Thailand?

[Guest dolly]

hi all, i was talking with a friend the other day and she was telling me one of her friends had gone to thailand to get the operation done which brought up a mixed discussion about the countries credibility towards srs. ive heard both good and bad things about thailand and my friend had told me she had heard worser about american surgeons. now, im new to all this and its probably gonna be a while down the road before i ever get the srs but was curious wether or not anyone could shed some light one this subject? im sure it been brought up before but was just curious if thailand was worth the trip or if i should stay state side to get it done.

seriously wondering, not trying to start anything. honest.

[Guest Zenda]

Kia Ora Dolly,

I would suggest that you do your research - contact a few surgeons…And go with the one you feel most comfortable with…If experiencing a foreign culture is not your cup of tea, I would suggest you look closer to home…However Thailand’s a beautiful country with beautiful people and if you like friendly people and plenty of smiles then Thailand’s the place…

Speaking from ‘down under’ Aotearoa[NZ] the vast majority of girls who can afford it go to Thailand for their surgery [FFS and GAS] and the majority go to Phuket to see Doctor Kunaporn [bTW Dr K’s done over a thousand surgeries-on average I think he does three a week]…

I recently attended a National trans conference [there were around eighty there-twenty were post op woman ] the rest were pre op and cross dressers…Seventeen out of the twenty had their surgery in Phuket one had her’s in Trinidad Colorado back in the late 1980’s[by Dr Biber] and two of us had ours here in Aotearoa…All the Phuket girl were very happy with their results…

I’m also really happy with my surgery that was performed here in Aotearoa however my friends who also had surgery here ended up with a real botch job and had to go to Dr K in Phuket to have it fixed…Out of half a dozen surgeons

she contacted, he was the only one who said he could fix her problem and he was true to his word…

Now you have to take into account surgeons are only ‘human’ and like all humans can have a bad day-otherwise they wouldn’t be human…[A good example is my friend’s botch job and my good job - we both had the same surgical team- our surgeries were around six months apart ]

You should also check out the video clip I posted a while back[in the transsexual surgery section] of a Kiwi girl’s surgery by Dr K…

Cost and experience wise, Thailand seems to be the best all round – about a third of the price of most western countries but the quality of surgical skills is on par with those in the west - in many cases some Thai surgeons[take Dr K for example] are more advanced…

Look I could say my Kiwi surgeon’s the best because for me this is true, but my friend would strongly disagree because of the botch job she experienced with him…It’s the luck of the draw…

I don’t think there are any surgeon’s who are free of mistakes or complaints of some kind…Some humans like to complain even if there no real problem, it’s just part of their nature…

Remember don’t be pressured into it, just go with who you feel most comfortable with….

Metta Jendar

[Guest silverpetals]

i've heard good and bad things about thailand too, although mainly good things actually. some of their surgeons (like dr suporn and dr chettawut (i think)) are generally considered to be some of the best in the world, and they're quite popular with their patients too. it does seem like a long way to travel, but thai surgeons are renowned for srs. i think they have a slightly more relaxed (lol) approach to it, and some of the surgeons only require 4 months of rle as opposed to the 2 years of most american surgeons. a few of them also don't even request a therapist's letter, which i find slightly weird though :S

as for the price...some people actually find that flying to thailand, the hotel/hospital stay and the surgery altogether are cheaper than having the same surgery in america, or about the same price. then again, plenty of women do have just have srs in america. i suppose it's less troublesome, and if you need to have a revision for any reason, it makes it a lot easier not to have to fly halfway around the world...

thailand is a very popular place to have surgeries, but from what i've heard america isn't that bad either. and america has dr marci bowers so it's really a matter of personal preference, but isn't everything?

[Guest Leah1026]

i've heard good and bad things about thailand too, although mainly good things actually. some of their surgeons (like dr suporn and dr chettawut (i think)) are generally considered to be some of the best in the world, and they're quite popular with their patients too. it does seem like a long way to travel, but thai surgeons are renowned for srs. i think they have a slightly more relaxed (lol) approach to it, and some of the surgeons only require 4 months of rle as opposed to the 2 years of most american surgeons. a few of them also don't even request a therapist's letter, which i find slightly weird though :S

That is a complete falsehood. ALL American surgeons I know follow the SOC which suggest one year. I saw Dr Bowers last year.

