Preparing for Surgery in Costa Rica 

The best you can do when preparing for surgery in Costa Rica, especially plastic surgery, is planning.  Prevention, both before and after your procedure can help you avoid complications.  Be sure to properly select your surgeon.  Research all you can about the surgeon you are interested in.   Verify, as much as you can, ask as many questions as you need to make sure you make the proper choice.  Make sure the surgeon has a solid background, ideally with an excellent record, enough experience, accessibility and honesty.

This should not be a business venture; safety, health and wellbeing must always come first.  So, your health is very important.  Staying healthy is always the best you can do, even more so when planning an elective procedure.  Talk to your surgeon about your medical history to ensure everything will flow easily during your procedure and recovery and that you will have the best possible results.  You will need to check your heart and some blood work before planning your trip.  These are best performed before you travel, so you do not book a flight and then discover there is something to be dealt with before your trip.  Once your tests are ready, visit your primary care physician and get clearance so you can send to your surgeon.  Email a letter from your doctor with the tests to be sure that everything is covered.

Once your plastic surgeon is selected and you have clearance for your surgery, follow instructions carefully.  Make sure your doctor knows what medication you take so you can be advised of what to continue or discontinue if necessary.  DO NOT STOP taking any medication if not ordered by your doctor or your surgeon.  Some herbal remedies, aspirin or vitamins like vitamin E, even fish oils can promote bleeding, so include all of these in your list.  You might need to stop taking these a few days before your plastic & cosmetic surgery.  You should, definitely, stop smoking if you do so.  Not only is this terrible for your health, it is a great risk for a surgical procedure and it will definitely affect the outcomes.

Please take this advice into consideration when Preparing for Surgery in Costa Rica.

Article contributed by:

Dr Miguel Alfaro, Plastic & Reconstructive Surgeon at Hospital CIMA, Costa Rica