So discouraging

[shinyglittery]

Hi
Just a personal post. Maybe someone can relate.
I have not had my surgeries yet, originally I planned it so I would have already had them. I'm so glad I didn't. it wouldn't have been smart to use so much of my savings and have my surgeries but only a little bit saved up. it's not good to live so risky, it's better to have more saved up even after the surgeries and i will really need that extra money afterwards. so i have to save up more than i need so i need to concentrate on work. i can't take enough time off right now. i really want to get it all done as soon as possible but i don't want to end up regretting anything. i'm also glad i didn't go yet because now i've read more things about a clinic i was really considering that decided me not to even go in for a consulation.

this is so frustrating. i was so happy and confident when i started my research. now i feel more confused and actually little worried about finding the right clinics. it seems everyone is a liar, everywhere is full of people who lie to say this clinic is good or this clinic is bad, many patients who had bad results don't post about them for different reasons, i've heard from some of them through private messages, how many more are out there?

if anyone is hurrying to get their surgeries, please think again. take your time and do your reasearch. i thought i'd done enough research. i haven't. i'm not ready. i'm ready for the changes, i want it so very much, but i'm not ready to risk my face with a clinic i don't know enough about. or a clinic i know too much (bad) about. take your time... it's better.

people always ask me which clinics are good. the more time goes by the more i want to say: i don't know. i wish i did but i dont. Please share your experiences more, share them and if you think someone isn't honest, say your concerns out loud. also watch out for people who pretend to be patients... ever notice one patient comes in and tells a negative story how their concerns weren't addressed enough, how everything was hurried, how after the surgery they were rushed to a taxi and just left alone with no after care, and how they felt treated impersonally... then right after that someone comes along, says nice things, "oh i'm so sorry you had a bad experience..." then they tell their story, and surprise, the doctor gave them all the time in the world, answerd all their questions, nothing was hurried, they got great after care and even chocolate and flowers... sounds really truthful, no? yeah...

I still have zero idea where to get my nose done and my nose is what bothers me most right now.

 

[BauHausFrau]

I don't know if I'm right, but I have the most trust for clinics I read about in articles written by CNN or Bloomberg. I read what's here, but I know there's a 50/50 chance the post is written by the clinic, or a competing clinic, so I just think of it as a starting point. It's a nice place to get an idea of prices, and recovery times & where to stay & what to do while I'm there. When I go to the city I'll get to talk to these doctors face to face and then decide whether or not I trust them. You can't really decide until then anyway.
I have a friend who got breast implants here in the US from a famous surgeon with a TV show. He's supposed to be one of the best, but now, less than a year later, her implant is falling out of her breast. You can see it move and sag out from under the muscle when she bends over. She says it's really painful, but the doctor will only fix it for $10,000. So, you never know. Even the "best" doctors in the world can turn out to be awful. And even the best surgeries will eventually have to be updated. Surgery of any kind is a serious undertaking even if it is for superficial reasons. Personally, I spent over a year searching for a doctor to do my breast implants. I was frustrated too with all the time wasted on the wrong doctors. Eventually I found one whose B&As I liked & I liked him in person so I researched his medical records & now I have breast implants that nobody believes are fake. It took a long time but it was worth it. Now I'm looking into doctors halfway around the world because American doctors all talk like fat grafting is some kind of brand new technology that nobody knows how to do right yet. I think putting the effort into finding the perfect doctor for you is worth the frustration in the end.

 

[K Couture]

so true bauhausfrau! Most well known doctors are nothing more than alot of money being pumped into marketing. When i was younger i was foolish enough to think that Charles Lee was one of the best because he was on the tyra banks show. I literally did not bother to go for any other consultations assuming he must be the best since he has been on mainstream television....i ended up with a botched nose :S not to mention how incompetant the staff was. I had hired a licensed nurse through them to take care of me at my accommodation right after my surgery. Imagine how freaked out i was when i was unable to see (had eyelids done so was bandaged around the eyes) and had this strange lady drive me to her home an hour away in the valley. I only found out half way through when we were already in the car driving to her home! The plan was for her to take care of me while i was at my hotel with my friend next to me for moral support. When we eventually got to her place her boyfriend was staying over and he sounded......unrefined and like a rough redneck type. I was like " these 2 cray crays are gonna murder me " :O worst experience ever

 

