Korean Plastic Surgery Clinic Review?

[Justn27]

Hi - I'm an Asian American living in Korea for the past 6 years. I'm married to a plastic surgeon so over the past 6 years I've accumulated A LOT of information about PS in Korea. Some very interesting, some way too technical for me. I've also met a lot of PS. Some good, some not so good from what I understand. But after reviewing the various threads here, I was wondering if anyone would be interested in an unbiased, objective review of plastic surgery clinics in Korea that cater to foreigners. If so, I was hoping to ask the forum what questions do you have? I have an idea of different questions I'd like to ask, but maybe there were things I haven't thought about from a potential patients' perspective. Also, which clinics would you like to hear about first? (I thought I’d focus on the black list clinics first... since those have the most visibility in this group)
I don't actually know if any clinics would be ok with me reviewing them and publicly showcasing those reviews (there's a strict anti-defamation law in Korea) - but I realize there nothing out there objective and standardized when comparing private clinics for foreigners. Things that I would be gauging for - Doctors, board certifications, experience, specialties, English/foreign language support/accessibility, overnight rooms, meals provided, support... i don't think I’ll be able to get prices..., I thought I could comb review sites and try to gauge popularity based on the Korean community... basically, something to help foreigners navigate the craziness of all the PS clinics that exist in Seoul. (Probably focus around Gangnam and Apgujeong... there's easily thousands just in those areas)
Any thoughts?

I don't think I'm breaking any of the rules but if I am, please let me know and I'll try to modify this post if possible. if not, please remove.

Thank you!

 

[brynnmcdaniel]

That is a great idea and I know it would start to take off. There is a FB group for US military member looking for plastic surgery, while stationed here. The same handful of Dr. get recommended and I always think that there have got to be more options. None of us really know, we just follow the advice of the people before. Your idea would help so many!
Also, please dm your wife’s name and clinic. Thx

 

[rhinoking]

Braun
345
The Plus
ARC

Hahahah

 

[nekobox15]

I read on a Reddit post that the amount you tend to get overcharged in order is Mainland Chinese > Non-Asian Foreigner > Asian foreigner > Korean. I'm really curious if this is true, since I also read in another thread that someone's Chinese consultation got them a way better price than their English consultation

Also, I'm personally very curious if you've heard anything about Fresh, ATOP, and Lavian!

 

[Justn27]

Hi - I'm not sure how every clinic in Korea works, as most private clinics set their own prices usually based on their costs, general market rate, and the demand/skill of their doctors. However, I can give some background on why costing for foreigners might vary from domestics. (I'm sharing to clarify that just because foreigners are charged more than local Koreans, I don't think foreigners are being overcharged. Though I'm sure it could happen)

1. It takes a lot more resources than their normal day to day operations to cater to foriegners. Translators, materials, marketing, foreign websites, maintenance, staff, etc. I've heard that some clinics will spend more than 10M won a month for marketing - and that's just focused on the Korean market. (Btw - if you see a clinic with ads/marketing, it DOES NOT mean it's a bad clinic or you should avoid it as some people have suggested. It just means they have the resources to do it. If all clinics could afford elaborate marketing plans, I'm sure they would.)
2. For doctors, having foreign patients can be a plus/minus. If the doctor is not fluent in English (or the foreign language), it could be difficult trying to explain the process, operations, complications, etc thoroughly to patients. (Interpreters help, but unless the person is specialized or an experienced translator working in the medical field... I'm sure it's difficult to thoroughly explain everything in detail.) Plus, doctors are busy and are the most valuable resource in a clinic - if there are complications or dissatisfaction from an operation, managing issues become X-amount more difficult and time consuming. If they're tied up putting out fires, they're not consulting or operating. And clinics are expensive to run. Plus foreign patients are on a strict timeline. As mentioned before, plastic surgery is surgery and therefore, the risk of complications will always exist.
3. Foreign patients tend to be a lot more needy than Korean patients. I mentioned this previously - but customer service from a western perspective is not the norm in Korea. I go to a restaurant and want food, I call the waiter. If I want water or more side dishes, I get it myself. In most major hospitals in Korea, doctors spend less than 5 minutes with patients. To accomodate to foreign patients, a clinic will try to be more customer centric and give more attention to them. (Time = money)
4. Foreigners traveling from abroad are able to receive a tax refund before their departure since they don't have to pay taxes. Whereas Koreans or those living/working in Korea are unable to since taxes are reported in the country. This is also sometimes considered.
5. If you're working with a third party medical tourism agency, they're most likely getting an incentive - usually about 20-30%. This is standard practice (nothing shady about this) for any referral from an agency and this is an overall margin that is paid to the referral agency from the hospital.
6. I've never heard of a "scale" per se when setting prices for operations. But clinics only make money when patients book. So even if prices seem higher initailly towards foreigners, some clinics will discount prices for the booking, but only up to a point where it makes sense for that particular operation. It's a business. The order of demographics you listed above makes sense as a generalization - given that its listed from what is perceived to be more affluent to "not as" affluent demographics.