I've known dozens of girls who have gone overseas and I would reccomend:

1. You go with one of the major docs.

2. You stay the whole 28-30 days after surgery in-country in case there are complications.

RLE requirements are usually at least 6 months with the Thai docs. Be sure you know what they require as proof. For most this means letters, but some people get their letters in Thailand because they avoided the SOC.

as for the price...some people actually find that flying to thailand, the hotel/hospital stay and the surgery altogether are cheaper than having the same surgery in america, or about the same price. then again, plenty of women do have just have srs in america. i suppose it's less troublesome, and if you need to have a revision for any reason, it makes it a lot easier not to have to fly halfway around the world...

thailand is a very popular place to have surgeries, but from what i've heard america isn't that bad either. and america has dr marci bowers so it's really a matter of personal preference, but isn't everything?

Price (for Americans) is sure to be in flux right now because of recession and the falling dollar. I would imagine that the price in Thailand (including travel and accomadations) is about half of what it would cost to see Dr Bowers (18.5k for 2008). I want to voice one caution: It's a long (20 hours) trip and for people over 50 that can mean an increase risk for DVT on the return trip.

[Guest Snow Angel]

Why was Dolly reported?

[Guest Zenda]

Kia Ora Dolly,

I don’t think for one minute that Silverpetal was trying to intentionally mislead you…In Britain[That BTW is where SP’s from] and most westernised commonwealth countries eg, Australia and Aotearoa [New Zealand] if one requires GAS in that country, it’s a ‘TWO’ year RLE, I think America is the only western ‘European’[people mainly of European descent] country whose RLE is for only one year….So SP’s comments were not an intentional “FORCEHOOD” just a slip of the tongue...No big deal…

Personally I think one year RLE is too short a period especially for late transitioners…Lots of girls who go to Thailand for surgery go for that simple reason ‘short RLE required’ and if they can find a ‘backstreet butcher’ in Bangkok… ‘a presto’ no psyche report required… However you must understand where some Thai surgeons are coming from…

In Thailand transsexualism is quite common and most Thais who have surgery do so ‘WITHOUT’ a psyche report, it’s taken for granted that a Thai transsexual as known what they are from the very beginning and most have live in their preferred gender all their lives [unlike many of us in the west who seem to be late developers and carry a lot more baggage-issues]…Reputable Thai surgeons do require a psyche report from their western client because most who go there are much older than the Thai transsexual people who require surgery…

I would also like to add to what Leah said…America is the ideal place to have complicated surgery - shorter distances to travel in case of complications ….It’s not that America has the best surgeons-most countries can boast of having excellent surgeons…But in most other countries you can’t ‘SUE’ the pants off a surgeon if things go wrong…I’m not being sarcastic just stating a well known fact…”Umm and what can I ‘sue’ you for today!” ...Dolly life is full of swings and roundabouts…

Now I’m not too sure as to what the procedures are like in the US ie, if there are complications who has to pay for the botch up, but certain Thai surgeons have a policy in place, they will fix any problems ‘FREE’ of charge[including hospital stay]…however you will have to make your ‘own’ way back to Thailand to see them…

I haven’t read your profile so I’m not too sure of your age…But if you have no medical problems are young fit and healthy, a non smoker, non [or moderate] alcohol drinker and you want a nice exotic holiday to boot –cheap shopping, sightseeing, good nightlife, etc, then Phuket Thailand the place… Bangkok’s ok but is quite a polluted place…Phuket’s more of an holiday resort type of place –nice beaches etc…

BTW Dr K was also trained by Dr Preecha [bangkok]…a world renown GAS surgeon…But Dr K is cheaper than Dr P…I think surgery and hospital stay is around $7000 US-add a thousand odd for accommodation[that’s 4/5star] plus whatever it cost return flight from the US….

Check out Dr K website [read some of the remarks from the guest book]

http://www.phuket-plasticsurgery.com/ You will also find the prices on the website in US dollars….

I’ve been to Thailand a few times but never had surgery there…However on behalf of a friend I had been in contact with some of the surgeons - Dr Preecha, Dr Chettawut and Dr K ,[along with some surgeons both here and in Australia] they were all nice people and were honest when it came to their surgical skills but I found Dr K to be one of the most helpful surgeons-He was the only one who said he could fix her problem and he did just that…

But in all honesty Dolly...if money's no object then like SP said 'Marci Bowers' is the way to go-skilled, 'transgender' and close to home what more could one ask for...

