Hey! I have started a thread regarding my revision rhinoplasty at BT, this time I want to discuss my revision facial contouring with Dr Lee Hobin at BT.
Background: Some background of me personally, is that I am from Korea, but I don’t speak any Korean or have any network here. Hence it has been difficult to get reliable local information when finding a good and recommended surgeon. As early as 2007, I was sitting on Thai clinic websites, but it was not really feasible at that time of my life. In 2014 when I really set out to make reality of my dreams to get a rhinoplasty and double eyelid surgery – there was not a lot of clinics catering to the foreign markets especially the European. I found Wonjin plastic surgery, which is a well established clinic, sitting on several floors of the Pagoda Building in the middle of Gangnam. They had an extensive website in English, and that’s how I found them.
In 2015 and got A CHIN augmentation with silicone implant, and eventually in 2018 I did facial contouring with a combined cheekbone and jawline shaving with V-lifting threads to prevent sagginess.
As time progressed and my new facial shape settles I started to notice some sagginess and jowls, that I hadn’t had before. Wonjin had told me about some skin coming loose as you remove the hard bones and leave the stretched out skin. That is also why I has the combined V-lifting, but it didn’t seem to help. So… in the summer of 2022 I got liposuction of the chin and jawline as well as some new V-lifting threads. The surgeries were successful in themselves, but I came to understand that it wasn’t the skin or fat in themselves that gave me the weird nooks on my face, resembling jowls – it was due to the fact that my chin implant did no longer suit my new facial line.
Method: This time I researched different clinics and their results and reviews, primarily here on PF as I don’t speak Korean or know anyone who does and whom I would trust in this. I scheduled everything about two-three months in advance. I got online consultations with a variety of clinics, and their feedback, overall reviews here on this forum and demeanor were factors in which of them made it onto my shortlist.
During the time leading up to my trip I felt more and more sure about both ILAC and BT, as I kept up with feedback on forums, and also the overall interaction with the clinics. In the end… as time was of the essence, I ended up doing consultations with only these clinics. They are both small clinics, consisting of a couple of male doctors, specialized in different areas.
Consultations: ILAC (directly after I arrived at Incheon): I was a gross mess, coming with all my luggage. I didn’t plan it like this, but the traffic in to Seoul was hopeless and it took me almost 2 hours from the airport, so I didn’t even have to time to check into my goshiwan and drop my things off. Anyways, the clinic is quite small and unassuming. The people working at ILAC are all younger, giving a friendly and upbeat vibe, with well spoken English. I first did an CT scan, then I first met with Dr Joo, who specializes in rhinoplasties, along with an in-house-translator. Dr Joo had given me a very detailed and intricate online consultation beforehand, and that’s where we started off. The consultation went very well and Dr Joo is friendly and funny, I was very comfortable asking all my stupid questions. One of the first things that Dr Joo pointed out was that I had a deviated septum, which I had NO idea about up until then, even though I had felt stuffiness. He said function in the nose is number one priority, and that fixing the deviation would also help with the overall nose symmetry. As all my online consultations had entailed rib cartilage, I wondered why Dr Joo suggested septal cartilage, and he said that he wasn’t sure if there might be some left to use - which was preferred, but that he would order donor rib cartilage, and see how everything looked once in surgery. I then met with Dr Ko for eyes and chin, he speaks English perfectly so no translator was needed. He is also very friendly, patient and handsome (!), and gave a very good detailed consultation. What is worth mentioning is that neither Dr Ko or Dr Joo specialize in face contouring, so I was actually asked which one I preferred to have consultation with for that. I could tell that Dr Ko was an expert regarding the eyelid surgery, but showed more uncertainty in regards to the chin. I actually had to do another CT scan do cover the chin part, as I think the clinic rarely do these surgeries as none of the doctors do facial contouring. I actually consider doing my eyelid revision with Dr Ko, but at another point in time. The consultation lasted 2 hours! I got a really good impression of the whole clinic and the doctors.
