“My Neck and Facelift journey started in Toronto, Ontario and ended up taking place 1600
miles away in Cancun Mexico”
Since turning 60 I started noticing the signs of aging in my face and neck, the unwanted
wrinkles, jowls and sagging skin made it hard to look in the mirror. Even though I felt young and
full of energy on the inside I felt that I looked years older on the outside, a neck and facelift was
to be my only solution!
I scheduled a consultation, with a plastic surgeon in the GTA (Greater Toronto Area) and was
surprised to learn how expensive a complete facelift would be…. Facelift and neck lift with
upper and lower blepharoplasty: $22,850. I left the office feeling depressed about the cost but
determined to find a way to have the procedure.
After sharing the news with my husband, he began to search online for a solution to allow me
to have the procedure done without draining our bank account. He first searched “Looking for
Facelift doctors in Istanbul, Turkey” great prices, reviews and doctors but too far away not to
mention that we were in the middle of a pandemic. The searches quickly started to shift to
“Looking for Facelift doctors in Cancun Mexico” that’s when he came across ……..
mymedicalvacations.com
My Medical Vacations is a medical travel concierge company with great reviews that specializes
in providing full patient services and logistics. They take care of airport pickup and drop off,
communication with both the clinic and medical professionals that will care for me, hotel and
recovery center accommodations, transportation to and from medical appointments, pre-travel
requirements, and follow-up care upon return home. It seemed liked a great solution as neither
of us spoke Spanish or had ever been to Cancun Mexico.
My Husbands first contact was with Alessa and then with Andres the CEO of the company. We
submitted the medical questionnaire and pictures of my neck and face from different angles
and within a few days we had our quotation.
Complete Facelift Cost in Toronto, Ontario VS Cancun Mexico – 40% less in Cancun….
The Facelift and neck lift with upper and lower blepharoplasty and VIP service package
including all transportation from airport to hotel and everything in between. All medications,
all nurses visits everyday, my PCR test to come back to Canada, blood work, IV therapy, Lung
cat scan, and cardiologist appointment. Our quotation was 40% less than the price of the
procedure in Toronto, Ontario.
We learned through research that the cost of the procedure is lower because in Cancun Mexico
the cost of living is much lower than it is in Canada. We were not getting a medical procedure
that was second rate or “cheap” care. We were getting first class service, excellent care and a
certified plastic surgeon at a lower cost because of a different economy.
We did our research on Dr. Valdez the Plastic Surgeon. Andrés Jurado the CEO of My Medical
Vacations forwarded Dr. Valdez’s US Board Certifications to us.
We decided that we were in good hands with Dr. Valdez and My Medical Vacations and
booked!
Beatriz Corona the Head Patient Concierge answered any questions I had prior to leaving to
Cancun… everything from what to pack, what to expect during my recovery and provided my
itinerary. She did a great job of making me feel comfortable and eased my mind several times.
A few months after we booked we arrived in Cancun, it was easy to see why Cancun is a worldclass destination for tourists, even though we there for my medical procedure, it felt like we
were on a vacation we had the warm weather and the beautiful ocean view, I thought what a
perfect place to recover, the next day I met Ana López my nurse who took me to get my lab
work, lung CAT scan done as well as a preoperative IV therapy and a meeting/ testing with a
cardiologist. Throughout our stay she was fantastic, she provided daily care and we felt very
comfortable with her almost like she was family.
The Night before the Surgery…….
It’s hard not to be nervous about getting surgery especially in a different country but after
meeting Dr. Valdez the Plastic Surgeon the night before the surgery both of our fears went
away, he explained everything in detail and you can tell he was passionate about what he does.
His goal was to give me a facial rejuvenation to restore my facial features to their previous
youthful appearance based on past pictures of me and my expectations. I liked that way of
thinking of a facelift better because I had fears about my face looking stretched out. Dr. Valdez
was professional and friendly I also met Alessa an administrative assistant with My Medical
Vacations that night and quickly realized through talking with her it is a team approach with the
company and everyone will overlap to ensure that you get the care and the service you
deserve.
Surgery Day…….
It was the day I was looking forward to but still nervous at the thought. The morning of the
surgery, we met the hospital nurses, the anesthesiologist and had the preoperative meeting
with Dr. Valdez to do the markings, measurements and he was once again able to ease my mind
and make sure both of our questions were answered.
The surgery went well. I spent a few hours in recovery and then back to my hospital room for
the night. This is something that we also found different and better in Cancun, in Toronto the
surgery would have been performed in the plastic surgeons clinic than you go home. Staying
overnight in a hospital gives you a better peace of mind in case something happens. Dr. Valdez
returned later that night to check on me and Ana my nurse stayed at the hospital just in case I
needed anything during the night, even though they have other nurses at the hospital her being
there was a comfort as I had already spend time with her.
I was discharged the next day after seeing Dr. Valdez and for the remainder of my stay I was
checked daily by Ana, she always had time for my question/ needs and was always available by
phone. I was able to enjoy the warm weather and view and went for walks outside and in the
mall attached to our hotel had my morning coffee at the café. I joked to my friends back home
that I was feeling Mexican! We enjoyed dining at some of the local restaurants and shopping at
the mall. With my face a little bruised and swollen from the surgery it was nice to know that I
wasn’t going to run into anyone I knew from home and have to explain what I had done. Before
we left I had the follow up with Dr. Valdez and was able to express my gratitude for his skill and
excellent care. I was blessed to have him as my surgeon.
The entire experience was amazing and the team at My Medical Vacations is the best. You feel
that you are safe and are getting the best care possible, you don’t have to worry about anything
as they have your itinerary well organized. Andres and Alessa made a visit to us at our hotel
room a few days before we left to get our feedback on our experience with them. The meeting
shows their desire to continually do better as a company. Ana, Betty, Alessa and Andres and
their entire team are so amazing and work well together.
I was happy that the swelling and bruising on my face went down a lot before we were ready to
go home, which is a another benefit of having a facelift in another country, by time you get
back home it’s harder to tell that you had anything done.
We were sad to leave, our last thought was the same as our first thought when we arrived in
Cancun, even though we were there for a medical procedure it felt like a vacation and a huge
part of that was because of My Medical Vacations!
Thank you
Lucy and Paul