Breast and rest: Bangkok's cheap cuts lure the ladies
Having had two children and nearing 40, Coco* of Mid-Levels says she wanted to get back the breasts she had before breast-feeding and gravity took a toll.
After hearing good reports about an international hospital in Bangkok, she planned a week-long visit.
'The reason I had it done in Bangkok is that I didn't feel they do enough [enlargements] here - and it's three times the price in Hong Kong,' she says.
Her total cost for the operation, overnight hospital stay and consultation was $21,000, compared with the estimated $50,000-$60,000 in Hong Kong.
'The Bangkok surgeon had studied in the US,' she says. 'I never felt I'd made the wrong choice going to Bangkok. I ran a lot of checks on the doctor beforehand and the hospital is of such a high standard.'
Coco underwent a general anaesthetic for the 45-minute procedure. She checked out the next day and stayed in a hotel.
Within several weeks, all discomfort and swelling had gone, she says. Scars from the incisions under her breast are about an inch long.
Last month, cbsnews.com carried a report about the growing number of Americans who combine holidays with surgery.
But Hong Kong surgeon Dr K says the Bangkok option may not be for everybody. 'The standard of practice there is variable, depending on the training of the surgeon,' he says.
*Not her real name
