Making Breasts for $1,200 : Breast Implants and Surgeons in Thailand

"I want breasts", May said.

"How many do you want?" I asked. "One, two, three?"

"It's not funny, I want breasts!" she insisted.

"How about some of that nice bra padding instead?" I tried.

"No, I want breasts!" she said emphatically.

Alas, I had to give in. After all, the bra pads didn't work so well in her bikini when swimming in the beaches of Phuket. Also, despite me telling her many times that she was a beautiful lady even without breasts; there was no stopping a Ladyboy searching for cleavage. I knew if we didn't get breasts, that flat panel TV we bought last year might be gone when I returned from one my trips; sold in exchange for implants. And I did like that TV.

And so we went on a quest. A quest for a reasonably priced and reputable surgeon to implant breasts in May, my Ladyboy girlfriend. I was determined to research it well as I really didn't want her coming back with 3 breasts despite my suggestion that might be cool.

The quest was to cover a total of five doctors in Bangkok, Thailand, our home. We knew some doctors' names already from friends and searched the internet for others who were better known by foreign patients. We wanted to be thorough, cover a range of options, and meet them face-to-face and feel comfortable with the person who would change May's appearance forever.

Our first stop was Bumrungrad, the most famous and expensive hospital in Thailand, well known by foreign patients. In there, we met Dr. Arthi Kruavit, who worked in the Cosmetic Surgery department. After some discussion on various types of implants, he explained to us that "The price of breast implants is made up of the cost of the implant, the doctor's fees, and the facilities fees (the hospital room). All three vary with your choices." His quote was 80,000 Baht ($2,200 USD) for what we wanted.

When we asked about quality, in the form of before and after pictures, he replied, "You have to trust my reputation, ask anyone in Thailand". So I took him up on his word and asked the parking attendant on the way out, but no luck. "You crazy man" was the expression on the attendant's face. Alas, not everyone knew his reputation including May and I.

We put an "X" on our scorecard chart for Bumrungrad due to the price and a request for us to "trust" him.

Our next stop was Dr. Thep Vechavisit of the Pratunam Clinic. Dr. Thep was well known and used by many of our friends, and had a reputation for high quality results, and especially soft breasts and a very low price.

"I charge 45,000 baht ($1,200 USD) for both foreigners and locals", he'd quoted with some pride. I hadn't realized it before, but doctors' fees, and many other things in Thailand, were typically double for foreign patients versus local Thai nationals. The theory was that foreign patients required more care; however, my theory was that it was more related to the likelihood that foreign patients had more money. I then realized that Dr. Arthi at Bumrungrad had quoted us a foreign fee, as anyone going to Bumrungrad was considered a foreigner, at least in terms of pricing.

"Yes I have many before and after photos, just take a look", he said in response to my standard question about quality of results.

We looked. There were some marvelous examples of his work and some not so great ones too. I was amused at his openness versus Bumrungrad, and made a mental note to try and sell him marketing consultation services in the future, and maybe weed out a few of those not so great results.

Dr. Thep's prices were almost half of Bumrungrad largely because of his personal fees and the fact that he did surgery in his clinic. His clinic, small and messy, clearly was low cost, and thus facility fees in his case were lower than low, as they should have been. The actual cost of the implant itself was the same as Bumrungrad, and I would later learn that they were generally priced the same at all clinics and hospitals.

We put a "?" near Dr. Thep on our scorecard due to the look of his clinic.

After these two baselines, i.e., the highest priced hospital and the lowest priced clinic, we went to visit two other doctors who represented more of the middle ground. In both cases, they had both foreign and local fee rates, and offered us a local rate, given that May was Thai. I suspect there was some surcharging happening, as I knew well that I was considered a walking ATM machine, and my mere presence would elevate the fees somewhat.

Our last visit was to Dr. Chettawut Tulayaphanich, at the Dr. Chettawut Clinic. He was an apparently highly skilled surgeon, and somewhat famous on the internet, at least for foreigners. We thought he might be the best and saved him for last thinking he might be the one we'd pick.

"That will be 500 baht ($14 USD) please".

I was a little shocked. We'd only been there 10 minutes asking him the same questions we'd asked the other four doctors, when he asked us to pay for the consultation. No other doctor had done that.

"If you want to discuss more, you will have to commit to my services and make a payment", he continued.

At 98,000 Bath ($2,600 USD), he was the most expensive doctor of all, and we weren't inclined to commit to someone who wouldn't even finish answering our questions, skilled or not.

"Yes, I'm always more expensive than Bumrungrad", he'd said with pride when I noted that fact.

It was at this point we realized why he had been smiling when he met us and during our short discussion. He was very rich.

We marked another "X" on our scorecard.

At the end of our quest we came to the conclusion that there was no reason to think the best doctor was the most expensive. Dr. Thep was a friendly, nice man, and with no doubt, had produced very natural looking, soft breasts on many a Ladyboy that we knew. He was also honest and had only one rate for all patients, giving him somewhat of a moral high-ground versus his peers. All this at the lowest price of all five doctors we visited.

However, we ultimately decided to use Dr. Kamol Pansitrum, of the MtF Aesthetic Surgery Center, in the east end of Bangkok. The reasons were a combination of several factors. First, we felt very comfortable with Dr. Kamol, which, for us, was very important. Second, we also wanted surgery under a general anaesthetic, in a hospital, which eliminated many doctors who used their own clinics. And finally, we liked his friendly staff and immaculate clinic for post-surgery follow-up.

How much? With the implant we selected and a hospital room for one night, the cost was 68,000 Baht ($1,800 USD), a local rate. The results were excellent, and we remain happy with the decision we made.

Our recommendation for other breast seekers is to be aware of local and foreign rates, don't exclude the need to feel comfortable with your doctor, understand local vs general anesthetic, clinic vs hospital, and make sure you ask for two breasts, not one or three! Also, there are several other very good clinics in Bangkok which we did not see that our friends are telling us about, so don't think this list is in any way representative of all your options. Also, prices may vary!

As for May's breasts, she now is more comfortable in a bikini and wandering on the beaches of Phuket, however, a new quest as started...

"Ziggy, I have to buy new clothes now!"