Health Care System in Costa Rica
Cosmetic Surgery

Costa Rica has long been the destination for those in search of the Fountain of Youth. People from all over the world flock to Costa Rica for cosmetic surgery because prices are lower than in the United States for comparable procedures. Costa Rica's surgeons are among the world's best. Most of Costa Rica's plastic surgeons are trained in the United States or Europe. They keep up-to-date on new trends and methods in their field and attend professional seminars regularly. Rates for different operations vary from doctor to doctor. You can combine several procedures to reduce the price substantially. There are even package prices that combine surgery, hotel and hospitalization.

In general, prices average 25 to 60 percent less than in the United States, although the final cost is open to negotiation with the surgeon. The low cost of cosmetic surgery should not, however, be interpreted as a sacrifice of quality for affordability. The cost of a full-face lift is between $2,000 and $3,500 (add a few hundred dollars per day in the hospital to recuperate from the surgery); nose surgery about $2,000; liposuction $800 to $1,500; with a tummy tuck, $2,000 to $3,000, breast implant $2,500 to $3,500 and eyelid surgery between $800 to $1,500. Many doctors send their patients to special recovery houses for about $70 a day. Rates vary from surgeon to surgeon. We suggest you contact Dr. Arnoldo Fournier (please see the article in this section). They are the best plastic surgeons in Costa Rica and will be more than happy to send a brochure and answer any of your questions. For information about travel arrangements or cosmetic surgery vacations see Unique Costa Rica Tours at http://www.travel.costaricabooks.com. You may combine cosmetic surgery, dental work or language study vacation with Christopher Howard's Retirement Tour.

One quick word about cosmetic surgery in Costa Rica. There are a couple of doctors who advertise their services as cosmetic surgeons but have no specialized training in the field. Therefore to get the best results from your surgery, we suggest you do the following:

(1) Ask the U.S. Embassy for a list of certified plastic surgeons;
(2) Also check with the Colegio de Médicos (the local equivalent of the A.M.A.) to see if a particular doctor is trained as a plastic surgeon. All doctors in Costa Rica must be registered with the Costa Rican Doctor's Association or Colegio de Médicos (Tel: 232-3433, Fax: 232-2406, E-mail: medicos@racsa.co.cr, http://www.medicos.sa.cr). Only registered plastic surgeons may advertise their services;
(3) Ask a local family doctor for a recommendation of a good plastic surgeon.
(4) Talk with former patients of the doctor of your choice before you make a decision and find out if they are pleased with the results of their surgery
(5) Just because some cosmetic surgeons advertise in English-language publications doesn't mean they offer the best quality or prices. Contact the Costa Rican Plastic Surgery Association (Tel: 258-0396, Fax: 257-9413, E-mail: drmacaya@msn.com) for additional information.

Ophtalmology

Villa Alegría (Tel:433-8590 or 372-1244, E-mail: info@ costaricanursinghomes .com, http://www.costaricanursinghomes.com) is another full-service facility for the elderly. The staff with more than 15 years of experience is specialized in elderly illnesses such as Parkinson and Alzheimer's. This makes Villa Alegría a unique facility in Costa Rica. Love and dedication are the main ingredients that inspire this group of professional caregivers.

These programs are some of Central America's best and are considerably less expensive than in the United States. However, if these facilities are beyond an elderly person's means, a full-time, livein domestic worker can be hired as a nurse for a couple of hundred dollars monthly. In addition to caring for an elderly person this worker can manage other household chores.

*Once again, to find a good physician or specialist talk to other retirees, look in the Yellow Pages under MEDICOS or look for doctors'ads in The Tico Times and Central America Weekly. Below are the names of some English speaking physicians.

For the names of more doctors and dentists, see the section in the back of this book titled More Phone Numbers. Also there is a publication called Guía Integral de la Salud that lists hundreds of health- related services including doctors, laboratories, hospitals and clinics. Please see the Suggested Reading section in Chapter 10 for additional information.

Alternative Healing