Travelling to Madrid for facial surgery: your stay and recovery

Admission takes place at the centre where the operation is performed, at the time given on the pre-operative instruction sheet. You arrive having fasted, with the pre-operative work-up and blood tests already done, and without make-up, nail varnish or jewellery.

Before going into theatre, the plan is reviewed, any last questions are answered and the anaesthetist reviews the case. The length of the operation depends on the procedure and on whether several are combined, and it is confirmed at the prior consultation.

You must be accompanied by an adult who will take care of getting you there and back and of the first hours. After an anaesthetic, general or with sedation, you cannot drive.

Depending on the operation, discharge may be the same day or the next. For the more extensive facial surgery procedures, spending the first night under supervision is usually recommended, especially if drains or compression dressings have been left in place.

For those who need supervision in the first days, the practice works with Recovery Nest Care, a post-operative recovery centre in Madrid with 24-hour medical care, private rooms and personal assistance for the days the surgeon indicates. It is an option worth considering if you live outside Madrid and have nowhere to spend the immediate post-operative period with someone by your side.

If you are coming from abroad or from elsewhere in Spain, these are the points to settle before you travel:

• The language. Dr. Verbauvede and his practice see patients in English and in Spanish, so the online assessment, the in-person visit and the questions during your stay can all be in English.
• The prior assessment. The first consultation can be online to understand the case, but an in-person visit before the operation is essential.
• The days of your stay, which are not the same as the days in hospital. After discharge there is a follow-up visit and, depending on the procedure, removal of stitches or of the splint. Leaving earlier means making the trip again.
• Your companion. On the day of surgery a companion is not optional, and in the first days it helps not to have to deal with everything on your own.
• The trip home. When and by what means you can travel depends on the operation and is set out in the post-operative instructions.

The follow-up schedule is given at discharge and varies with each procedure. The first visits are the closest together, because dressings, drains, stitches or splints are removed. After that they are spaced out.

Later follow-ups, the ones that assess progress over the months, can in many cases be done remotely with photographs. Which ones can be done this way is decided by the surgeon according to the case.

At discharge you are given a direct line of contact with the practice for questions in the first days, which are usually about swelling, bruising, discomfort or scar care. If anything does not match what was expected, let the practice know without waiting for the next follow-up visit.