best plastic surgery clinics in Korea

[Emisa]

Hey guys,

I am not sure how regular I will be here, though I am pretty active during this period. But when things start to pick up..I might hv lesser time here. So, the last bit of general stuff to share:

Where to eat post surgery (for cheekbone reduction) near Sinsa area:-
1. A little eatery besides pet shop (near Highland hotel) has one of the best Udon noodles and its reasonably priced.

2. Fresh Burger - Where all the PS clinics are on the main road, the outlet is in the small street. If you walk around that area during the healing period, you might find it. Request for the burger without cheese. The minced beef is very fresh and soft enuff to chew. The bun is soft, fluffy and fragrant.

3. Pho (Vietnamese noodles) in any pho shop but can pass the bean sprout. Try to ask them to cut the beef slice into smaller pieces.

4. Tofu house (behind starbuck) - Should be between BK and Young Dong Hotel. Can request for non-spicy kind and pass the pork (can't chew)

5. Instant porridge (fm convenient store. C U near BK is the best for varieties and they could help you heat and pack if you are not sure)stand

I was told not to take beef so I took a little and alternate with others.

When I was better, I started venturing to different places for food.

I am not saleswoman of papaya enzyme.
But I just found that papaya enzyme could effectively tenderize meat. Maybe some of you already know using papain? I have been very careful when meat is concerned coz I do not want to aggravate the healing of cheekbone. Still could not take grilled meat or anything bigger than my mouth could open. TIll date, only could insert 2 fingers.
I was craving for Japanese sliced pork and tried marinate with the usual soy sauce, mirin, sake, pepper + half tsp of Papaya enzyme, it is really tasty and tender. I could effortlessly eat it. Tired of eating minced meat...

 

[Emisa]

Just to share with Cheekbone Surgery patient:-

I started brushing my teeth on the 7th day as instructed by ID. Went to the pharmacy to get the dental floss and was too happy to be able to floss my teeth again!

Continued with the regime of rinsing my mouth with antiseptic mouth rinse after every meals (each time 10x), before breakfast and before sleep, after dessert anytime. From the 10th day when I stayed outside longer and can't return hotel immediately to rinse, I will get a bottle or 2 (sometimes) of mineral water from Hotel Highland reception before heading out. So, I could rinse whenever I finish my meal instead of using tap water.

Oh, before I set off for the trip, I bought a small toothbrush from MUJI. They have one with very slim holder and small brush. I am still using it now and hopefully, could switch back to electronic toothbrush soon. Unlike some baby toothbrush which has thick holder (for easier grip for baby), this is slim and comfortable.

If you do not have friends who speak Korean, do make sure your English or Chinese Consultant will be with you throughout the process, including stitch removals (understand your condition from the nurse point of view and what to expect step by step), follow up consultation, discharge (so as to understand the post care in greater details). Otherwise, please hire a translator. My translator is awesome and her contact is [email protected]. I have mentioned several times here coz I really have benefited from her care (not sure how I cld manage without her) and I have confident you will too. She is there in every appointment and could explain whatever the nurse instructed and much more. She has helped me convey my fear and questions to the post op nurse effectively too.

Guess thats about it.

 

[Reneesyd]

Thank you Via. There is a post op swelling injection? Well I really have to ask abt this. I'm not giving up hope just as yet, I know it is still early to tell the final results. I will keep praying for the best! Thank you for the encouragement!!

Finger cross for ur girl. Ur so brave and it will turn out good !!
So would u still recommend Grand? As I wanted to have my face contouring done there and lower eye lid surgery maybe. Which surgern did urs?

Good luck with recovery

 

[Via]

Just to share with Cheekbone Surgery patient:-

I started brushing my teeth on the 7th day as instructed by ID. Went to the pharmacy to get the dental floss and was too happy to be able to floss my teeth again!

Continued with the regime of rinsing my mouth with antiseptic mouth rinse after every meals (each time 10x), before breakfast and before sleep, after dessert anytime. From the 10th day when I stayed outside longer and can't return hotel immediately to rinse, I will get a bottle or 2 (sometimes) of mineral water from Hotel Highland reception before heading out. So, I could rinse whenever I finish my meal instead of using tap water.

