Hi all! I’m writing about my facial plastic surgery experience because I obsessively searched for information before my trip and found it was hard to find. This was my first time visiting South Korea and my first time having plastic surgery. I got rhinoplasty (Il Hwan Kim) and incisional double eyelid (Park Song Yi) surgery at nana hospital. I hope this is helpful for any others considering plastic surgery abroad!
Online Consultations
I messaged a lot of places on kkt and whatsapp beforehand. Some responded back with additional recommended procedures which really made me question my face shape LOL but I stuck with rhinoplasty and double eyelid surgery. I ended up paying a deposit to nana, which in hindsight I probably should've done in person consults first, but I was worried about surgery slots being booked up. I think by the time I arrived in South Korea Nana's May slots were booked up, so I'm glad I set a time in advance so I could get in right away. They were also the quickest to respond and the promotion price was nice. Unfortunately I didn't get the head doctor as they said he was booked until August but I trusted Park Song Yi and Il Hwan Kim to do a good job. Il Hwan Kim has a lot of experience and I found some past videos and instagrams of people he had done rhinoplasties on. I also considered marble, machimpyo, VG, and Miho.
Arrival
I arrived on a Sunday at 4pm. Arrival was pretty simple and quick, they only looked at Q-code. After the customs form, I left and crossed the street for the covid test. I was like the only one there. After that I saw the taxis and decided to just hop in one since I was tired and nervous, I probably should’ve taken out cash at the airport though.
Accommodation
I stayed at Ocloud hotel which was near nana plastic surgery. I booked in advance on booking.com so I got a pretty decent price. For me, it was nice staying at a hotel because the cleaning staff cleans the room every day, gives fresh towels and water bottles, and takes out the trash. There was a fridge, small freezer part, and a microwave. No stove though for those who like cooking. The room seems small at first but I got comfortable quickly, there was a desk to do my work and the bathroom shower was really nice. Also there were free washing machines in the fitness center which was convenient since I was staying for 2.5 weeks.
Consultation
I had my consultation scheduled the day after I arrived and the day before my surgery. I first spoke with the English translator about what I wanted and then she brought the doctors in one by one. The consultations were fairly short but I figured they would do their best to make it look natural anyways so I didn't have many questions. The English translator was kind and had a comforting demeanor.
Park Song Yi - I showed her pictures of the eyes I liked. We decided the lid height I wanted and decided not to do any canthoplasty. I had concerns about how she would make the eyes more symmetrical since one of my eyes had minor ptosis and the other had more skin covering it. She said she wouldn’t know if she needed to do ptosis correction on both until surgery and that she would do her best to make them symmetrical. She had a good eye for what crease height would look good.
Il Hwan Kim - He immediately walked me through what I needed done - hump removal, osteotomy, deviation correction, tip plasty, and alar base reduction. He said I didn’t need an implant which was nice. I asked if we needed to do the osteotomy and he said yes as my nose was slightly deviated. My price ended up increasing after consulting with him because we didn’t know I needed deviation correction. I think I trusted him more after the consultation as it seemed he had a good eye and had a plan to make my nose better right away.
My total price was 7,350,000 krw (5,720 usd) after the 25% off promotion they had in May for 2 surgeries. I couldn’t pay any more than this and thought this was a good price considering I got quoted $30,0000 for primary rhinoplasty and des in Beverly Hills LOL.
Surgery Day
My surgery was at 11:30 but I came at 10:30 to prepare. The english translator greeted me and I changed into hospital shirt and pants. They have you wash your face and do a small cup of mouth wash. They give you a small care package with ice pack for eyes and two face masks. The eye ice pack is really nice, I didn’t use any others.
I got to see the eye doctor before surgery to mark where the crease height would be. The nose doctor was in surgery so I didn’t get to see him for a pre-surgery consult. The translator said she told the nurses what I wanted (basically just a natural result). I wasn’t really that nervous for surgery since I knew I wouldn’t feel any pain and would wake up with it being over. Putting the IV in was probably the worst part but not that bad. Being awake for the eyes was definitely a weird feeling but you’re still out of it so it’s not scary or anything. I remember wanting to chat with someone to distract myself from the surgery but the doctor and nurse were talking in Korean. Park Song Yi does speak English though which is nice. A couple times they sit you up and ask you to open and close your eyes. There’s some feeling of tugging but no pain. After that was done they had me get up and go to the bathroom and then knocked me out for the rhinoplasty. My eye surgery started at 11:50am and I was told I was finished with both surgeries at 3:35pm.