BT plastic surgery: I went there the day after, once I had had a shower and a good nights sleep (I had not been able to sleep during my 15 hours long flight). The clinic is quite new as BT started in May this year, however the surgeons are older and very experienced, specializing in rhinoplasty (Dr Lee Seungho) and facial contouring (Dr Lee Hobin). And: They also have an in-house anaestesiologist, and they do a lighter general anaestisea and not sleep sedation as is the case with many other clinics. BT’s clinic is very nice and tasteful, not too on the nose with the luxury (which is good, it gives off the wrong impression If you ask me). I had also seen the clinic in a YouTube video where the doctors are introducing the clinic. I met with Grace, the person I had been chatting with online. She is a calm, kind and considerate person, and had really gone that extra mile before our consultation, sending me weather reports for me to pack the right kind of clothing. It was super cold when I got to Seoul, like -16 degrees. I did a CT scan, got some photos, and then met with Dr Lee Seungho after speaking with Grace and giving her all the details on my previous surgeries. When Dr Lee Seungho came in, one of the first things he said that he could tell from the CT scan that I had done my previous rhinoplasty at Wonjin, and then he broke everything down for me. He is friendly and patient, but you can tell he has pondus. The technique of the previous rhinoplasty had made my nose wider and the implant my skin very thin on the tip. We looked at my referential photos and he gave me feedback on what he thought was possible due to previous surgeries. I was actually the one to mention that I also had a deviated septum (shout out Dr Joo at ILAC). Dr Lee Seungho asked if I had any problems due to it (turns out it is quite common with a deviated septum but not everyone experience problems from it), and I answered stuffiness. He took a look at the CT scan again and also inside each nostril, and concluded that I did indeed have a deviated septum along with enlarged turbinates (due to them being inflamed), conditions that often come together. As I have struggled with sleep and low energy during the years, and actually have a sleep disorder, I just felt like I needed to prioritize fixing this while also getting a cosmetic change. I forgot to ask about septal cartilage, and when Grace later popped out to ask Dr Lee Seungho, he was actually in surgery but was able to answer that I did NOT have enough left and that rib cartilage was needed, also as this is stronger to support the tip so it won’t droop. So it felt re-assuring with a doctor certain and confident in assessment. I then met with Dr Lee Hobin, whom I found friendly and gentle. We had a pretty straight forward consultation about exchanging the chin implant, making it wider, not as protruded, giving me a smoother jawline. He was honest and real with me and informed me that the soft tissue and the skin had stretched out with the longer implant, and putting in a shorter one would not magically make that excess of soft tissue disappear. He said he would also thin out the soft parts as it had become thick with the previous implant. There were some screws that he wasn’t sure he would be able to remove, but he would try.
ILAC’s final quotation, which included nose, eyes and chin was 17 million won. BT’s initial quotation was however ridiculously high, especially compared to the online quote - around 18 million won for nose and chin. In the end I managed to negotiate it down to 15 million won, and a part of me believes I could have gone even lower, but in the end I wanted it done and at a date close in time, so I really just wanted to get it over with.
In deciding which procedures to do and where, I had to ponder things over, prioritizing my nose as is also had functional issues, along with my chin that had come to bug me more and more. One funny observation was that each clinic was curious where else I would be consulting. Out of all my other considerations, Grace said « do your consultations so you feel sure, you don’t have to go with us, but please don’t do it at ILAC ». The consults at ILAC were of course pessimistic about their competitors (that’s their literal job), when I stated BT, they actually had to look them up online, and said I should not do the surgery there as the doctors had been at these big factory like clinics before.
