What Are The Questions You Should Ask Before Booking Surgery Abroad?

Picture Diary

Arrival
Check in
Welcome Briefing
Consultation
Admission
Your Ward
Surgery
Recovery
Holiday
Non-surgical
Get Togethers
Final Consult
Departure

Arrival at airport

arrival-picture On arrival at the airport, go through customs and collect your bags. You will then come out to the arrivals hall where you will see lots of people and drivers holding signs.

One of our drivers will be there, holding a sign. When you meet him, he will assist you to our car and drive to the hotel.

It will take about a 1 hour drive to get to the hotel, a bit longer if it is peak hour traffic.

Check in to hotel

hotel_reception You will check in to your hotel and in most cases, you will spend the first night at the hotel.

Most hotels ask for a security deposit in case there is any damage to the hotel room. This is not a payment, but just a refundable security deposit.

This is your chance to do some shopping prior to your surgery, or just rest after your flight with a long spa treatment or massage!

If you would like to meet with other clients before your surgery, just ask your GG manager and she will arrange this.

Welcome Briefing

welcome_briefing

You are assigned a personal GG Customer Service Manager to look after all your appointments and meetings through your whole stay in KL.

On the day after you arrive, you will meet with your manager for a one-on-one welcome briefing to go over your itinerary and confirm your holiday details.

It is important for you to ask her all your questions, and also say what other treatments you are interested in, so she can prebook these appointments for you. Most small non-surgical treatments can be booked on arrival, but please book any major dental or Lasik prior to your arrival.

Your manager will leave her card with her phone number on it, this is your main contact in Malaysia if you have any questions about appointment times or pick up times. Although you will meet many other GG staff during your trip, please keep your Manager updated with anything you would like to do or book while in Malaysia.

Consultation with your surgeon

consultation-geri1

Either on the day that you arrive or the following day you will have a full consultation with your surgeon. At this consultion, you will have the opportunity to ask any questions and make a decision about the surgery that you will have.
We will inform you about your consultation time - this is told to us by your surgeon, and we will inform you when we know.

We will then arrange the pick up time with you when our driver will collect you from your hotel.

When you meet with your surgeon, please ensure that you ask all the questions you need to. Don't be shy! The happiest and most satisfied clients are those that do research and know what they want and clearly communicate this with the surgeon.

The surgeon will give you his professional opinion, do listen to him and if you have any questions at all then please don't hesitate to ask him at any stage.

Admission to hospital

hospital_payment The administration team at the hospital will assist you with payment. They are very used to dealing with international patients with a variety of means to pay! So they are very patient and will assist you with making payment.

We suggest that the safest and quickest way to pay is with credit card. Please call your bank at home before you depart so you are sure you have enough funds on the card, and they allow the transaction to go through (you can tell them the name of the hospital so they don't consider it a fradulent transaction).

If you are taking cash or travellers cheques, your customer service manager will assist you to a bank to change these. Please let her know in advance and she can help you.

Always bring the numbers to your bank with you in case there are any problems.

Meeting the nurses at the hospital

meeting_nurses1 The angels on fifth floor ward, Ampang Puteri Specialist Hospital.

When you are admitted, you will meet and greet the medical team who will be caring for you.

You will rest in your single bed, private ward, and tests will be done for your surgery. It is important to rest, watch TV or read a book until you are called for your surgery. We cannot always give you an exact time of your surgery as it depends on the surgeon. The nurses will keep you updated, or you can ask them.

You will be prepped for surgery by the nurses and then wheeled down to the theatre.

Surgery

surgery Dr. Jalil working his magic!

The surgeon will tell you the length of time you will be in theatre. You will then be in a recovery ward for approx 30 mins before being wheeled to your ward.

Most people have a good sleep the first night, make sure you inform the nurses in your ward if you need any extra pain relief.

Recovery in Hospital

right_after_s

Depending on the number of treatments you have had you will stay 1-4 nights in hospital.

You will be assisted by nurses 24 hours during your stay.

