For some people, traveling to another country is a great excuse to look into their cosmetic surgery options in that other country. With medical travel being a big industry, it can often make financial sense to get cosmetic surgeries done in another country where the costs will be lower. However, you also have to consider how safe it will be, both to have the surgery in the first place and to travel after your surgery is completed.

So if you’re planning on having cosmetic surgery soon and are also planning to travel not long after that, here are three tips to follow when traveling after having cosmetic surgery.

Be Careful With Long Flights or Drives

One of the biggest concerns after having undergone surgery, including cosmetic surgery, is the possibility for blood clots. Because of this, many doctors and surgeons will encourage you to stay active and keep moving in order to reduce the chances of blood clots forming and causing you problems. However, if you’re going to be spending a lot of time in a car or plane following your surgery, you won’t really be able to get as many movements as you should.

To combat this, the American Board of Cosmetic Surgery recommends that you don’t travel until you’ve allowed yourself a few weeks to heal after your surgery. And once you do travel, make sure you try to get up and walk around as often as you can to further reduce your risk of developing blood clots.

Know You’ll Have Increased Risk For Infection

When you travel, you expose your body to people, places, and bacteria that you’re not normally around. Because of this, Dr. Michael Burgdorf, a contributor to RealSelf.com, shares that your immune system might not be able to fight off certain infections that you’ll want to avoid when recovering from surgery.

Especially if you’ll be traveling through an airport, you’re going to want to be sure that you take extra precautions to avoid germs. This might include wearing a mask over your nose and mouth, washing your hands more frequently, and avoiding touching things that others have handled.

Plan For How To Get Help If You Need It

If you’re set on traveling soon after you’ve had cosmetic surgery, especially if the place you’ll be traveling to isn’t an area you’re already familiar with, Linda Hagen-Miller, a contributor to Healthline.com, advises that you figure out what your options are and where you should go if you experience complications from your surgery. This might require you to speak with your health insurance company to see where you can visit a doctor or what coverage you may have while you’re traveling.

If you’re going to have cosmetic surgery soon and are planning to travel relatively quickly afterward, consider using the tips mentioned above to help you stay safe and healthy.