Oh, before I set off for the trip, I bought a small toothbrush from MUJI. They have one with very slim holder and small brush. I am still using it now and hopefully, could switch back to electronic toothbrush soon. Unlike some baby toothbrush which has thick holder (for easier grip for baby), this is slim and comfortable.

If you do not have friends who speak Korean, do make sure your English or Chinese Consultant will be with you throughout the process, including stitch removals (understand your condition from the nurse point of view and what to expect step by step), follow up consultation, discharge (so as to understand the post care in greater details). Otherwise, please hire a translator. My translator is awesome and her contact is [email protected]. I have mentioned several times here coz I really have benefited from her care (not sure how I cld manage without her) and I have confident you will too. She is there in every appointment and could explain whatever the nurse instructed and much more. She has helped me convey my fear and questions to the post op nurse effectively too.

Guess thats about it.

Yeah I heard about Zoe as well, emailed her few months back told her about my appointment and stuff in this coming November and needed her for translation etc,she replied me that her service might not be right for me etc. I was quite upset , thinking how selective she can be because I know her service will be great help and all that.. But anyways its all good

I'm going to have lipo at 365mc this coming november, has been closely in touch with their international PR consultant, she even gave me her phone number that I can easily i-Message with . Very friendly tone and answered all my doubts , make me feel at ease so much.
365mc also won many awards for their clinic (they specialise in lipo nothing else) and have amazing post-op care. Excited. hope all will turn out good.

I'm also considering buccal fat removal for that V shape look at Teuimps clinic. they quoted me 1-2m won and its very minimal downtime as well. What do you guys think about buccal fat removal?Has anyone done it before?

Thanks in advance peeps

 

[Cocochanel2012]

I was keen to head to Korea for ps and started researching online before I found this thread. It contained many useful information for people new to ps and is also a good place to buddy up before you head to a foreign land alone, for probably a life changing moment of your life. At least it was for me.

So I headed to Korea with a forumer on Sept 18 and was all excited about being able to come back from Korea, looking prettier and all. We had a list of clinics in mind and had already booked consultations for the entire day of Sept 19. 1st on our list was Grand, and like most people who had shortlisted Grand as one of their options, it had performed surgeries on celebrities although mostly on facial contouring, as well as their impressive before and after results that they showcase on their website and those you can find on YouTube. So with anticipation, i headed to Grand at 10am. I was tired from traveling the night flight but still mustered enough energy to sit through the consultation and waiting time to finally get to see the doctor. Sales s taff were determined to keep you there till you decided to have surgery with them. They kept negotiating with you in terms of pricing, repeating how famous their doctor is and so therefore his schedule is tight, so if I want surgery the next day, I had to decide fast, and how I should not visit other clinics as I'll be wasting time etc... All the sales tactics to make me commit with them.

In my mind, I did like the doctor, as he took time to explain to me through a translator how he will improve my appearance. I told him how I wanted my eyes and nose to look and even showed him pictures. He listened patiently. He communicated with me patiently and told me why I will not be able to achieve the results I wanted as the picture I've showed him, and how he will give me a look more suited to my current structure of my face. I listened intently, and I agreed with his comments. It all did make sense to me. The doctor seems to know what he is doing and gave me sensible advice. The translator spoke fluent English and I had no problem delivering my message across, and she seems empathetic too. I thought all was perfect. And it did help that I already had a good impression of Grand while doing research on them. Price was negotiated to my budget. I had wanted to go on and visit other clinics for a 2nd opinion, just for security that I will make a right choice, but Grand kept saying I needed to make a decision fast else I may not get to operate the next day due to the surgeon's tight schedule. So after an hr of cooling off period over lunch, I came back to Grand and made my payment. Afterall, I really didn't want to risk visiting the other clinics on my list and ended up coming back to Grand and not have a surgery time the next day. I needed to have surgery the next day, as I will leave Korea in exactly 7 days, just enough time to remove stitches.

