Why would tummy tuck surgeries in Mexico take longer than Canada?

Question

Hi doctor community, today I made with a surgeon in Mexico who told me a mini tummy tuck surgery will take him 3-4h instead of 45min-1h, which is what Canadian doctors estimated. When I asked why he said surgeons in Latin America are more into sculpting, instead of just operating. He also said they use sedative anesthesia and epidural and not general. What does he mean by all this? Is this practice still safe? Thank you for helping make an informed decision

Sean T. Lille, MD · Answer

Every physician has a different technique for how they like to do procedures. Here in the US, we are more on the 3-4 hour side of tummy tuck surgery. If your surgeon is truly doing a mini tummy tuck that will require very little repair and skin removal, it could go that quickly. Typically if you have a mini surgery, you get a mini result. General anesthesia is the norm but that's not to say it is the best in every case. I recommend having more consultations.

Carlos Marciales, MD · Answer

Hello, thank you for asking, a tummy tuck is a surgical procedure performed exclusively by certified plastic surgeons, the duration of the procedure will depend on several factors, including unique characteristics of each patient, the important thing is to perform it carefully to avoid accidents, and the need to repair the abdominal muscles or not must be analyzed, adequate haemostasis must be performed to avoid bleeding after surgery, usually in Mexico it is performed in conjunction with liposuction to give a better result, in terms of anesthesia, sedation and epidural block They are the best way to manage this surgery, recovery is faster for the patient, there is a lower risk of venous thrombosis, the patient has less nausea and in general it reduces the surgical risks by 40%, so in this case it is not an old practice, rather it is the most current and safer for patients!! Thank you

Gerald Minniti, MD, FACS · Answer

Why travel to a foreign land where regulations are minimal and reports of infections and death are numerous? Because it's cheap? You live near very good plastic surgeons that use appropriate general anesthesia with certified anesthesiologists in clean facilities that adhere to strict standards. Your thinking is not clear.

Connie Hiers, MD, FACS · Answer

Doing a procedure under local anesthesia does require a longer wait time to let the anesthesia work. I am sure Canadian physicians are good at "sculpting" as well.  However, not all surgeons operate at the same speed. Some are bunnies and some are turtles, but most can achieve the same results.  If you live in Canada, find a surgeon there so you can have good follow up care.

Camille Cash, MD · Answer

Each surgeon's operating time will vary to some degree, but a mini tummy tuck would take closer to 3-4 hours than 45 minutes.  General anesthesia is typically used for this procedure for both your comfort and safety.

Mats Hagstrom, MD (license on probation) · Answer

There are lotta variables that go into time estimates for surgery. Sometimes surgery time starts the second. The patient is brought into the operating room and the clock continues to take until you’re back in the recovery room. Other people“operating time at the time of actual doing surgery. Placing an epidural in itself could take 30 or 40 minutes. I do not recommend people travel long distances to have elective surgical procedures. People do not seem to appreciate the importance of having multiple in person consultations before choosing a provider, the number of patients who have significant issues and concerns after surgery, the importance of in person follow up visit, the number of people who end up having the revisions or that complications actually do happen. this is especially true for procedures, like a tummy tuck that needs prolonged after care managing drains.
There are significance and differences in outcomes based on which surgeon you choose. Properly, vetting plastic surgeons is the best done by meeting them in person. There are instances when people live in rural areas were access to plastic surgeons may be limited. When that’s the case, I suggest choosing the closest major metropolitan area, which should be within reasonable driving distance.
The length of surgery is not an important variable in comparison to the two variables to determine the outcome of the procedure. The two single, most important variables are patient candidacy, and the selection of the provider. I suggest focusing your efforts on those two variables. Understanding your own candidacy is the first step in the process. Candidacy determines what is the correct procedure and helps determine what type of results are possible if the procedure is done well.
There are significant differences in outcomes based on who you choose to do the procedure. To find the best surgeon I suggest interviewing multiple plastic surgeons in person. During each consultation, ask each provider to open up their portfolio and show you their entire collection of before, and after pictures of previous patients, who have similar body characteristics to your own. Being shown a handful of preselected images, representing the best results of a providers career is insufficient to get a clear understanding of what average results look like in the hands of each provider. And experience provider should have no difficulty showing you at least $.50 off before and after pictures of commonly performed procedures. Is unlikely surgeons are going to email you their entire portfolio of before and after pictures and this is one reason why virtual consultations are not as accurate or recommended in comparison to inperson consultations. 
 I recommend patient start by having at least five in person consultations to help find the best provider. The outcome of this procedure is permanent and irreversible. You’ll be reminded of the outcome every day for the rest of your life.
Patients should be highly selective of choosing the right provider, and doing this only after vetting multiple providers for comparison.
Generally speaking, the best plastic surgeons are usually not the fastest. There’s no need to waste time but detail oriented surgery simply takes some time. Two hours seems like a very reasonable amount of time for a mini tummy tuck. I’ve seen providers perform these in less than an hour and I’ve seen others struggle for 4 to 5 hours. The time required to do the procedure has a lot to do with the size of the patient. Large patient may have an incision that’s two or three times longer than a petite individual.
 The number of patients who are truly great candidate for a mini tummy tuck is pretty small. Most women who had children do far better having a full tummy tuck.
Understanding your candidacy and procedure selection is the best done in conjunction with your provider.
Best,
Mats Hagstrom, MD

Why would tummy tuck surgeries in Mexico take longer than Canada?

Answers (6)