Hi All,
I'm about 3 months post-op and wanted to come back on here to share my experience.
Like many of you, I've read through this forum extensively before making a decision so I want to contribute back to this community for those that are interested in getting more info.
Please note, I won't be sharing any images for privacy. I don't think photos of just a cropped nose or a weirdly blurred photo will help much anyway. Everyone's nose is different so it's best to do your research and find reference photos of noses similar to what you have and what you'd like to achieve. All opinions are also my own - I didn't receive any discounts for my review.
My trip to Korea was about 3 weeks, which was the perfect amount of time for me. I know people often do 2 weeks but if you can swing 3, that would be my recommendation.
Here's a beakdown of my days - read further for more details on clinics, process and learnings.
Day 1: Land in Korea
Day 2-3: Consultations. I did 5 total and it was really exhausting. Wasn’t really feeling it by the last appointment, which was at Marble but it ended up being the clinic I went with. They were able to fit me in the next day for the surgery.
Day 4: Surgery Day
Day 5: Post Op (Day 1) Removed nose packing. Didn’t hurt but I was surprised at how far up the packing was. Sleeping was uncomfortable like most people’s experience.
Day 10: Post Op (Day 7) Removed stitches under the nose and cast. Ended up getting a bit bruised in the process but wasn’t that bad.They were supposed to remove the stitches behind the ear but it wasn’t ready so they asked me to wait a few more days.
Day 11: Smile Laser Eye Surgery
Day 12: Post Op Day 1: Quick check up, had 14/16 vision (improvement from my previous prescription). Dr also removed the contact lenses from my eyes.
Day 15: Post Op Day 4: Final check up. Got all my receipts and documents from the operation.
Day 16: Post Op Day 14: Final follow up and to remove ear stitches but unfortunately it still wasn’t ready yet so I had to get them removed back home.
Rhinoplasty
For my consultations I went to 345 PS, 1st Button, ILAC and Banobagi, and Marble.
345 PS: Their main rhinoplasty surgeon was leaving at the end of the month so I consulted with Dr Han instead. When shaving down the hump, he says it causes an open roof where there will be holes at the bridge of the nose so a thin silicone on top is needed. From his POV, the silicone would also help with the bone regrowth. The translator that I had wasn't great - my partner, who speaks Korean, said she didn't explain things extensively and if he had not been there, things would've gotten lost in translation. Think it's pretty important to have a solid translator in this scenario and I didn't plan on bringing my partner to my check ups.
- Cost: Primary 4mil, Osteo 1.1mil, Hump removal 1.1mil, 1.1 mil deviated septum = 7.3 mil
-- They offered 30% if I also did DES, services included free meds and deswelling treatments every 2 days.
1st Button: Dr. Kim was knowledgeable and offered a natural approach. The cost was overall the highest (+ 40,000 KRW consultation fee) and I personally didn't love the staff. They weren't the most inviting and I just felt like I was being stared at whole time. Dr Kim recommended a no-implant surgery (he's experienced with shaving down the hump and making it smooth without needing to add an implant), raising my alars slightly and adding a tip, no osteotomy.
- Cost: $5500 USD (hump removal, alar adjustment, tip cartilage)
ILAC: Staff was friendly and Dr. Ju was very thorough. He shared plenty of before & after pictures of previous patients and noses that were similar to mine. A lot of his suggestions made sense and he really took the time to answer every question I had to make sure I felt good about the procedure. I was told that I didn't have enough cartilage so I would need to use a donated rib cartilage or my own. The consultant spoke perfect English.
- Cost: 4.95mil (+1.5mil for donated rib or 3.5mil to use your own) to fix deviated septum, 3mm silicone, rib cartilage for tip
Banobagi: Of all the clinics I visited, Banobagi was definitely the biggest one and the only one where I had to wait. Dr. Park was also running late from her surgery and when I saw her, it felt a bit rushed. I'm sure she's great but I preferred the benefits of a smaller clinic.
- Cost: 8 mil for bulbous nose correction, hump reduction, silicone bridge, and enhanced tip with ear/septal cartilage.
-- There was a 25% off promo at the time of inquiry.
