Yeah!!!  This is a momentous day for me, as I just discovered a TV news story about overseas plastic surgery that didn’t aim for a negative angle!  I have been fighting an uphill battle for years, trying to get the media to tell the truth about overseas plastic surgery.

There are thousands of people, myself included, who have had great plastic surgery performed in coutries other than America, Canada or Great Britain who have not only enjoyed excellent treatment and results, but also saved 75% of the prices American and British plastic surgery patients have to pay.

For reasons that can only be seen as exploitive and/or paranoid, the media have chosen to aim low and always do stories about people who have had complications following surgery overseas.  I was talked into being a part of a TV show that did just that.  Over the phone, the producer told me the show was simply a documentary about patients having surgery overseas, what it’s like, yadda, yadda, yadda.  She told me how the show had just finished doing an episode about soldiers coming back from Iraq who needed plastic surgery due to war wounds, and also a show about a plastic surgery clinic in North Carolina that did free plastic surgery for women who were victims of domestic violence.  Sounded like a serious, down-to-earth show, right?

I went all out, arranging the entire program, finding one of my readers to participate and come down for surgery, got her an amazingly low price with a great doctor here in the Dominican Republic, Dr. Roberto Guerrero, I even arranged for the accommodations and transporation for the film crew.  I took a week out of my life to help make the show happen, and Dr. Guerrero and the clinic staff not only were gracious enough to participate and let the crew film the entire procedure, but put on a beautiful luncheon for us all.  It was amazing.  The patient was super…she got the liposuction she wanted as well as upper and lower eyelid lift and cheerfully did interviews when I’m sure she’d rather be left alone to recover in peace.

Several months went by, and because the show was only aired in Canada I didn’t get a chance to see my own TV debut.  I wrote to the producer several times, asking her to let me know before the show was aired so I could at least let my readers and friends in Canada know to watch it.  She never wrote back to me until 2 weeks after the show aired.

I then found out the reason she was so cagey about the whole thing was because the show was really a mockery of plastic surgery and the things that people do to become beautiful.  The title itself would have turned me off to the whole thing, had I known beforehand.  It is called “Vanity Insanity”…not flattering in the least.  On top of that, the lead off my segment with some woman who had plastic surgery in the Dominican Republic and went back to the US and developed an infection and had to be treated in an American hospital.

I felt very mislead.  After all, if you are looking for stories about complications after surgery, you will find plenty in EVERY country.  It happens everywhere, and patients are warned ahead of time.  Patients not caring for themselves properly post-operatively is a major cause of complications and infections, but of course no one ever owns up to that fact.  Additionally, there are over 500,000 reported cases of nosocomial (i.e. infections  directly stemming from hospitals and clinics) infections annually in the U.S. alone!

Needless to say, I felt very mislead and disheartened by my experience with TV coverage, and haven’t pursued any media coverage since.  That is why I am so happy that ABC News’ 20/20 program did a segment about two sisters who went to Costa Rica for tummy tucks, liposuction, and various other surgeries and had great experiences!  Right On!  They looked great afterwards and had nothing but nice things to say about their experiences.  One of the sisters had gotten a deep chemical peel which she said hurt worse than childbirth, but other than that they were both happy and felt great about themselves postoperatively!

One of my readers, a beautiful lady named Escharose, chose to have plastic surgery in Costa Rica after reading my book, How to Get High-Quality Plastic Surgery…CHEAP!  She asked me to share her story with you, so here it is, the exact letter she wrote me following her surgery in it’s entirety:

“Hi darling:  i was just finishing up letters before i leave for Santa Cruz tomorrow and my address book was minus yours.  Oh Joann what i look like—– and maybe the timing is really for you also!  I was turned down my Dr. Gonzalez and was crushed.  That was the second time i was let down.  I went on line back to highest achievement awards of surgeons in Costa Rica and 8 names appeared.  Well it´s all over but the shoutin girl.  I sent photos and medicals , etc., ect., to 6 of the names.  I prayed and prayed on it.  I opened web site of Dr. Arnoldo Fornier and his photo and the words under the photo and his face connected me to him.  We called and immediately began laughing and talking of music and i was hooked.  He said your papers and photos are perfect and what extreme good health—(don´t know why dr. G. Said i had a heart problem) and asked what I needed.  I remarked, a face lift, upper and lower eyes, total lipo, and tummy tuck.  He said can you afford 6,000–i was smiling so big–and i added i would like my facelift to reflect beautiful lips–he said i will make your lips perfect and let´s settle for 5,000!!! I began to cry.  He said come next week and you will be my queen.  I am serious.  So i arrive the 5th, santa rita hospital had no patients.  I was the only one.  Made up my room and the party began.  Not until 7 pm did i see dr. Fournier–and for the rest of my life i will send gifts–honor him and send everyone to him.  5 hour surgery–everything at once—no pain–none–and included hair grafts and dermabrasion on lips then dermalife into the lips.  I was downstairs on the evening of the 1st night.  On Tuesday early–i left for marta qurios home—a peaceful home of elegance and the time of my life.  She and i will always remain friends.  I saw the Dr. Every other day.  My waist is 4 inches smaller.  My face, exactly as the photo i e-mailed you my lips are for a Revlon commercial, and i´m shrinking as we speak.  The hair takes 3 months.  But—-Joann——-i went to Che Tica (88acres) ranch to a recovery home,(an invite for lunch) at 100 per day just because these folks lived next door to me years ago–it was huge but i prefer to have a warm home with two fabulous kids and other patients next door. Marta´s was 50.00 per day.  So why do i ramble on?  Dr. Fournier is rich his wife is a dentist and he detests by all accounts and other reports talking about money….he is a gifted man only there to serve.  He often kept me for i hour just to talk.  He said finally——i have your photo and i´m going to recover your 30 year old face…he did.  My experience of this country was wonderful.  The surgery room for 5-6 hours, and 1 half days stay was 1,400—–you were correct.  Cheap and perfect.  But, if god ever designed a man to take care of his patients it is dr. Arnoldo.  Come see him.  I worked out today i hour.  I´m so happy i could burst.  Went out and bought jewelry.  So——-how are you and tell me everything you are doing.  We will talk again very soon.  Thanks to you, dear, I made my dream come true with the finest plastic surgeon life could offer.

Many hugs, Escharose”

I think that about says it all.  Escharose is a former runway model and certainly did not take her plastic surgery lightly, nor would she be so happy if her results weren’t truly remarkable.

I’d like to thank Escharose for being so sweet as to share her story with us.  As well, I’d like to say thank you to 20/20 for having the courage to go against the norm of media negativity and finally do a positive story about plastic surgery in other countries.  The  ladies they followed got great results and saved about $25,000 each!

Click Here to See the Video!  It is worth watching!

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