surgical work done?

You look wonderful! Very impressed!

Thanks ladies, I plan on going down for a in person consult, in Sept. to finalize what is next for me. I am in need of some revisions from the work I had done with that other doctor last year, and I would love to have my eye lids done...Surgery takes a lot of preplanning, time and money wise....

Today, I am 3 months post op and healing very nicely. Scars are even lighter and all the red marks from the surgical tape have healed. Weight is about the same I haven't lost any weight since surgery, but that could be do to eating more than I normally do for healing. I plan on working on that!

Hey AZ, did u finance with Dr. Gutierrez? If so who did u finance through?

I didn't use financing, but on his website, it does show financing available...not sure who that is through.

Ok great, thank u