Boobs as Souvenirs

A recent special on E Entertainment channel featured a segment on plastic surgery outside the US. Shown as “vacation and surgery” and “surgery summer camp” , this segment featured Laura Lee’s experience with traveling to Brazil for breast implants. She chose Cosmetic Vacations in Rio de Jinero.

Image not of Lee - Before and after from Cosmetic Surgery Vacations website

Lee said, “It worked for the budget, and you can’t beat the quality of care.” “At first it was a little scary going away from home. Okay, I’m going to be thousands of miles away in a different country. But as soon as I got there, that all went away. You are not obligated to go through with the surgery. If you get there and meet with the doctors and decide this is not for you, you do not have to do it. ”

The reporter said that this is the latest trend in plastic surgery. Building a vacation around a surgical procedure allows you to go under the knife and heal in some pretty beautiful surroundings, she said.
“Specialized resorts are popping up to fill the demand of jet-setting clients who prefer a luxurious, private, and exciting location for thier nip/tuck.”

The artilce talked about how many doctors’ offices abroad look just like the doctors’ offices in Beverly Hills. What I did not like about the report was the emphasis on the vacation part of the trip. In my research, and with meeting hundreds of PSJers online, very few patients hang out on the beach after such a cosmetic procedure. Who even wants to leave thier bed?? I wouldn’t plan on taking any tours or watching any shows when recovering abroad from plastic surgery. Especially when a uneventful and quick recovery is so important.

Lee closed the segment with saying, “I had such a great life-altering experience. I thought about this for 15 years and to finally do it and to do it this way - I am glad I waited as long as I did. It’s wonderful. And I came home with my souvenirs!”

Hollywood’s Plastic Surgery Secrets Airs in the USA Dec. 29, 10p; Dec. 31, 7p
It will premiere in Europe and the Rest of the World on January 2, 2006 and will continue showing for 6 months.

Every year, the The American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery (ASAPS) offers its predictions for 2006. Predictions are based on interviews with leading plastic surgeons around the United States.

Here is the press release as sent out by the ASAPS.
PRESS RELEASE

Two predictions stand out to me:

* Silicone gel breast implants will be approved by the FDA. Once approved, these devices, due largely to their more natural feel and appearance, will dominate the U.S. market.

Gel implants have dominated global markets for the past fifteen years, hence the popularity in plastic surgery in Mexico, Brazil, Costa Rica, etc. I agree that if they are released, they will be as popular as they are abroad. This is a BIG reason why women go to Mexico or Costa Rica for implants. You can’t get the cohesive gel implants here in the US.

* Cosmetic surgery “vacations” will take a more serious turn as educated consumers understand the safety and risk issues associated with surgical procedures. Surgery performed by board-certified aesthetic plastis surgeons, in accredited facilities where follow-up care is available will continue to be the best value.

What makes the ASAPS beleive that those who choose to have cosmetic surgery outside the US are not educated??? As someone who has met hundreds of patients of plastic surgeons abroad, I can tell you that we do not take this decision lightly - nor is it a “vacation.”
We check our plastic surgeon’s credentials, we focus on prior patients’s experiences, and set-up follow-up care with our Primary Care Physicians, or make the trip down south for our appointments. We know the risks and plan plan plan. In many cases, members of PSJ find more info (good and bad) or meet more patients of a plastic surgeon outside the US than can be found on plastic surgeons in the US.
We are mean, lean, researching machines. To say that in time, we will become educated is absurd. Hello? Maybe this was once the case, but my prediction is that with time more people will become educated in the value of becoming medical tourists.

Okay, this has nothing to do with PS or traveling abroad…..but it was so cute I just has to share:
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-2743223119833180592&q=sexy
Ope it makes you giggle….

Have a great day!
=) Lily

One of the reasons patients enjoy going to Costa Rica for plastic surgery is the Recovery Retreat. This is a hotel-like facility that caters to patients of plastic surgeons in Costa Rica. Recovery Retreats offer the privacy and oppertunity to meet other out-of-town plastic surgery guests. In addition, most retreats offer a full-time nursing staff to change dressings, monitor meds, and tend to your recovery needs. Some have laundry and tour guide services. It’s common to see plastic surgeons roaming the halls of these facilities to check on thier patients, too.

It looks like this is catching on the US, too.
A recent article in the New York Times talks about this growing trend in plastic surgery.

“Sometimes patients aren’t comfortable going home, or those at home aren’t comfortable taking care of the patient,” said Dr. Julio Gallo, medical director of the Miami Institute. Gallo said his staff “takes care of everything” for the recovering patient, from making the hotel reservation and setting up the room beforehand with special pillows, to ordering low-fat diets and ice chips from room service.

Hmmmm….. sounds like a Costa Rica Recovery Retreat without the Costa Rica price.

Last week, a woman passed away while on a plastic surgery journey in Brazil. She was not a member of PSJ, but a sister in PS abroad nonetheless. The details were posted on the PSJ message board and copied word for word as the clinic in Brazil has requested. Though the woman did not die of plastic surgery-related complications, it has shook our community to the core.

PSJ was established to share the good and bad of plastic surgery outside the US. My goal is not to convince anyone to have PS abroad, nor do I work to reccommend any plastic surgeon or service. My goal is to educate the public about a topic that many are interested in but afraid to discuss. My goal is to provide a safe place to have educated discussions about the pros and cons of cosmetic surgery outside the US.

But still, last week, a woman died in Brazil and a grieving husband had to do the unmentionable by transporting her body back to the States. And, I started to doubt. Doubt that any of us should be sharing our info. Doubt if its really worth it. Doubt if we are doing the right thing….

In my heart though, I believe we are doing good. The good comes from the belief that in sharing the truth about PS abroad, the picture will be clearer - and it is not always a pretty one. I want to be a voice who tells the whole story about the great things many of us have experienced as well as the tragedies like this story. Still, I can not help but feel great sorrow when someone doesn’t come home safely.

God bless Carole and everyone who is suffering because of this loss. Our prayers are with you.