As the COVID-19 cases decreased around the world, Asian authorities gradually relaxed their borders and other COVID-19 safety measures. It allows fully-vaccinated foreign travelers to freely explore and marvel at the scenic landscapes in their respective countries. At the same time, foreign patients may now proceed with their long-delayed medical or aesthetic enhancement appointments. Some experts have noted the sudden rise of medical tourism in Asia. So, what are the factors that attract foreign patients to avail of Asia’s medical services?
The simple answer to this is that Asian medical hubs offer lower-cost medical or aesthetic enhancement services than their European and Western counterparts. Moreover, they do provide modern medical facilities and highly advanced medical technology.
What Is Medical Tourism?
During the first half of the 21st century, the field of medicine was making incredible progress while spreading like wildfire across the world. Medical advances were made in India, Thailand, Singapore, Malaysia and many other Asian countries. Despite these advances, the cost of their medical services remains low, compared to Western and European countries.
At that time, the aviation industry was expanding. It made flights more convenient and cheaper to those countries. This gave more options for foreign patients who are seeking lower costs for their medical operations while also giving them the chance to explore other countries. That’s how medical tourism was born.
If you’re on a budget, you definitely need to visit the following Asian countries that offer medical tourism: Malaysia, the Philippines, Thailand, South Korea, and China.
Breast Augmentation in Malaysia
Aside from its rich culture and fascinating landscape, Malaysia is a popular medical tourism hub in Asia. Foreign patients may avail themselves of the low-cost breast implant augmentation with an average price of RM 15,000 to RM 30,000 (which is equivalent to $3,400 to $6,800). On top of that, all of their hospitals are accredited by the Joint Commission International (JCI). Rest assured that they’ll provide you with the best medical care you can get. All of their local surgeons are duly-licensed aesthetic plastic surgeons armed with vast knowledge and experience. The vast majority of them are members of the prestigious International Society of Aesthetic Plastic Surgery (ISAPS).
You might also notice some of these clinics may offer a wide variety of breast implants with different brands. Choosing the right one might be overwhelming. However, one brand of breast implant seems to stand out from the rest of them. That is Motiva Implants.
Malaysia now provides its foreign patients with Motiva Implants for breast augmentation. It’s one of the most popular brands of breast implants in the world. More specifically, most of their patients prefer Motiva Ergonomix because they get the look, feel, and movement of a natural breast.
Motiva Ergonomix is designed with silicone-based elastomer shells filled with a highly advanced silicone gel, called ProgressiveGel Ultima. This gel is also responsible for Motiva Implants natural appearance, movement, and feel. These unique properties of the gel enable the implants to adapt to the natural movement of the body, resulting in a round shape when lying down and a tear-drop shape while standing upwards.
Furthermore, SmoothSilk/SilkSurface makes the shell of the breast implants categorized as a nanotextured surface implant. This surface inhibits the growth of bacteria around the implants, lowering the incidence of Breast Implant-Associated Anaplastic Large Cell Lymphoma (BIA-ALCL) and other related complication conditions.
Many studies have found that it has a record of lower complication rates. In a three-year prospective study, there are no cases of capsular contracture, rupture (due to device failure), rippling, and late seroma among breast augmentation procedures with Motiva Implants. Also, Motiva has zero reported cases of Breast Implant-Associated Anaplastic Large Cell Lymphoma (BIA-ALCL), a lymphoma associated with breast implants.
Another innovative feature of Motiva Implants is the Q Inside Safety Technology or Qid. It’s a Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) placed inside of the implants, where information about the implants is stored. During a consultation, a surgeon can use the Qid scanner to check the information with regard to the state of the breast implants, in case you lose your implant card that has the same information.
Breast Augmentation in the Philippines
The Philippines is one of the rising stars in Asia when it comes to breast augmentation. The price range for breast augmentation would be about ₱156,000-₱208,000 ($3,000-$4,000). In addition, the Philippines’ medical tourism facilities adhere to international standards (some of which are JCI-accredited) and do have the latest medical technology. Moreover, numerous local surgeons are members of the International Society of Aesthetic Plastic Surgery (ISAPS), where members of the society have the privilege of gaining access to other ideas in the field of aesthetic cosmetic surgery.
Similar to Malaysia, Motiva Implants are also currently available in the Philippines. Interestingly, Motiva Round was first offered in the country followed by Ergonomix, which launched in 2022.
Motiva Round has a fuller round shape compared to Ergonomix, and this is due to the ProgressiveGel PLUS. This silicone gel is designed to make sure that the implant is 100%filled, while still being ultra-soft. Motiva Round is also recommended if you want to achieve a fuller cleavage and a younger active look.
Motiva Round is also with the SmoothSilk/SilkSurface and has a similar safety profile with that of Ergonomix.
Breast Augmentation in Thailand
Thailand is one of the countries that also offers competitive breast augmentation surgery. Patients may avail it for as low as 246,000THB (8,000USD) – 339,000THB (11,000USD) with the country also has the most JCI-accredited in any other Southeast Asian country. This places them in the fourth palace in the world. They are just behind Saudi Arabia, China, and the United Arab Emirates.
In addition, they offer different varieties of breast implants like the Motiva Round and Motiva Ergonomix that give a fuller profile of the patient’s breasts.
Breast Augmentation in South Korea
The average cost for breast augmentation in South Korea goes around ($2,500)-($15,000). This might be a bit pricey if we’re going to compare it to its neighboring Asian countries. The reason for this high cost is the country’s top-notch hospitals with state-of-the-art technology backed by the country’s world-leading IT systems. They also do have experienced medical professionals and dozens of cutting-edge new facilities.
According to the article, over 90,000 breast augmentation cosmetic procedures have been conducted without any complications by Korean doctors and surgeons over the last two decades. South Korea offers both Motiva Round Implants and Motiva Ergonomix.
Breast Augmentation in Taiwan
Last but not the least, foreign patients are becoming interested in Taiwan’s medical services and facilities. It remains competitive with Thailand and Malaysia when it comes to the cost of breast augmentation surgery. The average price for their breast implants would range from about TWD 20,000 -TWD 25,000 ($685 to $855). Though the price might seem like a bargain, make sure to do proper research on the inclusion of this package. Breast augmentation is one of the most in-demand plastic surgeries, making it in the higher price range. Make sure you are getting safe and quality medical service for your money.
Moreover, their government fully supported the modernization and improvement of their medical sector. This paved the way for the manufacturing of state-of-the-art medical technology that can compete with the technologies used in the US and other first-world countries.
Unlike the hospitals in most prominent medical tourism destinations, Taiwanese hospitals choose to be directly recognized by the Joint Commission of Taiwan (JCT) rather than the Joint Commission International (JCI).
As of the moment, most clinics in Taiwan offer Motiva Ergonomix. It‘s the most preferred breast implant in Taiwan because it gives the patients a natural profile of their breasts and freely follows their movement.
Without a doubt, breast augmentation in Asia is booming despite all the setbacks caused by the unprecedented COVID-19 pandemic. This growing industry is truly beneficial for many foreign patients who want to explore other Asian countries and gain benefits from their cost-friendly medical and aesthetic services.
*Pricing range stated in this article is just for reference, please seek professional advice for the actual price.
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