Dr. Phonlawat Trakulngernthai

Dr. Phonlawat Trakulngernthai (Thai: นพ. พลวัฒน์ ตระกูลเงินไทย) is a plastic surgeon practising in Bangkok. Two official doctor pages name him. At WIH International Hospital, in the Bang Na district, his listed role is "Cosmetic & Transgender Surgery". At Meko Clinic, on Vibhavadi Rangsit Road in Chatuchak, his entry carries the label of Diplomate in the Thai specialty board for plastic and reconstructive surgery.

On his WIH page, the special clinical interests he is credited with are transgender (gender-affirming) surgery and microsurgery. WIH gives English and Thai as the languages he speaks, while the Meko page about him is written in Thai.

What the record does and does not cover. The sources we reviewed state his medical degree, his specialist board qualification, his society memberships (as stated by the hospital), his volunteer surgical work, his languages and his two special clinical interests. They do not name individual procedures that he performs, and they do not give his years in practice, case numbers, outcomes or prices. We do not fill those gaps with guesses. Where a patient would want to know something that is not documented, this page says so, and a consultation is where to ask.

This page sits in our independent provider directory. It is neither a recommendation nor a ranking, and nobody pays for a place in it. You can read how profiles are built on our research methodology page. To ask about a consultation with Dr. Phonlawat, use our request form; our patient team checks availability with the facility and replies. Nothing is booked until the facility confirms.

Most of what follows comes from Dr. Phonlawat's Meko Clinic page, the fullest official source available. Each entry below rests on the hospital's own words.

• Medical degree: M.D. from the Faculty of Medicine, Khon Kaen University, in 2010.
• Specialist board: Diplomate status in the Thai specialty board for plastic and reconstructive surgery, linked on the profile to the Faculty of Medicine, Chulalongkorn University, in 2018.
• Memberships (hospital-stated): two Thai professional societies, one for plastic and reconstructive surgeons (abbreviated ThPRS) and one for aesthetic plastic surgeons (ThSAPS). The profile dates both to 2018.
• Licence number: the Meko profile prints a licence number (40077). It has not been matched to the Medical Council register on our side, so we show it only as a figure stated on the profile.

How to read this. In Thailand, plastic surgery is a recognised specialty with its own board examination, and a Diplomate is someone the board has recognised in that field. That is general context, not a judgment of any individual surgeon's skill. Training tells you where a surgeon started; it does not tell you how often they have carried out a particular operation, and no source we reviewed gives that figure for Dr. Phonlawat.

Before you fly. Licensed doctors appear on a public national register. The licence can be looked up on the Medical Council of Thailand's public register at checkmd.tmc.or.th, and our patient team can help you confirm it before you travel. A register search takes only a few minutes and suits any surgeon you are weighing up. See also how we handle unconfirmed items in our methodology.

A note on spelling. His surname is spelled "Trakulngernthai" on the WIH site and "Trakunngoenthai" on the Meko site. Both refer to the same Thai name. If you search a register or social media, try both spellings alongside the Thai name given above.

The official pages we reviewed describe the following roles for Dr. Phonlawat.

WIH International Hospital, Bangkok. The WIH profile lists him under "Cosmetic & Transgender Surgery". WIH describes itself as a specialized surgical hospital offering gender-affirming, cosmetic, reconstructive and aesthetic procedures, and it has an international patient desk. Our WIH International Hospital page shows the seven surgeons we found on WIH's official pages and the procedures WIH says it offers. That list belongs to the hospital as a whole; it is not a list of operations performed by any one surgeon.

Meko Clinic, Bangkok. His name also turns up in the surgeon directory at Meko Clinic, a plastic surgery clinic that says it was founded in 1982 and lists face surgery, breast surgery, liposuction, hair transplant and women's health among its services. The directory describes his expertise in general terms as double eyelid, breast and nose surgery. The clinic's site is mainly in Thai. The Vibhavadi Rangsit Road site in Chatuchak is Meko's main address, and a separate Rama 2 branch is also listed.

Volunteer surgical work. The Meko profile states that he has volunteered as a plastic surgeon with the Operation Smile Foundation Thailand and the Thai Red Cross Society. The pages do not say when this took place or whether it is ongoing, so we describe it only as stated.