Marble: I did my last consultation with Marble (Dr. Seo) and glad that I did. I was feeling really burnt out from the other consultations and it's just exhausting having the same convo over and over. Dr. Seo had a 30,000 consultation fee, which went towards the surgery if you moved forward with it. Of all the surgeons, he definitely came off as the most experienced as soon as I started talking with him. Similar to Dr. Kim from First Button, he also offered a natural approach. I didn't get a CT scan at any point in the process. Dr. Seo was able to determine the quality of my cartilage just from touching my nose and said the quality is more important than quantity when using cartilage to rebuild the nose. He suggested just shaving down the hump so it'll visually look smooth but not completely to the point where I would need a silicone. I would still feel the hump but visually it would look smoother, which honestly was good enough for me. He said a donated rib cartilage might be needed if the ear cartilage wasn't enough. They charged me for the rib cartilage upfront but refunded me during my check up since they didn't end up needing more which was great. I also really liked their in-house translator/consultant that helped me throughout the process. She was very responsive and personable. My partner was with me during the consultation and said she explained everything perfectly.
-- Cost: 5 mil including of rib cartilage (+1.1 mil for the donated rib cartilage) - hump removal, deviated septum, tip cartilage
Overall, my top two picks were ILAC and Marble. The approach w / ILAC required a bigger change (fix nose hump & deviated septum, use 3mm silicone and use rib cartilage for the tip) versus a natural approach at Marble (removing my hump, adding derm on top to smooth the bridge and adding a nose tip with ear cartilage). I was mostly wrestling with how big of a change I wanted to go through with. Ultimately, went with something more natural.
I won't go through the healing process as it was similar with a lot of people's experience here. You'll notice a lot of swelling the first few weeks and you'll need plenty of q tips to clean your nose.
I did, however, want to include some considerations that I haven't seen on the forum yet, see below:
- For the ladies, they require you to remove your nail polish completely before the surgery for the pulse oximeter. Some clinics are more flexible than others (they can monitor through your big toe if you want to keep your manicure) but not guaranteed. I got a gel manicure right before the trip so it was annoying having to find a nail salon right before the surgery to get it removed.
- For those with multiple consultations, schedule ones that are next to each other. I know most are already in the Gangnam area but it's a trek going back and forth even if it's a 10-15 min walk. Some blocks can be really hilly too so if you are able to schedule consultations at clinics that are right next to each other, it's worth it.
- One thing that was a huge pain when I got back to the states is removing stitches that I had to keep in past my Korea trip. I had stitches behind my ear that wasn't ready to be removed by the end of my 3rd week and I had dissolvable stitches in my nose that were poking out and really irritating (it was knotted and I was told to get them removed/trimmed if it's still there after a month). I luckily had a nurse friend who was able to remove them for me but it was difficult getting it removed through a typical clinic back in New York. At the first appointment I made, the person who tried to remove the stitches behind my ear didn't have enough experience and wasn't used to the small stitches. It was painful and he was folding down my ear to get to the stitches, which I don't think he was supposed to do... As a result, he suggested that I go to the ENT dept at a larger hospital that they're affiliated with since they would have more experience. That didn't end up working out because they were insanely busy and an appointment would be a few weeks out and they also didn't take patients that didn't do the initial surgery with them. So all-in-all, it was ridiculously hard to get stitches removed once I got back home and something to think about if appointments are hard to come by like in NYC where you need to reserve weeks in advance.
Overall, I think in-person consultations are very important. All the surgeons had their own approach and it's clearly subjective so there's a lot to consider. The interactions were also helpful so you can also get another POV on recommendations you were given at another clinic. Having a good translator is also crucial and I don't think you can really feel that out until you get there. You want to make sure communication between you and the surgeon is clear so you can level set your expectations.
Laser Eye Surgery:
I went to Onnuri smile (온누리스마일안과) in Gangnam station Exit 9. Found them on Reddit b/c someone mentioned that they specialized in a 1mm incision. I believe you're more prone to dry eyes with larger incisions. The overall consultation was about 2 hrs long - you go through a bunch of machines and discuss what your options are. They do Lasik, Lasek and Smile at this clinic. You can book your consultation via Kakao in English but the actual staff doesn't really speak English. I recommend going with someone you know that can speak Korean or book a 3rd party translator.
Ultimately, I went with Smile because of the small incision and short down time compared to the other options. The actual surgery was about 8 minutes and my partner who translated for me was able to be in the room with me. The operation was really quick but it was pretty nerve-wrecking. Your eye is numb but you can still feel the pressure from being probed. Before the operation, they draw blood that is used during the surgery to hydrate your eyes (my vision was blurry but my partner saw them squirt blood in my eyes lol). This also gets turned into a clear solution that they give you as part of the eye drops you need to take for about a week or so. The operation then starts with the laser cutting a flap inside your eye, the surgeon then cuts a 1mm incision to insert a tool to loosen that flap and once it's loose, it gets pulled out. The doctor put contact lenses on my eyes after, which I assume acted like a bandaid.
