Medical Tourism Taraveling Tips: Part 1

If you plan to travel a long distance in order to undergo a certain porocedure you need to plan your trip sensibly. You should ensure a minimum of 2 to 3 days arrival pre-operatively, during which time you can have a formal consultation or two, and discuss the specific procedure in considerable detail. Post operative stay requirements will vary with the different procedures; on average 10 days to two weeks is ideal for most surgeries; the exception being breast reductions, facelifts and full tummy tucks, which ideally require a 3 week post op stay.

PRIOR TO LEAVING

1. G.P: Visit your GP or local physician to ensure you are in good general health, have your blood pressure checked etc.

2. MEDICATION: AVOID all medication that contains aspirin, NSAID's (anti-inflammatories) or any herbal / homeopathic remedies for at least 2 weeks before the surgery. The list is extensive, and includes, but is not limited to, all OMEGA OILS, GARLIC CAPSULES, EVENING PRIMROSE OIL, FLAXSEED OIL, ARNICA, GINKO BILOBA, ST JOHNS WORT etc. All of these medicines interfere with blood clotting, putting you at greater risk for bleeding during the surgery. I will need to know about any medicines that you are taking on a regular basis. Paracetamol / Tylenol can be taken without any problems. Please remember that many "cold & flu" remedies contain aspirin - PLEASE CHECK WITH ME IF THERE IS ANY DOUBT.

IN SHORT – YOU MAY TAKE NO MEDICATION WHATSOEVER (unless cleared by me), WHETHER HERBAL, HOMEOPATHIC OR PRESCRIBED, FOR A FULL 2 WEEKS BEFORE ANY PLANNED SURGERY. Failure to follow this may well result in your surgery being cancelled.

3. SMOKING: I do not perform certain surgeries on active smokers - notably facelifts tummy tucks and labiaplasty. Smoking interferes with wound healing, and increases the risk of all surgical complications. For these and all other procedures, one should stop smoking for 4 weeks pre-operatively and 4 weeks post-operatively to minimize your risk of complications.

4. WEIGHT: Being significantly overweight is a risk factor for surgery - one should be as close as possible to one's ideal weight before surgery of any kind is undertaken. A BMI of below 30 is acceptable. If your BMI is much over 30, it is unlikely that I will be able to offer you surgery.

CHECK YOUR BMI BY CLICKING HERE

5. BREASTS: If you are planning any aesthetic breast surgery, and are over the age of 40, it is strongly advised that you have a mammogram before the surgery, or at least within the preceding year.

Source: South Africa cosmetic surgery