Beauty & Wellness: Thailand Medical Tourism
Think Thailand, think beautiful weather, gorgeous island oases with soft, diamond-white sands, and stunning sunsets, not to mention incredible vacation stays; a tropical destination that defines relaxation and luxury. Add to this Thailand’s allure as a global beauty and medical tourism hub, with state-of-the-art cosmetic procedures, world-class hospitals and clinics, fine, internationally trained physicians as well as the latest wellness and health therapies available.
Bumrungrad International Hospital, Samitivej Hospital, Bangkok Hospital, and BNH are just a few of the capital’s private hospitals regarded as top-in-class on a world platform. There are also many clinics, particularly in Bangkok, with high-tech equipment performing non-surgical or minimally invasive facelifts with threading, lasers, radio frequency, and ultrasound, as well as Botox and collagen injections.
Whilst Bangkok is the epicenter of medical tourism, there is also a renowned hospital just a couple of hours’ drive from the city and treatments also available in Phuket which has an established reputation for dental work. With Phuket and Koh Samui reachable with a short flight from Bangkok, combining cosmetics in the city and island-style chilling can be the perfect balance.
Medical Tourism Vacations
Many visitors head to Thailand to enjoy more than an upscale vacation, combining a laid-back beach break with a nip and tuck or cherry-picking from a huge range of non-invasive and minimally invasive treatments. Many accredited Thai medical centers have excelled in their level of care, standard of treatments, and consistent results.
There is also the added bonus of Thailand being a spa destination too, meaning that beauty salon treatments, massage therapies and holistic activities such as yoga and meditation are plentiful and wonderfully integrated in the Thai-vacation experience. Since beauty is not skin deep, nurturing indulgences that promote health for the whole body and mind enhances any visit to Thailand for a cosmetic procedure.
There is also a growing trend amongst many vacationers to have a focus during their time away, whether enjoying a wellness break, bonding with family and loved ones, indulging in gourmet dining or simply detoxing from a hectic existence. This can be an ideal time to rejuvenate the body and face with beautification whilst letting the power of a relaxed break revive your core. The relationship between looking good on the outside and feeling fabulous on the inside flourishes in Thailand and the whole is greater than the sum of its parts.
Attractively Competitive
Another major selling point for medical tourists is the lower rates which makes Thailand ultimately competitive compared to the US, Australia and Europe as well as Japan and the Middle East. Particularly in recent times, Chinese tourists are flocking to Thailand at the moment and within this culture there is also a great interest in the potential for healthcare and beautifying procedures.
With advanced medical expertise, Thailand is far superior to many cut-price cosmetic and health-tourism destinations that cannot claim to offer anywhere near the same industry standard. According to figures reported in The Nation newspaper in Thailand in 2017, Thailand attracts over half a million medical tourists annually from ASEAN alone, with a third of the world’s 11 million medical consumers traveling to Southeast Asia.
Beauty & Wellness
Once upon a time, medical tourism really referred to big surgeries in hospital, but with medical advancements and the development of some pretty impressive and innovative treatments, keyhole surgery and less invasive procedures are gaining popularity. Beauty tourism is becoming ever-more sophisticated and enticing a bigger market than ever before, including those who appreciate luxury experiences and looking good.
Aside from the beauty-seekers, many of Thailand’s medical tourists are searching for access and quicker advancements to health treatment too. There is a greater emphasis on not simply looking fantastic but also feeling the best that you can, and Thailand is home to the latest developments in the field of wellbeing. Anti-aging, for example, goes beyond lifts and incorporates a more holistic approach to longevity and cell rejuvenation.
Post-Surgery Paradise
In recent years, medical tourism has expanded beyond facelifts and liposuction to facial rejuvenation and body sculpting, with many procedures requiring nothing more arduous that a few days’ recovery in a relaxed environment.
Thailand is a true post-surgery paradise with luxury hideaway havens. Those who have to take it easy after surgery can spend their recuperation taking walks along castaway beaches, barefoot in the sand with the sparkling waters of the Andaman Sea or the Gulf of Thailand lapping at the shore. Exclusive stays, amazing vistas, and achingly beautiful settings are just what the doctor ordered when it comes to gentle recovery.
Luxury Vacations with a Touch of Beauty
Of course, many beauty tourists opt for the absolute latest outpatient procedures such as laser treatments which only require local anesthetic. In these cases, the focus is on the vacation itself with a little added beauty top-up and once again, Thailand’s islands beckon as fun-filled holiday hotspots. Thailand is a firm favorite for family holidays, romantic getaways for couples-in-love, and dream breaks for friends and extended families.
With medical tourism estimated to be worth in the region of USD $55 billion, the attraction of beauty and wellness visitors to Thailand is striking, whilst beautiful Thai destinations turn heads too.