Dr. Suradej Pongratananukul

Dr Suradej Pongratananukul, who calls himself Dr Suradej Pong on his clinic's site, is the founder and surgeon of Thailand Hair Transplant Center (THTC) in Chiang Mai, Thailand 12. The clinic is on Sirimangkalajarn Lane 3 in Suthep, Mueang Chiang Mai 3. The site says he earned his medical degree at Siriraj Hospital, Mahidol University, in 1985 1. It says he then trained in pediatric surgery at The Children's Hospital in Bangkok and became a board certified pediatric surgeon 1. It says he has practised hair transplantation since 2001 and devotes his entire practice to hair loss, exclusively hair transplantation 1. It says THTC was established on April 1, 2002 1.

The clinic offers FUE, FUT, eyebrow and beard and moustache transplants, and medical treatment for hair loss 2. It says every procedure is personally performed and supervised by Dr Suradej together with his surgical team 2. The about page lists two registered nurses and four technicians alongside him 1. The clinic says it performs only one procedure at a time 4. It says surgery takes four to eight hours 4. It says the maximum in one session is 3,500 grafts and that larger cases are split into two sessions 5. It says it uses only mild oral sedation with local anaesthesia and no sleep injections 6. It says it does not operate on patients who are HIV positive or who have high blood pressure or high blood sugar 7.

The clinic charges a flat rate of US$3.00 per graft for FUE, regardless of the number of grafts 5. Its samples are US$3,000 for 1,000 grafts and US$6,000 for 2,000 grafts 5. FUT starts from US$2.25 per graft, lowered to US$1.89 to 2.20 for larger sessions 5. At the flat FUE rate, 3,000 grafts would come to US$9,000 by our arithmetic; the clinic publishes no such total 5. The clinic calls its price all-inclusive 5. It lists an HIV test, anaesthetic, the procedure, a light lunch, post-op medication, pillows, a headband, a bandana or hat and a daily hair wash and check-up until departure 5. Booking needs a US$500 deposit, credited to the balance, plus a non-refundable US$30 administrative fee 8.

The clinic gives a rough cost estimate from photos sent by email 4. It recommends a stay of four to five days, with consultation and surgery on day one and check-ups and hair washes on the following days 4. It says patients abroad can send photos for later follow-up 6. It recommends finasteride and minoxidil for all patients after surgery 4.

The clinic says he is an ABHRS diplomate and an ISHRS member 1. His ISHRS profile lists him as a Full Member who joined in 2010 and gives his ABHRS diplomate year as 2011 9. Registry records list him as an ABHRS diplomate and an ISHRS Full Member in Chiang Mai 109.