A Patient’s Experience of Checking in for Treatment at Ocean Clinic

Eloise Long recently travelled from the UK to Spain, to have rhinoplasty at Ocean Clinic Marbella. She talks about her experience, from initial consultation through to cast-removal.

Why did you choose to have your cosmetic surgery at Ocean Clinic Marbella?

A friend of mine recommended Dr. Kaye and said he had a very good reputation. This was very important to me because I had already had rhinoplasty in the UK, which I was unhappy with. I’d also had a revision, which still didn’t correct the problem, so I needed a surgeon I could trust.

There’s only a certain amount of times you can have your nose done. You don’t want to risk it collapsing, and unfortunately, the surgery was going to be much more complex because of the previous operations.

I also wanted to keep out of the way of friends and family at home by recovering abroad. In terms of cost, it was better value than having it done at home but that wasn’t my main reason for coming to Spain.

Why were you unhappy with the cosmetic surgery you’d had in the UK?

I had surgery four years ago; I was just meant to have lump removal – minor surgery, really, but afterwards the lump was still there. I had a revision a year later and the lump was still there. When I compared my nose with pre-surgery pictures it looked exactly the same.

This time I wanted a dramatic change and decided to have a curve put in.  I wanted to find a surgeon who could give me what I wanted.

Have you found the standard of care in Spain to be any different to that which you experienced in the UK?

It’s been much better here. The staff have been absolutely amazing, so kind and so caring. In the UK, everyone was a bit more clinical, a bit colder.  Everyone here has been very friendly and that’s very important as you do need to feel very cared for.

The staff were also really accommodating to my husband, letting him stay with me. He could have stayed overnight if he wanted, which is something that wouldn’t have happened in England. It made me feel so much better that he was there with me.

The other difference I found was in the management of pain relief. Here, the team did everything they could to make me comfortable, but back home they weren’t so concerned.

What did you think about the facilities at Ocean Clinic?

The facilities were brilliant. One thing I didn’t have before was an ice mask and I think it’s really aided my recovery. I’ve had swelling but hardly any bruising. Previously the surgeon said he’d never seen someone bruise so badly, so I think keeping the ice mask on really made a difference.

My room was really luxurious and the food was also amazing. I had a prawn and avocado salad for a starter and then salmon with dauphinoise potatoes.

What did you think about Dr. Kaye?

Dr. Kaye had a really warm and friendly persona. I was also reassured by the fact he takes good care of his appearance. It’s like going to a hairdresser with bad hair; you just wouldn’t trust them so much.

I was confident in his abilities. At the first consultation he drew on a picture of me, explaining what he thought should be done and he just got it, without me needing to explain.

He also did a virtual simulation for me and we went back and forth on that until he had a good understanding of what I wanted.

He explained a lot of things to me in the pre-surgery consultation to manage my expectations. He explained that you have to match up the nose to the face – for example, you can’t have a dead straight nose if your lips are off centre. There has to be symmetry.

After surgery, he had a lot of confidence in his work, which also reassured me.

How did you find the recovery?

I was allowed to go home the day after surgery. I was staying in an apartment nearby. The first couple of days I was quite swollen, but I was amazed at how quickly my face returned to normal and how little bruising there was. I was even able to get on with work on my laptop and that kept me really busy.

I had to keep the splint on my nose, so I didn’t want to go out much, but I did go for a couple of walks. I would have preferred to be at home, with my dogs and my home comforts, but I don’t have any regrets about coming to Spain.

The climate has been nice for my recovery. Winter is the ideal time to come to Spain for surgery, as it’s sunny but not too hot. The views and the beauty of the place has been nice, too. I was trying to view the trip as a retreat, although it has been hard as I’m a bit of a workaholic and I find it difficult to take it easy.

You were able to return to Ocean Clinic 10 days later to have your cast removed. Were you happy with the results?

I was prepared for it to be quite swollen underneath – I know that you won’t see the full results of a rhinoplasty for up to a year – but I could immediately see that I had the curve I so badly wanted. I was absolutely delighted!

Dr. Kaye is an excellent surgeon and I would definitely recommend Ocean Clinic to other people.

Thinking about cosmetic surgery? Book a consultation and discover Ocean Clinic Marbella for yourself.