Success of a plastic surgery depends on a good analysis of the steps you will follow, and on asking the following 10 essential questions, which will help you to make the best choice and to get the best results in your surgery.
These questions don’t have a defined order. The important fact is that you must ask them during your information search process, and get, for all of them, a satisfactory answer, that allow you to make the right choice, with trust and safety. When you get these questions answered accordingly to your specific case, you will be working to get better results and a recovery process that will fulfill your expectations.
1. How to choose your surgeon?
When choosing the doctor who will perform your surgery, it is very important to check his credentials. It refers to the university where he got his Medicine degree and his Plastic Surgery specialty. You also should check his affiliation to any local and/or international Plastic Surgery Associations, and very specially, if he has all required licenses and insurance policies. You also must research about his professional, ethical and personal qualities, and, preferably, know the results of other patients’ surgeries.
2. How many procedures can I get done in a single surgical session?
It’s very important you ask your doctor how many and which surgical procedures you can get done. It is essential to know how many hours will you be exposed to anesthesia, which are the risks of each surgery and how long will recovery take (time, special cares you must have, how will it limit your daily activities, etc.).
3. What post-surgery treatments and controls will I need?
This is a key question you have to ask in order to ensure good recovery and the best results after your surgery. When you plan your surgery, you should have in mind the time you will need to have lymphatic drainage massages, ultrasound massages, hyperbaric chamber sessions and post-surgery controls. Remember that these complementary treatments make your recovery faster and improve the final results of your surgery.
4. What special care should I get after my surgery?
The work performed by your surgeon is essential for the good results of your surgery. Although, these results will also be determined by post-surgical care you get, so keep in mind you must avoid sudden, fast and strong movements. You also must get a healthy and balanced diet, get rest and tranquility, avoid unnecessary displacements during the first days, and if it is necessary to go out, you must find a comfortable, care-taking transportation. You must take all your post-surgical treatments, wear any special garments recommended by your doctor, and follow strictly your surgeon’s instructions.
5. How long will it take to get back to my activities after a plastic surgery?
Your surgeon has the final word about this, so it’s really important that you take the time he suggests to you, and follow all indications we have provided in order to make your recovery process go as programmed. You have to attend to all medical controls, and, if you have any disturbance or discomfort, tell it to your doctor opportunely. You also must keep in mind that total recovery will take from 3 to 6 months, so you will see the final results only after that time.
6- What are my expectations about the results of my surgery?
This is, possibly, one of the most importan factors in order to get a successful surgery. You must ask yourself honestly, what are you looking for, and what you expect to get when you undergo a plastic surgery. Your own opinion is different from other people’s. You can’t make your decision only because your best friend or your husband/wife tell you to do it. The need and the desire for those results must be truly yours. You must have thought about how you want to look after the surgery, and you MUST discuss it with your surgeon all the times you think it’s necessary.
Don’t make your decision based on temporary fashion models. You can get a big disappointment. You must talk to your doctor, and he/she will tell you what results can really be achieved.
7- Will I stay hospitalized after my surgery?
Plastic surgery advances in a very fast way. Some surgeries, which years ago required several days or weeks of hospitalization, have become in routine, ambulatory procedures. This doesn’t mean that post-operatory cares are not required or important. You must discuss it with your surgeon.
If you are undergoing a major surgery, your doctor will probably have you hospitalized. If it is important to you to stay hospitalized, discuss it with your doctor, he will inform you about the convenience and the risks of doing or not doing it.
8- Must I chek my general health status before the surgery?
This point is fundamental, and many times it is ignored by the patient, and in some cases even by the surgeon. It is very important that you undergo the laboratory tests and exams indicated by your doctor, and complementary tests (Electrocardiogram, thorax X-rays, etc.). With these exams results you must visit your physician, who will read them
and make you a general physical exam, in order to verify you have an adequate health. Only if your physician certifies you are in an optimal health, you should continue with your surgery process. Otherwise, your health, and even your life can be jeopardized. If you are thinking about having your surgery in other country, make sure you have ideal health conditionsto travel and to get your surgery done. Preferably, have all your exams taken in your country.
9- Is it safe to get my surgery done in a foreign country?
Medical Tourism sector has evolved in a surprisingly way during the last years. Today it is very common to see people
traveling to different countries looking for very high quality services with prices that are lower than in their home countries. There are several countries being renowned because of the high quality services offered, including infrastructure required to host tourists and provide them with a very pleasant experience. If you are considering to travel to other country to get your plastic surgery done, try to know as much as you can about medical tourism industry in that country. You should know how safe and organized is the city you are going to, its hotel infrastructure,
clinics and hospitals, transportation, etc. Try to be sure about what are you going to find when you get there, and find some expert advice to organize your trip. Mental and emotional welfare is important to get satisfactory results. If you have fears or doubts about anything, maybe you will not be ready to get your surgery.
Please have in mind that surgeons can provide the best surgical services and knowledge, but most of the times they don’t provide complementary services required to make your experience really pleasant. Find a Medical Tourism Company. They will be with you during the whole process and will fulfill every need you can have during your stay.
10- If I decide to travel, what are the requirements a Medical Tourism Company must comply?
There are many requirements. Following you will find some of the most important:
- It must be a legally registered and certified company in
the country where the medical services are offered. - It must have a good provider selection process in order
to guarantee they have chosen the right doctors, clinics, hotels,
etc. It’s recommended that the company doesn’t belong to any of the
providers, in order to guarantee full objectivity in the service
they offer. - Verify that they work with totally certified providers: it
is fundamental to confirm that all their providers comply every
requirements and laws appliable in the country they offer the service. - The company must provide you with a document stating, among
others, what services are you going to receive and how much money
you will have to pay for them: It is really important
to be completely sure about what they are offering, and guarantee
that when you get to the surgery they will not ask you for more
money or try to induce you to acquire services that were not mentioned
in the selection process. - Verify the quality of the service they are4 offering to you:
In all cases, you must get an excelent quality attention in the country
you are visiting. Your needs and problems must be efficiently solved.
Feeling you are having a VIP treatment will also contribute to
the best results from your trip.