I chose after careful consideration to go to BT, because Dr Lee Seungho and Dr Lee Hobin are both respectively specialized in those type of surgeries. Not only that, they have years and years of experience, which I could tell by things that were said in passing. I also felt secure with Grace and the fact that they had an in-house anaestesiologist, and always did a physical exam with the works including blood tests, xray and ECG. I came by the day after to pay the deposit of 10%, and also some more as the surgery was coming up very soon. I should mention that the prices mentioned here are excluding VAT, I actually paid like 80% of the total amount in cash. The final price included my consent to BT using anonymous photos of nose and chin (I assume they are building their clinic portfolio as they started this year) as well as me writing a review here. That will not however bias the actual content of the review.
Surgery: The scheduled date of surgery was Dec 23rd, as we had previously discussed online. First they made it sound like there was only one spot left that day (all clinics want to lock you down), but once I had decided they let me choose time, morning or afternoon so I guess it was part of the playing hard to get. What is good about BT is that the doctors only do one or two surgeries each per day, they are not those treadmill factory clinics, like Wonjin
. The day before surgery I went to do the physical exam at a nearby clinic which BT collaborates with. Before leaving, the English speaking staff pointed out the appointment was the next day at 10am, but that the advised me to be at the clinic at 9:30am or even earlier than that, having fasted for at least 8 hours, with no jewelry, in comfortable clothes.
Now onto the embarrassing part. That evening I had prepped everything that I needed, putting all the money in my bag, putting out comfy clothes to wear, done my skin care routin, brushed my teeth thoroughly - I was ready before falling asleep. I always have my phone set on mute, so that I only hear my morning alarm. But the next day I awoken by somebody knocking repeatedly on my door (who? I don’t know anyone in Seoul). I catch a glimpse of the time and it’s like 10:15am - I had slept through my alarm! As I moan in my newly awoken state about my obvious **** up, I open the door - it’s Grace! She is very apologetic about using my private information about where I am staying (I can also add I had many missed calls and messages on my phone), showing up like that. Grace said they were worried about me as I was in Seoul all alone, and had sent her there in a taxi to check up on me. I was very relieved and thanked her for doing do, I basically just jumped into my prepared outfit and got my bag and went to the taxi. Thanks to Grace’s actually writing down the details of my accommodation, things got solved! Even though it was SO embarrassing coming into the clinic, however the doctors were flexible and things went along as planned, just a bit later that day. So as I am going down I can feel the.. anaestesia effecting my throat, making it warm and sore. The surgery lasted almost 5 hours, and I woke up about five minutes after coming out of surgery, feeling pretty ****ty, especially in my throat (still isn’t well today postop day 7). Grace told me there were no taxis as it was Xmas time and also super cold, so her husband and daughter who would come to pick her up for dinner, would also drop me off. I needed to rest some more, but felt so bad for having Grace and her family wait on me resting, especially as I overslept for surgery. But Grace was a real professional and said that BT’s promise to me went before all else (which of course is true). So we left about 2 hours after coming out of surgery. Grace’s husband was friendly and super tall, and her daughter a little shy - who wouldn’t be meeting a stranger looking like Frankenstein. Grace also gave me two bananas and made sure I got all the way home, she wouldn’t let me carry the bag of medicine that she had gotten for me at the downstairs pharmacy, and assured me I could contact her with whatever.
Results: The doctors and the clinic have been GREAT during my recovery. Grace even took me out for a birthday lunch as I had my birthday during my stay
. Here are the latest pictures from yesterday and the last appointment, post op day 19: I want to add that the soft tissues are still swollen so the chin will be less protruding in time, the jawline is also a bit swollen, I still have some fading yellowish bruises especially on my left cheek, which makes my face a bit asymmetrical atm - but that will fade away soon. My pre-op photos do not really show or highlight my previous nooks, messing up an even and nice V-line - but let me tell you how happy I am already. It’s hard to tell by the pictures by themselves but this is such an improvement and Dr Lee Hobin is so skilled. He was straight with me and warned me about soft tissues stretching out from the previous implant, that were risking to sag after putting in a different shaped implant. But he did such a good job and there does not seems to be sagging. I still have some healing to do, but the results right now is already so much better than before, and never underestimate a good jawline 
. See below pre and post pics! I wish I would have gone straight to Dr Lee Hobin for my initial facial contouring.