Now for something completely different I've just notice that the 'reported' sign as appeared under your post, if it was me who accidently clicked on it, I apologise...and if this is not the case, then I'm at a lose as to why it happened...

Metta Jendar

[MaryEllen]

One of the posters took issue with the fact that it was not in line with the theme of the forum that it was originally posted in. This is the reason it was moved here to the Transsexual Surgeries forum.

MaryEllen

[Guest Shaun.Olsen]

My doctor told me to go to thailand....., you provided a link for the plastic surgeon for MTF surgery, but what about ftm?? anyone know anything about that at all??? i will do anything for that information

Shaun

[Guest Leah1026]

My doctor told me to go to thailand....., you provided a link for the plastic surgeon for MTF surgery, but what about ftm?? anyone know anything about that at all??? i will do anything for that information

Shaun

Shaun,

I'm not registered there (for obvious reasons), but have you tried:

http://www.Transster.com ???

I hear there are pictures of surgical results there, maybe some from Thailand?

[Guest Zenda]

My doctor told me to go to thailand....., you provided a link for the plastic surgeon for MTF surgery, but what about ftm?? anyone know anything about that at all??? i will do anything for that information

Shaun

Kia Ora Shaun,

Is it just top surgery or T&B?

Re: F2M surgery in Thailand…I know of one trans-guy whose been to Thailand for top surgery he had it done in Bangkok but I’m not too sure which surgeon…. Anyway here’s a couple of links that might be of use…

http://www.medical-tourism-in-thailand.com...-perovic-md.htm

http://www.pai.co.th/paiteams/index.asp

I was talking to a trans guy at the Agender conference at the begining of this month in Christchurch...His hoping to go to Belgium for bottom surgery, the surgeon there is meant to be one of the best F2M surgeons, I think the surgery's performed at 'Ghent University Hospital'...I don't know the name of the surgeon...

Good luck anyway...

Metta Jendar

[Guest Jack Solomon]

My doctor told me to go to thailand....., you provided a link for the plastic surgeon for MTF surgery, but what about ftm?? anyone know anything about that at all??? i will do anything for that information

Shaun

Hey, Shaun, here is one very internationally reputable doctor for phalloplasty and I know there are others. I'm personally keeping my eye on this doctor if in the long-term I get the $$ for bottom surgery. He travels to several countries to do surgeries including Thailand but prefers to do them in Belgrade. Dr. Sava Perovic (phalloplasty photos and information on his surgery technique can be found here).

Also, here's a website (ftm australia) with a section of links to where you might find some Thailand surgeons who do bottom surgery. There are also links to several other clinics/doctors around the world who perform phalloplasty/metaidioplasty. The only issue is that a few of the Thailand websites only provide general information on the phalloplasty/metaidioplasty surgeries they perform and so you may have to inquire to the doctor's staff email to get more info. Dr. Preecha who was previously mentioned in this thread also apparently does ftm bottom surgery, but his website seems only to provide basic info and looks not to be written by him directly (ie, the ftm sections are full of a few mistranslations regarding explanation of surgery, but the rest of the website is very decently presented) - again you'd most likely have to inquire directly to get more information.

Hope that helps a little bit,

Solomon

[Guest Shaun.Olsen]

Thanks peeps, ill check it out

[Guest dolly]

thanx a heap for the advice all. i am kinda leaning towards thailand more now not just for the surgery but it looks really pretty although i think the surgeon in scottsdale is one of the top in the country too.

[Guest krazykat]

My spouse, Karen, had SRS last October with DR Chettawut, the cost of surgery was $7,500. US dollars. They do require all documentation and I had to sign a "spousal" consent, which was a courtesy that seemed redundant, since I was there holding my Sweetie's hand, and severeal other new friends we met. The Doc is fantastic, what a wonderful job!! We were treated like royality. The hotel is arranged through the office with a special rate of like $22/day.(Yes, things have probably changed). Doc had a driver pick us up at the airport, take us to office visits, to the hospital, back to hotel, and back to the airport. The hospital was top notch, Pyavatet or something like that. Karen had Doc's personal nurses check on her post surgery everyday. We stayed for exactly 3 weeks, which was pushing it due to the long flight home. But I kept a close eye on Karen and made her move around on the flight, etc.

I helped 3 other American Ladies who were there for the same procedure and FFS, only one Lady was under the age of 50. The Lady next to our bungalow was the oldest patient for Doc, 62, I believe, but in excellent "California" shape and didn't smoke.

