Hi! I arrived a few days ago in Seoul and I visited Wannabe, JW, Ruby & Hyundai Aesthetics for rhinoplasty, double eyelid and fat grafting. I already have a double eyelid but the line has dropped on the outer crease because I used to wear eye-tape to even my lids out when they changed - I'm half asian. Also my septum is curved thus making my nose look deviated. I was the only foreigner in all the clinics btw! All locals.
Ruby
Really professional and knowledgeable consultant who had 15 years of experience and I ended spending about an hour talking with her and the translator (really good) before seeing the doctor. She was really good and looked amazing for her age. The doctor was nice and he didn't push any surgeries on me. He actually said I didn't need to touch my nose and he seemed really genuine. He also didn't suggest fat grafting on my forehead but I do think that personally it looks flat. My septum is deviated and I do have a slightly bulbous tip, and so I think our aesthetic judgement differed slightly because I really wanted to get a very natural but slight rhinoplasty and fat grafting. He recommended non-incisional double eye lid but he said he couldn't get the outer crease as high as I wanted without making the fold a parallel fold which is not what I wanted (I want an in-out fold to keep my almond shape eyes). I still think Ruby is a really good clinic though and would encourage a consultation if you're considering it! They are very good at responding on watts app too and they even called me to answer some of my questions! Seemed really professional and the inside was really pretty. It's def a smaller clinic compared to JK, Grand, JW etc. Reasonable price as well
Wannabe
This was actually my second choice! Dr Cha was honestly the nicest doctor and he really took the time to consult with me and answer all my questions which was so nice because some other clinics' doctors have busy schedules with other surgeries so you only see them briefly after talking to the consultant. They did a CT scan for free which was really good! The english consultant was also really lovely and so genuine, no commercial or money-hungry vibes at all! Her english was the best out of everyone and she sounds 99% native! I actually really liked Dr Cha's nose results and he was suggesting exactly what I wanted - a natural look and NOT an upturned dolly nose and unnaturally high bridge lol. The price was very similar to Ruby, mid-range! Not suspiciously cheap or super expensive like my quotes with JK for example on email. I could've afforded all 3 surgeries. The consultant told me the doctor is a perfectionist and he really cares about the results of his patients. He was the one to do all 3 surgeries. The reason I didn't pick wannabe was because I already mostly wanted to go with JW and doctor Cha's surgery schedule was full for the time I'm here! I would 1000% recommend going in for a consultation and looking at their before and afters online - especially if you have a budget and don't want to pay for more expensive clinics like VIP etc.
Hyundai
I went to Hyundai but the vibe seemed very 'gangnam yeoja' (gangnam girl) and the results were definitely more dolly looking- which is fine if you want that but I definitely didn't. The consultant was nice but I didn't feel she was that experienced and her english wasn't great and I felt some things I said she didn't understand. Also she had to ask me what price she originally quoted online which came across unprofessional as she should know all this beforehand. The good thing was they had a specialist doctor was each procedure but only the eye and nose doctor were available to talk with. The consultant definitely didn't seem as knowledgeable as the other clinics' and she was mostly just writing down what I was thinking of getting (originally was incisional DES to remove saggy skin + rhino + fat). She didn't give recommendations nor did the eye doctor actually. He didn't have that warm a personality and he wasn't looking at me and giving me his genuine recommendations - instead just saying 'he could do that' to all the options I was asking about (incisional, endotine, non incisional etc). He thought dual canthoplasty would be fine, but all the other doctors didn't recommend as my eyes aren't that slanted and it would show too much white. I think his style of eyes is very big, sort of doll eyes. The nose doctor also suggesting turning up my tip which is the look I was trying to avoid so I thought the clinic's style of aesthetic was just different to what I wanted. Also they didn't have any before and afters on their website, just some on instagram but a lot of the afters were selfies wearing makeup so it was hard to see.