Background: Some background of me personally, is that I am from Korea, but I don’t speak any Korean or have any network here. Hence it has been difficult to get reliable local information when finding a good and recommended surgeon. As early as 2007, I was sitting on Thai clinic websites, but it was not really feasible at that time of my life. In 2014 when I really set out to make reality of my dreams to get a rhinoplasty and double eyelid surgery – there was not a lot of clinics catering to the foreign markets especially the European. I found Wonjin plastic surgery, which is a well established clinic, sitting on several floors of the Pagoda Building in the middle of Gangnam. They had an extensive website in English, and that’s how I found them.
In 2015 and got A CHIN augmentation with silicone implant, and eventually in 2018 I did facial contouring with a combined cheekbone and jawline shaving with V-lifting threads to prevent sagginess.
As time progressed and my new facial shape settles I started to notice some sagginess and jowls, that I hadn’t had before. Wonjin had told me about some skin coming loose as you remove the hard bones and leave the stretched out skin. That is also why I has the combined V-lifting, but it didn’t seem to help. So… in the summer of 2022 I got liposuction of the chin and jawline as well as some new V-lifting threads. The surgeries were successful in themselves, but I came to understand that it wasn’t the skin or fat in themselves that gave me the weird nooks on my face, resembling jowls – it was due to the fact that my chin implant did no longer suit my new facial line.
Method: This time I researched different clinics and their results and reviews, primarily here on PF as I don’t speak Korean or know anyone who does and whom I would trust in this. I scheduled everything about two-three months in advance. I got online consultations with a variety of clinics, and their feedback, overall reviews here on this forum and demeanor were factors in which of them made it onto my shortlist.
During the time leading up to my trip I felt more and more sure about both ILAC and BT, as I kept up with feedback on forums, and also the overall interaction with the clinics. In the end… as time was of the essence, I ended up doing consultations with only these clinics. They are both small clinics, consisting of a couple of male doctors, specialized in different areas.
Consultations: ILAC (directly after I arrived at Incheon): I was a gross mess, coming with all my luggage. I didn’t plan it like this, but the traffic in to Seoul was hopeless and it took me almost 2 hours from the airport, so I didn’t even have to time to check into my goshiwan and drop my things off. Anyways, the clinic is quite small and unassuming. The people working at ILAC are all younger, giving a friendly and upbeat vibe, with well spoken English. I first did an CT scan, then I first met with Dr Joo, who specializes in rhinoplasties, along with an in-house-translator. Dr Joo had given me a very detailed and intricate online consultation beforehand, and that’s where we started off. The consultation went very well and Dr Joo is friendly and funny, I was very comfortable asking all my stupid questions. One of the first things that Dr Joo pointed out was that I had a deviated septum, which I had NO idea about up until then, even though I had felt stuffiness. He said function in the nose is number one priority, and that fixing the deviation would also help with the overall nose symmetry. As all my online consultations had entailed rib cartilage, I wondered why Dr Joo suggested septal cartilage, and he said that he wasn’t sure if there might be some left to use - which was preferred, but that he would order donor rib cartilage, and see how everything looked once in surgery. I then met with Dr Ko for eyes and chin, he speaks English perfectly so no translator was needed. He is also very friendly, patient and handsome (!), and gave a very good detailed consultation. What is worth mentioning is that neither Dr Ko or Dr Joo specialize in face contouring, so I was actually asked which one I preferred to have consultation with for that. I could tell that Dr Ko was an expert regarding the eyelid surgery, but showed more uncertainty in regards to the chin. I actually had to do another CT scan do cover the chin part, as I think the clinic rarely do these surgeries as none of the doctors do facial contouring. I actually consider doing my eyelid revision with Dr Ko, but at another point in time. The consultation lasted 2 hours! I got a really good impression of the whole clinic and the doctors.