After the surgery, your vision is pretty blurry so I recommend having someone pick you up. We just took the metro back to the hotel since it wasn't that bad but it was good to have someone with me. I just took the rest of the day to rest, vision was better the next day. You go back the very next day for a follow up and they'll numb your eye and remove the contact lenses for you. I really liked that they numbed your eye to do this, I can't even put on/take off contact lenses on my own.
When I got back home, I used the computer more heavily for work so I definitely noticed a difference between my eyes in the beginning. The vision was better on one side than the other so it drove me nuts. It's definitely more balanced out now and I don't regret the surgery at all - wish I had done it sooner!
The overall cost was about $1800 USD, which is significantly cheaper than surgeries in the U.S. They did have a consultation fee - I don't remember what it was exactly but it was about $70-80 and it went towards the surgery if you end up booking with them. The surgeries are quick so they do a bunch each day and it wasn't hard to get an appointment right after the consultation.
Hot tip for those who live in the states with an FSA account:
- FSA can be used for laser eye surgery outside of the U.S so I was able to submit my receipts and reimburse myself. If you are able to plan ahead, definitely add more to your FSA ahead of your laser eye surgery if you can. It's a great value - it's practically free (girl math) lol.
Another thing that I couldn't find too much info on was whether I was able to do both rhinoplasty and laser eye surgery during the same trip. Even when I contacted Onnuri & the rhinoplasty clinics, they recommended waiting to do the surgeries a month apart but when I went in-person, the doctor just said that it's ok as long as the surgeon doing the rhinoplasty is ok with it. Got the same answer from Dr. Seo so I just went ahead with it after getting the cast off my nose. During the eye surgery, they do put this thing on your face - it's almost like a protective mask that covers your face aside from the eyes but it was very sticky so there was a bit of a tug on your skin when they removed it - everything was fine.
Let me know if you guys have any questions, will try to answer them as best as I can!
I'm about 3 months post-op and wanted to come back on here to share my experience.
Like many of you, I've read through this forum extensively before making a decision so I want to contribute back to this community for those that are interested in getting more info.
Please note, I won't be sharing any images for privacy. I don't think photos of just a cropped nose or a weirdly blurred photo will help much anyway. Everyone's nose is different so it's best to do your research and find reference photos of noses similar to what you have and what you'd like to achieve. All opinions are also my own - I didn't receive any discounts for my review.
My trip to Korea was about 3 weeks, which was the perfect amount of time for me. I know people often do 2 weeks but if you can swing 3, that would be my recommendation.
Here's a beakdown of my days - read further for more details on clinics, process and learnings.
Day 1: Land in Korea
Day 2-3: Consultations. I did 5 total and it was really exhausting. Wasn’t really feeling it by the last appointment, which was at Marble but it ended up being the clinic I went with. They were able to fit me in the next day for the surgery.
Day 4: Surgery Day
Day 5: Post Op (Day 1) Removed nose packing. Didn’t hurt but I was surprised at how far up the packing was. Sleeping was uncomfortable like most people’s experience.
Day 10: Post Op (Day 7) Removed stitches under the nose and cast. Ended up getting a bit bruised in the process but wasn’t that bad.They were supposed to remove the stitches behind the ear but it wasn’t ready so they asked me to wait a few more days.
Day 11: Smile Laser Eye Surgery
Day 12: Post Op Day 1: Quick check up, had 14/16 vision (improvement from my previous prescription). Dr also removed the contact lenses from my eyes.
Day 15: Post Op Day 4: Final check up. Got all my receipts and documents from the operation.
Day 16: Post Op Day 14: Final follow up and to remove ear stitches but unfortunately it still wasn’t ready yet so I had to get them removed back home.
Rhinoplasty
For my consultations I went to 345 PS, 1st Button, ILAC and Banobagi, and Marble.
345 PS: Their main rhinoplasty surgeon was leaving at the end of the month so I consulted with Dr Han instead. When shaving down the hump, he says it causes an open roof where there will be holes at the bridge of the nose so a thin silicone on top is needed. From his POV, the silicone would also help with the bone regrowth. The translator that I had wasn't great - my partner, who speaks Korean, said she didn't explain things extensively and if he had not been there, things would've gotten lost in translation. Think it's pretty important to have a solid translator in this scenario and I didn't plan on bringing my partner to my check ups.
