I had my lap band done in Mexico. I am in the route of trying to get my arms, extended tummy tuck and a boob job done. I am curious who had this done in Mexico and how much it cost you. What about recovery time?

I am trying to get my insurance to pay for the tummy tuck so am waiting and should know soon. I know they wont pay for the arms and boob job.

Thanks for any information you can give me.

Shannon

oh and Misty you look great !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I am green with envy!!!!! :welldoneclap:

HI! i am considereing Brachioplasty (armlift) BUT i am afraid of the scars, you see i hate my band scars and i do not wear 2 pieces swimsuit because of my scars, and i really want to have an armlift so i can wear sleevless things, BUT to have scars i dont know!! are your scars still showing, my wedding is in four months, so i guess i should do the surgery soon, what do you recommend? thanks.

LOVED your pics btw :biggrin:

I had a brachioplasty (armlift), breast lift, breast augmentation with silicone implants, tummy tuck, lipo of top part of tummy and back, and brazilian butt lift with lipoed fat injected in rear.

I paid $12,000 for everything in Monterrey, Mexico with Dr. Sauceda who is board certified and that price included all surgeons fees, hospital fees, 2 nights in hospital, and after care garments. The doctor also reimbursed me and paid for my airfare from Dallas to Monterrey and 10 nights hotel at a very nice name brand hotel.

YOu can see my pics and get more information at: My Mexico Plastic Surgery Journey!

Feel free to PM me if you have any questions if you don't feel comfortable posting it on here!

Misty

Dr. Martinez Romero is one that i had a consultation with and did not choose him, please look up his name on the internet, he came out on the news last year because someone died when they went to him for surgery, the daughters of the lady that died came out speaking about what happened.

Esmeralda

I had my plastics done by Dr. Jose Luis Salas in TJ check out his website Tijuana Plastic Surgeons, Tijuana Plastic Surgery, Clinica Cosmetica e Integral, Dr. J. Salas - tijuana surgery he is an awesome doctor and has a wonderful facility.

Hi MistyD

I loved your answer to Frangipani; I also had a plastic surgery in Latin America but not in Mexico, in Bolivia but I felt the same way you do when I was in Bolivia;; my surgeon came to see me every day when I was in the clinic; i had a personal assistant who accompanied me to see my surgeon each day or each 2 days,, my doctor didn’t come to pick me up to the airport because he spend his day in the operating room and he doesn’t have time to pick the patients up to the airport but the agency (MakeoverTravel; that’s the agency I selected for my trip in Bolivia) provided me a bilingual personal assistant to accompany me everywhere.

It was a great experience and I my results are amazing, (it’s just my opinion but my friends also say that me surgery is a success!!). I am very satisfied.

Talking about costs I had a Tummy Tuck, Breast Lift with implants, Thigh Lift, Arm Lift and neck lift. I paid for this full package something like 11.000 US$.

Plastic surgery in Bolivia is affordable; you can have a high-quality Plastic Surgery at a very good price ,, for example if you go to the website of MakeoverTravel (MakeoverTravel.com) you can find a price list with all the special packages they provide. The cost for a tummy is of 2600 US$, a full liposuction 2900 US$, an arm lift 2300 US$ it’s very affordable and they include 10 day in a 4stars hotel so it's worth it.

For the next year I am planning a trip to Mexico with my best friend, we both want to undergo a rhinoplasty. I never went to Mexico and everybody told me that Mexico is a wonderful country. I decided to go to Mexico and not to Bolivia because the airfare is expensive (from Miami to Santa Cruz Bolivia the airfare is around 750 US$) whereas an airfare to Mexico is around 400 US$. A rhinoplasty in Bolivia would cost me 1900US$ while in Mexico around 2400 US$ so it’s nearly the same price, it doesn’t worth it to go to Bolivia just for a difference of 500US$ or 700US$. Also i read good testimonials about Dr. Sauceda in Monterrey so I will probably undergo my rhinoplasty with him. Did you see results of nose job with Dr. Sauceda?

Have a nice day.

Plastic surgery in Mexico and many other countries is cheaper because they have less regulatory expenses, less malpractice overhead, and building and staffing the facilities is cheaper.

So as not to give the impression that I am somehow biased against any other surgeon in any other country, lets assume that I have an identical twin brother surgeon who is equally skilled and experinced in post-bariatric plastics, but he is in Mexico and I am in your hometown.

If you want to check your doctor's credentials, it is a simple matter to look up any state medical board in the U.S. and learn about your doctors credentials, years in practice, and any lawsuits. If you really want details on lawsuits, those too can be obtained at the courthouse.

You will find it nearly impossible to do the same type of search for doctors in Mexico, even if your Spanish is excellent.