JW
I had my first consultation on my first day with Dr Kang for eyes + fat but he had to leave because he had a surgery and I had booked really last minute so that was understandable. His initial recommendation was endotine to fix the saggy skin that made my eyes hooded (actually brow brows sagging was causing this) and fat grafting. He said incisional would make my eyes look artificial and wouldn't fully correct the sagging skin. The endotine was going to be ~7 million won I think so it was too $$ knowing I wanted to do 2 procedures at least!
I ended up having a 2nd consult with him the next day and he said I could do non-incisional DES which would heighten the crease but it wouldn't fix the hoodedness. I'm okay with this because this is a lot cheaper and I can always do endotine in the future.
I saw Dr Suh as well for the nose as I had read a lot about him online and he seemed really well known for rhinoplasty. His bulbous tips B/A were exactly what I was looking for, I didn't want a pinched/too refined tip. He was actually SO knowledgeable on the nose and what was causing my deviation and bulbous tip and explained everything about the underlying cartilages etc. I felt I could really trust him to get the aesthetic and the functionality of my nose (make sure I can still breathe and not botching it lol). However his price was over my budget and so I will come back later when I save more money! I reallly don't want to take a risk with a cheaper clinic and the only other doctor I felt truly comfortable with was Dr Cha but I don't think he is as experienced or specialized in rhino as dr suh as he is younger!
BTW the english consultant/translator enzo is really good and I felt like I was talking to a friend- he didn't seem money hungry AT ALL and was so genuine and helpful. I liked that the whole consultation with JW was only with the doctors and the consultant and I talked afterwards to discuss pricing. I'm going to pick JW and do just the non-incisional eyelid surgery and the fat grafting because I like how they have specialised doctors w a lot of experience as they are a little older and their work seems to be well known. Also the quote they gave me for eyes and fat was the same as Ruby, I was worried it would be wayy higher but it wasn't. I was initially worried JW would be really commercial and factory like I heard banobagi is but it wasn't at all it seemed like a classy clinic but you can tell it's more $$$.
I'm going to go in on Monday morning and to confirm and pay my deposit etc and have surgery on Tuesday. They are actually really booked out haha and I didn't think they would be. Originally when the old consultant Emily (who doesn't work there anymore) told me online to pay a deposit before coming to korea to secure a slot I thought it was just a marketing ploy to lure you in (and then once you pay, you lose your bargaining power). Most clinics do this and my korean friends all told me NOT to. But JW and wannabe do have quite a full schedule so it is possible that if you are here for a short stay with a major surgery in mind and want to consult in person first, you may not have a spot (probably you will as docs can rearrange) - but if you are here for 12 days or more, it should be ok!! And I'm not doing a major surgery so I only need to take stitches out of my eyes like 4/5 days later.
Would I recommend paying a deposit online to secure a date? NO. I still think you should consult in person and go with your gut and how you feel with the doctor and their recommendations. Because initially I was set on going to UVOM because they seemed to be a smaller clinic with only good results on this forum but I had a really bizarre experience with that clinic (too long to explain but they lied about me confirming and arranging a consultation twice when I didn't + other weird things with my originally intended airbnb host which turned out to be a broker who I cancelled and I strongly advise never to go with an agent unless you want to pay a lot more to give them their commission + there are a few people saying they got botched with their nose jobs on group chats at UVOM). Also I was originally not going to see JW (as I thought they were too $$) nor wannabe (as I hadn't heard much about them) but both clinics were GREAT. So yeah to summarise and give you advice:
- definitely consult in person
- don't go with an agent, you don't need one! How do you think they earn money? heaps of clinics emailed me to say they can give reduction if you don't go with an agency as they don't include the commission
- don't stay just a week if you are having a procedure like rhinoplasty or breast augmentation if you plan to consult with a few clinics as that's too short imo
- go with your instinct on which clinic you like
- visit several clinics to get a broad range of opinions to compare them and to ask clinics about other recommendations you had
- research the specific doctor of the clinic you're thinking of
And no I have NOT been paid to write this I haven't even confirmed my surgery by paying a deposit or the surgery fee. I just finished my consultations yesterday.
