The out-of-town policy at one Houston-area plastic surgery practice turns on two figures: a two-hour radius and a stay of 24 to 72 hours. For a Beaumont resident planning a facelift away from home, those numbers shape the trip more than the surgery date does.
Leo Lapuerta, MD, FACS, a triple board-certified plastic surgeon, sees patients at offices in Houston, Katy, Pearland and Piney Point. His practice publishes a facelift guide for Beaumont patients along with scheduling guidance for patients who travel in for surgery. Taken together, that guidance sketches out how a facial surgery trip works.
Before the trip: consult from home
For patients who live more than two hours from the office, Dr. Lapuerta offers consultations by phone or FaceTime. That lets a patient talk through goals, medical history and options before committing to a drive.
The practice says its staff have experience coordinating the details out-of-town patients need. That covers the medical and cosmetic side, financing questions, and, on request, help with travel plans, hotels and overnight care assistance.
The facelift conversation itself does not change with distance. Dr. Lapuerta assesses facial structure, skin elasticity and the pattern of aging across the cheeks, jawline and neck, then recommends a version of the operation. The practice describes six, from a mini facelift for early changes to deep plane and extended deep plane techniques for more advanced descent, plus revision surgery. A neck lift, eyelid surgery or fat transfer may join the plan.
Surgery day
Dr. Lapuerta performs many surgeries at The Plastic Surgery Institute of Southeast Texas, a QuadA (AAAASF) accredited facility he owns and operates, which the practice describes as dedicated solely to plastic surgery. He also holds privileges in the Memorial Hermann network, at HCA hospitals including The Woman’s Hospital of Texas and at St. Luke’s Houston Medical Center. The practice lists facelift recovery as either inpatient or outpatient.
The practice describes a private room where patients wait before surgery, with TV, Wi-Fi and refreshments, and a team that includes a scrub technician and a registered nurse. Dr. Lapuerta discusses anesthesia options, from sedation to general anesthesia, at the consultation, and he works only with physician anesthesiologists. After recovery, staff escort the patient to a pickup area.
The practice lists an average facelift procedure time of four to six hours. Adding a neck lift or another procedure lengthens it.
The stay
Patients who live more than two hours away should plan to remain in the immediate area for 24 to 72 hours after surgery, depending on the procedures performed. The practice lists a first post-op follow-up one day after surgery, which falls inside that window.
A short planning list for the hotel portion of the trip, drawn from the practice’s recovery guidance:
- A companion or arranged overnight care, which the practice can help organize if you ask.
- Extra pillows or a setup that keeps your head elevated, since elevation helps control swelling.
- Your prescribed pain medication, which the practice says most patients rely on to manage early discomfort.
- Sun protection for the drive home, because sun exposure can worsen scar appearance.
- A clear calendar with no lifting or strenuous exercise.
Back home in Beaumont
The practice lists a recovery time of two to three weeks for a facelift. Swelling and bruising peak in the first few days, and over the early weeks the skin settles and the incisions improve. Final results keep refining over a longer stretch as residual swelling fades and scars mature.
Tightness, soreness, numbness and swelling are common; severe pain is not typical, according to the practice. A facelift still carries the risks of any surgery, and a patient recovering far from the office should know before leaving Houston whom to call and when to return.
Dr. Lapuerta brings more than 30 years of experience and more than 30,000 surgical and non-surgical procedures to the plan. For a traveling patient, the practical advantage may be the first call: a consultation by phone that covers many questions before anyone books a hotel room.
This article is for general information only and is not medical advice. Results vary from patient to patient. Consult a board-certified plastic surgeon or your physician about your own situation. Written in partnership with Joseph Lambert, a publicist working with Leo Lapuerta, MD Plastic Surgery.