Los Angeles to Tijuana for Plastic Surgery: Getting There and Back

From downtown Los Angeles, San Ysidro is about 137 road miles and 2 hours 41 minutes with no traffic (OpenStreetMap routing). From Santa Ana in Orange County, it is about 105 miles and 2 hours 4 minutes (same tool). Those are ideal numbers. Southern California traffic can stretch them, and the crossing itself is a separate wait. For cosmetic surgery the trip down is simple. The trip home is the part to plan.

Choosing how you get there

The L.A. trip by train adds transfers, so check the current Pacific Surfliner timetable. Amtrak also posts track closures, so look before you book.

The route by car

1. Take Interstate 5 south from L.A. through Orange County and San Diego. Interstate 405 feeds in from the Westside.
2. Stay on I-5 until the last U.S. exits before the border.
3. If you are parking, pick a lot on the U.S. side and walk across. If you are driving in, buy Mexican insurance first.
4. Have your documents out. To enter Mexico by land you need a passport book or card, plus an FMM permit (State Department).
5. Follow your clinic's instructions on the Mexican side. Do not hail street taxis (State Department).

Plan the return before you book surgery

Ask these questions when you get your quote, not after.

• How many nights near the clinic? Get the count for hospital, hotel or recovery house, in writing. One BBL listing, for example, describes one hospital night and two hotel nights (Bookimed). Other listings differ.
• Who takes you across? Some clinics drive patients to San Diego. Ask whether that driver can use a Ready Lane, and whether you can too. Ready Lanes require an RFID card for everyone 16 or older in the vehicle (CBP).
• Can you sit? After a BBL, a 3-hour car ride is a real question. One Tijuana clinic's BBL page recommends a special pillow to take weight off the buttocks. Ask your surgeon how you should travel. See the BBL recovery timeline.
• What happens in the line? Border waits mean hours in one position. The CDC lists recent surgery as a risk factor for blood clots (CDC). Plan to get out and walk if it is safe and allowed.

Read crossing the border after surgery and our recovery house guide before you sign anything.

A companion is not optional

After general anesthesia, the American Society of Anesthesiologists says you should have someone with you for at least the first 24 hours, and you cannot drive (ASA). For an L.A. patient, that means someone who can stay, then get you home. Some patients count on a recovery house for the first part, but the drive back still needs an adult you trust. Please do not plan a bus or train ride home alone after surgery.

Bringing medication home to Los Angeles

Any pain medicine you leave with still has to clear CBP. CBP applies FDA rules, and DEA rules for controlled substances (CBP). The FDA says importing drugs for personal use is illegal in most circumstances (FDA), and U.S. residents can bring no more than 50 dosage units combined of controlled substances obtained abroad (21 CFR 1301.26). Keep what you carry in its original packaging and declare it. Better still, ask your L.A. doctor about local prescriptions before you go.

What the border requires on the way back

A passport, passport card, enhanced driver's license or trusted traveler card all work for U.S. citizens at land crossings (CBP). Ready Lanes accept those RFID cards, including Global Entry cards (CBP). CBP lists San Ysidro as open 24 hours, with PedWest at 6 a.m. to 2 p.m. (CBP). Check current waits on CBP Border Wait Times from your clinic or hotel.

The downsides, plainly

• Level 3 rating. Baja California is "Reconsider travel" for terrorism, crime and kidnapping, even though Mexico overall is Level 2 (State Department). See Is plastic surgery in Mexico safe?
• Insurance and taxes. The IRS generally does not treat cosmetic surgery as a medical expense, so an HSA or FSA will not cover it (IRS Pub 502). Complications back home may fall on you, and the CDC advises travel health insurance that covers evacuation (CDC).
• Your L.A. surgeon may not take over. Ask a local doctor before you go whether they will see you if something goes wrong. Read what to do if something goes wrong.
• Time off. The surgery may be a short trip away, but the recovery is the same length as anywhere else. Add it to your cost comparison with the cost calculator.

Which clinics xcuro lists in Tijuana

The plastic surgery clinics in our catalog show up on this page automatically. xcuro earns a referral fee from clinics and does not rank them by who pays. Use our questions for a plastic surgeon, and compare inclusions on our plastic surgery in Mexico hub.