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Same Day Breast Augmentation in Tijuana

asked 1 year ago by anon
Latest answer by Larry S. Nichter, MD, MS
Question viewed 489 times
Tags: medical tourism

Does this video bother the experts on realself as much as it did for me?

How does she get aftercare should she need it that night?

27 answers to Same Day Breast Augmentation in Tijuana

+3

Breast augmentation in Mexico same day

When I was a child, there were a number of reports of people looking into the sun until they were blind.  I suppose the light was nice for a time. If you took a respectable American plastic surgery practice, stripped out the costs of patient protections (malpractice and other insurances), overburdensome patient rights. bothersome sterility and cleanliness standards, need for organizational / pesky governmental oversight (JCAHO, Medicare, OSHA), and the availability of any... more
Brent Moelleken, MD

Beverly Hills Plastic Surgeon
+2

Mexican Breast Augmentation and no aftercare: may save a buck or two, but is Russian Roulette with your result (and maybe life)!

There are good surgeons in many countries, but why even consider going elsewhere (Mexico) for elective surgery? Better or more experienced surgeons? Hospitals or clinics or offices with more up-to-date, safe, and certified facilities and staff? Better pre-op information or post-op care and follow-up? Of course, none of these was received, just savings of a few lousy bucks! . . . and all for a surgeon who cares about his patient so much that he has her driven back across the border... more
Richard H. Tholen, MD, FACS

Minneapolis Plastic Surgeon

www.mpsmn.com

+2

Plastic Surgery

Thank you for posting the video. A close friend of mine is a Plastic Surgeon on the border in Texas. He receives several patients a year that are air-ambulanced to his area for care following their Plastic Surgery outside of the States. 
Marc Schneider, MD

Fort Myers Plastic Surgeon
+2

Breast Implants Across the Border

The temptations of seeking lower price for cosmetic surgery in another country adds an undesirable level of risk to one's most important asset: health and well-being. The ability to have accessible follow-up if problems or questions arise post-op must be part of any thoughtful, sensible and wise calculation. Strange that a hand-held video shot while waiting in a long line of traffic at the Mexico-US border would have any notoriety, other than as a bizarre artifact of our times!... more
Paul C. Zwiebel, MD

Denver Plastic Surgeon

www.pzwiebel.com

+2

Tijuana Breast Augmentation

Hello and thank you for the question. While there may be some reputable surgeons in Tijuana with reasonable experience, as most if not all of my colleagues mentioned, the regulations and standards which US Surgeons must abide by are lacking in Mexico, making these procedures "cheap" comparatively.  However, with that comes a vast disparity in the quality of care, quality of follow-through, and quite often, quality of results. Personally, I would not recommend having... more
Glenn Vallecillos, MD

Beverly Hills Plastic Surgeon
+2

Sleazy Ad

This¢ is obviously a sleazy ad for this guy's services. What are his credentials?  Is he even a doctor?  He is an American, why not practice here - License revoked if ever had one? I must say, a car interview is unprofessional, he dresses and speaks unprofessionally.  I might consider him to do my lawn, not my wife's breast augmentation. If you go to this guy, you are foolish. My 2¢   sek
Scott E. Kasden, MD

Dallas Plastic Surgeon
+2

Breast Surgery in Tijuana is like a Box of Chocolates. You never know whatcha gonna get...

The TOP surgeons in Mexico, Brazil and other countries are in NO WAY inferior to their American colleagues. However, it is EXTREMELY doubtful that a top Mexican surgeon would employ "Iggy the used car salesman" as a clumsy shill to sell his services on YouTube. As to "Heather" giving her opinion on the fitness of the "hospital" she was operated on, you might as well ask me for my opinions on tuning NASCAR race car engines (of which I know NOTHING). When... more
Peter A. Aldea, MD

Memphis Plastic Surgeon
+2

Medical Tourism: when its good it's good but when its bad it can be really bad

Medical Tourism: when its good it can be good but when its bad it can be really bad. Saving money is about the only benefit. You are not traveling there because they provide a unique service that is not offered here.  However, it a complication occurs, you may be on your own.
Otto Joseph Placik, MD

Chicago Plastic Surgeon
+2

Breast augmentation in Tijuana - how silly

It is so short-sighted to think that all that matters is the price and that you can go cheap and get the best result.  Who will take care of her IF she has a complication like a hematoma (can happen in the first 2 weeks after surgery), an infection, a capsular contracture, or for any other reason needs a revision for any issue like size?  Not the guy in TJ that's for sure!
Richard P. Rand, MD, FACS

Seattle Plastic Surgeon
+1

Medical Tourism - A Dangerous Trade

The True Cost of Medical Tourism Medical tourism has becoming increasingly popular in recent years; patients have been flying out of the U.S. for plastic surgery, lured by lower prices.Tijuana Mexico is the most popular place for patients from Southern California to go to - sometimes with reasonable results and sometimes with medical disasters. As a practicing Surgeon in Southern California - I am in the position to see many of these problems and try to reverse deformities that often... more
Larry S. Nichter, MD, MS

Orange County Plastic Surgeon
+1

Tijuana for breast augmentation

Thanks for posting this video.   Scary. I feel sorry for the misled patient who will have no one to call should a problem arise.  It sounds like they are dumping her off at a hotel. I feel for the San Diego area plastic surgeons who will be taking care of the complications.  The cost of treatment of complications often far exceeds the initial surgery expense. When considering breast augmentation, Safety....Results....Price, in that order.   Read m more
York Jay Yates, MD

Salt Lake City Plastic Surgeon
+1

Plastic Surgery Tourism - No Vacation...