If anyone has any other thoughts or insights, feel free to chime in. I can understand from the patients perspective of not wanting to over pay, but keep in mind, catering to foreigners is no simple feat.

I don't know the clinics listed above, but as I mentioned before... its probably better to do some research on the doctors you're planning to see in addition to asking about clinics.

 

[sunny_rise]

I mean this in the nicest way possible, but what is your interest in this? You're married to a plastic surgeon, but have you gotten PS done yourself? Plastic surgery reviews will never be unbiased unless you're just listing out information like a directory (dr, specialities, etc). You're hearing things from other people. Everyone is different and not one experience will be the same, even if they get the same thing done with the same doctor. Someone needing a revision doesn't mean it was bad PS - these are aesthetic changes, it's kind of bizarre to assume 100% satisfaction rate. PS is the most subjective. The clinics with unsafe histories and popular factory clinics have been named and can be found quite easily.

For anyone interested in PS, they should be spending hours, months, years even, doing research or until whatever point they feel comfortable (and have a shortlist of places to consult with). I spent a lot of time translating Korean plastic surgery videos to see what they got done and how it looked, what material was used (for rhino), tips on choosing clinics, etc (they can't name clinics due to a Korean medical law). Lots of reviews on this forum, GangnamUnnie app (lots of B&As + Drs have profiles with their credentials), join PS chats and more! Use your judgement and critical thinking skills to discern if you should trust a review/look for different sources. You also get a better vibe check when you're at the consultations in person.

Money wise - if you're a foreigner, they're accommodating you and can rightly set whatever rates they deem fit. Please do not visit any Asian countries with an attitude of entitlement. They may have different resources for different languages, have different qualifications, and charge accordingly. Everyone's quotes may be different because of what they're looking to get done. They always give you quotes at consultations, and if you feel so confident you can bargain since I've read via reviews here it can work. When I did my consultations, I thought all the prices given were very fair, even the ones quoted above my preferred range since I knew where they were coming from. You don't have to choose any clinic you don't like or cannot afford!

 

[rhinoking]

Hi - I'm an Asian American living in Korea for the past 6 years. I'm married to a plastic surgeon so over the past 6 years I've accumulated A LOT of information about PS in Korea. Some very interesting, some way too technical for me. I've also met a lot of PS. Some good, some not so good from what I understand. But after reviewing the various threads here, I was wondering if anyone would be interested in an unbiased, objective review of plastic surgery clinics in Korea that cater to foreigners. If so, I was hoping to ask the forum what questions do you have? I have an idea of different questions I'd like to ask, but maybe there were things I haven't thought about from a potential patients' perspective. Also, which clinics would you like to hear about first? (I thought I’d focus on the black list clinics first... since those have the most visibility in this group)
I don't actually know if any clinics would be ok with me reviewing them and publicly showcasing those reviews (there's a strict anti-defamation law in Korea) - but I realize there nothing out there objective and standardized when comparing private clinics for foreigners. Things that I would be gauging for - Doctors, board certifications, experience, specialties, English/foreign language support/accessibility, overnight rooms, meals provided, support... i don't think I’ll be able to get prices..., I thought I could comb review sites and try to gauge popularity based on the Korean community... basically, something to help foreigners navigate the craziness of all the PS clinics that exist in Seoul. (Probably focus around Gangnam and Apgujeong... there's easily thousands just in those areas)
Any thoughts?

I don't think I'm breaking any of the rules but if I am, please let me know and I'll try to modify this post if possible. if not, please remove.

Thank you!

Perhaps it would be better if u could make a list of blacklisted, yet popular clinics. Ofc preferably, do back them up with argument. U can DM people who are interested if u are afraid of the anti defamation law.