The nurses will monitor and administer your pain relief and other medications, and help wash your hair.

christine_fiori_third_day_a

Recovering and relaxing in hospital

Your surgeon will also visit you daily during your hospital stay.

Holiday

shopping

This is the time to indulge, relax and give yourself a break.

On your holiday, you can do as much or as little as you want:

Go shopping at the various markets and shopping centres in KL
Pamper yourself with massage and beauty treatments
Sample the beautiful local food
Simply lounge poolside with a good book

merdeka square

Or, visit the various sights and cultural icons like Merdeka Square.

Non-surgical treatments

Indulge yourself with the many pampering, beauty and relaxing treatments (at 50%-75% of the price at home!):

Laser & Skin Rejuvenation Treatments	Dentistry	Lasik

Most of our clients will take advantage of the low prices of the great additional treatments on offer.

Whatever your interest is, we can arrange an appointment for you. As well as the popular skin, dental and LASIK appointments, we can also offer:

Hair extensions
Chinese acupuncture and herbal remedies
Vitamin C injections for health and healing
Permanent makeup

Free Get-together lunches

Meet and enjoy the company of other ladies and our team at dinners, lunches, afternoon teas and shopping trips:

Once or twice a week, we organise complimentary "Get Together" lunches and afternoon teas, and all clients and their partner and friends are invited to attend. These are held in local restaurants and cafes, for you to get a taste of local food. There are also Western cafes if you prefer, you could request this from your manager.

We will let you know the time of pick up from your hotel and you will be taken to/from the restaurant by our drivers.

These are fun events, and most clients find it incredibly supportive to have others to talk to who are going through a similar experience. It is always good to get out and have a laugh through the pain of recovery!

We also organise tours outside and around the city, these are at an extra cost. You will be told of the dates and costs, please let your GG manager know if you are interested in these tours.

Final consultation

twins consultation.jpg The final consultation with Dr. Jalil

A day before your departure you will always have a final consultation with your surgeon. This is to monitor your progress, make sure you are fit for travelling and remove any stitches.

The surgeon can provide you with a letter if you need for your GP at home or the airline to get priority service. This is on request, please ask your surgeon if you need this.

Almost all clients stick with their original plans to leave at the date they planned. However, if you booked a shorter time in Malaysia, or are leaving earlier than recommended or planned, or if you are a slow healer, then you may be asked to stay a few more days in Malaysia to heal more. If you cannot then you need to be aware that there will be more risks in flying earlier than planned. Also, it is good for you to go for a check up with your surgeon when you arrive home, if you are not fully healed when you depart from Malaysia.

Goodbye and Departure

Packing the car for the journey to the airport

On your final day your GG Customer Service manager will meet you to say goodbye and answer any last questions you have. Most of our clients find this day as exciting as their arrival! There are often good friendships made with our team and other ladies, so often there are lots of tears on this day!

Your GG manager will also take the "after" photos of you and the areas you had treated. These are important photos for us to take to keep record of your procedures. They are only for you, GG and your surgeon, they will not be showed to anyone without your consent.

Check out time from the hotel is 12pm. If you have a later flight, you can pre-arrange late check out until 6pm if you prefer. Otherwise, you can check out and store your luggage at concierge of the hotel while you have lunch or go shopping.

3 hours before your flight (or at the time that your GG manager gives you) you will be picked up by one of our drivers and cars and taken to the airport. This takes about 1 hour, or longer in peak traffic times. If you would like to arrive earlier, just let your GG manager know the time you would prefer to get picked up.

When back home, always know that you can email us or call us anytime if you have any questions.

A few weeks after your arrival home we will contact you with your before/after photos and more information on recovery and healing.

What Are The Questions You Should Ask Before Booking Surgery Abroad?

1. What are the surgeon’s experience and credentials? Does he/she specialize in one type of surgery eg. breasts/face or multiple surgeries?

