Thandie: I sent you an email...hope you got it.

Something I forgot to mention is that I can help coordinate a
consultation or treatment ANYTIME. Its not necessary to travel with
one of our Groups. If there is some other time of the year, or if you
just prefer to travel on your own, I am still available to help with
all the details as Dr. Serra travels frequently and so can be very
difficult to reach.

Dr. Serra's web site is:
www.clinicamarcioserra.com.br

Unfortunately he has had no time to update the site in the past two
years, so the information is slightly dated. However there are before
and after pictures (WARNING: some are quite graphic - cases of extreme
lipoatrophy of the buttocks).

You can see more information about PMMA as well as some additional
treatment photos at these links:

http://www.aestheticargentina.org/lipo.php

http://www.aestheticargentina.org/images/lipo1.jpg

Since I am putting links :) here are two more that are helpful if you
go to Rio de Janeiro:

The Hotel Arpoador Inn
http://riodejaneiroguide.com/hotel/arpoador_inn.htm

This is where the groups always stay, but you can get the same group
rate (15%) if you just mention the Group Name: "Dermatology" BUT...you
have to contact the hotel directly (not through that web site) to
arrange for the group rate.

General guide to Rio de Janeiro...with EVERYTHING...I mean EVERYTHING
you could possibly want to know!:

www.ipanema.com

And finally the site for obtaining a travel visa for Brazil...not
complicated as long as you get your tickets first...and good for 5
years and multiple entries:

http://www.brasilemb.org/consulado/consular_jurisdictions.shtml


As always...let me know if you have any questions!

Cheers,

Philip


--- In PozHealth@yahoogroups.com, Thandie THANDO <thandiee@...> wrote:
>
> Hi Philip
>
> Thanks for the info. I have been contemplating on this
> trip for a while one. I already sunk in $17,000 on my
> butt augmentantion. Had implants and some fat transfer
> done but I'm still not satisfied. Dr Gustein (beverly
> Hills) did a great job but I still fill I need some of
> the PMMA as a booster..hahaha.
>
> i just started med school and my schedule is very
> demanding and would love to get intouch with Dr serra
> so I can schedule an appointment. How do you suppose I
> can get hold of the man? Got his Tel# or email add? Is
> he easy to communicate with? Please advise.
>
> Thanks for taking your time and i'm sure some cash too
> to coordinate these trips. I hope to be in your
> company the next time around.
>
> All the best
> Thandiee
>
>
> --- Philip <p461nyc@...> wrote:
>
> > Hello everybody,
> >
> > This is just a reminder to anyone interested in
> > going to Rio de
> > Janeiro for PMMA treatment with Dr. Serra, that I am
> > organizing
> > another group trip for October 22nd - 26th.
> >
> > For those of you who don't know, I work as a
> > volunteer to coordinate
> > these trips for English and Spanish speaking
> > patients who might
> > otherwise find the idea of travel to Brazil, much
> > less for medical
> > treatment,to be a little (or very!) intimidating.
> > Since I live in South America (ex-pat from NYC) this
> > is relatively
> > easy for me to do. I do these trips as an extension
> > of the work of our
> > non-profit foundation www.AestheticArgentina.org
> >
> > This will be the fourth trip this year as they are
> > generally every
> > three months or so. In addition to giving me
> > something to do :)
> > ...its a great excuse for me to go to Rio for a week
> > on a regular
> > basis! That is especially welcome right now as we
> > are in the midst of
> > a long winter here in Buenos Aires.
> >
> > Aside from the obvious benefits of not going solo,
> > there is a
> > powerful effect spending a week with others who can
> > relate to just
> > about anything you are going through. The great
> > majority of people who
> > makeup these groups are extremely "positive" in
> > every sense of the
> > word; its my opinion that there is a strong
> > connection between
> > positive attitudes and long-term survivors. The two
> > seem to go
> > together. So the group dynamic is especially
> > powerful in this
> > situation....not to mention a most beautiful
> > setting.
> >
> > Normally we are between 6 and 10 patients in each
> > group.
> >
> > If you are interested or know someone who is...here
> > is how it works:
> >
> > The first step is to have a "virtual" consultation
> > with Dr. Serra.
> > This means that you send photos to me
> > (confidentially of course)which
> > I then forward to Dr. Serra. (By the way..I began
> > doing this because
> > although Dr. Serra is fluent in English, his office
> > staff speaks only
> > Portuguese, and he just does not have time to answer
> > individual emails
> > himself).
> >
> > The most commonly treated areas are the Buttocks
> > and Face. He also
> > treats legs and arms that have lost their
> > sub-cutaneous fat although
> > with legs and arms the results are not nearly as
> > dramatic as the
> > Buttocks and Face which can be restored in many
> > cases to more or less
> > pre-lipoatrophy state.
> >
> >
> > After he has reviewed the photos, I will send you
> > the doctor's
> > suggested treatment including the costs. Faces
> > normally range between
> > $750 and $1000 and can almost always be done in a
> > single trip. The
> > Buttocks restoration varies in cost depending on the
> > size of the
> > patient as well as the degree of tissue loss. On
> > average the cost is
> > between $2500 and $4000 (these prices were 20 to 30%
> > less in the past
> > but have increased lately due to the weakness of the
> > dollar against
> > the Real). Many patients can see enough improvement
> > in the buttocks in
> > one treatment;others elect to return (at least 90
> > days later) for a
> > second treatment. A much smaller number will have a
> > third, but this
> > is usually just for finishing touches.
> >
> > Dr. Serra's clinic also has two other dermatologists
> > who provide a
> > full range of treatments. This can be an added
> > bonus in that the
> > prices for cosmetic treatments are a fraction of
> > what you would pay in
> > the U.S. or Canada. So many patients choose to take
> > advantage of the
> > time in Rio to do a number of other procedures.
> >
> >
> > I will help you plan your travel and assist with
> > booking rooms,
> > arranging the treatment appointments (I will go with
> > you and accompany
> > you back to the hotel),and just generally help out
> > with any other
> > details. The normal time needed in 5 days (arriving
> > no later than
> > Monday morning and departing no earlier than Friday
> > afternoon.
> > Round-trip airfare on average can be as low as $750
> > or as high as
> > $1200 depending on the season and airline special
> > sales.
> >
> > The main purpose of this post is to answer the most
> > frequently asked
> > questions that I receive about the group travel. If
> > you want other
> > information about the treatment itself or Dr. Serra,
> > please let me know.
> >
> > As I am often asked...I will also say that I don't
> > receive payment or
> > charge anything for the services I offer. However we
> > are always happy
> > to accept donations to the Foundation to help defray
> > my personal
> > travel and lodging expenses. That said, no one
> > should ever feel any
> > kind of obligation to offer anything. I am very
> > fortunate to have the
> > time and ability to do this and helping out where I
> > can is great
> > compensation!
> >
> > As we are about 7 weeks from the trip, now is the
> > time to begin
> > planning and making arrangements. Dr. Serra needs
> > advance notice to
> > arrange his schedule for appointments, and you will
> > need time to
> > purchase airline tickets, and then process your
> > travel visa for Brazil
> > (which is good for 5 years and multiple entries).
> >
> > I am available to answer any questions you may have.
> >
> >
> > All the best to everybody!
> >
> > Philip
> > Buenos Aires
> >
> >
>
>
>
>
>
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