I will get ptosis correction, lowering of my eyelids, revision rhinoplasty and fat grafting to my forehead. I was scheduled for surgery at 1pm but did not get into the operating theatre till 2pm. Everything seemed like a rush, I was feeling scared and my English translator was not there. I had no one to express my fear to, everyone speaks Korean and no one will understand what I say nor even bother with how I feel. I consoled myself and told myself, heck, I will be asleep soon on GA and when I wake up, I'm on my way to a prettier me. So I told myself there was nothing to fear.

To cut down on the emotional roller coaster i went through the past week while healing, yes, it wasn't the best healing experience I had since I was in a foreign land all swollen and had to be eating Korean food everyday which I absolutely grew sick of, I'm 11 days post op. Till today, my eyes are still unbalanced. 1 eye has fully opened to reveal the entire iris while the other eye is still half opened. I'm feeling quite traumatized as I can't go out to face people and I can't go back to work. People have told me this is normal and may take 2-3 weeks to balance up, but a half opened eye to become fully opened suddenly?? I kind of doubt it, although I still hope for a miracle. I dread having to do a revision for this and if the results is not improving in this few days and weeks, I feel I've jeopardized my life with a silly decision to undergo surgery.

I was not ugly to begin with, I consulted a local surgeon and he told me not to meddle with my face as he felt I was pretty and had no need to undergo anymore surgeries. I was happy with what i have too but i wanted perfection. He warned me that Korea has many fatalities and unreported failed procedures that are kept hush hush as he frequently travel to Korea for conventions. I still went ahead despite his warning. Am I now reaping the results of my own ignorance and stubbornness despite well intended advice? I have regrets but I still cross my fingers everyday and hope for the best.

Dear my junkie, please hang in there and remember "the best thing always take time to come" !! Gambate!!!! Im sure ur eyes will be beautiful!!

 

[Emisa]

Hey Emisa, I guess we all did sort of go through such a difficult time at some point. I can only imagine you were in much more pain and emotional distress, considering you went through a more invasive procedure like mandible reduction? I really do salute your courage to go through it, I really can't muster enough courage on my part to go through the emotional and physical torment. I always thought healing was a breeze...

I'm taking bromelian as suggested by so many forumers. Vitamin C as well and bird's nest. Hahaha... Everything to heal faster.

Yes, Lotsajunkie, I tot more invasive will be more difficult, but either way, since all these surgeries alter our looks esp eyes and nose, I could empathize what you are going thru. You will get better, just a matter of time. All the best to speedy recovery. Blog about your feeling from time to time if it helps you emotionally. Just as what Eightbelow has been doing.

 

[Emisa]

Yeah I heard about Zoe as well, emailed her few months back told her about my appointment and stuff in this coming November and needed her for translation etc,she replied me that her service might not be right for me etc. I was quite upset , thinking how selective she can be because I know her service will be great help and all that.. But anyways its all good

I'm going to have lipo at 365mc this coming november, has been closely in touch with their international PR consultant, she even gave me her phone number that I can easily i-Message with . Very friendly tone and answered all my doubts , make me feel at ease so much.
365mc also won many awards for their clinic (they specialise in lipo nothing else) and have amazing post-op care. Excited. hope all will turn out good.

I'm also considering buccal fat removal for that V shape look at Teuimps clinic. they quoted me 1-2m won and its very minimal downtime as well. What do you guys think about buccal fat removal?Has anyone done it before?

Thanks in advance peeps

Hey Via,

Thanks for sharing. Yes, Zoe also rejected me before when I wanted to do calf reduction. I think since she is trying to help more than just translation, there might be some challenging surgery or things that are beyond her capacity. Anycase, do share with us about the lipo experience!! I am very eager to know. Please make sure to lay your condition before payment that you need someone who could translate to be with you throughout. All the best!!

 

[Via]

Hey babe, I'm actually quite traumatized by the whole surgery process. They tied me up before the surgery started and no one explained to me what it was for, and I definitely didn't expect that... I'm trying to stay positive and that the results will show very soon, but meanwhile since I can't go back to work due to my gruesome eyes, I've decided to detail my experience here... Will update once I get more positive results.