The following is mostly about me complaining about after the surgery lol
I woke up in the recovery room which was some comfy chairs sectioned off with curtains. I had the worst fever and headache of my life and my nose and teeth hurt pretty bad. I wasn’t really expecting to wake up in pain since most people seem fine after but I guess since they break the nose for the deviation correction it’s more painful. I could barely breathe out of my mouth since it was so dry. I lowkey felt like I was dying lol I stayed until the English translator came down and convinced me to leave, I think it was the end of her shift lol she told me I would feel better if I go back to my hotel so I can eat, drink, and take the meds. We went down to the pharmacy and got the meds and then I walked back to my hotel (it was a very short walk). I felt like death and couldn’t see super well but it seemed like people were moving out of my way when I was walking. The translator said I just kept saying "ouch ouch" haha
When I got back to the hotel room I just sat on the floor and tried my best to grab what I needed. I tried to eat some pumpkin soup but only had a few spoonfuls. Then I took a packet of the meds they gave and laid in bed. I was so cold I couldn’t move, plus my fever and headache were really bad. I sat there shivering for about 4 hours until I finally felt like I could get up and grab the extra strength tylenol I brought. The pain meds they gave didn’t do anything but the tylenol helped. When I felt well enough to get up I tried eating again. I ended up puking a few hours later though. This was definitely the worst night of my life, I went through 4-5 water bottles as I just sat in bed and constantly sipped, otherwise it felt hard to breathe. The fever and chills made it a lot worse though and it seems most people don’t have these effects like I did.
Post Op Day 1
I felt slightly nauseous and ended up going to emart to find some foods I could look at without wanting to puke. Luckily it was like 30 seconds from my hotel. (definitely try to get everything you need ahead of time though) I had a headache and fever still which subsided throughout the day. I felt much better than the night before. They say to ice diligently the first 24 hours but I probably iced like once cus I was lazy lol
Post Op Day 2
I got the nose packing out this morning. They cleaned the wounds and also gave an antibiotic shot in the butt. It was pretty painful but it was only sore for a few hours after. I didn't have soreness the days following but they said it might be sore for 3 days. My lower face also started swelling up this day (which is normal even though I didn't have anything done there).
I ended up falling asleep early and sleeping a crap ton now that I could breathe from my nose. Also because I spent the last day scrambling to finish schoolwork I should’ve done before my surgery lol let’s just say it was very poorly done (C’s get degrees)
Post Op Day 3
I’ve had a cough which was annoying while sleeping. I ended up going to the restaurant in my hotel to eat. The tables were sectioned off so it felt private, which was nice because I looked horrible.
Post Op Day 4
I decided to shower early in the morning. I brought these plastic shower face shields which were really useful. I was able to fully wash my hair and not worry about getting any water in my face.
My face is still swollen and there is more yellow bruising around my eyes. I’m feeling well enough now to start caring about the results. I feel like one of my eyes looks droopier than the other but that eye also looked smaller in photos before. I can only see the bottom of my nose but I think it looks cute so far. I went to a small sushi place nearby for dinner, it was pretty good.
Post Op Day 5
Nothing different today except face swelling has slightly gone down. I tried a rotational sushi place for dinner, not as good as the small sushi place but still a fun experience.
Post Op Day 6
I woke up feeling pretty good. I went to a coffee shop nearby to get some work done and then chilled on the rooftop garden of my hotel. I don’t think I look that different from yesterday but lower face swelling is slowly going down. I’m excited to get my cast and stitches removed tomorrow!
Post Op Day 7
I had my appointment at 10am for cast and stitch removal. They take the cast off first, there was a tiny bit of pain since it was stuck on and my nasal bones were sore, this is because I got osteotomy and hump removal though. I was pretty nervous for the stitch removal but the translator said I had to relax or it would hurt more. I closed my eyes and just focused on my breathing to try to relax and it was honestly so quick and painless. The nurse was really good, I thought she was just going through and cutting all the stitches first but it was actually done as I didn't realize she had pulled them out too.
