Expatriate retirees have to be careful when considering cosmetic surgery in Costa Rica

Costa Rica is a popular destination when it comes to health tourism. People from all over the world flock here for joint replacements, cosmetic dentistry (Implants) and plastic surgery. Regarding the latter, both female and male expat retirees can indeed find the “fountain of youth” while living here.

Most of Costa Rica’s doctors and dentists are highly trained and some have specialized abroad in places like the United States and Europe. However, when choosing a professional one has to be very cautious, especially when it comes to cosmetic surgery.

Recently, there have been several cosmetic procedures which have gone array. The reason is that although there are many qualified plastic surgeons, many doctors who are not certified or qualified are passing themselves off as specialists and operating on people. This problem has really come to light since several local celebrities experienced blotched surgeries. One has been hospitalized for a month and is undergoing skin grafts to try and repair the damage that was done to her. Another was in intensive care and on dialysis as the result of a breast and liposuction surgeries.

When a doctor graduates from medical school the diploma says, “Physician and Surgeon.” The latter indicates that minor surgeries can be performed but does not mean that the doctor is a specialist in any specific field. So, a few unscrupulous doctors have taken advantage of this loophole and preformed surgeries for which they are not qualified nor trained to do.

The Colegio de Médicos is the governing board that regulate and licenses all doctors in Costa Rica. They should always be contact them before having any procedure to see if the doctor is really a specialist. At present there are 58 cosmetic surgeons registered with the Colegio. To contact them call 011-506- 2210-2200 and 2210-2202.

It is also advisable try to talk to other expats who have undergone cosmetic procedures to see what kind of experiences they had.

Here are some of the most prominent surgeons:

Rodrigo Araya Alegría
Arnoldo Fournier Solano
Gabriela Guzmán Stein
Goovani Montoya Mora
Rónald Pino King
Christian Rivera Paniagua