Yes, they tied you up because as we are unconscious, our body tend to move around and tying our body up will help prevent any distraction cause by our body movement , allowing the surgeon to fully focused on operating you. I did rhinoplasty before and thats what they did as well
* i posted my b&a rhino pic in asiannosejob3 thread before too, quite happy with it

You may fine this info helpful too lotsajunkie : http://www.realself.com/eyelid-surgery/answers/healing

Rest up more and drink lots of water too!

 

[Sodas]

Heya. I'll let you know the name as soon as Nicole gets back to me coz I forgot the name but she researched into it so I asked her for the name (she's on holiday at the mo) But my impression of it was great. Its not in the gangnam gu area (we took the subway to get there) but the interior was luxurious and very very nice! Its a lazer clinic especially and the the surgeon I saw had 10 years experience in lazer skincare.

I wasn't a very good patient coz I basically picked my freckle scabs this weekend but I should've left them alone. My excuse is that now I'm back in London, the weather is colder so it make the scabs more dry and more easy (and tempting!) to pick. But even so, now all the freckles are gone! I am pretty amazed coz I had NO intention on having it done but because Nicole had it done a year ago i believed her and knew it would work. I'm happy I got it done, and when I go back to Seoul I'm going to get a small scar removed as you need to be there for a week to have scars removed, and I only had 3 days left when I had the lazer.

Hi London Chick, please let me know the name of this laser skincare place as well! I am ready to rid my freckles as well.

 

[Oceanbelle]

Tooney, I understand where you are coming from and I shared the same sentiment initially. But since this is a rhinoplasty, like it or not, my nose is not real anymore, I might as well get the best out of it. Besides, even though the nose looks natural, but a straight nose is timeless and might look even better? Will consult clinics in March and decide then.

Hi Emisa,

I totally agree with Tooney. Your nose looks nice and natural now. Don't meddle with your nose when there's nothing wrong with it now.
I had rhino 3x not because I was nothing happy with the results, but due to implant deviation. And I was very traumatised by the whole process.
My friend who is a doctor told me that the nose tend to get weaker and weaker everytime we revise.
I pray that I dont have to do another revision anymore.

 

[vny]

Hey vny, go ahead and have your consultation with Grand, I'm not saying Grand is bad, it could be due to my own slow healing on one eye. The other eye seems to be doing pretty well, only if the other eye will brace up and lift open....

If you have scheduled consultation with them, go ahead with it, it doesn't hurt to have more opinions, at least this is how I felt at that time and didn't manage to go ahead with it, and now, I still sometimes wish I did go for a few more opinions before I commit. There is an English translator at Grand, she is called Jiwon Son, speaks super fluent English as she was previously educated in Canada even though she is a Korean. She was the one who persuaded me to have the surgery at Grand as I felt she seemed genuinely concerned for my well being. My surgeon is Dr Rhee ( I think I spelt correctly), he seems very down to earth as well, didn't push me to have other surgeries I didn't need. Only the payment part, where the consultants will start to push you to make a deposit, where you will start feeling abit of pressure and they kind of didn't let me leave, but not in an aggressive way, but like a whiny plea from Jiwon, which made me kinda felt bad that I've let her down... Emotional sales I guess.

I paid 8.5 million won for ptosis correction, eyelid lowering, lateral canthoplasty, revision rhinoplasty and fat grafting to forehead.

Hope this helps.

Thanks a lot babe...

Yes spoke with jiwon on the phone too, she seems very nice and caring, she'd tried to accomodate all I need. But i guess that a typical sales person do, don't you think?
Tomorrow 2 oct is my consulation with wonjin and they suggested and booked for me the operation at the same day later in the late afternoon. Which might not gv me enough chance to made my consultation at grand on thursday 04 oct.

I'm still pretty much worried and lost in which clinic i want to do it with. Because they all seems to perform a same type of surgery, only done by diff doctors and diff clinics. Also each patients have a diff type of nose so each case might be different from the other.

