My Experience at NANA Plastic Surgery Hospital - Pre-Op, Op, and Post-Op Journey

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#17
Thanks for very informative and honest review. I will try to follow your format after my surgery on July.

The slap is totally unnecessary, they can wipe your face wet (but I’m not sure if the slap is their last resort haha)
plastic_cabbage said:
Service: 6/10
What went well:
1. Effy provided information about the surgery and consultation timings.
2. Estelle was helpful and friendly.
3. Honey was really sweet too. I will miss her!
4. Dr. Kim made sure to manage my expectations, pre-empting me about swelling. He also walked me through my skin type (thicc) and explained that the results would take a while to show. He shared about how he would try to keep my nostrils to the same shape as before, and that it won't be 100% 'symmetrical' because asymmetry is normal. I liked that he also turned up during post-stitch removal for any final questions.
5. Nurses are efficient; stitch removal lasted 20 minutes max.
6. Administrative matters like filing for a tax rebate and confirming of identity were settled pretty fast (just bring your passport).
7. They did focus on my eyes and nose per my wish— no hard selling on modifying other parts.

What could have been improved:
1. Communication and responsiveness from NANA could have been better, especially in clarifying the consultation location (circa Sep 2022) and addressing inquiries promptly. The scheduling and appointment changes caused confusion and inconvenience.
2. Aftercare instructions were not thorough, and no aftercare package was provided (in my case).
3. Maybe not slap my face to wake me up? I find this a bit funny and can understand why they rushed me, but at the same time... hmm... YMMV.
4. I should have been informed ahead of time about the change in consultants (... twice).
5. The contract states that if my nose is not exactly satisfactory, I can approach NANA within 6 months to discuss a revision. However, since I have thick skin, 6 months may be too soon to tell. I would advise the next thicc skin queen to try extending that point.
6. Pricing transparency, but *laughs in foreigner*.

I have chosen not to include the issue of NANA forgetting to take my pictures and the need to return the following day as a con, since accidents happen and I'm glad it's not on my face. :biggrin:

Results: 8/10
What went well:
1. I can definitely see a visible difference. I believe BlackPink forgot to bring me back to Singapore for the tour (jk). Anyway, I'm pretty satisfied and excited about how my nose will morph over the following year!
2. I'm really just glad to also be alive after a whole year of avoiding videos on botched surgeries... no signs of implant infection/sickness yet.
3. My nose isn't particularly leaky anymore.
4. Vision also cleared up within days.
5. Dr. Kim is also observant and meticulous; he noticed that my right eye was ever-so-slightly (like... 5% at most, and it's barely noticeable) lazier than my left and helped to lift it with a few more stitches to boost symmetry.

Areas for improvement:
1. Clearer communication and thorough explanation of the surgical process and expectations.
I did entrust Dr. Kim to perform his magic, but I wasn't really walked through the type of implant he'd use (S-type, etc...).
2. More comprehensive aftercare instructions and provision of an aftercare package.

Overall: 7/10

Pro-tips:
1. Look through the hospital's portfolio and try to find a model with features that are similar to yours in the "Before" and features you'd like to have in the "After"! You can then DM to ask for the specific surgeon. Granted that most photos are photoshopped to heck, it really helped that I referred to his past work and told him I wanted a similar result, so it was basically at his fingertips.

2. Shop around more for a Plastic Surgery hospital, try to bargain a bit more too!– I hit up Hyundai (a serious contender), and MINE (to bargain), and they were actually more responsive, but I stuck with NANA because sunk cost already. :< It was a bit risky and I wouldn't recommend it.
Click to expand...
 
