Plastic Surgery In Thailand

A microscopic discectomy, a procedure to treat a painful herniated disc in the lower back is expected to cost $30,000 in the U.S. In Thailand, the procedure can cost $3,500. A big difference, especially to people who have no health insurance. Including a partner's airfare, it could cost you as little as $6,400.

A U.S. surgeon's fee for a full face-lift averaged $4,822 in 2004, not including hospital costs, according to the American Society of Plastic Surgeons.

At Bumrungrad Hospital in Bangkok, the surgeon's fee for a full face-lift is about $1,200, and includes a neck lift and upper and lower eyelid lifts. With hospital and other fees, the total bill is about $4,000.

The website of Bumrungrad Hospital, for example, reports that a third of its more than 900,000 patients a year travel from other countries, including the U.S. In 2005, Bumrungrad treated nearly 58,000 U.S. patients.

Although there are skilled physicians practicing all over the world, it might be difficult to assess the training and credentials of doctors overseas. The American Society of Plastic Surgeons also notes that vacation activities soon after surgery can boost the risk of complications, as can travel.

"Some of the work we've seen that people have had done at bargain-basement prices is so substandard it can't be fixed," said Dr. Brent Moelleken, a Beverly Hills plastic and reconstructive surgeon.

Combining a beach vacation with cosmetic surgery, particularly, is a bad idea, Moelleken said. "People need to stay out of the sun after [cosmetic] surgery. Incisions heal poorly if they get sun, and especially for laser or facial surgery, people develop very bad scars if they go in the sun."

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