Out-of-state Rhinoplasty: how to get it started?

Thanks for your question. It is not
unusual in my practice for patients to have surgery who live a plane flight away,
sometimes even overseas. I find that an initial consultation by phone with
photos of the nose from multiple angles and other goal pictures of the desired
result can be very helpful and give both the surgeon and the patient the
confidence to schedule surgery. An in-person consultation can take place a day
or 2 before surgery with the idea that final commitments are not made until
that time. However, in order for insurance to cover a septoplasty, records of
your history and documentation from another physician can be necessary, and it
made be difficult to get preauthorization without an in-person consultation. In
general, in my practice I allow patients to return home 5 to 7 days after
surgery after removing sutures and the splint. I hope this information helps!
Best wishes.

In our office (and others) that do patients from out of state or out of the country send photographs for our evaluation. Our patient coordinator then makes all the arrangements for you as well as stay in aftercare facility for the first evening. Our patients are seen in the next day and usually see the sights for the next few days until the cast comes off their nose and they return home. Most importantly is make sure your surgeon does natural looking noses.

The answer is:  You may not need to fly home to have your rhinoplasty done.  The recovery is minimal and you will likely need someone with you for only the first 24-48 hours.  If you'd rather be at home, consult with a Board-Certified plastic surgeon who specializes in rhinoplasty.  They will accurately examine your nose, create a simulation to show you what your nose could look like after surgery, and develop a plan tailored to your needs and wishes. Good luck!

 If you're traveling for a rhinoplasty procedure, the first step is to contact the office patient care coordinator. The second step is to send photographs to  your prospective rhinoplasty surgeon. Computer imaging can also be performed on the photographs and sent back securely to the patient as long as they're of high quality. Most  rhinoplasty surgeon's offices have hotels that they can recommend patient's stay at for 7-10 days after the procedure. The patient care coordinator sometimes can help with these arrangements. Flight arrangements are usually made by the patient. It's also very important to followup with the after the surgery to manage the soft tissue healing process over the cartilaginous framework of the nose. Look for a rhinoplasty specialist who  has a fly in for surgery program to walk you through all of  the steps

There are aftercare facilities you can stay in the first night. Thereafter, you are fine and can manage fairly well. Rhinoplasty recovery is usually very uneventfull with hardly any bruising. Most patient have little use of pain meds. You will have splint and couple of small sutures that will be removed 6-7 days later. Many patients are back at work in a few days if they wish depending on their work. May feel stuffy for several days. But best to stay close by for early follow up. Good luck

Dear redvii, Many surgeons like myself do a lot of out of state/country patients and the process is relatively simple. First we have photographs sent and I review the photographs and contact the patient either via Skype or telephone for a consultation. My patient coordinator then schedules the patient and all preoperative information is done over the internet with lab slips, etc sent to the patient. Once the patient is cleared for surgery then they will schedule their flights.  Many patients sign their consents and paperwork the morning of their procedure or more preferably I will see them the day before their surgery upon their arrival to California to review the procedures and answer any last minute questions. If the patients have family in the area then they will arrange their transportation if not then my coordinator will take care of scheduling aftercare for the first evening of surgery and then we will help transport the patient the following day to a local hotel where we have set reduced fees. I  hope this is helpful to you. Best regards, Michael V. Elam, M.D.

Call or email the American Society for aesthetic plastic surgery and request referrals for Rhinoplasty surgery.