[BauHausFrau]

so true bauhausfrau! Most well known doctors are nothing more than alot of money being pumped into marketing. When i was younger i was foolish enough to think that Charles Lee was one of the best because he was on the tyra banks show. I literally did not bother to go for any other consultations assuming he must be the best since he has been on mainstream television....i ended up with a botched nose :S not to mention how incompetant the staff was. I had hired a licensed nurse through them to take care of me at my accommodation right after my surgery. Imagine how freaked out i was when i was unable to see (had eyelids done so was bandaged around the eyes) and had this strange lady drive me to her home an hour away in the valley. I only found out half way through when we were already in the car driving to her home! The plan was for her to take care of me while i was at my hotel with my friend next to me for moral support. When we eventually got to her place her boyfriend was staying over and he sounded......unrefined and like a rough redneck type. I was like " these 2 cray crays are gonna murder me " :O worst experience ever

That is such a scary story. I would've been in such a panic. Especially coming off the meds. Yes, it's definitely smart not to rush a big decision like that, or rely too much on other people's opinions.

 

[shinyglittery]

I don't know if I'm right, but I have the most trust for clinics I read about in articles written by CNN or Bloomberg. I read what's here, but I know there's a 50/50 chance the post is written by the clinic, or a competing clinic, so I just think of it as a starting point. It's a nice place to get an idea of prices, and recovery times & where to stay & what to do while I'm there. When I go to the city I'll get to talk to these doctors face to face and then decide whether or not I trust them. You can't really decide until then anyway.
I have a friend who got breast implants here in the US from a famous surgeon with a TV show. He's supposed to be one of the best, but now, less than a year later, her implant is falling out of her breast. You can see it move and sag out from under the muscle when she bends over. She says it's really painful, but the doctor will only fix it for $10,000. So, you never know. Even the "best" doctors in the world can turn out to be awful. And even the best surgeries will eventually have to be updated. Surgery of any kind is a serious undertaking even if it is for superficial reasons. Personally, I spent over a year searching for a doctor to do my breast implants. I was frustrated too with all the time wasted on the wrong doctors. Eventually I found one whose B&As I liked & I liked him in person so I researched his medical records & now I have breast implants that nobody believes are fake. It took a long time but it was worth it. Now I'm looking into doctors halfway around the world because American doctors all talk like fat grafting is some kind of brand new technology that nobody knows how to do right yet. I think putting the effort into finding the perfect doctor for you is worth the frustration in the end.

you're right, i think it's worth it too. i just wanted to write down my frustration, it helped a little. i haven't even thought about BA yet (i don't like the idea of silicone there, i've read so many horror stories... and i don't want anything fake, i know my breasts are small but i think small is better than than bad looking fake so i don't know). i have enough to worry about with having my nose and eyes and chin and jaw and maybe even cheecks done and possible fat grafting. i will worry about BA later but the size of my breasts doesn't really bother me so i don't know.

i really don't trust any big clinics with a lot of marketing anymore. "if you're so good, why do you need to spend all that money on marketing? wouldn't everyone be talking and giving you free marketing?" you know?
and i've read some horror stories too. all from famous surgeons, in America, China, Korea, Thailand, everywhere. My personal belief: "you're either good at surgery, or good at marketing your skills. If you're good at both then you're the rarest person in the world or you don't exist." That's what i believe after everything i've read and seen.

 

[paxsky]

you're right, i think it's worth it too. i just wanted to write down my frustration, it helped a little. i haven't even thought about BA yet (i don't like the idea of silicone there, i've read so many horror stories... and i don't want anything fake, i know my breasts are small but i think small is better than than bad looking fake so i don't know). i have enough to worry about with having my nose and eyes and chin and jaw and maybe even cheecks done and possible fat grafting. i will worry about BA later but the size of my breasts doesn't really bother me so i don't know.

i really don't trust any big clinics with a lot of marketing anymore. "if you're so good, why do you need to spend all that money on marketing? wouldn't everyone be talking and giving you free marketing?" you know?
and i've read some horror stories too. all from famous surgeons, in America, China, Korea, Thailand, everywhere. My personal belief: "you're either good at surgery, or good at marketing your skills. If you're good at both then you're the rarest person in the world or you don't exist." That's what i believe after everything i've read and seen.

I'm in the same boat. even if you have everything in place, who do we trust with our face? there are many clinics with great before and after pictures, so obviously there are some happy customers. but of course we don't hear that much about all the unhappy ones. in some ways, it seems like a gamble, and the best we can do is get the odds on our side. i read on pubmed some years ago that the level of plastic surgery success is directly related to the number of surgeries that the surgeon has done. it seems like common sense- the more experience = the higher the chance of a good outcome. although even this isn't a guarantee.