- Cost: Primary 4mil, Osteo 1.1mil, Hump removal 1.1mil, 1.1 mil deviated septum = 7.3 mil
-- They offered 30% if I also did DES, services included free meds and deswelling treatments every 2 days.
1st Button: Dr. Kim was knowledgeable and offered a natural approach. The cost was overall the highest (+ 40,000 KRW consultation fee) and I personally didn't love the staff. They weren't the most inviting and I just felt like I was being stared at whole time. Dr Kim recommended a no-implant surgery (he's experienced with shaving down the hump and making it smooth without needing to add an implant), raising my alars slightly and adding a tip, no osteotomy.
- Cost: $5500 USD (hump removal, alar adjustment, tip cartilage)
ILAC: Staff was friendly and Dr. Ju was very thorough. He shared plenty of before & after pictures of previous patients and noses that were similar to mine. A lot of his suggestions made sense and he really took the time to answer every question I had to make sure I felt good about the procedure. I was told that I didn't have enough cartilage so I would need to use a donated rib cartilage or my own. The consultant spoke perfect English.
- Cost: 4.95mil (+1.5mil for donated rib or 3.5mil to use your own) to fix deviated septum, 3mm silicone, rib cartilage for tip
Banobagi: Of all the clinics I visited, Banobagi was definitely the biggest one and the only one where I had to wait. Dr. Park was also running late from her surgery and when I saw her, it felt a bit rushed. I'm sure she's great but I preferred the benefits of a smaller clinic.
- Cost: 8 mil for bulbous nose correction, hump reduction, silicone bridge, and enhanced tip with ear/septal cartilage.
-- There was a 25% off promo at the time of inquiry.
Marble: I did my last consultation with Marble (Dr. Seo) and glad that I did. I was feeling really burnt out from the other consultations and it's just exhausting having the same convo over and over. Dr. Seo had a 30,000 consultation fee, which went towards the surgery if you moved forward with it. Of all the surgeons, he definitely came off as the most experienced as soon as I started talking with him. Similar to Dr. Kim from First Button, he also offered a natural approach. I didn't get a CT scan at any point in the process. Dr. Seo was able to determine the quality of my cartilage just from touching my nose and said the quality is more important than quantity when using cartilage to rebuild the nose. He suggested just shaving down the hump so it'll visually look smooth but not completely to the point where I would need a silicone. I would still feel the hump but visually it would look smoother, which honestly was good enough for me. He said a donated rib cartilage might be needed if the ear cartilage wasn't enough. They charged me for the rib cartilage upfront but refunded me during my check up since they didn't end up needing more which was great. I also really liked their in-house translator/consultant that helped me throughout the process. She was very responsive and personable. My partner was with me during the consultation and said she explained everything perfectly.
-- Cost: 5 mil including of rib cartilage (+1.1 mil for the donated rib cartilage) - hump removal, deviated septum, tip cartilage
Overall, my top two picks were ILAC and Marble. The approach w / ILAC required a bigger change (fix nose hump & deviated septum, use 3mm silicone and use rib cartilage for the tip) versus a natural approach at Marble (removing my hump, adding derm on top to smooth the bridge and adding a nose tip with ear cartilage). I was mostly wrestling with how big of a change I wanted to go through with. Ultimately, went with something more natural.
I won't go through the healing process as it was similar with a lot of people's experience here. You'll notice a lot of swelling the first few weeks and you'll need plenty of q tips to clean your nose.
I did, however, want to include some considerations that I haven't seen on the forum yet, see below:
- For the ladies, they require you to remove your nail polish completely before the surgery for the pulse oximeter. Some clinics are more flexible than others (they can monitor through your big toe if you want to keep your manicure) but not guaranteed. I got a gel manicure right before the trip so it was annoying having to find a nail salon right before the surgery to get it removed.
- For those with multiple consultations, schedule ones that are next to each other. I know most are already in the Gangnam area but it's a trek going back and forth even if it's a 10-15 min walk. Some blocks can be really hilly too so if you are able to schedule consultations at clinics that are right next to each other, it's worth it.
