How to Travel for Plastic Surgery and Make a Vacation Out of It

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by: lkrieger
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Date: Sat, 9 Apr 2011 Time: 4:22 AM
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Searching for a plastic surgeon does not necessarily have to be a strictly local endeavor. It is not uncommon for a person to travel for plastic surgery. Although traveling for surgery does not sound like much fun, you can with some planning make the best of the situation and enjoy some recreational site-seeing while you are re-creating yourself.

The foremost reason why you might choose to combine your procedure with a vacation is the need to find a plastic surgeon with whom you are comfortable. Cosmetic work may simply not be available where you live, or the choice of specialists is limited. Therefore, expanding your search for a surgeon outside your region is necessary.

Another contributing factor to your special vacation is the need to make the best use of your vacation time from your work. Having a procedure will require you take some down time for your recovery. Depending on your surgery this may be a few days or a couple weeks. Because you would have to use your vacation time to recover anyway, you could logically decide to spend that time away from home. With this strategy you get to travel on your vacation and greatly expand your ability to find your ideal plastic surgeon.

What Your Plastic Surgery Vacation Would Be Like

If you have decided to consider traveling for plastic surgery, then the first thing to realize is that you might have to take two trips. The first trip would be for a medical consultation and health review that would likely include some laboratory tests to assess your candidacy for surgery. Meeting with your cosmetic surgeon the first time would only be a short trip followed up later with a longer trip for your plastic surgery and initial recovery phase. In some cases you can do a long-distance consultation, and this would allow you to make just one trip.

The vacation activities you can include in your second trip will be determined by the extent of your cosmetic procedure. Minor procedures will allow you to be up and active much sooner than a more extensive operation. Either way it is important to accept that you need to avoid strenuous activity. Fun on this type of vacation includes shopping, site-seeing, and relaxing by a pool, but these are all things that most people call a good vacation anyway.

Planning a vacation around your procedure will require that you find a Beverly Hills plastic surgery practice that will aid you in your special arrangements. For the first day or two after surgery you may need to stay at a nurse-staffed recovery center, but you might be able to go straight into a nice hotel. Your surgeon's office may also help coordinate your follow up care with your local physician once you return home. Careful planning is the key to make the entire process safe and smooth. You may be asked to get lab and other medical evaluations prior to your trip.

A trip of this sort in some ways presents you with an excellent way to recover. Some light activity in the days and weeks following your procedure is an excellent way to speed recovery and reduce swelling. Also, you might find a cushy hotel more relaxing than home where your responsibilities will place distractions and demands on you.

About the Author

Lloyd M. Krieger, MD is a Los Angeles plastic surgeon who has many patients fly in for procedures such as Los Angeles tummy tuck.