 

[K Couture]

and often you will find the more surgeries a surgeon has done, the more bad reviews he will have. I mean there will always be unhappy customers. Its actually incredibly hard to differentiate too which stories and valid and which aren't. By that i don't mean who is lying but who is being most empirical and realistic about their discontent. Often i find that its very subjective whether a patient likes the results. While there's ones who have been obviously botched up, many seem to be depressed when they look perfectly fine. I find there's a number of being having plastic surgery who either have unrealistic expectations or are so emotionally fragile and insecure that they would not be good candidates for surgery. Which is why before we take the bad stories we read as the be all end all, might be worth it to request before and after pictures and ask the procedure and method done for our own personal reference.

 

[Yoshieee]

Hi
Just a personal post. Maybe someone can relate.
I have not had my surgeries yet, originally I planned it so I would have already had them. I'm so glad I didn't. it wouldn't have been smart to use so much of my savings and have my surgeries but only a little bit saved up. it's not good to live so risky, it's better to have more saved up even after the surgeries and i will really need that extra money afterwards. so i have to save up more than i need so i need to concentrate on work. i can't take enough time off right now. i really want to get it all done as soon as possible but i don't want to end up regretting anything. i'm also glad i didn't go yet because now i've read more things about a clinic i was really considering that decided me not to even go in for a consulation.

this is so frustrating. i was so happy and confident when i started my research. now i feel more confused and actually little worried about finding the right clinics. it seems everyone is a liar, everywhere is full of people who lie to say this clinic is good or this clinic is bad, many patients who had bad results don't post about them for different reasons, i've heard from some of them through private messages, how many more are out there?

if anyone is hurrying to get their surgeries, please think again. take your time and do your reasearch. i thought i'd done enough research. i haven't. i'm not ready. i'm ready for the changes, i want it so very much, but i'm not ready to risk my face with a clinic i don't know enough about. or a clinic i know too much (bad) about. take your time... it's better.

people always ask me which clinics are good. the more time goes by the more i want to say: i don't know. i wish i did but i dont. Please share your experiences more, share them and if you think someone isn't honest, say your concerns out loud. also watch out for people who pretend to be patients... ever notice one patient comes in and tells a negative story how their concerns weren't addressed enough, how everything was hurried, how after the surgery they were rushed to a taxi and just left alone with no after care, and how they felt treated impersonally... then right after that someone comes along, says nice things, "oh i'm so sorry you had a bad experience..." then they tell their story, and surprise, the doctor gave them all the time in the world, answerd all their questions, nothing was hurried, they got great after care and even chocolate and flowers... sounds really truthful, no? yeah...

I still have zero idea where to get my nose done and my nose is what bothers me most right now.

I understand your frustration. But I do want to say THANK YOU for all the work and research you've done on this forum and without your help, most of us wouldn't know about most of these clinics. I think it's better to have too many options than not enough, and I'm sure you'll find the clinic to suit your needs.

It is a bit overwhelming and with false advertisements and money hungry surgeons about, it's hard to say "I trust you" with something as personal as a face without having some doubts.

I agree with everything you say about taking you time and doing your research. I'm confident you'll get to a point where you feel comfortable with a particular surgeon simply because you have done the research needed. I say to just go with your first mind. I don't think you can make a uninformed choice/decision at this point because you already know so much. I also commend you for wanting to learn/know even more.

Just take your time and stay positive!

 

[qri]

I agree with Yoshieee, you are a great asset to this forum and helped TONS of people including me.

I've been having some doubts myself even though I don't plan to go to Korea until sometime in August. As I told you via private message LIFE plastic surgery is my top choice right now, but after reading their facebook/blog/twitter etc. I've noticed they do a lot of pandering/promotion to international clients...not that there's anything wrong with that it just gives me some second thoughts. It isn't easy going to another country for surgery and it really does make us easy targets, lots of clinics wanna take advantage of that. There have been times where I just wanna call off the whole thing and not get anything done but I know I'll just end up regretting that decision.

I'm sure that once you go to Korea you will find the perfect clinic for your needs. Nothing beats a in person consultation and I know you will definitely be able to tell if they're the real deal or not. Good luck!!

 

[Deleted member 448829]

ShinyGlittery,

I don't think the quality of the clinics have a strong correlation with the size or marketing. All surgery carries an inherent risk. The more surgeries you have, the more risk you take on. The more severe the surgeries are (i.e. jaw), the more risk you take on. There is no clinic that is without risk.

When I was in Korea, I saw a LOT of "before/afters" who turned out to be employees of their clinics. They did not look as good in real life as they did in pictures. I saw this at Wonjin. I saw this at View. I saw this at BK. I saw this at Item. I saw this at some random small clinics. Big, small, international marketing, local marketing -- it was all the same. And the thing is, I finally understand why: no one (short of a celebrity, maybe) is THAT beautiful in real life, regardless of how much work they have done.

