Plastic Surgery Vacation Getaways Part. 2

Choosing a Cosmetic Vacation Destination

From plastic surgery in Albuquerque and Seattle, to Tampa and Manhattan, there are lots of prime destinations for cosmetic enhancement patients to visit in the U.S. Obviously each region has its own unique attractions, charm and climate conditions that can affect or determine a patient's travel choices. Patients typically want to travel somewhere new and exciting, but they should also consider how their destination choice could affect their actual recovery. For example, some patients and physicians have found that warmer climates can ease respiration and tissue recovery during post-op healing.

Always take the time to investigate cosmetic vacationing in a certain city before planning your trip or purchasing plane tickets. In fact, patients are encouraged to investigate all of their destination options for cosmetic treatment before signing on for surgery with any one surgeon, or in any one location. By examining all the possibilities for a cosmetic vacation in New York, Seattle, Tampa, Denver or elsewhere, you can familiarize yourself with the city's different amenities, travel options, weather conditions, and lodging selections before finalizing or settling on any part of your plastic surgery vacation. All of these factors will likely help you fully evaluate your options, as well as lead you to make a satisfied, informed decision. If you already have an idea of where you want to go for plastic surgery services, that’s a good place to start! Now you can begin comparing the local choices and resources!

Maybe you are just going to travel wherever your desired specialist is located, and that's fine too. After all, choosing the right plastic surgeon will be the most important factor in predicting your cosmetic vacation success—certainly more important than the location, and usually more important than the procedure itself.

For those set on a warm climate location—either due to a personal preference for sun and tropical scenery, or for the inherent health benefits—booking a cosmetic vacation in Florida, California, or another Southwest state will likely fit the bill. For those who enjoy crisp air, forested regions and mountain views, a cosmetic vacation in Washington or New York may be a more appropriate choice. Whether for a botox weekend or an actual plastic surgery procedure, the choice of treatment destination will always be an essential part of the cosmetic vacation experience.

If you can swing enough time off, you might even want to start your trip several days before your surgery is scheduled; to leave you and/or you and a spouse plenty of time to sight-see before undergoing surgery. That way, you can be sure to squeeze in some actual vacation activities before your surgery and subsequent recovery.

The Cost of a Cosmetic Vacation

Cosmetic vacations, or plastic surgery travel, can certainly be expensive. In addition to the actual plastic surgery costs, there will be expenses for airfare and transportation, hotel or lodgings, and for extra expenses like meals and entertainment. In other words, it pays for cosmetic vacation patients to thoroughly research and compare all included cosmetic vacation costs. Then be absolutely realistic about what you can afford to spend, and consider what costs can be reduced by plastic surgery packages, individual surgeon promotions and discounts.

It's a fact that national cost averages for plastic surgery procedures differ by region. The cost of cosmetic surgery will naturally be an important consideration, but it shouldn't be more important than your choice of surgeon (don’t forget the possible added costs of revision surgery should something be botched by an amateur!). With that in mind, plastic surgery costs are often slightly higher on the east and west coasts than they are in the Midwest and in the South. However, in the less expensive (or more rural) U.S. regions, farther from major metropolitan areas, there is typically a smaller concentration of elite plastic surgeons and cosmetic industry experts in general—and fewer cosmetic providers equals less treatment diversity and a smaller pool of experienced physicians. No wonder more patients are choosing plastic surgery travel these days!

Getting back to cosmetic surgery costs, there are not only great differences in cost from region to region, but also naturally from procedure to procedure. According to the ASAPS, the national average cost of a tummy tuck is $5,263 in the U.S., and the average cost of a blepharoplasty (eyelid surgery) is $2,882. The more minor the procedure, the lower the base cost usually is. So, if you're undergoing a minor enhancement procedure that is considerably low cost to start with, some slight upwards fluctuations shouldn't be a catastrophe if you’re traveling to an expensive region—especially if you're being treated by one of the best surgeons in the area, or in the country!

source: plasticsurgeryportal.com; safecosmeticsurgery.net; wikipedia.org