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#20
Additional fun facts that may be helpful:
1. I am on Invisalign with attachments: I'll advise taking the retainers off in the first 3-4 days and resuming the schedule when your mouth can open wide enough.
2. I have always had chronic dry eyes but was prescribed medicated eye drops by NANA to apply 3x a day, which helped.
My dry eyes also haven't resurfaced either, which is an interesting coincidence.
3. You will be prescribed ointment to apply on your stitches 3x a day as well.
4. For those of you going through eye surgery, try listening to podcasts instead of watching videos because your eyes won't be able to focus for a while. It took me around ~5 days to regain full vision. I also used my phone's accessibility functions to help me see the words better.
5. I have accidentally booped my nose a few times. Don't freak out, it happens, just don't deliberately do it.
6. The tip of your nose may feel hard. It will soften with time, don't worry.
7. You may lose your sense of smell for a while, which is a bit of a blessing because Gangnam can smell a bit like sewage sometimes. Spitting culture is also quite common here.
8. Nobody bats an eyelid when you go out in casts. Don't worry.
9. The streets are quieter on weekdays and noisier on weekends. There are many 24H convenience stores around if you don't wish to travel too far for anything.
10. If you are more adventurous, you can buy a T-Money card from 7-11 and top up some money in it for your transportation needs for both train and bus. I only eventually got it because my friend wanted to visit a market. Otherwise, I would have just stuck to buying solo train tickets since I'd only need to make 2 trips (Airport -> Airbnb, and vice versa), and one trip was around SGD4. The T-Money card is SGD3-4. Mine was SGD4 because I chose a design LOL, but you can choose the plain black one to save a dollar.
11. If you choose to dine outside and the portions are huge, consider asking the restaurant worker to help you package the leftovers. It's an extra meal! Korea has a huge sharing culture hence the food portions are usually chonkier.
12. Bring your own bag because there is a plastic bag charge (~50 cents/bag), plus environmentalists are always hot. <3
13. I was there for a total of 10 nights which was ok for me, but some people may feel more comfortable spending ~2 weeks.
14. Bring your passport when you're shopping. Any purchase above 30 bucks gets you a tax refund. It is easier to let the cashier do it for you than to do it yourself in the airport (I missed out on ~$20 of tax refund, tsk).
15. Arrive earlier at the airport to claim your tax refund/etc. The process itself doesn't take a long time, but navigation can take a while because the airport is huge.

Other things I considered that weren't mentioned earlier:
1. Some may benefit from the softer bristles of baby toothbrushes during the healing period.
2. I tied my hair in French braids, and also tied my bangs up until I could wash them again.
3. I nearly went to a hair salon to wash my hair, but it was ~SGD30 and I'm splurging on my hair when I visit Malaysia instead.
4. I was an extremely light packer with luggage of <8kg, but returned home with 17kg because I got way too many souvenirs for my homies. Be mindful of how much you're bringing back because the airport is huge (refer to pt 15 of the earlier section). You really don't need that extra baggage on top of recovery. You can opt to get your friends some cute bookmarks or a small snack at the dollar store/candy from the candy store instead.
5. Part of the 17kg also did comprise my skincare needs from Oliveyoung. @_@ So again, be mindful!
6. I haven't seen the need for a saline spray/gel yet but I may get 'round to that soon.
 
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#21
plastic_cabbage said:
9 May, 2023: Surgery Day: Procedures and Pricing Update
Due to the confusion and changes, I arrived slightly late for the surgery, mistakenly thinking it was scheduled for 1500, but it turned out that 1500 was the surgery time and the consultation should have been at 1300 instead. I was then rushed to wash my face, gargle my mouth, and change into the provided attire, which looked like pyjamas.

After changing into the provided attire, I had my profile shots taken and underwent some blood tests and x-ray, before going to the consultation room where Dr. Kim entered shortly after. Dr. Kim informed me that I had ptosis, a condition where the upper eyelid droops, and to address this, he would need to remove excess fat from the upper eyelids. Additionally, he suggested undergoing epicanthoplasty, a procedure to widen the eyes for aesthetic purposes. However, he mentioned that the distance between my eyes was (unfortunately) primarily determined by my bone structure rather than the skin, so the potential difference in appearance may not be significant.

For the nose, Dr. Kim recommended a comprehensive approach which included rhinoplasty with a silicone implant, alar base reduction, and bulbous tip correction. In both the 2022 and 2023 consultations, I expressed concerns about using a silicone implant due to the potential risk of infection. However, Dr. Kim advised against using cartilage as an alternative, explaining that cartilage has the drawback of potentially being absorbed back into the body. He reassured me that I had sufficient septal cartilage available to form the nose tip, which made the use of ear cartilage unnecessary.

The consultation with Dr. Kim proceeded quite swiftly, with him leaving the room in less than 20 minutes. Effy then took over and discussed the pricing details with me. She shared that Honey had made a mistake regarding the discount. The 30% discount mentioned during the September 2022 consultation was actually intended for individuals undergoing three or more surgeries. Since I technically only had two surgeries (eyes and nose), I was not entitled to a 30% discount but a 20% discount instead.

I slightly contested the sudden change because not only was I recommended an additional procedure, I suddenly had to pay up to 1.5mil KRW more. Effy then said that NANA could give a 25% discount instead as a compromise. She also said that Dr. Kim was an experienced surgeon hence that was the best price.

Hence the procedures I ended up undergoing were:
Eyes
1. Epicanthoplasty (1.5mil KRW)
2. Incisional ptosis correction (4mil KRW)

Nose
1. Bulbous tip correction (1.5mil KRW)
2. Rhinoplasty with silicone implant (6mil KRW)
3. Alar base reduction (1.5mil KRW)

General Anaesthesia
1. 110mil KR

Total: 15.5mil
Post-discount: 11.625mil (allegedly, see disclaimer below)
Disclaimer: I believe I paid 11mil instead of 11.625mil, but my Math is not Mathing and the entire payment process was really fast. With that being said, I felt that there was some form of discriminatory pricing (based on previous reviews/prices from NANA) but it was basically sunk cost at that point, so I went for it.

