Choosing a Surgeon for Breast Lift and Implants in Bangkok — What to Verify

We are regularly asked to recommend a surgeon. What we can honestly do instead is set out what to verify, because a recommendation you cannot check is worth very little.

Combining a lift with implants is genuinely one of the more demanding operations in the field. It asks the surgeon to make the breast smaller and tighter and larger at the same time, and it has a higher revision rate than either procedure performed alone. That is a fact about the operation, not about any particular surgeon.

What to verify about the surgeon

Board certification in plastic surgery, issued by the Medical Council of Thailand, with a licence number you can check. "Cosmetic doctor" is not the same qualification.

International membership — ISAPS or ASPS listings are public and searchable.

How often they perform this specific combination. Not breast surgery in general. Mastopexy with augmentation specifically, per year.

Whether they will stage it. A surgeon who is willing to say "in your case I would do the lift first and the implant six months later" is telling you something useful about their judgement. One who agrees to everything in one sitting regardless of the anatomy is telling you something else.

Their written revision policy. With a higher revision rate, this matters more here than almost anywhere else. Who pays for the theatre, the surgeon and the hospital if you need a revision after flying home?

What to verify about the implants

The manufacturer and the exact reference. Ask for the implant card — it lists manufacturer, size, profile and serial numbers. You should be given it after surgery and keep it permanently.

The warranty. Major manufacturers provide warranties covering rupture and, in some cases, capsular contracture. Ask what applies to you and how a claim would work from another country.

Placement and profile, and why. Above or below the muscle, and which profile, should be explained in terms of your own tissue rather than as a house default.

What to verify about the plan

Is a lift actually needed? If the nipple sits at or below the fold, an implant alone will not fix position — it will produce a larger breast that still sits low. Conversely a lift on a patient who wanted volume produces a tighter breast that is no fuller. Getting this wrong is the most common source of disappointment.

Has anyone mentioned the trade-offs? Bigger implants place more load on a lift that has just been performed. Larger is not automatically better and it is not free of consequence.

Are the scars explained before, not after? The anchor pattern leaves scars around the areola, vertically, and in the fold beneath the breast. Anyone not at peace with that should not have the operation.

Our own arrangements, stated for checking

Surgery arranged through Med Sanctuary is performed at Intrarat Hospital, Bangkok — a licensed hospital certified to ISO 9001:2015, with theatres, an intensive care unit and inpatient beds.

The surgeon is Dr. Rushapol Sdawat, M.D., board-certified plastic and reconstructive surgeon, licence no. 17689, ISAPS member since 2008. He declines cases where the plan requested will not achieve what the patient is hoping for, and recommends staging where the anatomy calls for it.

The revision policy is written on every quotation. We would rather you checked all of that than took our word for it.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can you recommend plastic surgeons in Bangkok who specialise in breast lift and implant procedures?

Rather than a recommendation you cannot verify, check four things yourself: board certification in plastic surgery from the Medical Council of Thailand with a licence number you can confirm; public ISAPS or ASPS membership; how many mastopexy-with-augmentation procedures the surgeon performs each year specifically; and a written revision policy, which matters because combining a lift with implants carries a higher revision rate than either operation alone. A surgeon willing to recommend staging the two procedures where the anatomy calls for it is showing useful judgement.

Should a breast lift and implants be done at the same time?

Sometimes, and sometimes not. Doing both at once asks the surgeon to tighten and enlarge simultaneously, and it carries a higher revision rate. Where the anatomy is demanding, staging the lift and the implant separately can give a more predictable result.

Do I need a lift as well as implants?

It depends on where the nipple sits relative to the fold beneath the breast. If it sits at or below that level, an implant alone will generally produce a larger breast in the same low position rather than a lifted one. This should be assessed in person.

What documentation should I receive about my implants?

An implant card listing the manufacturer, size, profile and serial numbers, which you keep permanently, along with details of the manufacturer's warranty and how a claim would be made from your own country.