whose good In Thailand? 10-15k price range

[Sophia Hawke]

Just like the title says.  I've heard dr. Saran is similar to suporn(but I'm not really sure.).  Wondering whose good and isn't insanely expensive about 15k most I could shell out and that's having an extended place to stay for free and a brother who speaks fluent thai and is well traveled there.

Bonus to anyone who can tell me about quality cheap dental work in Thailand.  I want to replace some or possibly all with implants or at least replace the broken ones and revitalize the rest.  Got quoted 11k for fixing my existing teeth locally without extractions or replacements.

[Hikari]

Chettawut has a pretty good reputation and is about that price. He has a non inversion technique that seems to be the same or very similar to suporns one. If I had that budget for Thailand he would probably be my first consideration.

[Sophia Hawke]

Cool.  I was previously thinking it would cost me closer to 30k but with a little luck and some planning 15k is doable.  I want to make this my first surgery since I've read you can get better results if you do it early on and also to make name change and gender change easier.

[Susan T]

Try Preecha at PAI. His clinic (Including a separate clinic and  2 entire floors in the Piavate Hospital Bangkok) is the largest and best equipped in Thailand. Preecha trained Chet, Suporn, Kamol, Saran and most of the others. His status is such that he hosted and chaired this years international WPATH symposium. He is currently charging $8600 for scrotal graft SRS. However, one caveat is that although Preecha is present during the surgery, most of the work is done by others. Don't let that put you off though. I have copied the link out below;

http://pai.co.th/

[LauraGirl]

I am very pleased with dr Suporn's result. The aftercare is superb!

[calico]

The rule of thumb here is that of those who have had surgery in Thailand that they will say their surgeon was the best,  that being said I had surgery with Dr. Chettawut and was very pleased.  I spent about 17k total, but it is entirely doable for 15k.

P. A. I.  Is cheaper but there have been horror stories a few to many times here on this site not to mention off the site, Preecha was good back when he did his own surgeries, in fact he even taught Chettawut an Suporn, but as it stands today P. A. I. Is a but if a crapp shoot,  yes some had good luck with them, but to me there are to many bad stories to take a chance,  same God with Dr. Reed here in the US just to many bad stories. I have heard Dr. McGinn here in the US is pretty good and also within your budget.  As for teeth I have been thinking about Thailand as well and from what I have researched it'll be round 20k which  happens to be the same as here with my insurance.  So Idk for me,  right now it's out if my range atm.

[Susan T]

To be honest I was going to go to Chet I had made enquiries and my mind was made up. However I was put off by my gender specialist here in the UK based on the number of serious complications he had seen from the clinic. I can say though that I have not personally heard of any problems amongst my friends who went to him. Conversly almost all of those that I know who went to Suporn also returned for revisions some quite serious. They would all still recommend him though despite their problems.

Calico, I am not going to get into a my surgeon is the best arguement because that doesn't help anybody and frankly I dont know if he was or wasn't. I can only say that I am very happy with the work done at PAI by both Dr Preeha and Dr Burin and depth and sensitivity are good. The appearance is also similar to the pictures on other the other Thai surgeons sites. I think that you are being most unfair to Dr Peecha and his team in that he has no more horror stories on this site than any of the others (even Chet and Suporn have them) and I suspect that you don't personally know anybody who has been there, so your information is anecdotal.

It really doesn't matter whether Preecha does the work himself as all of his surgoens have to have a lot experience in order to join the clinic and they all  have to use the same Preecha "unique" method. Don't ask me what's unique about it though because I have no idea. I will say that if you have to return to PAI for cosmetic revision they may well make a charge. You have to weigh that up against a lower initial surgery price though

The fact is Sophie asked for information on Thai surgeons and PAI are worth considering

[calico]

  Calico, I am not going to get into a my surgeon is the best arguement because that doesn't help anybody and frankly I dont know if he was or wasn't. I can only say that I am very happy with the work done at PAI by both Dr Preeha and Dr Burin and depth and sensitivity are good. The appearance is also similar to the pictures on other the other Thai surgeons sites. I think that you are being most unfair to Dr Peecha and his team in that he has no more horror stories on this site than any of the others (even Chet and Suporn have them) and I suspect that you don't personally know anybody who has been there, so your information is anecdotal.

Oh no I don't want to get into the my surgeon is better than argument either, that's why I noted most views by people who have surgery are usually biased.  My biggest point was to remember the reviews good and bad,  I'm glad he worked out for you,  but when I decided, was because I didn't want to take a chance and when I emailed them for the first time they responded with the request of payment first before they discussed anything,  that was a major turn off for me. On another hand I actually know 3 people who went to P. A. I.  One of them was extremely satisfied with no issues the other two, local girls to me ended up going to Meltzer and Bowers to have major corrections ad complications "fixed". Still don't make me feel exactly confident in them.
Playing Devils advocate I have know 5 girls who went to Chettawut  of which 2 had complications,  one with necrosis (I believe because of smoking), and the other with stitch problem. So honestly I  truth what it comes down to is your confidence in the surgeon you choose,  which can be based on reviews here and on the Web, and through personal experience the interaction over emails and by first hand experiences.
That's how I chose anyway,  as for good and bad here the only bad reviews of Chettawut  I have read had little substance, just someone saying don't go there  and one I believe that they had post surgery regret.  I have definitely heard/read about more bad experiences with P. A. I.  Here than Chettawut and Suporn for sure.  But then again people do say you rarely here the bad stories about surgery.