Ruby
Really professional and knowledgeable consultant who had 15 years of experience and I ended spending about an hour talking with her and the translator (really good) before seeing the doctor. She was really good and looked amazing for her age. The doctor was nice and he didn't push any surgeries on me. He actually said I didn't need to touch my nose and he seemed really genuine. He also didn't suggest fat grafting on my forehead but I do think that personally it looks flat. My septum is deviated and I do have a slightly bulbous tip, and so I think our aesthetic judgement differed slightly because I really wanted to get a very natural but slight rhinoplasty and fat grafting. He recommended non-incisional double eye lid but he said he couldn't get the outer crease as high as I wanted without making the fold a parallel fold which is not what I wanted (I want an in-out fold to keep my almond shape eyes). I still think Ruby is a really good clinic though and would encourage a consultation if you're considering it! They are very good at responding on watts app too and they even called me to answer some of my questions! Seemed really professional and the inside was really pretty. It's def a smaller clinic compared to JK, Grand, JW etc. Reasonable price as well
Wannabe
This was actually my second choice! Dr Cha was honestly the nicest doctor and he really took the time to consult with me and answer all my questions which was so nice because some other clinics' doctors have busy schedules with other surgeries so you only see them briefly after talking to the consultant. They did a CT scan for free which was really good! The english consultant was also really lovely and so genuine, no commercial or money-hungry vibes at all! Her english was the best out of everyone and she sounds 99% native! I actually really liked Dr Cha's nose results and he was suggesting exactly what I wanted - a natural look and NOT an upturned dolly nose and unnaturally high bridge lol. The price was very similar to Ruby, mid-range! Not suspiciously cheap or super expensive like my quotes with JK for example on email. I could've afforded all 3 surgeries. The consultant told me the doctor is a perfectionist and he really cares about the results of his patients. He was the one to do all 3 surgeries. The reason I didn't pick wannabe was because I already mostly wanted to go with JW and doctor Cha's surgery schedule was full for the time I'm here! I would 1000% recommend going in for a consultation and looking at their before and afters online - especially if you have a budget and don't want to pay for more expensive clinics like VIP etc.
Hyundai
I went to Hyundai but the vibe seemed very 'gangnam yeoja' (gangnam girl) and the results were definitely more dolly looking- which is fine if you want that but I definitely didn't. The consultant was nice but I didn't feel she was that experienced and her english wasn't great and I felt some things I said she didn't understand. Also she had to ask me what price she originally quoted online which came across unprofessional as she should know all this beforehand. The good thing was they had a specialist doctor was each procedure but only the eye and nose doctor were available to talk with. The consultant definitely didn't seem as knowledgeable as the other clinics' and she was mostly just writing down what I was thinking of getting (originally was incisional DES to remove saggy skin + rhino + fat). She didn't give recommendations nor did the eye doctor actually. He didn't have that warm a personality and he wasn't looking at me and giving me his genuine recommendations - instead just saying 'he could do that' to all the options I was asking about (incisional, endotine, non incisional etc). He thought dual canthoplasty would be fine, but all the other doctors didn't recommend as my eyes aren't that slanted and it would show too much white. I think his style of eyes is very big, sort of doll eyes. The nose doctor also suggesting turning up my tip which is the look I was trying to avoid so I thought the clinic's style of aesthetic was just different to what I wanted. Also they didn't have any before and afters on their website, just some on instagram but a lot of the afters were selfies wearing makeup so it was hard to see.
JW
I had my first consultation on my first day with Dr Kang for eyes + fat but he had to leave because he had a surgery and I had booked really last minute so that was understandable. His initial recommendation was endotine to fix the saggy skin that made my eyes hooded (actually brow brows sagging was causing this) and fat grafting. He said incisional would make my eyes look artificial and wouldn't fully correct the sagging skin. The endotine was going to be ~7 million won I think so it was too $$ knowing I wanted to do 2 procedures at least!
