Rhinoplasty in Brazil for patients living in Italy.

Why patients living in Italy look at Brazil for rhinoplasty

Brazil has a long surgical tradition in facial and body plastic surgery, built around the school founded by Ivo Pitanguy, and it remains among the countries with the highest volume of aesthetic procedures in the world according to ISAPS surveys. High volume alone does not make a surgeon suitable for your nose. What matters is whether the specific surgeon has verifiable training, publications and a defined technique.

Medical practice in Brazil is regulated by the Conselho Federal de Medicina. Every doctor has a CRM number and, when board certified, an RQE number linked to the specialty. Both can be checked publicly on the state medical council website before you book anything. Dr. Sella holds CRM-PR 33.018 and RQE 17.984 in Otorhinolaryngology, a direct doctorate from HCFMRP-USP, a fellowship in structured rhinoplasty in Melbourne and Sydney, and certification by the European Board in Facial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery. He has six articles indexed on PubMed, three of them on dorsal preservation rhinoplasty.

Cost structure is also part of the conversation. Surgical fees, hospital costs and exchange rates in Brazil usually make surgery less expensive than equivalent care in Western Europe for someone earning in euros. No figures are published online. A written estimate is only issued after the consultation, because it depends on the technique, the operating time and whether grafts are needed. You can read more about the broader process on the international patients page.

Step one: the video consultation across time zones

Italy is four to five hours ahead of Maringa depending on daylight saving. A late afternoon or early evening appointment in Milan or Rome usually falls in the morning or midday in Brazil, so scheduling is straightforward.

The consultation lasts around one hour. The surgeon takes your history, asks what bothers you aesthetically, and asks in detail about breathing, nasal obstruction, allergies, previous trauma, previous surgery and fillers. Standardized photographs are requested in advance following a written protocol so the analysis is reliable. Digital simulation is done during or after the call, with the explicit understanding that a simulation reflects roughly 60 to 70 percent of the final result. It is a communication tool, not a promise.

The team speaks Portuguese, English and Spanish. If you prefer to be seen in person before committing, an in person consultation in Maringa can be arranged, although most patients living abroad start remotely.

Step two: tests and preparation done in Italy

You do not travel for exams. Blood work, cardiac clearance when indicated and any imaging are done near home, in Milan, Rome or wherever you live, and sent by email to the clinic for review. Results must be recent according to the protocol you receive.

If you have had fillers in the nose, previous septal surgery or a previous rhinoplasty, this is flagged early. High frequency dermatologic ultrasound of the nose is available at the clinic and is used before surgery to assess skin thickness, residual filler, previous grafts, old fractures and columellar vascularization. For revision cases this information changes planning, which is why these patients are usually asked to arrive one extra day earlier.

Step three: flights and arrival in Maringa

There are direct flights from Rome Fiumicino and from Milan Malpensa to Sao Paulo Guarulhos, with a flight time around 12 hours. From Sao Paulo you connect to Maringa airport, code MGF, on a short domestic leg. Curitiba is an alternative connection. Travel from your door in Italy to the hotel in Maringa usually fits into a single long day.

Arrive one to two days before surgery. That window is used for jet lag, the in person examination including internal nasal endoscopy, the ultrasound when indicated, pre-anesthetic assessment and final confirmation of the plan. The team can suggest hotels near the clinic. A companion during the first week is recommended.

How long you stay: a realistic timeline

Stage	When	Where
Video consultation and plan	Weeks to months before	Italy, online
Tests and clearance	Up to 30 days before	Italy
Arrival and in person assessment	Day minus 1 or minus 2	Maringa
Surgery and hospital stay	Day 0, 12 to 24 hours admitted	Saine Health Complex
Early recovery, swelling peak	Days 1 to 5	Hotel in Maringa
Cast removal and taping	Around day 7	Clinic
Flight home released	After cast removal	Maringa to Sao Paulo to Italy

Plan 7 to 10 days in Brazil. Surgery itself takes three to five hours under general anesthesia, longer in revision cases, with 12 to 24 hours of hospital admission at the Saine Health Complex in Maringa, a boutique hospital with eleven operating rooms, adult and neonatal ICU and intensivists on site.

What recovery looks like in the first week

The external aquaplast cast stays about seven days, followed by one week of taping. Most patients do not need nasal packing. Some cases receive an internal silicone splint for around ten days. Light bleeding in the first 48 to 72 hours is expected. Periorbital bruising can last up to 15 days. Temperature up to 38 degrees Celsius in the first two days can occur. Numbness of the upper lip and front teeth may last up to three months.

Practical rules for the trip home: sleep with the head elevated at 30 degrees for at least ten days, ice in the first two weeks, never blow your nose, saline irrigation as instructed, no glasses for four weeks, exercise after 15 days, sun, beach and pool only after one month, SPF 30 for three months. Long haul flying after cast removal is generally well tolerated, with hydration and saline spray on board.

Technique and why it matters for a long distance patient

The surgeon works across the full range of nasal surgery: dorsal preservation with push down and let down, ultrasonic rhinoplasty with piezoelectric instruments, structural grafting with septum, ear or rib cartilage, and revision rhinoplasty. Being an otorhinolaryngologist, function is addressed in the same operation when needed, including septoplasty, turbinate surgery and nasal valve correction. For someone traveling from Europe, solving airway and shape together avoids a second trip. An overview of the approach is on the rhinoplasty page.

Revision rates reported in the literature range from 5 to 15 percent, and revisions are only considered after 12 months. The definitive result appears between 6 and 12 months, up to 18 months in thick skin or revision cases. Indication, risks and plan are always individual and defined in consultation.

Follow-up after you fly home, and paperwork

Follow-up appointments at 1, 3, 6 and 12 months can be done online by video, with standardized photographs sent beforehand. Patients who return to Brazil can be seen in person. The team stays reachable by WhatsApp throughout recovery for questions about swelling, taping or medication.

The practice is private, without insurance contracts. Full documentation is issued for reimbursement requests, including the functional component such as septum, turbinates and sinus surgery, and reports can be issued in English or Spanish on request. More about the surgeon's training and publications is available on the profile page.

When to contact the team

If you live in Italy and are weighing nasal surgery abroad, start with a video consultation rather than with a price comparison. Bring your questions about breathing, previous procedures and timing, and ask to see how your anatomy would be approached. You can reach the team through the contact page in Portuguese, English or Spanish.