Maybe it's all the years of smoking two packs a day, maybe it's all the lines from stress, maybe you started and lost to many bar room brawls, but you need plastic surgery. No problem, right? Modern medicine is amazing, we can grow an ear in petri dish surely we can smooth out and refresh an aging face with no risk or negative side effects, can't we. Sure we can, you just can't afford. Not here at least.

Medical expenses have gotten completely out of hand in many countries, so it's not just us who have this problem. But fortunately that good old capitalist drive that we all have as humans has prompted a few countries with better cost of living to open their doors to foreigners who might wish to join the growing ranks of medical tourists.

Standing out from all of the other countries who have been promoting their hospitals and clinics as international medical hot spots is Thailand. Thailand was the first on the scene, the first to gain international recognition, and has developed a very unique style of medical service for patients seeking procedures like plastic surgery.

Thailand's Bumrungrad hospital in Bangkok was the first hospital in South East Asia to gain certification and accreditation from the Joint Commission International, or JCI. The JCI was set up to make sure that medical tourists and a country's own citizens were receiving care that met the international standards of quality. Since that time most of the country's private hospitals and those that specialize in operations like plastic surgery have also received that accreditation.

While Thailand was positioning itself as an industry leader in medical services, its hospital and clinic owners came up with a really unique strategy. They would redesign the hospital in the image of a spa. By adding spa treatments like aromatherapy and Thai massage, acupuncture and herbal treatments, as well as dietary consultation and physical therapy in addition to all of the state of the art medical treatments, facilities, and equipment they created one of the most relaxing and refreshing clinical environments anywhere in the world. A far cry from the sterile cinderblock and cold tile of the hospitals we've always known, these "medical spas" are as much a holiday a retreat as they are medical facilities and you will not frown for a minute while under their care.

Do take into account that there is a lot more that goes into planning for a medical holiday to get something like plastic surgery, so it is probably in your best interests to hire a qualified medical travel agency.