Patrick Hudson MD, MA, FACS

Some operations work well for long distance surgery and some do not. Two factors are important: 

1. Operations with a higher rate of secondary or revision surgery

2. Operations associated with more serious complications, perhaps requiring medical treatment.

If either, or both, of these issues is a factor then the operation is not always recommended for the patient traveling long distances. There are exceptions and you will need to discuss this with your doctor.

The operations are of three types:

Good choice, lower risk and revision less than 5%

Facelift, eyelid tightening, forehead lift, liposuction of outer thigh, knee and hip, and gynecomastia, otoplasty in adults, breast augmentation

Average, higher risk and revision more than 5%,

Rhinoplasty, abdominoplasty, otoplasty in children, mastopexy, liposuction of inner thigh and calf

Not recommended, higher risk and/or revision more than 10%

Hair transplant, implants of cheek, chin and buttock

It is probably not worthwhile traveling long distances for procedures you know will be repeated regularly like botox, collagen injections and sclerotherapy(vein injection).