Using Both Health Systems in Costa Rica

The public health system in Costa Rica is one of the best in the world, but as in other good systems there are occasionally delays for many reasons with an overload of patients and one always has the option to go to a private doctor at your own expense. Once Covid was over, when I had to use a private oncologist for my surgery and radiation treatment because our hospitals here were packed with Covid patients, I then moved all my medical treatment to the public system in 2022 and have been happy with everything done “for free” (really for a monthly Social Security fee you must pay whether used or not.) There are no co-pays, no insurance forms and everything is included, even my medications that I pick up monthly at my local “CAJA Costarricense Seguro Social Farmacia.” I’m pleased with the public health system here, even if sometimes slow.

My latest cancer surgery was in November with my Public Provincial Dermatologist removing a cancer from my nose. Excellent surgery with absolutely no scar! But, that dermatologist in Hospital San Rafael de Alajuela gave me my next appointment to be in April 2026 and I had other non-cancer issues I really wanted to take care of earlier. So, I decided to exercise my freedom of going to a private doctor and my Public ENT Oncologist at Hospital Mexico de San Jose, who is monitoring any possible spread of my big cancer, agreed that the other issues would be better if handled earlier and he recommended Dr. Arturo Soto in the private Tabush Dermatologia Center in Escazu (feature photo of building). Here is my report with 3 before & after face photos . . .

Thursday, 6 March 2025, Walter got me through the always heavy traffic around San Jose to one of the office towers next to CIMA Hospital (a private hospital) in time for a 9 am appointment with Dr. Arturo Soto recommended by Dr. Rodolfo Prestinary at public Hospital Mexico. I was almost immediately seen by the doctor’s assistant and she began to prep me for treatments. (I had really expected only talk on the first visit.) Then after the doctor’s examination and he giving me a couple of options for one treatment, it all began! First was surgery on the two large, ugly (non-cancer) growths on my right cheek including cauterization of the blood veins after removal of growth. Then he immediately began preparation for the “Plasma Therapy” (See explanation below) of the field of growths across my forehead. For both procedures the most painful things were the needles to give me local anesthetics. 🙂

And we were out of there by 11am! And that is what you do when the excellent public healthcare seems too slow or doesn’t prioritize a non-cancer, you just use the private healthcare system and this quick solution of removing many growths (maybe pre-cancerous) only cost $650! It would have been thousands in the states! That is why thousands of Americans fly down here every year for “Medical Tourism.” 🙂

Now read about “Plasma Therapy” below (from internet, NIH), which they did across my forehead. Always the latest technology right here in Costa Rica! 🙂

What is plasma therapy? 

Plasma therapy for skin is a non-surgical dermatology treatment that uses plasma energy to rejuvenate and tighten the skin. 

But what does this actually mean? 

Plasma is seen as the “fourth state of matter”, distinguished from solid, liquid, and gas. In plasma therapy, a device converts gas (such as nitrogen) into plasma energy. This energy is delivered in controlled pulses to the skin, causing a ‘thermal injury’ deep within the skin tissues whilst also protecting the outer layer of skin. 

This injury stimulates the skin’s natural healing process, helping new cells to regenerate and promoting the production of essential skin proteins such as collagen. Over time, this plasma skin regeneration process helps in improving overall skin tone and texture, tightening the skin, and reducing wrinkles. BUT NOT JUST FOR COSMETICS . . .

Plasma treatment selectively limited carcinogenic progression of squamous cell carcinoma in vitro and in vivo via reduction of cell proliferation and modulation of redox balance.

The aim (of earlier tests) was to test cold physical plasma as a means to target malignant lesions of the skin therapeutically. This was motivated by previous findings, suggesting an anticancer activity of plasma technology. Plasma treatment selectively limited carcinogenic progression of squamous cell carcinoma in vitro and in vivo via reduction of cell proliferation and modulation of redox balance. Moreover, it was identified that plasma treatment acted locally but not systemically, at least in terms of oxidative and antioxidative parameters that are tightly linked to the primary biological mechanism of plasma systems, reactive oxygen, and nitrogen species. Furthermore, reducing the harmful effects of existing SCC therapies may be achieved by combining plasma treatment with existing SCC therapies to enhance their clinical efficacy, an increasingly important approach in oncology.

Above from:   https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC7409328/  That’s one of the agencies, NIH, that the idiot president of the U.S. is trying to shut down. Glad their site is still up! (For now.) 

I had Plasma treatment of my forehead 6 March, 2025 and did not understand the doctor’s explanation. Above is what I copied from the internet and it sort of helps me understand what happened. In addition to surgery for a growth dangling off my right cheek. 🙂

Still cancer-free! But you may pray for my sister, Bonnie Darby in Missouri, who is undergoing chemo-therapy for Colon Cancer. Pretty tough stuff!

¡Pura Vida!

And for the compilation of blog posts on my big cancer with a Parotidectomy and radiation treatment in 2021, see the page labeled: First Rampant Feelings on Cancer

I’m fine now! No Cancer!

But constantly checking for possible new ones!

🙂