I can tell you that if you were to take my before/after and look at them, you'd think my clinic did the most amazing job ever. But the thing is, in real life, I don't look any prettier than the average, decently-attractive girl at my workplace. Even scarier, I've seen some really beautiful pictures on this forum only to google the poster and see scary-looking candids on Facebook (like that fake poster promoting her clinic a few months ago). You don't wanna go by pictures.

I've read that "perfect is the enemy of good." I strongly agree with this. If you go into ANY surgery thinking you'll come out of it drop-dead-gorgeous, chances are, you're going to be really upset afterwards. Plastic surgery is a great tool for improvement, but I just don't think perfection is attained that easily.

 

[Squat]

I know exactly what you mean. I also NEED to get my nose done but i'd rather have my natural nose for now than rush with a un-natural nose I don't like full of regrets and money down the drain. Think i'm going to spend a lot more time researching before I act upon plastic surgery.

The way I see it is...the more advertisement a clinic does, the worse it is. Because if the surgeons are talented then naturally people would flock towards them through word of mouth from their clients. No sponsors or whatever they do to lure people in.

 

[Pichu]

Hi
Just a personal post. Maybe someone can relate.
I have not had my surgeries yet, originally I planned it so I would have already had them. I'm so glad I didn't. it wouldn't have been smart to use so much of my savings and have my surgeries but only a little bit saved up. it's not good to live so risky, it's better to have more saved up even after the surgeries and i will really need that extra money afterwards. so i have to save up more than i need so i need to concentrate on work. i can't take enough time off right now. i really want to get it all done as soon as possible but i don't want to end up regretting anything. i'm also glad i didn't go yet because now i've read more things about a clinic i was really considering that decided me not to even go in for a consulation.

this is so frustrating. i was so happy and confident when i started my research. now i feel more confused and actually little worried about finding the right clinics. it seems everyone is a liar, everywhere is full of people who lie to say this clinic is good or this clinic is bad, many patients who had bad results don't post about them for different reasons, i've heard from some of them through private messages, how many more are out there?

if anyone is hurrying to get their surgeries, please think again. take your time and do your reasearch. i thought i'd done enough research. i haven't. i'm not ready. i'm ready for the changes, i want it so very much, but i'm not ready to risk my face with a clinic i don't know enough about. or a clinic i know too much (bad) about. take your time... it's better.

people always ask me which clinics are good. the more time goes by the more i want to say: i don't know. i wish i did but i dont. Please share your experiences more, share them and if you think someone isn't honest, say your concerns out loud. also watch out for people who pretend to be patients... ever notice one patient comes in and tells a negative story how their concerns weren't addressed enough, how everything was hurried, how after the surgery they were rushed to a taxi and just left alone with no after care, and how they felt treated impersonally... then right after that someone comes along, says nice things, "oh i'm so sorry you had a bad experience..." then they tell their story, and surprise, the doctor gave them all the time in the world, answerd all their questions, nothing was hurried, they got great after care and even chocolate and flowers... sounds really truthful, no? yeah...

I still have zero idea where to get my nose done and my nose is what bothers me most right now.

Hi ShinyGlittery
I feel the same but I just keep the worries with me. Glad to hear that im not alone feeling the same sometimes. I guess all decision will be making once you are in korea already and after talking to the doctor. Also reading this forum true or false still you get some valuable info at least. I guess their is no other way cos language is the big barrier.

Good luck to you ; )

 

[peterpan88]

I don't know if I'm right, but I have the most trust for clinics I read about in articles written by CNN or Bloomberg.

Oh honey, wrong choice. The minute you start trusting the media, that's when disaster happens.

Being someone who works with newspapers myself, I can tell you how CNN or Bloomberg lie to their readers on a daily basis. And not just them. All newspapers lie.

 

[peterpan88]

My personal belief: "you're either good at surgery, or good at marketing your skills. If you're good at both then you're the rarest person in the world or you don't exist." That's what i believe after everything i've read and seen.

Well, if you're good at surgery, then words of mouth will make you well-known. There would be no need for marketing.

So, actually, there are two types of fame: the one you got through marketing, and the other you got through being really good at what you do.

Eventually, the first one will die out. Because people are not stupid. They may hear good things about you on the media, but their friends or neighbors may tell them otherwise.

But the problem with us foreigners, is that we do not have friends or neighbors to tell us about the bad ones. So we end up falling prey to their marketing tactics.

Solutions? Ask people, your friends, your relatives, anyone with a connection in Seoul.

People you can trust, not just someone random from the Internet whose face you don't even know. (like me, or any other poster in this forum).

 

[K Couture]

but your profile pic is so prettay boo