You should also know that you will be entitled to a tax return of 8% (IIRC), which you can claim at the airport.

[Will continue next part in comments]
Click to expand...
 
#22
plastic_cabbage said:
9 May, 2023: Surgery Day: Procedures and Pricing Update
Due to the confusion and changes, I arrived slightly late for the surgery, mistakenly thinking it was scheduled for 1500, but it turned out that 1500 was the surgery time and the consultation should have been at 1300 instead. I was then rushed to wash my face, gargle my mouth, and change into the provided attire, which looked like pyjamas.

After changing into the provided attire, I had my profile shots taken and underwent some blood tests and x-ray, before going to the consultation room where Dr. Kim entered shortly after. Dr. Kim informed me that I had ptosis, a condition where the upper eyelid droops, and to address this, he would need to remove excess fat from the upper eyelids. Additionally, he suggested undergoing epicanthoplasty, a procedure to widen the eyes for aesthetic purposes. However, he mentioned that the distance between my eyes was (unfortunately) primarily determined by my bone structure rather than the skin, so the potential difference in appearance may not be significant.

For the nose, Dr. Kim recommended a comprehensive approach which included rhinoplasty with a silicone implant, alar base reduction, and bulbous tip correction. In both the 2022 and 2023 consultations, I expressed concerns about using a silicone implant due to the potential risk of infection. However, Dr. Kim advised against using cartilage as an alternative, explaining that cartilage has the drawback of potentially being absorbed back into the body. He reassured me that I had sufficient septal cartilage available to form the nose tip, which made the use of ear cartilage unnecessary.

The consultation with Dr. Kim proceeded quite swiftly, with him leaving the room in less than 20 minutes. Effy then took over and discussed the pricing details with me. She shared that Honey had made a mistake regarding the discount. The 30% discount mentioned during the September 2022 consultation was actually intended for individuals undergoing three or more surgeries. Since I technically only had two surgeries (eyes and nose), I was not entitled to a 30% discount but a 20% discount instead.

I slightly contested the sudden change because not only was I recommended an additional procedure, I suddenly had to pay up to 1.5mil KRW more. Effy then said that NANA could give a 25% discount instead as a compromise. She also said that Dr. Kim was an experienced surgeon hence that was the best price.

Hence the procedures I ended up undergoing were:
Eyes
1. Epicanthoplasty (1.5mil KRW)
2. Incisional ptosis correction (4mil KRW)

Nose
1. Bulbous tip correction (1.5mil KRW)
2. Rhinoplasty with silicone implant (6mil KRW)
3. Alar base reduction (1.5mil KRW)

General Anaesthesia
1. 110mil KRW

Total: 15.5mil
Post-discount: 11.625mil (allegedly, see disclaimer below)
Disclaimer: I believe I paid 11mil instead of 11.625mil, but my Math is not Mathing and the entire payment process was really fast. With that being said, I felt that there was some form of discriminatory pricing (based on previous reviews/prices from NANA) but it was basically sunk cost at that point, so I went for it.

You should also know that you will be entitled to a tax return of 8% (IIRC), which you can claim at the airport.

[Will continue next part in comments
Click to expand...
Hello,

Thank you for your reviews, they are very useful.
I’m new to this forum so I’m sorry if I make any mistakes.
May I know if we need medical tourism visa for Rhinoplasty surgery? Or just tourist visa is ok? I’m from south east Asia so I need visa but I’m not sure which type to apply. Thanks :)
 
Last edited:
#23
plastic_cabbage said:
9 May, 2023: Surgery Day: Procedures and Pricing Update
Due to the confusion and changes, I arrived slightly late for the surgery, mistakenly thinking it was scheduled for 1500, but it turned out that 1500 was the surgery time and the consultation should have been at 1300 instead. I was then rushed to wash my face, gargle my mouth, and change into the provided attire, which looked like pyjamas.

After changing into the provided attire, I had my profile shots taken and underwent some blood tests and x-ray, before going to the consultation room where Dr. Kim entered shortly after. Dr. Kim informed me that I had ptosis, a condition where the upper eyelid droops, and to address this, he would need to remove excess fat from the upper eyelids. Additionally, he suggested undergoing epicanthoplasty, a procedure to widen the eyes for aesthetic purposes. However, he mentioned that the distance between my eyes was (unfortunately) primarily determined by my bone structure rather than the skin, so the potential difference in appearance may not be significant.