If you want to check your surgery center or hospital's credentials again, you can quickly and easily check with JCAHO or the AAAHC(http://www.aaahc.org/eweb/dynamicpage.aspx?site=aaahc_site&webcode=find_orgs) to see if the place where you will have surgery is accredited and meets standards for infection control, sterile processing, etc.

If you want to check a facility overseas, your only option in the JCI and they only accredit hospitals. You will have almost no way of having an independant organization check the standards of a clinic in Mexico because there are no such organizations.

If you have a problem after surgery and require care, your health insurance may cover it. Or your PS may have Cosmetassure, which for $250 covers nearly all complications after plastic surgery that occur within 30 days.

If your surgery was done overseas, you will likely not find a PS stateside willing to take your case, and will have to either travel again or seek care from a doctor who did not do the surgery. Insurance coverage for surgery done overseas may still be available after you return.

If your problem occurs while you are out of the country, your chances of coverage are much less.

If you have a medical, business, legal, or financial dispute with the doctor, you are protected by laws and regulations here in the states. Remember, your state medical boards, membership societies, and lawyers all exist to protect the public health. Your ability to seek compensation or get help for surgery done overseas is much more limited.

If you have a breast implant leak and the implant was placed in the U.S, you are entitled to $1000-$3000 in financial assistance to fix it, and get free implant replacements for life.

In Mexico and overseas, you must return to that country for replacement of the implant, and the financial compensation is a maximum of $1000.

If you travel before and after a big surgery you are at increased risk for a blood clot. This means extra treatment is required for those who travel. I have aksed on other forums many times what was done for blood clot prevention before and after international travel and have not received an answer to that yet...leading me to believe that no treatment was done.

Anyway, these are a few of the things that one must take into consideration and plan for, if you are going to travel.

Tummy tuck has the same statistical risk profile as an intrabdominal procedure like open gallbaldder, appendix, hystercetomy, etc. It is NOT a benign procedure by any means. LBL is an even bigger operation.

My goal here is simply to inform, not to assail the credentials

of any other doctor anywhere.

I've read this thread a couple of times in the last few months... But now seeing that it's been viewed 2,500 times, I feel like I should throw this out there...

No matter what country you choose for your PS, please be sure to do your research about who the doctor is and what his past patients say. There in an influx on the internet, and on this very board, of 'fake' people providing referances for Plastic Surgeons.

For instance, MakeOverTravel.com is mentioned just a few posts ago, in a beyond glowing review. Upon looking at their website I realized that they do not even reveal who your surgeon will be. After a google seach, I found this negative review buried among fake positive reviews --lots of other shadey stuff over there too. Every positive review I read about MakeOver Travel, scattered over the internet, was always from a newly made account (< 3 posts), and are written by someone that one does not use English as their primary language... perhaps the same person over and over?

Another doctor brought up in this thread is Dr. Gutierrez Romero. The implication that he's good as gold simply because he works with Operation Smile is insane. Just because he's OK in their book, does not make him beyond reproach. There are serious complaints here and a news piece by CBS that discusses a confirmed death after tummy tuck by Dr. Gutierrez Romero.

I'm not advocating these doctors/organizations one way or another. I just stress to do your thorough homework on a doctor, whomever you choose or where ever the recommendation comes from. Best wishes to all.

Edited February 12, 201016 yr by Allison925

Thank you doctor for your balanced assessment. I think you make some excellent points but there are a couple of things that were incorrect.

If you want to check your doctor's credentials, in Mexico you can do so online through the Mexican Board of Aesthetic, Plastic, and Reconstructive surgery, which indicates years in practice and whether your surgeon is currently certified. Surgeons must be recertified every 5-10 years and may not be recertified if any disciplinary action has been taken against them. http://www.cmcper.org.mx/

The Mexican Association of Aesthetic and Reconstructive Surgery also has an up to date list of board-certified plastic surgeons. http://www.cirugiaplastica.org.mx/index.php?option=com_qcontacts&view=listcat&Itemid=190〈=en

These sites are easy to navigate the only difficulty I have found is that they are sometimes down for maintenance.

Private clinics are monitored by the Health department and require annual inspections. Some of this information is online under the individual states, or you can request the information from your PS.

If you have a medical, business, legal, or financial dispute with the doctor, any patient, including those who do not reside in Mexico, may submit a complaint to the National Commission for Medical Arbitration; few cases go to court because the system is based on arbitration rather than litigation.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1188117/

There are many reasons why some surgeons do not do revision surgery besides having it done abroad.

As for travel, fortunately Mexico is very close to the U.S. but it makes sense as you note that you need to plan ahead and especially with major surgeries plan to stay abroad for a fair amount of time.