Experience is just as important as the surgeon’s paper qualifications – so ask questions such as - how many surgeries does the surgeon do in 1 year? Some surgeons are busy, and do more surgeries in a year than surgeons do in 5 years. Make sure you see a lot of the surgeons before/after photos.

Also, what is the surgeon's attitude? Is he flexible and does he take the time out to speak with you? Does he/she answer all your questions thoroughly? Are the number of consultations limited? Do you feel pressurised into making a decision?

Gorgeous Getaways uses the leading surgeons in Malaysia, who have had consistently good results and a flexible, caring attitude.

Our policy that you do not pay anything before you meet your surgeon and view the hospitals means that you are free to make your decision on your surgery at any time with no pressure. There is no penalty should you decide not to go ahead with your surgery. Furthermore, the number of consultations with the surgeon is not limited while you are in Malaysia.

2. What are the standards of the hospital? Is it private or public?

To keep costs down, many companies book a clinic or a public hospital over a fully-equipped private hospital. Is it approved to international standards? What is the standard of the nursing staff? Is it 24 hour care? Under no circumstances should a clinic be booked, no matter how short or simple a cosmetic surgery procedure is – this is surgery, and a fully-equipped private hospital should be the minimum standard.

Also, private hospitals have a significant edge over government funded public hospitals, and have better equipment, nursing staff and service. A private hospital is well worth the extra few dollars.

Ask for proof of the surgeon, hospital and the company’s experience - ask to read case studies and see before/after pictures and – most importantly – speak to past clients who have traveled with the operator and had surgery with the surgeon.

Gorgeous Getaways only uses the leading private hospitals in each country, fully approved to international standards.

3. Post-care service – what are the service standards of the operator?

How many years have they been delivering the post-care service? What are other people's experience? What are the additional costs of this service?

Don’t be fooled to thinking that you can ‘do it yourself’ and don’t need the support and service. If you do it yourself, surgery abroad becomes extremely risky and the money that you save with cheaper operators may end up costing you thousands of dollars more with correction surgeries and long term health problems.

Also, many operators are simply booking agencies, and don't have the experience or resources required for full service through your holiday. Check the service that you will get and make sure that it is personal service with a team on the ground where you will be staying - otherwise you will get taxis and only phone calls, no personal service. You do need to be checked on regularly throughout your holiday.

Choose an operator that you know you will be checked up on regularly, and will have immediate access to see the surgeon if required. The number of consultations should not be limited, many operators have a set number of consults and any more than this is extra.

Also research into the number of clients the operator has served - request to speak to past clients, and ask them questions about the hospital, surgeon, service, prices etc. This is invaluable information and will help you soon weed out the less committed and professional companies.

Finally, ask the company how much this extra service will cost.

Gorgeous Getaways has a fully trained team on the ground for complete post-surgery care and support. Furthermore, we do not charge any extra for our full service, transfers or extra consultations/appointments.

4. Are the packages that operators advertise all-inclusive?

Quite often a cheap package is advertised, but then extra charges are required, adding up above what your budget is. There should be no surprises, no additional charges. Ask the operator what is and what isn’t included in packages.

Gorgeous Getaways packages are all-inclusive of surgery, hospital stay, take home medication, transfers and service.

Above all, the golden rule is in this industry you ‘get what you pay for’, so cheaper packages are fraught with problems, additional costs and concerns, don’t choose a cheap package thinking you are getting a good deal, it may end up costing you far more than you first thought, in extra costs while you are abroad and also bad health if you skimp on the post-care service.

If you have asked all the questions from us and your surgeon, checked his credentials, spoken with past clients, and viewed before/after photos, and have realistic expectations for the surgery, chances are very good that you'll be happy with the outcome of your plastic surgery. Results and safety should be your top priorities.

For any questions at all, please don't hesitate in contacting us at Gorgeous Getaways. We are completely independent, and are not paid by any one surgeon or hospital, which allows us to freely choose the best surgeons and hospitals based on their experience and record of results.

We also encourage you to call the surgeon to ask any questions on any surgery treatments, and also past clients. If you would like their number, please email us: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it