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Plastic and cosmetic surgery is a young and booming business
in Phuket. Dr Sanguan Kunaporn, one of the pioneers, admits
that he had no idea it would take off in the way that it has.
Fifteen years ago he was working as a surgeon in the province's
government hospital, Vachira Phuket. He also had a private
practice, the Phuket Plastic Surgery Clinic, and was developing
a name for his expertise in male-to-female sex reassignment
surgery - turning men into women.
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| Dr Sanguan Kunaporn
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"I got inspiration from Khun Anurak Thansiriroj, the managing
director of the Phuket International Hospital," Dr Sanguan
recalls. "He said to me, 'Why don't we let the outside world
know what we are capable of, here in Phuket?'"
Khun Anurak was referring to the skills of the medical community
in Phuket in general. Dr Sanguan admits that, at that time, he had
no idea how to start marketing or spreading the word out about his
own work. How could a lone surgeon from a nowhere place like Phuket
in a developing country like Thailand break through into the wide
world? He struggled for a long time to find answers until his "true
hero", the Internet, caught his attention. On January 1, 1998,
when Internet use was still in its infancy on Phuket, Dr Sanguan
launched his own website, www.phuket-plasticsurgery.com. He considers
it the best investment he has ever made; the cost was minimal but
the feedback has been huge. Demand for his sex reassignment skills
took off like a rocket. To date he has done more than 600 such operations.
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Unexpected
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| the Phuket Laser
Center |
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Dr Sanguan's success paved the way for other medical services,
including cosmetic surgery and dental treatment. Now, high-standard
private clinics can be found almost everywhere. In Patong, for example,
there is the Phuket Laser Center. Its public relations manager,
Pipat Pokiaw, says the clinic opened just last November. It has
done very little advertising, he says, yet the place is full of
patients. The clinic has three main areas of expertise: LASIK eye
surgery; laser tooth whitening; and skin rejuvenation using techniques
such as Thermage, Botox and Intense Pulsed Light.
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| Khun Pipat Pokiaw
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Khun Pipat says, "Ninety-nine percent of our customers are
from abroad. Most are walk-ins. Some know of us from our website
(www.phuketlaser.com) and come to us when they arrive in Phuket.
Even though we have invested a lot in opening this center - more
than 55 million baht - we didn't expect business would reach this
level so fast. It may be because we opened at the beginning of the
tourism high season; we may have to wait to see how good it will
be in the low season," he says. But he doesn't seem concerned.
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The price advantage
Dr Sanguan says his fee for a sex-change operation is around 30%
to 40% of the price for the same procedure in the US. Khun Pipat
agrees. Prices at Phuket Laser Center, he says, are about a third
of those in the US.
The prices below demonstrate why Phuket has developed a reputation
as a good-value destination for plastic and cosmetic surgery and
associated procedures.
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| Procedure |
Phuket price
(Baht) |
US price
(Baht) |
Phuket price
(US$) |
US price
(US$) |
| Sex Reassignment |
400,000 |
1,480,000 |
10,000 |
37,000 |
| Laser Tooth Whitening |
12,000 |
24,000 |
300 |
600 |
| Botox Injection |
10,000 |
15,200 |
250 |
380 |
| Tummy Tuck |
140,000 |
180,200 |
3,500 |
4,500 |
| Breast Enlargement |
80,000 |
160,200 |
2,000 |
4,000 |
| Microdermabrasion |
2,000 |
6,900 |
50 |
170 |
1 us$ = Approx. 40 Baht
The more the merrier
Dr Sanguan used to be the only plastic surgeon on Phuket. But things
have changed; now there are more than five such surgeons in full-time
practice on the island. In addition, there are several surgical
and dental specialists from Bangkok who fly down regularly. Medical
services, especially plastic and cosmetic surgery, have ushered
in a new kind of tourism for Phuket.
Next month, Phuket.Com magazine will feature a close-up-and-personal
chat with Dr Sanguan about his unique work. Don't miss it.
by Rungtip Hongjakpet Izmen
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