LowCostmetic Plastic Surgery Clinic provides world class state-of-the-art Cosmetic and Aesthetic Plastic Surgery procedures performed under the highest standards of safety by our prestigious and experienced Medical Team in one of the most modern and reputed private hospitals of Europe. Dr. Alejandro Nogueira accumulates more than 20 years experience in the field of Cosmetic and Aesthetic Plastic Surgery with more than 4.000 procedures performed by himself as leading and executing surgeon.
My experience with Dr. Nogueira was excellent. He is personable and knowledgeable. I felt like he really knew what he was doing. I was in Bangkok for work at the time I contacted Dr. Nogueira. As an active 55 year old woman, I had been wanting to have some plastic surgery to help with my wrinkles and droopy eyelids and forehead. I had considered doing the surgery in Bangkok but was not impressed with the doctors I met. I had just moved to Valencia, Spain and had contacted some plastic surgeons in Valencia as well as Madrid. Dr. Nogueira called me in Bangkok to discuss my photos and suggested I have a forehead, eyelid (top and bottom) and sliding genioplasty for my "weak chin". He suggested doing all or one or two of the procedures. I decided the next morning, after some extra research about the sliding genioplasty and it being superior than a chin implant, to do all procedures. I contacted Yolanda at lowcostmetic (I really do not like this name since it sounds like a budget surgery and I was not concerned about price. But they do keep the prices down since they are not a luxury, high frills kind of place with chandeliers in the waiting room) to schedule the surgery to be conducted during a specific time frame (over Christmas holidays). At first they did not have time, but they fit me into the schedule that I needed. This was great since I may have not been able to do it any other time. I did not even tell my husband about the scheduled surgery since I did not want anyone talking me out of it. I took the train to Madrid the day before the surgery and stayed at a very comfortable hotel about 10 minutes walk from the Hospital Nisa Pardo de Aravaca. The night before the surgery I met Dr. Nogueira and his wonderful anesthesiologist. Dr. Salmones, who did some tests and explained everything to me about the surgery. Afterwards, I went to a nice dinner since I could not eat much the following day. I arrived to the hospital at the appointed time 4 PM expecting to have some time to wait but the waiting time was about 5 hours. I was very nervous and having so long to wait did not relax me at all. I had no idea the waiting time would be so long and had not brought anything to occupy me. When they wheeled me to the operating room, I met other staff and everyone was very nice and the team seem to have a great working relationship. I was petrified. After the surgery, I was awoken by someone and felt groggy and disoriented. I think the surgery lasted about 5 or 6 hours. I was not in pain. I was sitting up in a chair I think. At one point Dr. Nogueira came in to check on me. I think I threw up on him but he seemed to be okay with it. The only bad thing about the experience (and this was really bad) is that I had to leave the hospital and someone asked if I could walk to the hotel!!! WTF. They called a taxi and I had to find my way out of the hospital myself. No wheel chair or escort to the taxi like you see in the movies. I had NEVER had surgery so had not idea what was involved. I am from the USA and no one would EVER be allowed to walk out of a hospital on their own after having undergone surgery. I somehow got myself out of the hospital, shuffling and hunched over, into the taxi and then I had to stop at the pharmacy to get medication. The pharmacist was disgusted that the hospital let me out in the condition I was in. I should have had the prescriptions the night before the surgery. This is not to criticize Dr. Nogueira and his team, but rather, the hospital and the possible disconnect between Dr. Nogueira and the discharge procedures. This is also to warn future patients that they should have someone to escort them to the hotel and to get the medications. Or get the medications the night before the surgery. Anyway, I made it back to the hotel, threw up again and took a rest. Dr. Nogueira and Salmones called me and visited me at the hotel that night which was so wonderful of them. In the hotel I could order room service except for one evening (Christmas eve) when the kitchen closed early. I stayed in the hotel alone for 4 nights which was not a problem at all and expected to take a train back to Valencia on the 5th day. I realized that I was still too unsure of myself to navigate taking a train so I hired a private car which, of course, was more expensive but well worth it. In Valencia, I had someone to take care of me for the next two weeks and I barely left the house during that time. Dr. Nogueira was good at following up with me by phone and I did have one meeting with him in Valencia. I had some dryness of the eyes from the eyelid surgery so I had to go to an ophthalmologist and this was the worst complication of the surgery. I was bruised for at least 6 weeks after the surgery and looked pretty awful for at least 10 weeks after the surgery. I had not problem sitting up to sleep and slept well and often during the first 3 weeks after the surgery. Now it is 7 months after the surgery and I love the results. I sometimes do not recognize my face and my chin still feels a bit stiff (I hear it can take a year for there to be completely healed). In the end, the cost of the surgery and the medications (which are very low cost in Spain), including paying out of pocket for the visits to the Ophthalmologist, hotel and travel for the operation was about 10,000 Euro. Incredible and lower cost than Bangkok (the so called center for medical tourism) would have been. Given the incredible expertise and care from Dr. Nogueira and his team (do not expect hand holding and please plan better than I did for the post operative departure from the hospital) I highly recommend having any plastic surgery at lowcostmetic with Dr. Nogueira.