August 20, 2026 | Uncategorized
My practice sits about forty minutes from Ciudad Juarez, so I get asked about surgery abroad more than most surgeons. Yahoo Finance called recently for a piece on Americans traveling to South Korea for discounted health screenings, and asked me the same question from a plastic surgery angle. Here’s what I tell patients in the room.
The Price Comparison Rarely Compares the Same Thing
A quote from my practice folds in the surgical facility, anesthesia, and a defined postoperative period, all in one number. A quote from abroad often covers just the operation, with everything else priced separately or left out of the conversation entirely. Before you compare two numbers side by side, find out what’s actually inside each one.
Speed Is the Real Draw, Not the Discount
Most patients who ask me about this aren’t chasing the lowest price. They’re chasing an appointment in two weeks instead of five months. That’s a real and understandable reason to consider traveling. I just want patients making that choice with full information, not a partial one.
The Risk Is in Aftercare, Not the Surgery Itself
This is the part that doesn’t make it into most pitches for surgery abroad. Complications often show up after you’re already home, and by then the surgeon who operated is on the other side of a border. Whoever picks up your case locally has no operative report and no idea what was actually done inside, and now they’re managing a complication on a case they know nothing about.
That gap between when something goes wrong and who’s actually available to fix it is the real risk. It has nothing to do with the surgeon’s ability and everything to do with distance and timing.
What I Tell Patients to Verify Before Booking
Verify the operating surgeon’s individual credentials, not just the clinic’s marketing materials. Get an itemized quote in writing so you actually know what’s included. Get the complication and revision policy in writing too, specifically who pays if something needs fixing. Line up a physician here before you travel, so you’re not searching for one during a crisis. And build in more recovery time before flying home than the clinic tells you to, because travel stress on a healing body is its own risk.
Why Patients Ask Me This
I’m double board-certified by the American Board of Plastic Surgery and the American Board of Surgery, a Fellow of the American College of Surgeons, and I completed my plastic surgery fellowship at Mayo Clinic. I’m a Clinical Associate Professor of Plastic Surgery at Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center Paul L. Foster School of Medicine, and Castle Connolly has named me a Top Doctor for thirteen consecutive years. Given where my practice sits, this isn’t a hypothetical question for most of my patients, it’s a real decision they’re weighing.
Ready to Talk?
Whether you’re considering surgery here or weighing options across the border, I’ll walk you through the same questions either way.
Call (915) 590-7900, text 1-866-814-0038, or book online at agulloplasticsurgery.com/appointments. #StayBeautiful.
@RealDrWorldWide on Instagram, TikTok, and Snapchat, @Agullo on X, or @AgulloPlasticSurgery on Facebook.
Cross-links
- Editorial version on drworldwide.com: “Before You Book Surgery Abroad, Ask These Five Questions” (link once live)
- Practice version on swplasticsurgery.com: “Southwest Plastic Surgery on Medical Tourism” (link once live)