I thought my eyes looked a lot better with the stitches out. Seeing my nose was honestly kind of shocking and I didn't know what to think. Since I didn't get a bridge implant I think the tip looked kind of high but I know that's the last thing to deswell. I feel like I look completely different but I think I will get used to it/will have to since not going through this again hahah. Looking forward to seeing how it looks in a few weeks!
Online Consultations
I messaged a lot of places on kkt and whatsapp beforehand. Some responded back with additional recommended procedures which really made me question my face shape LOL but I stuck with rhinoplasty and double eyelid surgery. I ended up paying a deposit to nana, which in hindsight I probably should've done in person consults first, but I was worried about surgery slots being booked up. I think by the time I arrived in South Korea Nana's May slots were booked up, so I'm glad I set a time in advance so I could get in right away. They were also the quickest to respond and the promotion price was nice. Unfortunately I didn't get the head doctor as they said he was booked until August but I trusted Park Song Yi and Il Hwan Kim to do a good job. Il Hwan Kim has a lot of experience and I found some past videos and instagrams of people he had done rhinoplasties on. I also considered marble, machimpyo, VG, and Miho.
Arrival
I arrived on a Sunday at 4pm. Arrival was pretty simple and quick, they only looked at Q-code. After the customs form, I left and crossed the street for the covid test. I was like the only one there. After that I saw the taxis and decided to just hop in one since I was tired and nervous, I probably should’ve taken out cash at the airport though.
Accommodation
I stayed at Ocloud hotel which was near nana plastic surgery. I booked in advance on booking.com so I got a pretty decent price. For me, it was nice staying at a hotel because the cleaning staff cleans the room every day, gives fresh towels and water bottles, and takes out the trash. There was a fridge, small freezer part, and a microwave. No stove though for those who like cooking. The room seems small at first but I got comfortable quickly, there was a desk to do my work and the bathroom shower was really nice. Also there were free washing machines in the fitness center which was convenient since I was staying for 2.5 weeks.
Consultation
I had my consultation scheduled the day after I arrived and the day before my surgery. I first spoke with the English translator about what I wanted and then she brought the doctors in one by one. The consultations were fairly short but I figured they would do their best to make it look natural anyways so I didn't have many questions. The English translator was kind and had a comforting demeanor.
Park Song Yi - I showed her pictures of the eyes I liked. We decided the lid height I wanted and decided not to do any canthoplasty. I had concerns about how she would make the eyes more symmetrical since one of my eyes had minor ptosis and the other had more skin covering it. She said she wouldn’t know if she needed to do ptosis correction on both until surgery and that she would do her best to make them symmetrical. She had a good eye for what crease height would look good.
Il Hwan Kim - He immediately walked me through what I needed done - hump removal, osteotomy, deviation correction, tip plasty, and alar base reduction. He said I didn’t need an implant which was nice. I asked if we needed to do the osteotomy and he said yes as my nose was slightly deviated. My price ended up increasing after consulting with him because we didn’t know I needed deviation correction. I think I trusted him more after the consultation as it seemed he had a good eye and had a plan to make my nose better right away.
My total price was 7,350,000 krw (5,720 usd) after the 25% off promotion they had in May for 2 surgeries. I couldn’t pay any more than this and thought this was a good price considering I got quoted $30,0000 for primary rhinoplasty and des in Beverly Hills LOL.
Surgery Day
My surgery was at 11:30 but I came at 10:30 to prepare. The english translator greeted me and I changed into hospital shirt and pants. They have you wash your face and do a small cup of mouth wash. They give you a small care package with ice pack for eyes and two face masks. The eye ice pack is really nice, I didn’t use any others.
I got to see the eye doctor before surgery to mark where the crease height would be. The nose doctor was in surgery so I didn’t get to see him for a pre-surgery consult. The translator said she told the nurses what I wanted (basically just a natural result). I wasn’t really that nervous for surgery since I knew I wouldn’t feel any pain and would wake up with it being over. Putting the IV in was probably the worst part but not that bad. Being awake for the eyes was definitely a weird feeling but you’re still out of it so it’s not scary or anything. I remember wanting to chat with someone to distract myself from the surgery but the doctor and nurse were talking in Korean. Park Song Yi does speak English though which is nice. A couple times they sit you up and ask you to open and close your eyes. There’s some feeling of tugging but no pain. After that was done they had me get up and go to the bathroom and then knocked me out for the rhinoplasty. My eye surgery started at 11:50am and I was told I was finished with both surgeries at 3:35pm.
