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Traveling Patients

Dr. Hilinski and staff recognize that your decision to come to San Diego for a personalized consult entails a considerable amount of effort in terms of time and money. Because of this, we have provided the following information to aid you in this decision while helping to facilitate your travel plans and temporary stay here in beautiful, sunny (mostly) Southern California.

The Macrotia Consultation Process

Let us start by saying, there is no substitute for an in-depth, one-on-one, personalized consult with Dr. Hilinski to assess your true candidacy for cosmetic ear reduction surgery. But, we realize the fact that many macrotia patients from out of town may benefit from a complimentary “screening” online with Dr. Hilinski before making a formal commitment to travel to San Diego. This preliminary evaluation usually involves an email dialogue between Dr. Hilinski and the patient, including a review of photos (see below), past medical/surgical history, and specific goals with regard to ear reduction surgery.

In some cases, Dr. Hilinski will feel comfortable after the “online” screening to preliminarily recommend a surgical plan. In these cases, it is possible to proceed with scheduling a surgical date with plans to meet Dr. Hilinski here in San Diego 1-3 days before surgery.

In other cases, where the “online” screening is not as beneficial, it may be necessary to make a separate trip here to San Diego for a personal consultation before scheduling of your surgical date can actually take place.

Sending Photos for Review

Please send all standard print photos via US mail to our office address or visit our Virtual Consultation page to upload your photos directly. Digital photos can be sent to info@drhilinski.com for review. Please include at least three views when sending either print or digital format photos – with the ears and face seen in their entirety in each photo. If you have long hair, please have it pulled up and back so that the ears can be readily seen in each photo.

Hotel Accommodations

Our private office and surgery center is located in beautiful, sunny Southern California. The city of San Diego is considered by many travel experts to be one of the top vacation destinations in the United States. As such, there is no shortage when it comes to choosing your hotel accommodations. The following local hotels have been recommended by our staff and prior patients based on a combination of proximity and price.

Postoperative Stay and Care

It is recommended that you have a responsible family member or friend be with you during the first several days following ear reduction surgery. If this is not feasible, our office can help make arrangements for a private nurse or tech to care for you during the initial 24 hours of your recovery. This requires an additional fee that is paid directly to the nurse or tech.

Dr. Hilinski will typically suggest an early postoperative office visit within 1-3 days after surgery. Depending on what type of cosmetic ear procedure you have done, Dr. Hilinski recommends that you plan on staying here in San Diego for approximately 7-10 days prior to returning home.

The closest commercial airport servicing the greater San Diego area is San Diego International Airport. Approximate travel time from San Diego International to our office is 15 minutes. Approximate travel time from McClellan-Palomar is 45 minutes.

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