Young men are traveling to overseas clinic for a risky cosmetic procedure
Young American men are flying across an ocean to get the jawline of their dreams, surgeons have revealed.
Dr. Frederico Alfaro, who runs the Instituto Maxilofacial in Barcelona, says about half of his patients are international – with Americans being the biggest foreign client.
“In fact, my second case this morning is a patient from New York,” he told DailyMail.com. “We get a lot of American patients.”
The clinic posts many of its patient transformations online, which likely helps attract foreign patients looking to transform their jawlines, with about 50 percent of patients seeking the procedure for cosmetic purposes, the doctor said.
Before the operation, doctors cut the mandible, the mandible, in a different position and then fix it in a new position using titanium plates and screws. They can also cut bones in the midface and chin bone to move them.
Once a patient’s case is accepted, they can join the clinic’s international package, booking international flights and spending at least a week in Spain. The operation itself normally only takes an hour and a half, with the remaining days giving people time to recover.
Of his patients, Dr. Alfaro said, “One of the biggest concerns is a lack of facial projection, a lack of jawline and neck definition. A lack of masculinity, that’s how we could put it.’
The above shows Gustavo, one of the clinic’s patients, before and after he underwent surgery to change the shape of his jawbone and maxilla – the midface bone that supports the upper teeth. He also had surgery to improve the shape of his chin
At his clinic, Dr. Alfaro says he sees about 200 patients a year, at least half of whom are international clients.
But Dr. Alfaro said his team takes a “holistic approach” in all cases and will take steps to ensure the client is satisfied with the results – even if a particular procedure is not strictly medically necessary.
Surgeries such as jaw repositioning can cost between $17,000 and $19,000 in the US, while surgeries to reposition the Maxilla (the bone in the midface that supports the teeth) can cost around $7,000.
Patients may receive an initial telephone consultation and be asked to send photographs and medical notes about their situation before their surgery is accepted.
Many of the clinic’s patients have medical problems such as malocclusion – misalignment of the upper and lower teeth – and sleep apnea – which can be caused by bones narrowing the airways.
The clinic also offers cosmetic procedures, including facelifts, cheek augmentations and eyelid surgery, or operations to reduce the amount of skin over the eyes.
One of the clinic’s most viewed transformations on social media is Gustavo, an 18-year-old from northern Spain, who says the surgery has made him “much more confident.”
Above is Dr. Frederico Hernandez Alfaro, who is behind the clinic that performs the operations
He was referred to the clinic in 2020 for Class II malocclusion, where the upper teeth significantly overlap the lower teeth, causing difficulty chewing.
Upon admission, a questionnaire showed that he had major concerns about his appearance and also suffered from mild sleep apnea.
Dr. Alfaro said, “In Gustavo’s case, he had all these problems, but his biggest concern was facial aesthetics, and I have to say that probably 50 percent of my patients’ biggest concerns are facial aesthetics.”
During the surgery, doctors first performed a bilateral sagittal split osteotomy, which involved cutting the lower jaw bone and moving it more forward to align the teeth. It can then be secured with titanium plates and screws.
He then underwent a Le Fort I osteotomy, which involves making horizontal cuts in the upper jaw, which are then moved downward to widen the airways, solving the sleep problems. It may also be secured with titanium plates and screws.
And finally, doctors performed an advancement and descent mentoplasty, or chin advancement, in which the chin bone was surgically repositioned to improve its shape, position, and projection.
Dr. Alfaro said that as part of the surgery at his clinic, they can also inject fat grafts into the cheeks and lips to further improve the patient’s appearance and ensure they are satisfied with the results.
There is swelling and bruising after surgery, which can take up to four weeks to subside.
Many patients resume normal activities once the swelling subsides, although it may take about six months for the bones to fully heal.
Gustavo told DailyMail.com that the results after the surgery “felt incredible” and that he “couldn’t believe what I saw in the mirror.”
He said: ‘Even when I look at a photo I took the night before the operation to compare the results… I still can’t believe it was me.
‘As I’ve gained more confidence in myself, things have improved. The truth is, I didn’t even try to talk to a girl before the surgery, thinking I wouldn’t get anywhere.”