Why consider Malaysia for cosmetic surgery?

In the heart of Southeast Asia Peninsular Malaysia is located south of Thailand, Cambodia and Vietnam and is north of Singapore, with Sabah and Sarawak bordering Indonesia.  With picture perfect beaches, more than a thousand islands (38 of which are designated marine parks), lush vegetation, jungles, mountains and rainforests Malaysia is an increasingly popular destination and known predominantly for its beautiful scenery.  There are always plenty of festivals taking place, stunning architecture to marvel at, and with a tropical climate throughout the year of warm days and mild evenings, whatever the season, Malaysia is a definite consideration for the medical tourist seeking affordable, quality cosmetic surgery abroad.

With a curious mix of ancient and modern, Malaysia’s vibrant capital, Kuala Lumpur, is a very popular long-haul stop over for visitors on their way to Australia or New Zealand.  Most of the sights are accessible by foot, or you can take a taxi or travel on the Monorail or the KTM.  Many travellers take advantage of the fantastic shopping opportunities with the enormous array of retail outlets and the favourable exchange rate (around seven Malaysia Ringgits to £1).  Medical tourists will be seriously seduced by a selection of cut price designer labels, cosmetics, toys, music, photography and electrical goods available in the newly developed ‘Golden Triangle’, a fashionable commercial and retail district on the east side of Kuala Lumpur.

Other shopping malls include Sungei Wang, Lot 10 and KL Plaza on Jalan Bukit Bintang and for those who enjoy a bit of bartering and haggling the night market in Chinatown’s Petaling Street is the place to be.  Kuala Lumpur is also a fascinating city to visit for cultural reasons, as well as for tasting the local cuisine which has Indian, Malay and Chinese influences.  Head to the Petronos Towers (the tallest building in the world) for fabulous panoramic views of the city.  Alternatively, go further a field to some of Malaysia’s sweeping white sandy coastlines and sophisticated beach resorts like Langkawi in the west and Terengganu in the east, or visit the historical cities in the former colonies such as Malacca and the island of Penang.

Malaysia has an excellent medical reputation and attracts visitors from around the globe for the high standards of cosmetic surgery which costs a fraction of the price in the UK.  Medical specialists are highly qualified professionals with extensive qualifications more often gained in the UK, Australia or the US and surgeons work in state-of-the-art, well-equipped and well-staffed private medical centres, many of which are ISO 9001 accredited (the international standard for quality assurance).

The official language in Malaysia is Malay, but the medical staff speaks good English.  Costs are extremely competitive - breast enlargement for example costs around £2,110 in Malaysia, which is half the price in the UK where it costs between £3,500 and £5,000.  A full facelift including upper and lower eye lid lift, brow lift and neck lift costs around £2,900 in Malaysia compared with the UK where the face lift alone can cost between £4,000 and £6,000.

Kuala Lumpur is a good city to visit at any time of the year and is protected from the monsoon by the central mountain range. The monsoon season is from May to September but the east coast has a rainy season between November and February.  The peak seasons in the west of Malaysia are between December and February then between July and September.  On the east coast, the high season is between July and September.