Pros and Cons: Getting a Hair Transplant in Thailand

Thailand is gaining an international reputation for being “the” place to go for plastic surgery and hair transplants. They have outstanding medical care, and “medical tourism” is becoming a major industry there. As with anything else, there are pros and cons to getting your hair transplant in Thailand.

Pros:

The medical care is Thailand is state of the art. Many of the hair transplant surgeons have trained in Europe or North America, and most are board certified in one or more specialties. Several are members of the International Society of Hair Restoration Surgeons.

You get the same surgical options in Thailand that you get in the US. You can have a strip transplant or FUE, micro or mini transplants or FUT, or a combination. Some procedures are done in Thailand that are rarely done in the US or Canada, such as beard or body hair construction.

It’s easier to schedule your surgery in Thailand. Once you get your paperwork in and are approved for surgery, you can schedule it right away. In North America, it often takes weeks or months to get surgery of any kind scheduled.

The biggest reason people have hair transplants in Thailand is cost. Hair transplant is rarely, if ever, covered by any kind of insurance; it’s nearly always an out-of-pocket expense. In the US, it costs approximately $2500-$10,000 or more, depending on the procedure and how many grafts are needed. In Thailand, you can get a medical vacation package, including hotel, for less than the surgery costs in the US.

And you get a vacation in Thailand, which is worth the cost of the hair transplant all by itself.

Cons:

The biggest argument against having a hair transplant in Thailand is that if something happens, your surgeon is an awfully long distance away. If you have a problem of some kind three weeks later, you could be up a creek without a paddle.

Many people are traveling to Thailand these days for hair transplants and for other types of cosmetic surgery. It’s easier, just as safe, and much less expensive to have surgery performed in Thailand. If you decide to have a hair transplant in Thailand, take the same precautions you would in North America: check out your surgeon, get your questions answered, and talk to people who have had a transplant by that surgeon. Then schedule your hair transplant in Thailand, and enjoy your vacation.