Cosmetic surgery abroad - your experiences? How to choose?

[Tinderingalong]

After years and years of waiting I have got to the point I don’t know what I’m waiting for any longer and am finally going to actually do it! I’m going to have a rhinoplasty and a breast augmentation, not that I need to justify myself but these are things that have been making me unhappy for over 20 years now and it’s time to change that.

After LOTS of research I’m 99% sure that I’d like to get the surgery done abroad but I’m now stumped as to how to select an actual surgeon and facility. I’ve googled and googled but seem to go around in circles and I’m very cynical about some of the information available.

Has anybody got any advice or personal experiences they’re able to share? Positive or negative I’d love to hear!

Going abroad is not purely a cost saving exercise, I am not looking for the cheapest option by any means, and I’m going to be very, very sensible about this whole adventure

Why choose to go abroad if it isn’t a cost saving exercise? Just curious what the attraction is? Having to sit in a strange hotel room/apartment in pain, for 7-10 days, recovering from major surgery wouldn’t be my first choice. I would rather have my own comfy bed tbh. I had an operation last year, I was glad to get out of hospital and back home after a couple of days. I just think it would be awful having to recover elsewhere & definitely wouldn’t have wanted to sit in an airport/on a plane for hours.

www.nhs.uk/conditions/cosmetic-procedures/cosmetic-surgery-abroad/

There is a link on here about finding a surgeon. Along with the warning

To make cosmetic surgery as safe as possible, we strongly advise that the surgeon who is going to perform your procedure is on the General Medical Council’s specialist register for the area of practice relevant to the procedure you want
www.rcseng.ac.uk/patient-care/cosmetic-surgery/having-surgery-abroad/

@Tinderingalong
My Friend had a tummy tuck in Costa Rica...before the surgery she only had a small bit of loose skin on her abdomen...after surgery when all the swelling went down, she was left with a large poochy section of skin above the bikini line where the incision was
She was miserable with her results so ended up getting a revision here in the US where she lives.
I think one issue to consider is that if you don't get the results you wanted, then you'll have to go back to the surgeon who performed the surgery( another trip abroad) or find one in your own country to do a revision.
Also, please don't underestimate the length of recovery...your body has been through a major trauma, so it's best to rest and allow yourself to heal properly...are you prepared to stay abroad for that long? They'll probably tell you that you can go ahead and fly not long after some recovery, but it is so taxing to fly these days...just flying is stressful on your body even if you haven't had surgery.
BTW , the clinic in Costa Rica was a proper clinic operated by a Dutch couple. They provided rehab accommodations while she was healing. I think she stayed for 2 weeks. One thing people underestimate, I think, is that it takes at least 6 months for your body to heal completely and for all the swelling to dissipate.
Anyway, that's just my 2 cents. I wish you good luck with your surgery, OP

I agree with the previous posters to consider having surgery in the UK instead. If something goes wrong you'll be far away from your support network, in an unfamiliar place and not able to access help so easily.

Also, I had nose surgery a few years ago and was told that I couldn't fly for 6 weeks after because the pressure changes could damage the blood vessels and cause a rupture. I couldn't even imagine having to go through the whole airport rigmarole shortly after surgery, and breast implants are an even more serious operation.

Thanks to you both for sharing your thoughts.

@Sweetpea1532 yes it’s a very good point if something goes wrong it’s not going to be straight forward to rectify. And the recovery period is definitely something to think about.

@SilentlyLaughing it’s a good question and one that I’ve to’d and fro’d with a lot myself as I could afford to have the surgery here in the UK but I just don’t feel comfortable spending so much money on myself when I could spend less doing it in a different way. So let’s say the surgery would cost 20k in the UK and 10k abroad, I will sleep better at night knowing I am saving 10k to spend on something for the family or whatever it might be. But if after all my research I’m not comfortable then I will reconsider.

I’ve got a list of all the various accreditations to look for in a surgeon (thanks again @silentlylaughing) but I’m struggling to find a place to scan through surgeons while understanding what they specialise in etc. And then there is research into the clinics they operate from as well... it’s very overwhelming.

@Tinderingalong
It does sound like you are thoroughly doing your research. Good on you! That takes a lot of time and effort.
Have you considered this though... if you go abroad to have your surgery (because you feel 100% sure in the abilities of the surgeons and staff, and the clinic has 5star accommodations with top carer staff) that a glitch could still occur? You might then need to stay longer than planned or you might not recover as well as thought thereby worrying your family into a frazzle because you'd be in a foreign country? It would be worth much more than 10k for your family to be near you and be able to get to you quickly if all didn't go as planned.
It is just a risk and I tend to worry too much sometimes, but I thought I'd bring it up. To your family you are invaluable and irreplaceable. They'd want to be near you
The circumstances surrounding kanye West's mom's surgery are heartbreaking and she didn't even leave the country.

I am by no means trying to discourage you from having your surgeries.... zillions of surgeries are performed every year with no complications. I'm just saying that I'd imagine if asked, your family would prefer you being local when having them performed.

Don’t go abroad! So many disaster stories.

I had breast augmentation abroad, in Cyprus, in 2005. Excellent surgeon, before and after care.
No complaints and look as good now as they did then.

This was my surgeon.

nicolaidesplasticsurgery.com/about-us/

@TabithaTowers
Your surgeon is amazing! I'm especially impressed that he has done completely different areas of study..
Shows that he can "think outside the box" and treat patients as individuals instead of performing the exact same surgery on every patient with the exact same results.

I'm think to have blepharoplasty soon. I'll either go back to Dr Nicolaides or this one.
There are many cosmetic surgeons here.

www.plasticsurgery4cyprus.com/page/en/1/home

Have you tried RealSelf?

It is true that there are many plastic disasters when travelling abroad to have surgery. But I think in every country you can find very good and skilled surgeons. You must be just lucky to pick one. When I travelled to Prague to have my tummy tuck surgery done I searched for months to make sure my surgeon is experienced enough. I had also more consultations at different clinics. The good thing is that some of the clinics abroad offer free consultations so it is good to try. I spoke to the doctor at Forme clinic twice and after that, I booked an appointment. I counted on the first impression and it was good. And yes I was looking for a cheaper option for TT surgery and it made thousands of pounds difference. So I saved a lot and I love my tummy. I didn't have any complications during my recovery, everything healed well. So I am sure you will find someone who will suit you and will do their best to make you happy. Good luck

I went to Thailand , not specifically for plastic surgery but had a blepharoplasty at the beginning of an extended holiday. I researched a lot of RealSelf .
What would worry me now is catching covid or getting stranded but I would def do it again when the plague goes away.