Please visit with a board certified ASPS member surgeon in your area for your breast augmentation.  To find a surgeon in your area, please visit the link I have listed below.  Best of luck.
C. Bob Basu, MD

Houston Plastic Surgeon

www.basuplasticsurgery.com

+1

Tijuana plastic surgery

Having surgery across the border is a risky decision. You have to consider many factors such as your safety before price.
Arian Mowlavi, MD

Laguna Beach Plastic Surgeon
+1

Yes, plastic surgery tourism has its risks

This is unfortunately something that many surgeons see.  The question many patients should ask themselves is what will they do when and if they have a complication following their surgery.
Farzad R Nahai, MD

Atlanta Plastic Surgeon
+1

Plastic surgery across the border

As a San Diego based surgeon I can tell you that while there are some qualified surgeons across the border, a lot of times patients who have complications and need immediate attention are treated by US doctors who then have to take care of these complications.
Antoine A. Hallak, MD

San Diego Plastic Surgeon
+1

Same Day Augmentation Across the Border

I will have to agree with all of my esteemed colleagues on this post. The major issues are obviously patient safety and facility regulations (U.S. safety standards are extremely high).  But you pose an excellent question: what if she has a complication in the early post-operative period? Is it potentially worth your life to save a few bucks? Taking that point further, if the patient needs a revision, the costs of a revision surgery will completely negate the cost savings of the... more
Babak Dadvand, MD

Los Angeles Plastic Surgeon
+1

Plastic surgery is more expensive is US because of higher standards

The regulations to protect patients make the plastic surgery more expensive in USA. In our surgery center we have Board certified anesthesiologist, 1 registered nurse in recovery room  for each patient, 2 certified nurses in operating room and a board certified plastic surgeon. The drug for the anesthesia are 100 time more expensive than the drugs in over sea operating room(I am not talking about Europe but third world countries) and there is no malpractice law suits. If you travel... more
Kamran Khoobehi, MD

New Orleans Plastic Surgeon
+1

Risks of Surgery in Mexico

I would take the video "with a grain of salt'.  Did Heather really have surgery performed as advertised?  Did Heather recover without problems?  Who took care of Heather if there were problems post-op?  I agree with the previous surgeon who mentioned caveat emptor.  Always remember that you get what you pay for (please excuse me for ending sentence with preposition).
John Whitt, MD

Louisville Plastic Surgeon
+1

Risks of cosmetic surgery south of the border

You may save money traveling across the border for your cosmetic surgery but you are definitely taking significant risks that could even cost you your life. Having practiced in the Phoenix area for 24 years, I have seen countless disasters and remarkably substandard care delivered by practitioners south of the border. That is, of course, those that did survive their surgery. Virtually always, there is little recourse. Now there also is the added danger of uncontrolled violence in Mexico - so... more
Steven Turkeltaub, MD

Scottsdale Plastic Surgeon
+1

Medical Tourism - Is is Safe? How Much is Your Health Worth?

As a plastic surgeon in San Diego, unfortunately this is a scenario that we see all too often.  Patients decide that their only concern is cost and then decide to embark on the cheapest option available - your health isn't the place you want to skimp.  As long as there are no complications, patients can tolerate the surgery, but out biggest concern is the lack of standards, regulations and patient rights that are likely ignored or absent to facilitate the low cost procedures... more
Vincent P. Marin, MD

San Diego Plastic Surgeon
+1

Same Day Breast Augmentation in Tijuana

I agree with all the previous posters. She looked sedated! Very bad idea. What if there was a real issue?HUMMMM 
Darryl J. Blinski, MD

Miami Plastic Surgeon
+1

Breast augmentation just over the border

Medical tourism is a vibrant business and the interest has been pushed by cost savings with the promise of a 'vacation' during recovery. Some sites have an excellent reputation for quality and service. A trip over the border for the day into Mexico may present savings, however unless you plan to do good research, and commit to a stay in case problems occur, you could face emergency room visits, escalating costs, and a provider unwilling to stand by their results. Risks abound, the... more
Peter E. Johnson, MD

Chicago Plastic Surgeon

www.peterejohnsonmd.com

+1

It's not tourism, it's surgery: resources for out of country medical care

The scale of travel for surgery is larger than most people believe: hundreds of thousands of patients, billions of dollars. The issues are obvious, but many find the financial incentives compelling. So here are some resources for those considering it for plastic surgery: First, find out if the surgeon is a member of the International Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery (ISAPS.org.) ISAPS also has resources to determine whether the facility meets accreditation standards, and an insurance... more
Richard Baxter, MD

Seattle Plastic Surgeon
+1

Medical and surgical tourism

Going outside US borders to get surgery can be much cheaper and frequently occurs without incident.  However, should anything go wrong the ability to obtain immediate care will fall upon US doctors who have no previous experince with the patient.  The patient will also encur additional costs and any liability will be questionable because of jurisdiction issues.  Overall, medical tourism is highly suspect despite the quality of the medical care, which is difficult to judge. more
Talmage J. Raine, MD

Chicago Plastic Surgeon
+1

Let the Buyer beware

Just like anywhere and any plastic surgeon, the patient must do their homework. There are excellent plastic surgeons and facilities around the world. The one advantage the US has are the documented standards through board certification. This is half of the "homework" has been done for the patient.
John P. Stratis, MD

Harrisburg Plastic Surgeon
+1

Post-Operative Care

Patients must check their surgeon's credentials. The patient's after care is a part of the "surgical experience". Patients need to really consider their options. If this patient has complications, who will take care of her? Best wishes!
Christine Sullivan, MD

Columbus Plastic Surgeon
+1

Medical tourism

Going to a doctor in another country is fine as long as he is board certified and you can stay in the area for a while after surgery to make sure everything is OK. What happens when you have a complication?
Steven Wallach, MD

Manhattan Plastic Surgeon

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