The following is mostly about me complaining about after the surgery lol
I woke up in the recovery room which was some comfy chairs sectioned off with curtains. I had the worst fever and headache of my life and my nose and teeth hurt pretty bad. I wasn’t really expecting to wake up in pain since most people seem fine after but I guess since they break the nose for the deviation correction it’s more painful. I could barely breathe out of my mouth since it was so dry. I lowkey felt like I was dying lol I stayed until the English translator came down and convinced me to leave, I think it was the end of her shift lol she told me I would feel better if I go back to my hotel so I can eat, drink, and take the meds. We went down to the pharmacy and got the meds and then I walked back to my hotel (it was a very short walk). I felt like death and couldn’t see super well but it seemed like people were moving out of my way when I was walking. The translator said I just kept saying "ouch ouch" haha
When I got back to the hotel room I just sat on the floor and tried my best to grab what I needed. I tried to eat some pumpkin soup but only had a few spoonfuls. Then I took a packet of the meds they gave and laid in bed. I was so cold I couldn’t move, plus my fever and headache were really bad. I sat there shivering for about 4 hours until I finally felt like I could get up and grab the extra strength tylenol I brought. The pain meds they gave didn’t do anything but the tylenol helped. When I felt well enough to get up I tried eating again. I ended up puking a few hours later though. This was definitely the worst night of my life, I went through 4-5 water bottles as I just sat in bed and constantly sipped, otherwise it felt hard to breathe. The fever and chills made it a lot worse though and it seems most people don’t have these effects like I did.
Post Op Day 1
I felt slightly nauseous and ended up going to emart to find some foods I could look at without wanting to puke. Luckily it was like 30 seconds from my hotel. (definitely try to get everything you need ahead of time though) I had a headache and fever still which subsided throughout the day. I felt much better than the night before. They say to ice diligently the first 24 hours but I probably iced like once cus I was lazy lol
Post Op Day 2
I got the nose packing out this morning. They cleaned the wounds and also gave an antibiotic shot in the butt. It was pretty painful but it was only sore for a few hours after. I didn't have soreness the days following but they said it might be sore for 3 days. My lower face also started swelling up this day (which is normal even though I didn't have anything done there).
I ended up falling asleep early and sleeping a crap ton now that I could breathe from my nose. Also because I spent the last day scrambling to finish schoolwork I should’ve done before my surgery lol let’s just say it was very poorly done (C’s get degrees)
Post Op Day 3
I’ve had a cough which was annoying while sleeping. I ended up going to the restaurant in my hotel to eat. The tables were sectioned off so it felt private, which was nice because I looked horrible.
Post Op Day 4
I decided to shower early in the morning. I brought these plastic shower face shields which were really useful. I was able to fully wash my hair and not worry about getting any water in my face.
My face is still swollen and there is more yellow bruising around my eyes. I’m feeling well enough now to start caring about the results. I feel like one of my eyes looks droopier than the other but that eye also looked smaller in photos before. I can only see the bottom of my nose but I think it looks cute so far. I went to a small sushi place nearby for dinner, it was pretty good.
Post Op Day 5
Nothing different today except face swelling has slightly gone down. I tried a rotational sushi place for dinner, not as good as the small sushi place but still a fun experience.
Post Op Day 6
I woke up feeling pretty good. I went to a coffee shop nearby to get some work done and then chilled on the rooftop garden of my hotel. I don’t think I look that different from yesterday but lower face swelling is slowly going down. I’m excited to get my cast and stitches removed tomorrow!
Post Op Day 7
I had my appointment at 10am for cast and stitch removal. They take the cast off first, there was a tiny bit of pain since it was stuck on and my nasal bones were sore, this is because I got osteotomy and hump removal though. I was pretty nervous for the stitch removal but the translator said I had to relax or it would hurt more. I closed my eyes and just focused on my breathing to try to relax and it was honestly so quick and painless. The nurse was really good, I thought she was just going through and cutting all the stitches first but it was actually done as I didn't realize she had pulled them out too.
I thought my eyes looked a lot better with the stitches out. Seeing my nose was honestly kind of shocking and I didn't know what to think. Since I didn't get a bridge implant I think the tip looked kind of high but I know that's the last thing to deswell. I feel like I look completely different but I think I will get used to it/will have to since not going through this again hahah. Looking forward to seeing how it looks in a few weeks!