I honestly didn't mean to come off as trying to start an argument, if it seemed that way I apologize,  I was only trying to add information,  good and bad,  as I don't believe one should choose a doctor for such a major surgery on positive outcomes alone  :/

[Susan T]

I think that was the point that I was trying to make Calico. In fact I personally know 4 others who went to PAI before me without problems and another who followed and has complained about hair on the floor of the vaginal entrance (an area thats not scraped by any surgeon). There is really only one person here who has complained in a number of posts on this site over problems that she had following a colon graft. To counter that there is a page on Pink essence that is very favourable http://pinkessence.com/group/ThailandSRS/forum/topics/dr-preecha-discussion-thread. I wonder, did PAI offer to carry out the surgical revisions on the people who had serious complications?

To fairly judge a doctor or his clinic you have to look at a broad number of cases over a period of time and filter out complaints by those who simply had unrealistic expectations. Incidently, I had my surgery in July 2010 and wasn't asked to pay a penny prior to the surgery date. As I have said previosly I am not touting PAI as being the best but I still believe that they are very competent adt their outcomes are no better or worse than any other top flight Thai clinic.

I didn't go to Chet because I was scared off at the last moment by a medical professional. However, in hind sight I now believe that the horror story was probably greatly exaggerated. I certainly wouldn't advise others to avoid him. I rulled out Suporn simply because his prices are outrageous.

What does concern me though is the mythology surounding certain surgeons who are championed by former patients regardless of their own outcomes and who charge Hollywood prices on the back of thier publicity (incidentally I'm not accusing you of doing this).

I can only speak for the Thai procedures of course. I couldn't have afforded to go to the U.S.A and so I know little of the methods used by surgeons there and I wouldn't have wanted the free medical treatment provided here in the UK, although there are a very large number of people who have been through the process and who are pleased with their outcome.

[Flygirl]

I have a number of friends who have been to surgeons all over Thailand, PAI, Saran, Suporn etc and have yet to hear a complaint from any of them, they are all extremely happy. Where there are regrets, it is usually unrealistic expectations etc.
I am a chet girl, along with 2 of my close personal friends all in the past year and then know of many other chet girls, and again, were all ecstatic about our results and the whole experience with him. These surgeons are all good in their own respects and techniques.

Horror stories exist about all surgeons, worldwide, and if one were to believe all of them, you would never go for surgery. If I had to chose a surgeon based on the photos available on the internet, again, I would have had great difficulty chosing.

The reason I chose my surgeon was knowing my closest friends had been there, and were happy. Also taking into account how many thousands of successful surgeries he has done as opposed to the handfull of dissatisfied clients, the statistics far favour a successfull outcome and he was not as expensive compared to some of the others.

Fact remains though, when were happy, we enjoy our happiness but when were dissatisfied, the world gets to hear about it and that is the reason so many stories abound of botched surgeries or people having to go for revisions. The successful ones carry on with life and generally we never get to hear those stories. That is the reason I would like to share mine and those of my close friends.

All of the best on this part of your journey, exciting times ahead!
Adrienne.

[Sophia Hawke]

So, ive narrowed down my list to Preecha and Chetawut.  I'm Still incredibly unclear about what paperwork i need to bring for those doctors.  I'm nearly at a year of RLE now, and i can get the srs recommendation anytime i want,  But im not sure ill make the "legit" hormone requirement of 1 year if they require that.  Part of that being that i wont have enough $$$ to see a legit doctor till may(although i have one).   and im leaving for Thailand in october and staying there till april.   So my documented time on hormones will be just hitting 12 months when i leave thailand.  Both websites seem to be a little unclear about what documents exactly i need to bring.

I'm also a bit confused about how much time ill have to wait after scheduling.   Do these doctors have very long waiting lists?

[Ciaoblue]

Dr. Suporn in pattaya , thailand is really popular and good here

[HenryHall]

The gender clinic at YanHee hospital is pretty good. It's a panel of surgeons though, not just one, the big man supervises, he does not wield the scalpel.  It's a really huge hospital, one of the largest in BKK. Excellent reputation for plastic surgery generally.
http://www.yanhee.net/treatment-procedure/srt-mtf
The 14 days is not all in the main hospital, there is a recovery/convalescalent center adjoining/nearby where you spend the second week.
But like everywhere in BKK (everywhere in the world?) - the hospital food is truly wretched and you end up ordering in :-)
240,000THB

[HenryHall]

But im not sure ill make the "legit" hormone requirement of 1 year if they require that.  Part of that being that i wont have enough $$$ to see a legit doctor till may(although i have one).   

Presently on physician prescribed hormones and been on hormones for a year (evidenced by at least some breast development),
not
been on physician prescribed hormones for a year.

