Most of the patients who walk into Southwest Plastic Surgery did not drive there. In Dr. Frank Agullo’s words: “About 70 percent of our patients are from out of town.”
So when Travel Bulletin needed a doctor to explain how to avoid getting sick on a plane, they asked him, and they said why: many of his patients fly in and out for surgery. The practice has turned those years of fly-in patients into a checklist. Here it is, with the answers the pre-op nurse and Dr. Agullo give on the phone every week.
Before the Flight In
When should I arrive?
Our pre-op nurse: “If you’re able to arrive here the day before, that will be good so you can come into the office and we can have you sign your original consents and take your before photos. So that way, the day of the surgery it goes smooth. But if it’s unable, we understand that sometimes it’s not possible, as long as you arrive at 7:30 in the morning.”
Can I carry my prescriptions through the airport?
Our pre-op nurse: “If they question you on the airplane, as long as you have your prescription with you, you’re fine.”
Do I need someone with me?
Our pre-op nurse: “Somebody has to come with you and stay with you wherever you’re gonna be staying for the first 48 hours. So that means you cannot be by yourself.”
What if nobody can come?
Our pre-op nurse: “If nobody is coming with you, there is another way. You will need to stay in our office, you will need to pay for the overnight stay, and then the next day we can arrange for a driver to take you to the hotel or the Airbnb, wherever you’re gonna be staying. Because we cannot release you right after surgery because you’re still loopy and drowsy.”
Staying Healthy on the Plane
This is the part Travel Bulletin asked Dr. Agullo about, and it matters more to a surgical patient than to anyone else on the flight.
“The cabin air itself is not the main problem.”
Why does the practice care so much? Because of what happens next.
What if I arrive with a cold?
Dr. Agullo: “Colds are managed on a patient by patient basis, we want patients to be over it or almost over it the day of surgery so it depends on symptoms. Sometimes surgeries need to be rescheduled due to safety.”
The mask and the window seat protect your surgery date.
How Long to Stay in El Paso
How long do out-of-town patients stay?
Dr. Agullo: “Depending on the procedure, I will give the recommendation of what time to stay in El Paso. For large procedures, it’s usually a minimum of seven days. For smaller procedures, they can travel as soon as two to three days.”
For a tummy tuck or another large case, the nurse puts it plainly: “So for this one, we need you seven days minimum. Some people stay two weeks, but seven days is the usual.”
Where do patients stay?
Dr. Agullo: “We have several hotels that we’ve partnered with for accommodations for our patients. And we also have the ability to have nurse visits, and even 24-hour care can be arranged. Some patients choose to stay in an Airbnb for comfort, or many patients may have family that they can stay with, and that makes it even easier.”
The day you actually fly is cleared at your follow-up visit. Dr. Agullo: “That depends on the procedure and how you are healing, so it is a per-patient answer. I would rather clear you based on how you actually look than a generic timeline.”
The Flight Home
What goes on my legs for the flight?
Dr. Agullo: “Our patients are on blood thinners and will use their TEDs and SCDs during their travel.”
Our pre-op nurse: “Lovenox is a blood thinning medication that you’re gonna have to be injecting starting right the next day after surgery, and that’s gonna be to prevent the blood clots in your legs, which is DVTs. You’re only gonna do one shot daily for 7 days.”
TEDs are compression stockings. SCDs are the calf-squeezing sleeves, and the machine goes home with the patient.
Will the cabin make me swell?
Dr. Agullo: “The physiology behind this thought is real. Cabin pressure in the airplane is lower, and allows gases to expand, and also allows tissues to expand. So there can be swelling while you’re up in the air. Using a compression garment will help avoid swelling.”
“But really, the physiologic component that creates the most swelling while you’re in the air is immobility. So that is why we recommend standing and walking a little bit at least every hour, and moving your feet, flexing your calves, flexing your hands, sometimes using a squeezy ball. And most importantly, using your TED socks and your sequential compression devices.”
The Short Version
Land the day before. Bring the prescriptions. Somebody with you for 48 hours. Seven days on the ground after a big procedure, two to three after a small one. Lovenox, stockings and the machine for the flight home. The full version of this post, with Dr. Agullo’s clot discussion, is on agulloplasticsurgery.com. Pricing is on the fees page.
Why Dr. Agullo
Dr. Agullo is certified by the American Board of Plastic Surgery and the American Board of Surgery, completed his plastic surgery fellowship at the Mayo Clinic, and serves as Clinical Associate Professor of Plastic Surgery at Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center. He has been a Castle Connolly Top Doctor for thirteen consecutive years. In his words: “I think they also appreciate the fact that we’re used to taking care of patients from out of town. So we’ve streamlined the process and make it as easy and automatic as possible for the patient, through our patient coordinators.”
Schedule a Consultation
To plan a fly-in surgery with Southwest Plastic Surgery, call (915) 590-7900, text 1-866-814-0038, or book at https://www.swplasticsurgery.com/contact/. #StayBeautiful
Find Dr. Agullo at @RealDrWorldWide on Instagram, TikTok, and Snapchat, @Agullo on X, or @AgulloPlasticSurgery on Facebook.
