The only thing holding a lot of us back from getting cosmetic surgery is the oppressive bills we are sure to rack up in the process. And for a set of procedures that are well tested and developed, having in fact become as routine as a tonsillectomy, it seems an outrageous price to pay. And regardless of whether it is our high cost of living or the machinations of a bloated insurance system, the fact remains that people want a thing they can not afford, at home.

This is why medical tourism is fast becoming a real alternative to these out of control prices and a way for ordinary people who live on limited income to get the plastic surgery they need to improve the quality of their lives.

By traveling to countries like Thailand it is possible to receive the same cosmetic surgery at a fraction of the cost while still receiving the same quality of care, or better, that you have come to expect from medical establishments at home. This is thanks to organizations like the Joint Commission International, or JCI, which inspect, rate and grant or deny hospitals around the world accreditation. The demands they place on hygienic practices and plastic surgeon qualifications are so high that many hospitals in Europe, Australia, and the US are unable to meet them. This helps give you assurance and assuage your fears when travelling abroad for medical services.
The highly competitive nature of the medical tourism industry has also created very vibrant and evolving style of care with a strong emphasis on patient experience. Many hospitals and clinics have decided to specialize on certain treatments and build up a strong staff of doctors and nurses with the most finely developed and specific set of skills possible, and it has also led to some unique innovations in the style of service.

As the hospital and clinical setting we have all come to know and feel uncomfortable in seemed somewhat less than conducive to a prosperous and competitive cosmetic surgery practice in somewhat crowded market, clinics in Thailand have pioneered the revolutionary "medical spa" model.

The idea is that if the made the setting more like a traditional Thai spa, along with a few of the trademark treatments like massage therapy and aroma therapy, while still maintaining a very high standard for state of the art equipment and highly trained staff, the sense of anxiety we often feel in the face of medical treatment would disappear.

The result: cosmetic surgery with maximum emphasis on patient experience.