I am not sure what u meant by strict defamation law. Do u mean that it is very hard to win defamation lawsuit because the criteria is strict and hard-to-bend? A good example of this would be like in the US where u have to prove that the defamation is pre-meditated, is accompanied by ill will and that the culprit has to know that the statement is false and yet still spread the rumor due to those motives. In this case, u would likely be spared if u are well intentioned etc.

Or did u mean that the defamation lawsuit is very easy to win because the criteria is so ambiguous and not-so-strict ? I think u meant the latter (aka this definition).

 

[nekobox15]

Hi - I'm not sure how every clinic in Korea works, as most private clinics set their own prices usually based on their costs, general market rate, and the demand/skill of their doctors. However, I can give some background on why costing for foreigners might vary from domestics. (I'm sharing to clarify that just because foreigners are charged more than local Koreans, I don't think foreigners are being overcharged. Though I'm sure it could happen)

1. It takes a lot more resources than their normal day to day operations to cater to foriegners. Translators, materials, marketing, foreign websites, maintenance, staff, etc. I've heard that some clinics will spend more than 10M won a month for marketing - and that's just focused on the Korean market. (Btw - if you see a clinic with ads/marketing, it DOES NOT mean it's a bad clinic or you should avoid it as some people have suggested. It just means they have the resources to do it. If all clinics could afford elaborate marketing plans, I'm sure they would.)
2. For doctors, having foreign patients can be a plus/minus. If the doctor is not fluent in English (or the foreign language), it could be difficult trying to explain the process, operations, complications, etc thoroughly to patients. (Interpreters help, but unless the person is specialized or an experienced translator working in the medical field... I'm sure it's difficult to thoroughly explain everything in detail.) Plus, doctors are busy and are the most valuable resource in a clinic - if there are complications or dissatisfaction from an operation, managing issues become X-amount more difficult and time consuming. If they're tied up putting out fires, they're not consulting or operating. And clinics are expensive to run. Plus foreign patients are on a strict timeline. As mentioned before, plastic surgery is surgery and therefore, the risk of complications will always exist.
3. Foreign patients tend to be a lot more needy than Korean patients. I mentioned this previously - but customer service from a western perspective is not the norm in Korea. I go to a restaurant and want food, I call the waiter. If I want water or more side dishes, I get it myself. In most major hospitals in Korea, doctors spend less than 5 minutes with patients. To accomodate to foreign patients, a clinic will try to be more customer centric and give more attention to them. (Time = money)
4. Foreigners traveling from abroad are able to receive a tax refund before their departure since they don't have to pay taxes. Whereas Koreans or those living/working in Korea are unable to since taxes are reported in the country. This is also sometimes considered.
5. If you're working with a third party medical tourism agency, they're most likely getting an incentive - usually about 20-30%. This is standard practice (nothing shady about this) for any referral from an agency and this is an overall margin that is paid to the referral agency from the hospital.
6. I've never heard of a "scale" per se when setting prices for operations. But clinics only make money when patients book. So even if prices seem higher initailly towards foreigners, some clinics will discount prices for the booking, but only up to a point where it makes sense for that particular operation. It's a business. The order of demographics you listed above makes sense as a generalization - given that its listed from what is perceived to be more affluent to "not as" affluent demographics.

If anyone has any other thoughts or insights, feel free to chime in. I can understand from the patients perspective of not wanting to over pay, but keep in mind, catering to foreigners is no simple feat.

I don't know the clinics listed above, but as I mentioned before... its probably better to do some research on the doctors you're planning to see in addition to asking about clinics.

Thanks for the extended analysis. To be transparent, I'm thinking about this because there are multiple ways I could approach my consultations (and since I will be in Korea for a few months, I'm in no rush and plan to consult with numerous clinics). I actually do speak some Korean and have been mistaken for Korean, but I feel that my Korean is not good enough for a detailed medical consultation (it works for basic texting/booking). I speak both English and Chinese fluently, although I would feel slightly more confident in understanding medical details in English since that is the language I studied in (majored in biological sciences) and I want to make sure I am clear about all details and complications before agreeing to anything. I am Taiwanese and this is fairly obvious from my Chinese accent; I just don't want to be mistaken for a wealthy mainland Chinese because I have friends from that demographic who were definitely quoted and charged more because clinics knew they could probably afford it. Then again, they were in Korea for the exclusive purpose of PS, while my trip will not be and I'll be there for quite a while. I don't plan to use a third party medical tourism agency; just to either do consultations myself or hire an independent freelance translator—I saw good experiences on multiple threads about hiring and bringing in a freelance translator and am primarily interested in this because he helps negotiate the price on your behalf. So I guess what I'm trying to figure out is if it would be better to go and do consultations myself in Chinese, or bring along a freelancer to help translate my consultations into English.