BT plastic surgery: I went there the day after, once I had had a shower and a good nights sleep (I had not been able to sleep during my 15 hours long flight). The clinic is quite new as BT started in May this year, however the surgeons are older and very experienced, specializing in rhinoplasty (Dr Lee Seungho) and facial contouring (Dr Lee Hobin). And: They also have an in-house anaestesiologist, and they do a lighter general anaestisea and not sleep sedation as is the case with many other clinics. BT’s clinic is very nice and tasteful, not too on the nose with the luxury (which is good, it gives off the wrong impression If you ask me). I had also seen the clinic in a YouTube video where the doctors are introducing the clinic. I met with Grace, the person I had been chatting with online. She is a calm, kind and considerate person, and had really gone that extra mile before our consultation, sending me weather reports for me to pack the right kind of clothing. It was super cold when I got to Seoul, like -16 degrees. I did a CT scan, got some photos, and then met with Dr Lee Seungho after speaking with Grace and giving her all the details on my previous surgeries. When Dr Lee Seungho came in, one of the first things he said that he could tell from the CT scan that I had done my previous rhinoplasty at Wonjin, and then he broke everything down for me. He is friendly and patient, but you can tell he has pondus. The technique of the previous rhinoplasty had made my nose wider and the implant my skin very thin on the tip. We looked at my referential photos and he gave me feedback on what he thought was possible due to previous surgeries. I was actually the one to mention that I also had a deviated septum (shout out Dr Joo at ILAC). Dr Lee Seungho asked if I had any problems due to it (turns out it is quite common with a deviated septum but not everyone experience problems from it), and I answered stuffiness. He took a look at the CT scan again and also inside each nostril, and concluded that I did indeed have a deviated septum along with enlarged turbinates (due to them being inflamed), conditions that often come together. As I have struggled with sleep and low energy during the years, and actually have a sleep disorder, I just felt like I needed to prioritize fixing this while also getting a cosmetic change. I forgot to ask about septal cartilage, and when Grace later popped out to ask Dr Lee Seungho, he was actually in surgery but was able to answer that I did NOT have enough left and that rib cartilage was needed, also as this is stronger to support the tip so it won’t droop. So it felt re-assuring with a doctor certain and confident in assessment. I then met with Dr Lee Hobin, whom I found friendly and gentle. We had a pretty straight forward consultation about exchanging the chin implant, making it wider, not as protruded, giving me a smoother jawline. He was honest and real with me and informed me that the soft tissue and the skin had stretched out with the longer implant, and putting in a shorter one would not magically make that excess of soft tissue disappear. He said he would also thin out the soft parts as it had become thick with the previous implant. There were some screws that he wasn’t sure he would be able to remove, but he would try.
ILAC’s final quotation, which included nose, eyes and chin was 17 million won. BT’s initial quotation was however ridiculously high, especially compared to the online quote - around 18 million won for nose and chin. In the end I managed to negotiate it down to 15 million won, and a part of me believes I could have gone even lower, but in the end I wanted it done and at a date close in time, so I really just wanted to get it over with.
In deciding which procedures to do and where, I had to ponder things over, prioritizing my nose as is also had functional issues, along with my chin that had come to bug me more and more. One funny observation was that each clinic was curious where else I would be consulting. Out of all my other considerations, Grace said « do your consultations so you feel sure, you don’t have to go with us, but please don’t do it at ILAC ». The consults at ILAC were of course pessimistic about their competitors (that’s their literal job), when I stated BT, they actually had to look them up online, and said I should not do the surgery there as the doctors had been at these big factory like clinics before.
I chose after careful consideration to go to BT, because Dr Lee Seungho and Dr Lee Hobin are both respectively specialized in those type of surgeries. Not only that, they have years and years of experience, which I could tell by things that were said in passing. I also felt secure with Grace and the fact that they had an in-house anaestesiologist, and always did a physical exam with the works including blood tests, xray and ECG. I came by the day after to pay the deposit of 10%, and also some more as the surgery was coming up very soon. I should mention that the prices mentioned here are excluding VAT, I actually paid like 80% of the total amount in cash. The final price included my consent to BT using anonymous photos of nose and chin (I assume they are building their clinic portfolio as they started this year) as well as me writing a review here. That will not however bias the actual content of the review.