We still email and talk when possible, it's a bond not easily broken!!

http://www.chet-plasticsurgery.com/index.html

My LP(life partner) turned 55 last December and thought she would never have the opportunity to have such an operation, all the standard excuses. Finding this website and gathering the info, she saw it was possible. I'm so glad she became true to herself!! We did transition, together. We are still changing, for the better. I'll be happy to answer any questions I can if you want to email me.

Best wishes. Kat

[Guest lisa49]

Suporn was wonderful.

[Guest Leann]

I researched over half a dozen doctors in the US, Canada, and Thailand, and sent them all questionaires I devised. I joined Yahoo user groups for doctors and even got to talk directly to a couple doctors. To me, it was important to get the best job possible, then worry about the price. Dr. Chettawut and Dr. Suporn in Thailand do basically the same scrotal graft proceedure, but Dr. C was much cheaper. If I had the money I would have chosen Suporn, but things went great for me, and I'm now 3 1/3 months post op.

If I didn't go Thailand, I'd have gone to Dr. Brassard (sp?) in Canada.

[Guest noeleena]

hi... i am a sanguan girl . may 07 & no probs at all. not seen a Dr at all . now thats just me ...i see we have an other kiwi here & i may have met her at the conferance in ch ch ... i have a friend who went over 3 weeks after me to have her op completlly re done by Sanguan . & it is very good . while there she had another prob not related to her at the hospital . other wise it went well .. so you need to do your home work well before you give your self to have any op.s . i am more than pleased with what i have been given ...okay. i hope this helps .. ...noeleena...

[Guest mj2008]

hey every one...

Shaun i want to have my chest surgery in thailand too but still dont know with whom ,, so if you know any info. hope you write it down

thanks

MJ

[Guest Bobbie Anne]

There is a doctor in Trinidad Colorado who does this surgery. Was a program on TV about her. She used to be a male.

[Petra Jane]

There is a doctor in Trinidad Colorado who does this surgery. Was a program on TV about her. She used to be a male.

Hmm, but who did the surgery on HER? That would be the person to use.

[Guest geckogirl]

Colorado native here. Most girls where I am from are expected to see Marci Bowers. She learned from Stanley Biber and got her surgery from him per her website. Her fee is 18,500 USD it was 17,500 in 2007. I do know a person who went to Dr Suporn and had an enjoyable experience. For the person talking about Scottsdale AZ I could only assume they are referring to Toby Meltzer.

SRS is so rapidly evolving though it's tough to really go off of peoples experiences if they have happened more than a few years ago. One thing I've been told and am considering is that Dr Suporn is really great at giving you depth with is important if you are attracted to men as I am. I hope this helps from someone in the SW USA.

[Guest Leah1026]

Colorado native here. Most girls where I am from are expected to see Marci Bowers. She learned from Stanley Biber and got her surgery from him per her website. Her fee is 18,500 USD it was 17,500 in 2007.

Member of the Trinidad Class of 2007 popping in here. The highlighted portion above is not true. Marci saw Dr Meltzer for her SRS in 1998 I believe. A little trivia: The dilators you get in Trinidad are quite similar to the ones Marci got from Dr Meltzer. Only ours are colored (not clear) and she actually has two different sets she hands out depending on your size (small or large).

[Guest nova]

Hmm, but who did the surgery on HER? That would be the person to use.

That would be Dr. Marci Bowers. She was trained by Dr. Stanley Biber who is credited as turning Trinidad CO into the "sex-change surgery Capital" of the United States in the 1970's. I was told by my therapist that Dr. Bowers has about a one year waiting list.

--Nova

[Sally]

There are several good Doctors here in the U S and no one has mentioned Dr. Reed in Florida or Dr. McGinn in New Hope, PA (also transgendered - a former NASA Flight Surgeon on two shuttle missions prior to transitioning).

I know some one who used Dr. Reed and is quite happy, I haven't talked to anyone who has used Dr. McGinn.

My only worries about Thailand have nothing to do with the very skilled surgeons and their staffs - it is that incredibly long flight home and I was in Thailand for a few days and in Bangkok the temperature was 105 and the humidity was at 95% - Once you leave the hospital you and your new incisions are moving about in a giant incubator - infections seem to be very possible in that climate.

The cool of Colorado and Canada or the dry air of Arizona would seem to me to be preferable.

Just my thoughts,

Sally