The highest priority of CCPERBC Colegio de Cirujanos Plásticos Estéticos y Reconstructivos de Baja California A. C. is to promote patient safety. If you choose to travel to another country in search of cosmetic plastic surgery, we encourage you to do your own research and find the answers to the questions on this page. Choosing to have cosmetic or aesthetic plastic surgery abroad requires, in addition to careful planning, decision making. Aesthetic-Plastic Surgery requires that you choose a highly trained and qualified plastic surgeon. If you are traveling outside your home country in search of a plastic surgery procedure, select a CCPERBC member.
Choosing The Right Procedure
Will you get the improvements you desire with the procedure you are considering? When setting realistic expectations for plastic surgery, it is important to understand the improvements that the procedure can provide. For example, you may be considering liposuction when a tummy tuck may actually be necessary. Our techniques and procedures section offers a number of indications for common aesthetic plastic surgery procedures.
Do you fully understand and comprehend the procedure in question and its potential complications? Make sure you understand what the procedure itself involves, in terms of scarring, recovery time and risks.
Are you a good candidate for the procedure you are considering? Talk to your surgeon about your expected outcome to make sure it is reasonable. It is also important that your surgeon perform a medical examination to determine if you are at risk for possible complications.
Choose Your Surgeon Consciously
What is the surgeon’s training? Check that your surgeon is properly trained and has sufficient experience in performing the procedure you are considering. For example, choosing a gynecologist for a breast augmentation or a dermatologist for a facelift can be a risky decision.
Is the plastic surgeon duly certified as such? In order to become a member of the CCPERBC, surgeons must be previously accepted by the Mexican Council of Plastic, Aesthetic and Reconstructive Surgery, A.C. (CMCPER).
Is the surgeon a member of national and international plastic surgery societies of recognized prestige? Being a member of CMCPER guarantees both. CMCPER, is the only body empowered by law, to grant the corresponding certification and recertification, establishing that the certification of medical specialists is mandatory, according to the amendments to the General Health Law, contained in the Decree published in the Official Journal of the Federation of September 1, 2011.
Membership in CCPERBC is by invitation only and is granted to applicants only after extensive investigation. You have the right to know if the surgeon is a member of the Colegio de Cirujanos Plásticos Estéticos y Reconstructivos de Baja California A. C., as well as if he/she is duly certified as a Plastic, Aesthetic and Reconstructive Surgeon by the competent Board/Authority (or the equivalent in this country), and if he/she is duly qualified to perform the procedure you are considering.
Do key staff at the surgeon’s office speak your language fluently? If you can’t understand them easily, be prepared for complications.
With whom are you communicating? You should speak directly with the physician’s staff and the physician himself. A travel agent should only be concerned with travel and accommodations.
Have you checked the surgeon’s references? Ask for names and information of patients who have recently undergone similar procedures and contact them so they can tell you about their experience with the surgeon, his staff, the facilities, as well as details about aftercare (post-op) and short, medium and long-term follow-up.
Is the plastic surgeon’s clinic or hospital properly accredited or certified? Ask for certification information and the name of the certifying body so that you can evaluate the surgical environment. Since standards vary from country to country, choosing an accredited clinic or hospital means that the facility has passed a thorough evaluation and is operating in accordance with patient safety standards.
Does the surgeon, or his or her hospital, use a patient safety protocol? The World Health Organization (WHO) developed a surgical safety protocol with a 19-question surgical patient safety checklist that, where applied, can reduce surgical complications and surgery-related deaths. This simple checklist, like a pilot’s preflight checklist, can be used in a variety of surgical settings at no additional cost. Ask if the surgeon uses the WHO/WHO checklist.
Marcarse Un Plan
Are you covered by your personal health insurance outside your home country? Most health insurance providers do not cover patients for surgery performed outside their country of residence. With the rise of medical tourism, international medical coverage is becoming more common. Ask if coverage is available through your insurance agent.
Where will you stay while recovering? Patients should stay in the area where the surgery was performed for at least one week, depending on the procedure. Traveling too soon after surgery increases the risk of pulmonary embolism and the formation of blood clots. Find out ahead of time where you will be staying and if this facility is prepared to meet your postoperative needs.
What about complications and postoperative follow-up care? Even when the surgery is performed properly, complications are a possibility to be considered. Which doctor will take care of you when you return to your country, should you develop any complications? Who will pay for the costs of secondary or revision procedures (surgical or otherwise)?