Surgery: The scheduled date of surgery was Dec 23rd, as we had previously discussed online. First they made it sound like there was only one spot left that day (all clinics want to lock you down), but once I had decided they let me choose time, morning or afternoon so I guess it was part of the playing hard to get. What is good about BT is that the doctors only do one or two surgeries each per day, they are not those treadmill factory clinics, like Wonjin
. The day before surgery I went to do the physical exam at a nearby clinic which BT collaborates with. Before leaving, the English speaking staff pointed out the appointment was the next day at 10am, but that the advised me to be at the clinic at 9:30am or even earlier than that, having fasted for at least 8 hours, with no jewelry, in comfortable clothes.Now onto the embarrassing part. That evening I had prepped everything that I needed, putting all the money in my bag, putting out comfy clothes to wear, done my skin care routin, brushed my teeth thoroughly - I was ready before falling asleep. I always have my phone set on mute, so that I only hear my morning alarm. But the next day I awoken by somebody knocking repeatedly on my door (who? I don’t know anyone in Seoul). I catch a glimpse of the time and it’s like 10:15am - I had slept through my alarm! As I moan in my newly awoken state about my obvious **** up, I open the door - it’s Grace! She is very apologetic about using my private information about where I am staying (I can also add I had many missed calls and messages on my phone), showing up like that. Grace said they were worried about me as I was in Seoul all alone, and had sent her there in a taxi to check up on me. I was very relieved and thanked her for doing do, I basically just jumped into my prepared outfit and got my bag and went to the taxi. Thanks to Grace’s actually writing down the details of my accommodation, things got solved! Even though it was SO embarrassing coming into the clinic, however the doctors were flexible and things went along as planned, just a bit later that day. So as I am going down I can feel the.. anaestesia effecting my throat, making it warm and sore. The surgery lasted almost 5 hours, and I woke up about five minutes after coming out of surgery, feeling pretty ****ty, especially in my throat (still isn’t well today postop day 7). Grace told me there were no taxis as it was Xmas time and also super cold, so her husband and daughter who would come to pick her up for dinner, would also drop me off. I needed to rest some more, but felt so bad for having Grace and her family wait on me resting, especially as I overslept for surgery. But Grace was a real professional and said that BT’s promise to me went before all else (which of course is true). So we left about 2 hours after coming out of surgery. Grace’s husband was friendly and super tall, and her daughter a little shy - who wouldn’t be meeting a stranger looking like Frankenstein. Grace also gave me two bananas and made sure I got all the way home, she wouldn’t let me carry the bag of medicine that she had gotten for me at the downstairs pharmacy, and assured me I could contact her with whatever.
Results: The doctors and the clinic have been GREAT during my recovery. Grace even took me out for a birthday lunch as I had my birthday during my stay
. Here are the latest pictures from yesterday and the last appointment, post op day 19: I want to add that the soft tissues are still swollen so the chin will be less protruding in time, the jawline is also a bit swollen, I still have some fading yellowish bruises especially on my left cheek, which makes my face a bit asymmetrical atm - but that will fade away soon. My pre-op photos do not really show or highlight my previous nooks, messing up an even and nice V-line - but let me tell you how happy I am already. It’s hard to tell by the pictures by themselves but this is such an improvement and Dr Lee Hobin is so skilled. He was straight with me and warned me about soft tissues stretching out from the previous implant, that were risking to sag after putting in a different shaped implant. But he did such a good job and there does not seems to be sagging. I still have some healing to do, but the results right now is already so much better than before, and never underestimate a good jawline . See below pre and post pics! I wish I would have gone straight to Dr Lee Hobin for my initial facial contouring.