 

[Justn27]

I mean this in the nicest way possible, but what is your interest in this? You're married to a plastic surgeon, but have you gotten PS done yourself? Plastic surgery reviews will never be unbiased unless you're just listing out information like a directory (dr, specialities, etc). You're hearing things from other people. Everyone is different and not one experience will be the same, even if they get the same thing done with the same doctor. Someone needing a revision doesn't mean it was bad PS - these are aesthetic changes, it's kind of bizarre to assume 100% satisfaction rate. PS is the most subjective. The clinics with unsafe histories and popular factory clinics have been named and can be found quite easily.

For anyone interested in PS, they should be spending hours, months, years even, doing research or until whatever point they feel comfortable (and have a shortlist of places to consult with). I spent a lot of time translating Korean plastic surgery videos to see what they got done and how it looked, what material was used (for rhino), tips on choosing clinics, etc (they can't name clinics due to a Korean medical law). Lots of reviews on this forum, GangnamUnnie app (lots of B&As + Drs have profiles with their credentials), join PS chats and more! Use your judgement and critical thinking skills to discern if you should trust a review/look for different sources. You also get a better vibe check when you're at the consultations in person.

Money wise - if you're a foreigner, they're accommodating you and can rightly set whatever rates they deem fit. Please do not visit any Asian countries with an attitude of entitlement. They may have different resources for different languages, have different qualifications, and charge accordingly. Everyone's quotes may be different because of what they're looking to get done. They always give you quotes at consultations, and if you feel so confident you can bargain since I've read via reviews here it can work. When I did my consultations, I thought all the prices given were very fair, even the ones quoted above my preferred range since I knew where they were coming from. You don't have to choose any clinic you don't like or cannot afford!

Hi Sunny, I found that there's a lot of misinformation on these boards when it comes to plastic surgery in Korea. Plus the medical field is full of asymmetric information. When you toss in the langauge barrier... it's really hard to navigate for foriengers, yet foreigners are a huge market for South Korean clinics. In addition, I've heard a lot of horror stories from friends and from doctors about foreigners' experiences when they visit for plastic surgery. For example, I have a friend's sister who traveled to Korea for a breast aug. The doctor was recommended by one of her friends who did a lot of facial/non invasive work. That doctor also did breast work. So my friend's sister traveled all way from Chicago to Gangnam to meet him only to be told that she was a "bad candidate" for breast aug because her frame was too small and that no one could operate on her. She felt horrible about herself for the next few days until she met an experienced plastic surgeon who was able to consult and operate on her. She was really happy with the results. There's no "bad candidate" for breast aug, its contingent upon the skill of the plastic surgeon. That specific doctor who said she was a bad candidate wasn't even a board certified plastic surgeon. Some cases are harder/riskier, some are easier... Doctors should not blame the patient for their short comings, but I'm guessing it happens. That's my main motivation - to share whatever insights I can to assist those that are interested. In regards to work that I've had done - only minor filler/botox/mole removal type of things. Though I'd love to learn more about scar removal. Hope that helps to clarify my interest.
(Also, thank you for your insights!)

 

[Justn27]

Perhaps it would be better if u could make a list of blacklisted, yet popular clinics. Ofc preferably, do back them up with argument. U can DM people who are interested if u are afraid of the anti defamation law.

I am not sure what u meant by strict defamation law. Do u mean that it is very hard to win defamation lawsuit because the criteria is strict and hard-to-bend? A good example of this would be like in the US where u have to prove that the defamation is pre-meditated, is accompanied by ill will and that the culprit has to know that the statement is false and yet still spread the rumor due to those motives. In this case, u would likely be spared if u are well intentioned etc.

Or did u mean that the defamation lawsuit is very easy to win because the criteria is so ambiguous and not-so-strict ? I think u meant the latter (aka this definition).

That's what I was thinking... at least starting with those clinics... I'm still compiling a standardized list of question and scoring system so it would be fair and objective.

In regards to Korea's defamation law... it's the most strict/unique in existence apparently. Doesn't matter if something is true or untrue, if it hurts a persons reputation (dead or alive), it could be considered illegal, and punishable by fines or impisonment.