- One thing that was a huge pain when I got back to the states is removing stitches that I had to keep in past my Korea trip. I had stitches behind my ear that wasn't ready to be removed by the end of my 3rd week and I had dissolvable stitches in my nose that were poking out and really irritating (it was knotted and I was told to get them removed/trimmed if it's still there after a month). I luckily had a nurse friend who was able to remove them for me but it was difficult getting it removed through a typical clinic back in New York. At the first appointment I made, the person who tried to remove the stitches behind my ear didn't have enough experience and wasn't used to the small stitches. It was painful and he was folding down my ear to get to the stitches, which I don't think he was supposed to do... As a result, he suggested that I go to the ENT dept at a larger hospital that they're affiliated with since they would have more experience. That didn't end up working out because they were insanely busy and an appointment would be a few weeks out and they also didn't take patients that didn't do the initial surgery with them. So all-in-all, it was ridiculously hard to get stitches removed once I got back home and something to think about if appointments are hard to come by like in NYC where you need to reserve weeks in advance.
Overall, I think in-person consultations are very important. All the surgeons had their own approach and it's clearly subjective so there's a lot to consider. The interactions were also helpful so you can also get another POV on recommendations you were given at another clinic. Having a good translator is also crucial and I don't think you can really feel that out until you get there. You want to make sure communication between you and the surgeon is clear so you can level set your expectations.
Laser Eye Surgery:
I went to Onnuri smile (온누리스마일안과) in Gangnam station Exit 9. Found them on Reddit b/c someone mentioned that they specialized in a 1mm incision. I believe you're more prone to dry eyes with larger incisions. The overall consultation was about 2 hrs long - you go through a bunch of machines and discuss what your options are. They do Lasik, Lasek and Smile at this clinic. You can book your consultation via Kakao in English but the actual staff doesn't really speak English. I recommend going with someone you know that can speak Korean or book a 3rd party translator.
Ultimately, I went with Smile because of the small incision and short down time compared to the other options. The actual surgery was about 8 minutes and my partner who translated for me was able to be in the room with me. The operation was really quick but it was pretty nerve-wrecking. Your eye is numb but you can still feel the pressure from being probed. Before the operation, they draw blood that is used during the surgery to hydrate your eyes (my vision was blurry but my partner saw them squirt blood in my eyes lol). This also gets turned into a clear solution that they give you as part of the eye drops you need to take for about a week or so. The operation then starts with the laser cutting a flap inside your eye, the surgeon then cuts a 1mm incision to insert a tool to loosen that flap and once it's loose, it gets pulled out. The doctor put contact lenses on my eyes after, which I assume acted like a bandaid.
After the surgery, your vision is pretty blurry so I recommend having someone pick you up. We just took the metro back to the hotel since it wasn't that bad but it was good to have someone with me. I just took the rest of the day to rest, vision was better the next day. You go back the very next day for a follow up and they'll numb your eye and remove the contact lenses for you. I really liked that they numbed your eye to do this, I can't even put on/take off contact lenses on my own.
When I got back home, I used the computer more heavily for work so I definitely noticed a difference between my eyes in the beginning. The vision was better on one side than the other so it drove me nuts. It's definitely more balanced out now and I don't regret the surgery at all - wish I had done it sooner!
The overall cost was about $1800 USD, which is significantly cheaper than surgeries in the U.S. They did have a consultation fee - I don't remember what it was exactly but it was about $70-80 and it went towards the surgery if you end up booking with them. The surgeries are quick so they do a bunch each day and it wasn't hard to get an appointment right after the consultation.
Hot tip for those who live in the states with an FSA account:
- FSA can be used for laser eye surgery outside of the U.S so I was able to submit my receipts and reimburse myself. If you are able to plan ahead, definitely add more to your FSA ahead of your laser eye surgery if you can. It's a great value - it's practically free (girl math) lol.
Another thing that I couldn't find too much info on was whether I was able to do both rhinoplasty and laser eye surgery during the same trip. Even when I contacted Onnuri & the rhinoplasty clinics, they recommended waiting to do the surgeries a month apart but when I went in-person, the doctor just said that it's ok as long as the surgeon doing the rhinoplasty is ok with it. Got the same answer from Dr. Seo so I just went ahead with it after getting the cast off my nose. During the eye surgery, they do put this thing on your face - it's almost like a protective mask that covers your face aside from the eyes but it was very sticky so there was a bit of a tug on your skin when they removed it - everything was fine.
Let me know if you guys have any questions, will try to answer them as best as I can!
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