I ended up having a 2nd consult with him the next day and he said I could do non-incisional DES which would heighten the crease but it wouldn't fix the hoodedness. I'm okay with this because this is a lot cheaper and I can always do endotine in the future.
I saw Dr Suh as well for the nose as I had read a lot about him online and he seemed really well known for rhinoplasty. His bulbous tips B/A were exactly what I was looking for, I didn't want a pinched/too refined tip. He was actually SO knowledgeable on the nose and what was causing my deviation and bulbous tip and explained everything about the underlying cartilages etc. I felt I could really trust him to get the aesthetic and the functionality of my nose (make sure I can still breathe and not botching it lol). However his price was over my budget and so I will come back later when I save more money! I reallly don't want to take a risk with a cheaper clinic and the only other doctor I felt truly comfortable with was Dr Cha but I don't think he is as experienced or specialized in rhino as dr suh as he is younger!
BTW the english consultant/translator enzo is really good and I felt like I was talking to a friend- he didn't seem money hungry AT ALL and was so genuine and helpful. I liked that the whole consultation with JW was only with the doctors and the consultant and I talked afterwards to discuss pricing. I'm going to pick JW and do just the non-incisional eyelid surgery and the fat grafting because I like how they have specialised doctors w a lot of experience as they are a little older and their work seems to be well known. Also the quote they gave me for eyes and fat was the same as Ruby, I was worried it would be wayy higher but it wasn't. I was initially worried JW would be really commercial and factory like I heard banobagi is but it wasn't at all it seemed like a classy clinic but you can tell it's more $$$.
I'm going to go in on Monday morning and to confirm and pay my deposit etc and have surgery on Tuesday. They are actually really booked out haha and I didn't think they would be. Originally when the old consultant Emily (who doesn't work there anymore) told me online to pay a deposit before coming to korea to secure a slot I thought it was just a marketing ploy to lure you in (and then once you pay, you lose your bargaining power). Most clinics do this and my korean friends all told me NOT to. But JW and wannabe do have quite a full schedule so it is possible that if you are here for a short stay with a major surgery in mind and want to consult in person first, you may not have a spot (probably you will as docs can rearrange) - but if you are here for 12 days or more, it should be ok!! And I'm not doing a major surgery so I only need to take stitches out of my eyes like 4/5 days later.
Would I recommend paying a deposit online to secure a date? NO. I still think you should consult in person and go with your gut and how you feel with the doctor and their recommendations. Because initially I was set on going to UVOM because they seemed to be a smaller clinic with only good results on this forum but I had a really bizarre experience with that clinic (too long to explain but they lied about me confirming and arranging a consultation twice when I didn't + other weird things with my originally intended airbnb host which turned out to be a broker who I cancelled and I strongly advise never to go with an agent unless you want to pay a lot more to give them their commission + there are a few people saying they got botched with their nose jobs on group chats at UVOM). Also I was originally not going to see JW (as I thought they were too $$) nor wannabe (as I hadn't heard much about them) but both clinics were GREAT. So yeah to summarise and give you advice:
- definitely consult in person
- don't go with an agent, you don't need one! How do you think they earn money? heaps of clinics emailed me to say they can give reduction if you don't go with an agency as they don't include the commission
- don't stay just a week if you are having a procedure like rhinoplasty or breast augmentation if you plan to consult with a few clinics as that's too short imo
- go with your instinct on which clinic you like
- visit several clinics to get a broad range of opinions to compare them and to ask clinics about other recommendations you had
- research the specific doctor of the clinic you're thinking of
And no I have NOT been paid to write this I haven't even confirmed my surgery by paying a deposit or the surgery fee. I just finished my consultations yesterday.