 

[sunny_rise]

Hi Sunny, I found that there's a lot of misinformation on these boards when it comes to plastic surgery in Korea. Plus the medical field is full of asymmetric information. When you toss in the langauge barrier... it's really hard to navigate for foriengers, yet foreigners are a huge market for South Korean clinics. In addition, I've heard a lot of horror stories from friends and from doctors about foreigners' experiences when they visit for plastic surgery. For example, I have a friend's sister who traveled to Korea for a breast aug. The doctor was recommended by one of her friends who did a lot of facial/non invasive work. That doctor also did breast work. So my friend's sister traveled all way from Chicago to Gangnam to meet him only to be told that she was a "bad candidate" for breast aug because her frame was too small and that no one could operate on her. She felt horrible about herself for the next few days until she met an experienced plastic surgeon who was able to consult and operate on her. She was really happy with the results. There's no "bad candidate" for breast aug, its contingent upon the skill of the plastic surgeon. That specific doctor who said she was a bad candidate wasn't even a board certified plastic surgeon. Some cases are harder/riskier, some are easier... Doctors should not blame the patient for their short comings, but I'm guessing it happens. That's my main motivation - to share whatever insights I can to assist those that are interested. In regards to work that I've had done - only minor filler/botox/mole removal type of things. Though I'd love to learn more about scar removal. Hope that helps to clarify my interest.
(Also, thank you for your insights!)

While I'm sorry for their experience, that is less a "not enough information" situation and more that they were not prepared. Because it sounds like they didn't look for more info/do more research. Why weren't there more clinics to visit (more opinions)? Their self-esteem was shot by one opinion - that's not really the Dr's problem. Entering a foreign country for travel is hard enough, getting surgery in a foreign country should require SO much preparation. The recommendation came from someone who had never had breast aug done by that Dr... while no harm in adding it to the consultations list, it's a bit much to put all your bets on that, or expect every Dr to speak eloquently (also taking into consideration language barrier/translation nuances - maybe the Dr was just expressing his limitations and it got lost in translation).

I don't mean to sound harsh but I hope everyone who travels for PS knows this isn't just a walk in the park. It's risky and dangerous but can be so rewarding. Preparation is so key to help keep poor/dangerous experiences to a minimum, especially since I know a lot of younger people are traveling for PS these days!

 

[Justn27]

While I'm sorry for their experience, that is less a "not enough information" situation and more that they were not prepared. Because it sounds like they didn't look for more info/do more research. Why weren't there more clinics to visit (more opinions)? Their self-esteem was shot by one opinion - that's not really the Dr's problem. Entering a foreign country for travel is hard enough, getting surgery in a foreign country should require SO much preparation. The recommendation came from someone who had never had breast aug done by that Dr... while no harm in adding it to the consultations list, it's a bit much to put all your bets on that, or expect every Dr to speak eloquently (also taking into consideration language barrier/translation nuances - maybe the Dr was just expressing his limitations and it got lost in translation).

I don't mean to sound harsh but I hope everyone who travels for PS knows this isn't just a walk in the park. It's risky and dangerous but can be so rewarding. Preparation is so key to help keep poor/dangerous experiences to a minimum, especially since I know a lot of younger people are traveling for PS these days!

Thanks for the response. You're totally right! But I wanted to stress that there are bad doctors out there too... or less skilled doctors in different speciality areas. And again, PS doctors tend to have A LOT of ego... it's rare to find a doctor who says they cannot do something or are not skilled in a certain area. And sometimes, they might blame the patient instead of exposing their ineptitude. Something to keep in mind. Thank you again for sharing!

 

[livy2022]

Hi @Justn27 thanks so much for starting this thread! I recently joined the community and am seriously considering getting plastic surgery in seoul (traveling from the US). My relatives are nervous about this and some of them are doctors in the US. Their main concern is that the particular doctor I’m considering operates his own clinic and therefore the surgery would take place in a clinic rather than in a hospital. They think it’s extremely dangerous and risky to be having surgery in a small clinic vs an actual hospital where in the case anything goes wrong, there’s a proper medical team there to help. From my research, I’ve noticed that the majority of plastic surgery operations in Korea happen in a non hospital setting so I wanted to ask what your thoughts are on this. Are locals not concerned that their surgeries involving general anesthesia are performed in non hospital settings? Thanks!