What we cannot say. The pages do not say how his time is divided between the two facilities, which days he operates where, or whether a particular procedure is performed at one site rather than the other. We recommend confirming in writing where your consultation and any surgery would take place before you plan travel. The facility, the anaesthetic team and the aftercare arrangements are specific to each site, so ask which of them applies to your case.

We link a surgeon to a named procedure only when an official page says that surgeon performs it. For Dr. Phonlawat, two official sources describe interests and expertise, but neither names a specific operation in a way we can match to a procedure guide, so we have not tagged individual procedures to his profile. What follows is what the sources say, then general information on the kinds of surgery involved so you know what to ask.

### Transgender (gender-affirming) surgery

WIH lists "Transgender surgery" as one of his special clinical interests and gives his role as Cosmetic & Transgender Surgery. The profile does not say whether this means feminizing surgery, masculinizing surgery or both, and it does not name a technique. WIH as a hospital lists feminizing procedures such as vaginoplasty, facial feminization surgery and body feminization, and masculinizing procedures such as top surgery. Which of those, if any, Dr. Phonlawat performs is something to ask him directly.

In general, gender-affirming operations differ greatly in scale. Genital surgery such as vaginoplasty is a major operation: our procedure guide describes a hospital stay of around five to seven nights and about three to four weeks abroad overall, with regular dilation afterwards to maintain depth. Chest masculinization is usually shorter. Our guide describes typically two to four hours of surgery, a stay of either no nights or a single night in hospital, and about ten to fourteen days in Thailand so that drains can be removed and the result checked before flying. These are general figures, not promises for any individual surgeon, and suitability for any procedure needs an individual assessment.

### Microsurgery

WIH also lists "Microsurgery" as a special clinical interest. Microsurgery generally means operating under magnification to repair or reconnect tiny vessels and nerves. It is a standard part of reconstructive plastic surgery, for instance when a section of tissue is relocated elsewhere on the body. The page does not say which microsurgical operations he performs, whether they are offered to international cosmetic patients, or whether they are part of his consultations at either facility. If microsurgery matters to your plan, ask what he does in this area and where.

### Face, breast and body procedures at Meko Clinic

The Meko doctor directory describes his expertise as double eyelid, breast and nose surgery. That wording is generic, so we treat it as a general indication of the type of cosmetic work he does there rather than a confirmed procedure list. Our guides give the general picture for each:

• Double eyelid surgery reshapes the upper eyelid to create or define a crease.
• Breast augmentation enlarges the breasts, most often with implants and sometimes with fat transfer.
• Rhinoplasty and Asian rhinoplasty reshape or build up the nose.

Each of these has its own risk profile, and the surgeon should walk you through the downsides for your own case before you decide. Whether Dr. Phonlawat offers any of these when you want surgery is a question for the facility. When you send a request through us, name the specific operation and we will pass that exact question on.

### Why we are cautious

Being a plastic surgeon does not automatically mean performing every procedure a hospital advertises. Hospitals list services by department, while patients are treated by individual surgeons with individual training. Asking him in person which operations he regularly performs is entirely reasonable.

At a consultation the surgeon examines you, judges whether a given operation fits your situation, explains the plan and answers questions. Because the public record for Dr. Phonlawat is limited to his training, roles and interests, the appointment is where you can learn the details that matter to your decision. The questions below are general; adapt them to your own procedure.

Questions about the surgeon and the operation

• Which operations related to my goals do you perform regularly, and at which facility would mine take place?
• Have you operated on people with my anatomy or history before, and how do you talk about complications?
• Which techniques do you use, and why would you recommend one over another for me?
• Can I see results photographs that patients have agreed to share, and are they your own patients' results?
• Where does the result stop, and what would make you advise waiting or not operating?

Questions about safety and aftercare

• Who gives the anaesthetic, and what monitoring is used? (On Meko's breast surgery page the clinic says an anaesthesiologist is present for each case; for other operations, ask.)
• Where would I recover, and what is the earliest the surgeon would clear me to fly?
• Who looks after me if there is a problem after I fly home, and who pays for corrective care?
• What does the quoted price include, and what is excluded? Ask for this in writing.