I gues its really hard to make this decision as this is a matter of 20 yrs or more to live with your new look for better or worst

 

[Eightbelow]

Oh, one more thing is, their aftercare is quite minimal, follow-up a day after the surgery to remove the gauzes stuck in your nasal passage, quick disinfecting of the wounds and you'll only be back to their clinic 7 days after surgery to remove the stitches. So the only time u'll get to see the surgeon again will be the day u remove stitches. Just so u'll know, for rhinoplasty, internal stitches can only be removed 14 days later, which I didn't know, so here I am, back home and will be needing a local surgeon to remove it for me and probably incurring extra costs doing it. Not that I mind it at all, but some may not like the aftercare, such as not providing hair wash, de-swelling treatments, and consistent follow-up.

Grand seems quite busy most of the time. Given that, they may be in fact quite popular with the locals as well. I did see many koreans as well as foreigners while i was there for follow-up. I guess a clinic that the locals will visit will have a good reputation? That is only my guess.

Heya.

I guess u went thru what I made myself go thru as well - slow healing, rush decision, obligated.

I still feel remorseful choosing BK as I was challenging time too. I was cryin regret after paying deposit and not to mention the wrong surgeon (I still cant believe Sha**77 raved him...?!)

Though one month into my surgery, my nostrils r still uneven from swelling and my right eye squints assymetrically due to stiff stitching from the lateral corner. I started tapping gently on the corner from the 3rd week and saw slight improvement - right eye is opening up - and I still use a warm pack occassionally n tapping it as much as I can (but gently ok).

I must say that your post-op stay in Seoul was way too rushed. I had partial stitches removed on the 7th day until the 10th and 12th. Send your concern to the surgeon via your consultant to seek advice.

In all, pressuring a patient to commit the surgery cos "there's a free slot in the surgeon's schedule tomorrow" is a BIG NO NO. An hr on the surgeon's calendar does not equate adequacy for your 2-hr surgery - thus the abrupt and brutal operation. I observed their malpractise through my experience so advising ppl not to be stacked in between patients. A morning appointment is also better than an afternoon one.

Please remember: "Patience is a virtue". A rushed operation always ends in regret. Give yourself ample time to rationalise your decision. Its your face n $ afterall.

* I am still praying for a positive result...

 

[Lotsajunkie]

Finger cross for ur girl. Ur so brave and it will turn out good !!
So would u still recommend Grand? As I wanted to have my face contouring done there and lower eye lid surgery maybe. Which surgern did urs?

Good luck with recovery

Hey, Grand has a Dr Suh who is famous for his facial contouring. A lot of celebrities had their facial contouring done there. While I was there, all the pictures pinned up on the wall had the Dr Suh posing with some sort of Korean celebrities, although I'm not too familiar with all the faces. So for facial contouring, I do think you're in good hands with Grand. For lower lid, it will be another doctor that will be allocated to you as Dr Suh only performs facial contouring as that's his speciality.

Dr Rhee did all my surgeries, and apparently, the translator told me he is famous for eyes and nose. I'm not sure whether to recommend him as I'm still waiting for my own results to show. However, one thing I did notice for myself so far, is that his approach is quite natural, as I still look like myself. Definitely there are changes to my eyes and nose, but people around me hasn't noticed the big difference to comment.

 

[Lotsajunkie]

Dear my junkie, please hang in there and remember "the best thing always take time to come" !! Gambate!!!! Im sure ur eyes will be beautiful!!

Thank you sweetie. Your eyes are already beautiful. I hope mine will turn out as well as yours! Don't worry about the slight asymmetry u have coz it is barely noticeable to me. Let's look forward to de-swelling and the final results, and let's come out for a mini celebration of sort when that day comes!!

 

[Lotsajunkie]

Yes, Lotsajunkie, I tot more invasive will be more difficult, but either way, since all these surgeries alter our looks esp eyes and nose, I could empathize what you are going thru. You will get better, just a matter of time. All the best to speedy recovery. Blog about your feeling from time to time if it helps you emotionally. Just as what Eightbelow has been doing.

Tks Emisa, indeed it has been a relief to blog alittle on the forum, and seeing the flood of replies. It has been encouraging and I do feel better letting people on the forum know more about my experience. Hope it'll benefit those who have yet to go through the surgeries to have a better idea of what to expect and also to better equip themselves before plunging into a life changing experience.

Oh, hope your gathering at MBS on wed will be a good one!