 

[kangaroosnack]

@Justn27 Thanks for offering some insight! I was curious if you had any insight into a few issues I found confusing.
1. A lot of famous plastic surgeons with good reps aren't listed in the "official" directory for certified plastic surgeons (www.prskorea.co.kr) - like the Noselab head dr, surgeons at 365mc, and others with good reputations. What's going on? Is it safe to go to these people even without a certification or license in plastic surgery?
2. Why do so many doctors not use an anesthesiologist in the OR? I've heard a ton of plastic surgeons say that they administer it anddddd monitor. I think this is a little scary even though it isn't general anesthesia usually...
3. Why do surgeons here use sleeping anesthesia over general? In the US, all the consults I went to said they used GA. What's the benefit to using sleeping?

 

[Justn27]

Hi @Justn27 thanks so much for starting this thread! I recently joined the community and am seriously considering getting plastic surgery in seoul (traveling from the US). My relatives are nervous about this and some of them are doctors in the US. Their main concern is that the particular doctor I’m considering operates his own clinic and therefore the surgery would take place in a clinic rather than in a hospital. They think it’s extremely dangerous and risky to be having surgery in a small clinic vs an actual hospital where in the case anything goes wrong, there’s a proper medical team there to help. From my research, I’ve noticed that the majority of plastic surgery operations in Korea happen in a non hospital setting so I wanted to ask what your thoughts are on this. Are locals not concerned that their surgeries involving general anesthesia are performed in non hospital settings? Thanks!

Hi @livy2022 (originally addressed to the wrong person) - Happy New Year! Sorry for the delay in response. The holiday season was a bit overwhelming.. but things are starting to settle down again . A few things to note about a private clinic vs. general hospital in South Korea:

1. Theoretically, all private clinics can only be opened by doctors. This is a legal thing. Meaning they are all medical doctors. All medical doctors go through residency where they're trained across the board in various areas of medicine and have to pass a board to be certified. Then most doctors go through a fellowship in a speciality and then start their practice, either in a general hospital or a private clinic. General hospitals tend to focus less on cosmetic/aesthetics and more so on life saving/improving procedures, whereas private clinics tend to focus on cosmetic/aesthetics (though there are clinics for cancer, OBGYN, fertility, etc). In regards to how locals think, because of this perception, anything cosmetic related, most Koreans will go to a private clinic for the procedure. Not always the case, but generally. Keep in mind, doctors are doing the operations and in a general larger hospital there's job security, prestige, potentially tenureship, but lower pay. Private clinics offer less job security, but much higher pay and offer more specialization in cosmetic training - in the case of plastic surgery. When/if a doctor or doctors feel they can be successful or are motivated to open their own clinic, they move in that direction (it costs a lot of money to start their own business, but it's a pretty lucrative area of business if they're successful). Sometimes doctors burn out from the private clinic arena or for whatever personal/professional reasons will move back into a general hospital. In Korea, keep in mind - any doctor can open a plastic surgery clinic, let me rephrase, ONLY medical doctors are supposed to be able to legally open a private clinic - however, it doesn't necessarily mean that they're board certified in that specific area. Point being, any doctor in a clinic is going to be or will try to be as responsible as any other doctor in a general hospital.. they're all basically from the same place.

2. With #1 being said - most clinics will have protocols in place to ensure patients' safety. Depending on the type of surgery you're planning, something more vs. less invasive, I would be cautious about the staffing of the hospitals. Something like fillers, botox, even eye surgery... those are relatively simple procedures. When you get to the breast augs, mommy make-overs, or the v-line operations, they are bigger and have more chances for complications. Again, however, most established clinics will have experienced doctors/staff that know how to manage the post-op care and will have the staff/equipment needed to support the patient. To your point about general anesthesia, most clinics performing operations that require it will have an anesthesiologist on staff or they contract one for the day if they don't. I don't think it's really anything to worry about. Though, one flag of caution - there's a set number of patients that an anesthesiologist is able to monitor at a given time. So maybe when going in for a consultation, find out if other larger operations are happening at the same time. And if you're worried, try to book for a time slot with less things happening at the hospital. But for the most part, I don't get the impression that locals worry about these types of details and will leave it to the clinic to manage the safety measures.

3. In conclusion… (sorry for the essay) I had the same concerns as your family members when I heard about plastic surgery in Korea. After seeing a few clinics, understanding the operations, and getting an insider's perspective of how things work here… I don’t think there’s anything to worry about. Just do your research and find the best doctor and clinic that works for you.

I hope that helps a bit. For anyone else with thoughts or more information, please feel free to chime in!