Dr. Thakoon Poonthananiwatkul

Dr. Thakoon Poonthananiwatkul (Thai: นพ. ฐากูร พูนธนานิวัฒน์กุล) is a doctor listed by Bangkok Hospital Siriroj on Phuket island. The hospital's doctor directory describes him as a surgeon at the Phuket Plastic Surgery Institute and records his specialty simply as Surgery.

That distinction is important, so we reproduce it carefully. Surgery is a general designation. The profile names no plastic surgery qualification and no subspecialty, which means we cannot call him a board-certified plastic surgeon and we do not credit him with plastic surgery training. What the record does show is that he is attached to the institute, a unit the hospital says serves mostly patients from abroad.

The facts we can state with confidence are these:

• Name: Dr. Thakoon Poonthananiwatkul
• Specialty as listed by the hospital: Surgery
• Listed at: the institute for plastic surgery inside Bangkok Hospital Siriroj in Phuket
• Languages on his profile: English and Thai

Because the source material about him is brief, this page is brief on surgeon-specific detail and spends its remaining space on things that help you decide: how to ask the right questions, what is still unconfirmed, and how the practicalities of a Phuket consultation work. If you want to know how we gather and check this kind of information, read our research methodology.

The hospital's profile gives two education entries, both from Prince of Songkla University, a public university in southern Thailand:

• Doctor of Medicine, Prince of Songkla University, 2008.
• Surgery training, Prince of Songkla University, 2013.

The second entry is a single line. It does not say what kind of award it represents, for instance a residency completion or a specialty board certificate, so we do not interpret it. The profile also lists no fellowship, no study abroad and no subspecialty. If a particular credential matters to your decision, put that question in your consultation request and our patient team will relay it to the hospital.

Two points are still open. His licence can be looked up on the Medical Council of Thailand's public register at checkmd.tmc.or.th. His affiliations: the profile lists no professional society and we did not search any membership lists, which means this page says nothing either way about plastic surgery society membership. Before you travel, you can ask the hospital to supply his registration details in writing.

On the record, Dr. Thakoon's role is that of a surgeon with the Phuket Plastic Surgery Institute (PPSI), run inside Bangkok Hospital Siriroj. Hospital pages locate PPSI in Building 5, level 4, and present it as a plastic surgery unit whose patients are mainly from overseas.

The hospital dates from 1982 and previously traded as Siriroj International Hospital and Phuket International Hospital; today it is one of the hospitals run by BDMS, the Bangkok Dusit Medical Services group. On the Joint Commission International list of accredited organisations it appears for its hospital programme, dated December 2012, and no end date is shown. Since a directory entry is only a snapshot, ask the hospital to confirm where its accreditation stands now.

His profile mentions no earlier posts, no teaching appointments and no total of years in practice, and we state none of those. For the city itself, our Phuket city guide covers getting there and where people stay.

His published profile gives no procedures, special interests or areas of expertise. We have therefore tied him to no individual operation, and the public record does not let us say whether he does, say, nose or breast surgery.

What is published concerns the institute collectively. Its overview groups the work under six headings: the face, the breast, body contouring, intimate and feminine wellness, gender affirmation, and weight-loss and metabolic surgery. Operations named in the hospital's pages include liposuction, tummy tuck, breast lift, breast augmentation, facelift, blepharoplasty and rhinoplasty. That is the institute's range; it does not assign any operation to any one surgeon.

In general, working inside an institute is not the same fact as holding a plastic surgery specialty. In your enquiry, say which operation interests you and ask for written confirmation of the surgeon who would perform it, together with that surgeon's training for it. More than one surgeon is listed at the institute, and the right person may differ from one operation to the next.

As background only, and not a statement about him, our procedure pages give the following general picture. Rhinoplasty is usually performed under general anaesthesia, and our page suggests allowing roughly 7 to 10 days in the country, which covers taking off the nasal splint and a review of healing. Breast augmentation likewise tends to use general anaesthesia, with about 7 to 10 days recommended on the ground. Each carries surgical and anaesthetic risks, and whether either is appropriate depends on an assessment of you as an individual.

Good consultations tend to cover similar ground whichever surgeon you see. With a short public profile like this one, the following are particularly worth asking:

• Which operations do you carry out regularly? Ask about the precise procedure you have in mind rather than inferring it from the institute's service list.
• How does your training relate to this operation? The hospital lists his specialty as Surgery, so ask how that background applies to your case.
• Who is in the operating theatre with you? Find out who gives the anaesthetic and who will examine you in the days afterwards.
• What are my alternatives, and what are the risks in my situation? Pages such as rhinoplasty and breast augmentation outline the general risks; your health history changes how they apply.
• What if a problem or revision arises once I am back home? Ask whom you should contact and where any further treatment would take place.
• What is written into the plan? Ask for the procedure, the facility, the anaesthesia and the inclusions and exclusions in a document you can keep.

Many patients bring photographs of results they admire. Use them to describe what you want, and keep in mind they are not a forecast of your own result. An honest surgeon will tell you what your own anatomy allows, and sometimes that means recommending a different option or no operation at all.

According to the hospital, foreign nationals make up the majority of those treated at its plastic surgery institute. Dr. Thakoon's own profile shows English and Thai. What the pages we read do not tell us is whether there is a dedicated international patient desk, or whether the hospital arranges interpreters, airport transfers or accommodation. We therefore claim none of these. Please ask when you send your request.

For the institute, the hospital gives opening hours of 08.00 to 16.00 every day, at Building 5, level 4. Siriroj's own address reads: number 44, Chalermprakiat Ror 9 Road, Wichit subdistrict, Mueang Phuket District, postcode 83000.

In general, travelling patients build their trip around the follow-up visits the surgeon wants, not just the day of the operation. Each of our procedure pages gives a typical time-in-Thailand range, but your surgeon sets the actual schedule, including the point at which you are fit to fly home. Do not book non-refundable flights until the plan has been confirmed.

Whatever you ask about, the following lets the patient team and the surgeon respond usefully:

• A few sentences on the concern or operation, and the outcome you hope for.
• Clear, recent photographs of the relevant area in even light, taken from the angles the team requests.
• Medical background: past operations or implants, ongoing conditions, allergies, regular medicines and supplements, and whether you smoke or vape.
• Height and weight where the operation depends on them, plus any large recent change in weight.
• Records of previous surgery or implant cards if you are asking about revision work.
• When you could fly to Phuket and how many days away from home are realistic.

Send only what the team asks for via the request form. Do not include passport or payment details at this stage.