I am often approached by patients wanting to come across the country to have me do their surgeries. I feel strongly that a patient choosing to do this should be prepared to spend 3 weeks locally before going home and be prepared to come back and see me at monthly intervals for several months. If a patient chooses this approach, I also require that they be in touch with a surgeon in their home town,should an emergency arise and that they should be prepared to pay that surgeon for office visits if they need to be seen.
Why am I so rigid? Because aesthetic surgery is elective, and therefore risks to the patients health must be minimized. I insist that the patients stay here for 3 weeks because by that time, the majority of perioperative problems will have happened, and I can take care of them. Also, by that time, the patient should have healed enough to make the trip home tolerable. Healing takes place over a year and I want to make sure that all is going well during that time. Should a delayed complication arise, I cannot make diagnoses over the phone, and the patient will need to be seen by a qualified MD.
There are many well trained surgeons around the world and I cannot see a justification for traveling away from home for surgery. However, if there is a need to travel, then 10 days is not enough.
