Frequently Asked Questions

Why is having surgery abroad not a good idea?

In the past 10 years , a lot of patients have been tempted to have their surgery abroad (Turkey, Tunisia, Poland etc) for a much cheaper price that included surgery, travel and accommodation.

Some of these surgeons are excellent.

Some pretend to be highly qualified but when you investigate, it is always impossible to check these qualifications.

When you have surgery abroad, even if you have an excellent surgeon, you don’t know how professional is the staff, how clean is the hospital, etc.

There are a lot of testimonials from patients who went abroad for their surgery, saying they could not get hold of their surgeons after the procedure, they could not ask questions to the nurses because of the different language, etc.

Imagine now that you just had your surgery abroad, you are going home, but all of a sudden, you realize you have an infection.

Who is going to treat you? Are you going to buy a new flight ticket to go and see your surgeon who did not answer the phone when you tried to contact him

Are you going to be treated in England? No one will take the risk of bringing foreign bacteria to a clean hospital.

So basically, having surgery abroad can become a real nightmare.

After my surgery, when can I get pregnant again?

After any surgery, pregnancy is not recommended for a year - it could interfere with the healing process, stretch your tissues and deteriorate your scars.

This is particularly true after breast surgery (risk of sagginess) and abdominoplasty (stretch marks).

After my surgery, when can I go back to sunbeds?

Sunbeds are not good for your health (risk of skin cancer)

If you get sunburn, your tissues will be swollen for a longer time and your scars will be more visible.

It is recommended to wait for a minimum of one year for any sun exposure.

After my surgery, when can I have sex again?

Depending on the type of surgery, it varies between 1 month and 3 months.

When in doubt, ask your surgeon.

Why are post-operative consultations mandatory?

Post operative consultations are as important as the surgical procedure.

It is the only way to detect early complications and to treat them.

Therefore all these reviews are imperative to guarantee a good cosmetic result.

This is why I recommend post operative consultations after 2 weeks, 1 month, 3 months, 6 months and once a year.

Why, after my surgery, do I have to wait 2 weeks before having a bath?

When your surgery is completed, your surgeon will stitch up your skin.

It takes roughly 2 weeks before this new scar heals up and is waterproof.

The risk is that if you shower or worse take a bath too early, the wound will open up.

After surgery, why can’t I change the dressing myself?

After any surgery, the post operative is very important. It helps a lot to get a good cosmetic result.

But sometimes it is simply not easy to change your dressing yourself (difficult location, no experience in changing dressings)

Nurses are highly qualified to change your dressing in a sterile way: that's their job.

As they are very experienced, they can also detect early signs of complications.

After a face surgery, when can I start putting makeup on?

Generally you cannot use any makeup before 1 or 2 weeks if you don’t want to interfere with the healing process.

Your surgeon will recommend non-allergic cosmetic products (such as concealers and moisturizers) that you can use safely.

What is a dissolvable stitch?

A dissolvable stitch is a stitch made of a biodegradable material, meant to disappear in roughly 42 days.

Dissolvable stitches are always used in deep tissues and sometimes on the surface of the skin.

They are used in order to avoid a potential foreign body reaction that can be expected when using a non-dissolvable suture.

When can I use hair dye after face surgery?

It depends on the type of product used, (avoid ammonia), but usually not before 3 weeks after surgery.

Will I have to pay if I have a complication and need to go back to surgery?

No.

If you have a complication immediately after your surgery related to this initial operation, you won’t have to pay.

After one year, the situation is different and you need to ask your surgeon.

If I am not happy with the result of your surgery, what can I do?

If you are not happy with the result of your surgery, you need to talk to your surgeon. Dr Horn has a complaints policy in place that you can read on his website.