[Lauren5]

Try Preecha at PAI. His clinic (Including a separate clinic and  2 entire floors in the Piavate Hospital Bangkok) is the largest and best equipped in Thailand. Preecha trained Chet, Suporn, Kamol, Saran and most of the others. His status is such that he hosted and chaired this years international WPATH symposium. He is currently charging $8600 for scrotal graft SRS. However, one caveat is that although Preecha is present during the surgery, most of the work is done by others. Don't let that put you off though. I have copied the link out below;

http://pai.co.th/

Not surprised if it's medical students doing it, it's very common all over the world to have students be assisted by a doctor, but the doctor almost literally holds their hands during surgery. It's a good way to save costs,  because universities are always looking to get actual surgical experience for students.

[Susan T]

Preecha's "underlings" are actually very experienced plastic surgeons. Working in his clinic is considered to be a presige position. Preech and Burin (his current assisant) did my surgery but they were working on both ends of me at the same time. I believe that Burin did the majority of the SRS element.

Sophia, you will find the Thais are very flexible if you can provide them with a good reason for not having followed the guidelines to the letter, i.e they dont treat the WPATH guidelines as inflexible rules. I had surgery without completing my year RLE. I did have a letter from my UK gender specialist but as I only had one referral and was outside of the guidelines I also had to have an hour long interview with a Thai psychiatrist (which was of course at an extra cost of $25 (Chet charges $300)).

[Sophia Hawke]

Preecha's "underlings" are actually very experienced plastic surgeons. Working in his clinic is considered to be a presige position. Preech and Burin (his current assisant) did my surgery but they were working on both ends of me at the same time. I believe that Burin did the majority of the SRS element.

Sophia, you will find the Thais are very flexible if you can provide them with a good reason for not having followed the guidelines to the letter, i.e they dont treat the WPATH guidelines as inflexible rules. I had surgery without completing my year RLE. I did have a letter from my UK gender specialist but as I only had one referral and was outside of the guidelines I also had to have an hour long interview with a Thai psychiatrist (which was of course at an extra cost of $25 (Chet charges $300)).

I'm actually looking for a doctor and therapist as well in Thailand who speak fluent english for when im there for 7 months(seriously   cant do without a therapist.)   I really really really want to have srs when im in thailand. its really irritating to me that i can have sex properly, and since hormones, i really have thing for guys even though they mostly scare or piss me off.

My backup plan is to have ffs or vfs i really dont know what the waiting period is like.  Some of these surgeons seem like they are pretty backed up.  SRS makes a name and gender change super easy to right?

[Susan T]

You need to ask the individual surgeons when they will be able to fit you in. I suspect that you  wouldn't have too much of a problem with PAI or the Yanhee, although the Yanhee may be a little more inflexible. Try contacting these people. They will do the legwork for you and they know just how flexible with the rules individual clinics are prepared to be. http://www.plasticsurgerythailand.com/. They wont charge you for there service

[บ้านสิริรอดชีวิต]

I had SRS with Chettawut about a month ago, referred by a close friend (like so many others), and I've been very happy with the results so far (and just visited a gynecologist who told me, "the surgeon you saw must be good!"). I'd definitely recommend him.

For me, the total cost, including travel and lodging was:

• ~$10,400 for SRS
• + ~$1,000 for an extra skin graft (most patients will need this)
• + ~$920 for a month at the Bangkok Rama (~$33/night)
• + ~$1,500 for airfare from the eastern U.S.
• = ~$13,820, altogether.

(I see Chet recently raised his SRS prices from ฿320,000, the price I paid, to ฿333,000, likely due to the recent devaluation of the baht thanks to the political unrest. At the current exchange rate, $10,281.04, that's still less than the $10,371.85 I paid late last year.)

The overall cost is more expensive (at least another ~$600) if you stay at the Dusit Princess hotel instead of the Bangkok Rama. The Dusit seems to be the more popular option, which surprised me; the Rama's cottages are not only cheaper (the reason I chose the Rama) but also very convenient for the post-op period, and you can save money by cooking for yourself in the included kitchenette (make sure to stock up at the Tesco across the street before surgery!) instead of eating out every day. At the Rama, my per-diem costs for food were easily the same as if I were back home.

A good friend of mine went to Suporn (~$18,000), and I get the impression they're pretty much equal in skill; Suporn patients pay more because he has a larger operation and offers amenities for recovering patients at his large clinic, while Chettawut patients are largely left on their own at their hotel after a few days of recovery at the clinic/hospital, aside from daily nurse visits from the adorable Sri and a follow-up around post-op day 18. (But you won't feel alone with all the other Chet patients around, at either hotel.) You could say Suporn is the big, corporate operation, while Chettawut has a more mom 'n' pop feel. (Literally, as his wife is head nurse!) Different folks will have different preferences, but I was personally very satisfied with my Chettawut experience and think he offers a good deal.

[Sophia Hawke]

I will be staying in phrase for the duration of my stay in Thailand with the exception of  getting surgery in bangkok.   Its really just a matter of who will be flexable with me on the requirements for hrt.

I also still need to find a doctor and therapist in Chiang man or Chiang rai.