Plastic and cosmetic surgery Costa Rica´s Medical Tourism Technological advances Plastic Surgeons

Surgeries and Safaris

The Washington Times

Quality healthcare and cheaper prices attract Americans

Countries such as South Africa and Brazil have recently been aggressively promoting plastic surgery packages in global advertising campaigns – combining surgery with exotic holidays under slogans such as “surgeries and safaris.” Whether or not this is a new trend in the tourism industry, there is no reason why Costa Rica cannot move towards this high-end brand of tourism even more successfully than its competitors.

About ten years ago the medical health tourism sector began to boom in Costa Rica , its promising future directly linked to the professionalism of the doctors. Moreover, flight expenses from the US to Costa Rica are significantly lower compared to those of South Africa or Brazil , and surgical costs are quite compatible. In fact they are so affordable that many Americans end up paying for their airfare with the money they save from having their surgery done in Costa Rica !

The Rosenstock Lieberman Center for Cosmetic Plastic Surgery is one of the best- known clinics in all of Costa Rica. Established twenty four years ago, the clinic has four amazingly diversified and experienced doctors, capable of conducting numerous types of surgeries. Fully certified by the Costa Rica Ministry of Health, the cost of each surgery is between 30% and 40% less than what it would be in the United States.

Give that a standard facelift costs between $2,800 - $3,200, it is no wonder that sixty percent of the clinic’s patients come from the United State , and that the Center is receiving more and more email inquiries about their services.

Dr. Rashi Rosenstock, of the center, studied under the Brazilian doctor Ivo Pitanguy – one of the premier plastic surgeons in the world. Today Dr. Rosenstock is the only doctor in Costa Rica who belongs to the American Society of Aesthetic Plastic Surgery. In addition to being a member of many other associations, the doctor also conducts scientific research and develops new techniques, which are taught primarily to American doctors under the sponsorship of the American Academy of Cosmetic Surgery.

His three colleagues also continue with their specific scientific research and regularly publish papers on new techniques and trends in the industry, all –the –while specializing in surgeries as diversified as liposuction-liposculpture, facial rejuvenation, abdominoplasties, hair transplants, nasal surgeries, as well as breast augmentation and reduction.

One of the most difficult questions to be answered for those considering a surgical operation is how do I find a good surgeon Dr. Rosenstock advises patients to first visit www.surgery.com, the official web site of the American Association of Aesthetic Plastic Surgery. It is important to check the credentials of various doctors. “Then, you should always ask previous patients about what the facilities look like,” says Dr. Rosenstock.

Whereas accident-related surgery is typically covered by insurance, many of the American patients who visit the Rosenstock Center for Cosmetic Surgery come for elective surgeries, such as facelifts. Another important group is those patients who have lost a lot of weight and then require multiple surgeries in order to fix their sagging skin. According to some, the most satisfied patients are those who have already had cosmetic surgery elsewhere and are impressed by the quality care and treatment at the center.

The clinic often welcomes its patients at the airport. It then takes them directly to the recovery care house or hotel for one night. The surgery usually takes place the next day. Depending upon the operation, the patient will usually spend the night at the clinic for observation. The following evening the patient is again taken to the recovery place, where he or she will spend anywhere from four to ten days. However, if a patient desires a trip to the jungle or the beach, it is the best done before the surgery, advises Dr. Rosenstock. Not only is the skin more sensitive after surgery, but also patients are often eager to get home to begin a new life.

Media Coverage

July 30, 2003

Combining surgery with R&R

Privacy, low cost makes Costa Rica a hot destination for tummy tucks

“I needed a tummy tuck,” said Burns, 55, who began contacting plastic surgeons in the Atlanta area where she lives. On a Budget, she wanted a breakdown of the costs (surgery, anesthesia, hospital stay, etc.) and a total, but doctors would only give estimates. When one estimate hit $18,000, Burns took her research to the internet, and soon surfed her way to an obesity surgery site group on Yahoo
( httpgroups.yahoo.comgroupossgplasticsurgery ). “And that,” she said, is where I heard about Costa Rica.”

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