What are the pros and cons to traveling out of state for a breast augmentation surgery?

Hello,Thank you for your question. I do not recommend travelling far for cosmetic surgery just to save money, unless you can stay for an extended time or travel back regularly. Post operative care is very important. Alternately, It would be a good idea to plan for seeing a board certified Plastic Surgeon who is local to you, just in case additional care is needed. Be sure to seek an experienced, board certified Plastic Surgeon who specialises in this area, regardless of cot.All the best

It is sometimes necessary to travel out of your native state or even the country to see a plastic surgeon with special talent an expertise in a particular procedure. It is never worth traveling out of your state, because the price is cheeper elsewhere. Complications can happen after surgery and the local doctors may be reluctant to get involved and treat someone else's complication because of liability reasons. Breast augmentation is a relatively simple procedure and there are many plastic surgeons in New Jersey  who can perform this procedure in a cost effective way. When you add up the inconvenience and the extra cost of traveling to the follow up issues, the answer becomes obvious. 

Hi! Make sure your consulting with a board certified plastic surgeon. If you do choose to travel make sure you are able to stay a minimum of 3 weeks for follow up care. What you must consider is when you return home and if you happen to have a complication a local plastic surgeon will most likely charge a fee for care. Best of luck to you!

Costs can be the overriding factor when booking plastic surgery.  However, one needs to think long range.  Should complications occur following surgery and you have return to NJ, the process of resolving these complications can be a very long process ridden with stress, and pain.  Some complications may even require you to pay for travel again to FL.  I always tell my patients that I want them to stay in town and be available for at least a few days to a week.   They are given my cell phone number and email so that I can respond to their concerns immediately.  Early complications such as hematoma cannot be managed from far way.  Patients who return home and develop life threatening infections may find that plastic surgeons and other doctors do not want to treat them because they do not know what they are dealing with.  Find a board certified plastic surgeon closer to your home who has ELITE credentials, who performs hundreds of breast augmentations each year.  Then look at the plastic surgeon's website patient reviews, and before and after photo galleries to get a sense of who can deliver the results.Kenneth Hughes, MD, Board Certified Plastic SurgeonLos Angeles, CA

Post operative care is extremely important for any surgical procedure, including elective procedures such as breast augmentation. In my practice, after surgery, patients are given my cell phone number and encouraged to call or visit the office whenever they have a question or concern.  In my opinion, you will want to be close to your surgeon, just in case you have a complication. Full recovery from a breast augmentation can take 2-3 months. 
If you are concerned about the price of the surgery there are a lot of great financing options out there to help.

Thank you for your question.  Out-of-state surgery does impose the risk of added expense of travel for the procedure, post-operative care and also additional travel should a complication arise.   My strong advice is to seek care with a board certified plastic surgeon who is available to see you within a safe and reasonable travel distance.  Best of luck.

Traveling great distances for surgery is almost never a good idea in my opinion.  Especially when making such decisions based on price.  I would much rather see you save more money, and get the procedure done by a board certified expert in your area who can be therefore you should any issues arise.  Ultimately, you get what you pay for.Best of luck!
Dr. SubbioBoard-Certified Plastic SurgeonNewtown Square/Philadelphia, PA

There are good reasons and bad reasons for traveling to have your surgery.The good reason is that there is a particular surgeon who you want to see due to their expertise, a unique skill set, you have friends who have referred you to them for these reasons, or that you have worked with this surgeon in the past. It is essential that you have a pre-determined aftercare plan that takes into account your distance- how long you will stay, does the surgeon have someone close to your home that can see you in an emergency, what is the follow-up plan?The bad reason to travel is simply to find a cheaper option. Frequently, centers that offer significantly discounted pricing give discounted service and you may be left without adequate follow-up and support or help in case of a problem.Choose wisely.

In this case, you get what you pay for. I'm sure that there are very good surgeons in NJ that will be able to do your surgery well. By the time you go back and forth to Florida, forgo any type of regular postoperative visits, lose access to your surgeon if your really need him/her, it's just not worth it in my opinion. After an out of state surgery, patients often come back to this forum, post photos, and say 'is this normal?'.-----Well, what does your surgeon say?

You need to be absolutely certain that you are getting safe surgery with an excellent surgeon with whom you can communicate well, and who can take care of you after surgery if problems arise - sometimes that happens. There have been many problems (some deaths) in Florida where patients fly in and get surgery by a surgeon whom they meet the day of surgery. These surgeons are hired by the surgery center - it's more a business than medical care. Is it worth the financial savings? I don't think so. You might shop around to find a better price in your area. For silicone you may be able to find someone who will go under $7K. Your health is priceless and the implants should be with you for over 20 years so a couple thousand more dollars may be worth it!