For the nose, Dr. Kim recommended a comprehensive approach which included rhinoplasty with a silicone implant, alar base reduction, and bulbous tip correction. In both the 2022 and 2023 consultations, I expressed concerns about using a silicone implant due to the potential risk of infection. However, Dr. Kim advised against using cartilage as an alternative, explaining that cartilage has the drawback of potentially being absorbed back into the body. He reassured me that I had sufficient septal cartilage available to form the nose tip, which made the use of ear cartilage unnecessary.

The consultation with Dr. Kim proceeded quite swiftly, with him leaving the room in less than 20 minutes. Effy then took over and discussed the pricing details with me. She shared that Honey had made a mistake regarding the discount. The 30% discount mentioned during the September 2022 consultation was actually intended for individuals undergoing three or more surgeries. Since I technically only had two surgeries (eyes and nose), I was not entitled to a 30% discount but a 20% discount instead.

I slightly contested the sudden change because not only was I recommended an additional procedure, I suddenly had to pay up to 1.5mil KRW more. Effy then said that NANA could give a 25% discount instead as a compromise. She also said that Dr. Kim was an experienced surgeon hence that was the best price.

Hence the procedures I ended up undergoing were:
Eyes
1. Epicanthoplasty (1.5mil KRW)
2. Incisional ptosis correction (4mil KRW)

Nose
1. Bulbous tip correction (1.5mil KRW)
2. Rhinoplasty with silicone implant (6mil KRW)
3. Alar base reduction (1.5mil KRW)

General Anaesthesia
1. 110mil KRW

Total: 15.5mil
Post-discount: 11.625mil (allegedly, see disclaimer below)
Disclaimer: I believe I paid 11mil instead of 11.625mil, but my Math is not Mathing and the entire payment process was really fast. With that being said, I felt that there was some form of discriminatory pricing (based on previous reviews/prices from NANA) but it was basically sunk cost at that point, so I went for it.

You should also know that you will be entitled to a tax return of 8% (IIRC), which you can claim at the airport.

[Will continue next part in comments]
Click to expand...
Hello,
Your reviews are very useful. Thank you^^
I’m planning to get rhinoplasty at NaNa too. May I know the price of the general anaesthesia is 110 mil KRW? It is more expensive than the rhino surgery ?
 
#25
Rikao said:
Hello,

Thank you for your reviews, they are very useful.
I’m new to this forum so I’m sorry if I make any mistakes.
May I know if we need medical tourism visa for Rhinoplasty surgery? Or just tourist visa is ok? I’m from south east Asia so I need visa but I’m not sure which type to apply. Thanks :smile:
Click to expand...
No worries and welcome to the forum! I applied for K-ETA (try to apply for this earlier) but I have a Singaporean passport so the procedures may be different for us. ><
 
#26
plastic_cabbage said:
No worries and welcome to the forum! I applied for K-ETA (try to apply for this earlier) but I have a Singaporean passport so the procedures may be different for us. ><
Click to expand...
Thanks for the reply. Unfortunately, my country is not eligible for the K-ETA visa so I have to apply for different visa type. When you apply for K-ETA visa, do they ask you purpose for the visit to Korea? Like in immigration or embassy. Because K-ETA is also like tourism purposes so I think it’s easier for me to apply tourist visa than medical visa which require more detailed requirements. But I’m also scared that hospital will take it lightly on the surgery.
 
#27
Rikao said:
Hello,

Thank you for your reviews, they are very useful.
I’m new to this forum so I’m sorry if I make any mistakes.
May I know if we need medical tourism visa for Rhinoplasty surgery? Or just tourist visa is ok? I’m from south east Asia so I need visa but I’m not sure which type to apply. Thanks :smile:
Click to expand...
Hi - if you are going with an medical tourism agency they will file the visa for you. Depends on what country you live. In Australia if you are a non citizen and your passport requires a visa you can apply for a just a regular tourist visa :smile: i just applied for tourist visa via mail. Please refer to visa issuance on the korea embassy on your current country of residence.
 
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#29
lilith* said:
Hi - if you are going with an medical tourism agency they will file the visa for you. Depends on what country you live. In Australia if you are a non citizen and your passport requires a visa you can apply for a just a regular tourist visa :smile: i just applied for tourist visa via mail. Please refer to visa issuance on the korea embassy on your current country of residence.
Click to expand...
Thanks for the answer. I won’t be using medical tourism agency so, if I can just use normal tourist visa for plastic surgery then I will just apply for normal visa. Because, I wasn’t sure if I can use tourist visa for the surgery and the requirements for medical tourists visa needs a lot of paperwork. :sad:
I have no knowledge about the procedure so I can’t only ask for information in here. Since people here are very kind and helpful. Thanks again. ^^
 
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