If you are considering gender-affirming surgery. Many surgeons ask for supporting documentation, such as letters from mental health professionals or evidence of hormone therapy, and requirements differ between providers and between operations. We cannot state Dr. Phonlawat's requirements because they are not published. Ask what he and the facility require for your procedure, whether letters are needed and in what form, and how far in advance. Also ask about preparation specific to your operation, such as hair removal for some genital procedures, or stopping certain medicines before any operation.

Comparing options. It is reasonable to consult more than one surgeon. Our pages on WIH International Hospital and Meko Clinic list other surgeons at those sites, and our Bangkok city page lists further options. A listing is not an endorsement of any individual.

Remote consultations. Many overseas patients like to speak to a surgeon before travelling. Whether Dr. Phonlawat offers a video or phone appointment is not stated in the sources, so ask our patient team to check when you send your request.

At WIH International Hospital. WIH states that it runs an international patient desk and gives English and Thai as its service languages. The hospital is at 1798 Debaratna Road, Bang Na, Bangkok 10260. Dr. Phonlawat's own WIH profile lists English and Thai as the languages he speaks. The sources we reviewed give no details of airport transfers, accommodation arrangements or a recovery residence, so ask the facility what is offered rather than assuming it.

At Meko Clinic. The Meko site is mainly in Thai, and no international patient desk or staff-language list was published on the pages we read. The page about Dr. Phonlawat there is also in Thai. If you plan to be seen at Meko, ask in advance about interpretation and whether written information will be available in English.

Accreditation. Neither facility has a JCI or HA Thailand accreditation recorded on our site; we show accreditation only when we can see it for ourselves, either on the accreditor's website or in a current, dated notice from the facility. A missing record is not a finding that none exists; ask our patient team. If hospital accreditation matters to you, ask each facility for its current status in writing.

Planning your stay. Length of stay depends on the operation. Our guides describe a long trip for vaginoplasty (commonly three to four weeks) and a shorter one for top surgery (commonly ten to fourteen days). Face operations usually need a shorter stay than major gender-affirming surgery, but your surgeon sets the timetable for your case. Allow for the chance that your flight home moves, and consider travel insurance that covers medical complications abroad.

Getting around. Both facilities are in Bangkok, which has two international airports and a wide choice of hotels. Bang Na lies to the south-east of the centre and Chatuchak to the north, so settle which facility your appointment is at before you book accommodation. Our Bangkok page gives more context on the city as a surgery destination.

Payment. Each facility sets its own terms for deposits and payment. We do not publish prices for Dr. Phonlawat, because none were found on the official pages. Ask for a written treatment plan with a cost breakdown before you agree to anything.

A fuller first message gets you a more useful reply from the surgeon. What to gather depends on the operation.

For every request

• The operation or operations you are asking about, and what you hope to change.
• Age and basic measurements, plus any earlier operations and where they were done.
• Your current medicines and supplements, allergies, any smoking or vaping, and medical conditions such as diabetes, blood clots, or heart or lung problems.
• Your possible travel dates, the longest you could be away from home, and whether a call before the trip would help you.

For gender-affirming surgery

• Your hormone history, if relevant, including the type and how long you have taken it. Ask whether the surgeon wants this in writing.
• Any letters or assessments you already hold, and ask what format the facility wants. Requirements differ between providers, and Dr. Phonlawat's are not published.
• For genital surgery, any previous procedures in that area, and your questions about preparation such as hair removal.
• For chest surgery, clear front and side-on photographs of the chest, which the surgeon will usually want in order to plan the technique.

For face, breast and nose procedures

• Clear, well-lit photographs without makeup: for the face, front and both sides and, for nose surgery, a view from below; for breast surgery, front and side views.
• Any previous implants, injections or surgery in the area, including fillers, with dates and the type of material if you know it.
• Pictures of results you like help show your goals, but be ready to hear that your anatomy may not allow the same result.

Privacy. Share photographs and documents only through the secure route our team points you to, never in public posts. Health information is sensitive, and you are entitled to ask the facility how it stores and uses it.

When you have gathered what you can, request a consultation. If something on this list is not ready yet, send the request anyway and our team will tell you what the surgeon needs.