Review of a whole bunch of consultations (Braun, Jestar, Faceline, 345, BT, JayJun, Wave, 1st Button, Hanabi, Wink)

[twocupcakes]

Thank you for the response! I think I might do a couple online consultations in different languages just to see how the pricing change. I’ve read some post(s) (like 1) on this forum where the same person got 3 different prices with the same pictures but in different languages.

From your post, it sounds like you went into your consultation without a specific procedure in mind. Did you bring reference photos or photoshopped pictures of yourself to show them what you are looking for or did you simply ask for the doctor’s recommendations?

Have you also considered using your own translator not associated with any clinics?

I really appreciate you sharing your experience, especially as a guy.

Zestar was very adamant that I bring in reference photos of what I wanted. Wave also wanted photos. Some don't ask at all.
I had a pretty good idea of what procedures I wanted before coming to Korea (which might have been why I was completely thrown off by Braun). But every doctor will have their own approach, and I've had a lot of conflicting advice from different doctors. Especially with eyes!

I brought a friend to translate for a couple consultations as well, but I couldn't say if the price would have been different otherwise.

I love your review of each place and learned a lot. Would you mind sharing the real estate agent's info?

I have his Kakao ID. I'll double check with him first if it's okay to share it, but PM me if you want his details.

Thanks for sharing your reviews of the consultations! I'm also a guy coming from another country, and I had already put a deposit down with Wink and 1stbutton since I liked the online consultation and B/As on their website. I'll be there in December so I'm glad your consultations went well with them.

What you're saying about being Chinese in Korea does worry me though. I'm a Chinese-American (although a lot times I get mistaken for Filipino or Viet...). Since I'm coming by myself and I don't speak any Korean, and barely any Chinese.. are you finding you're running into a lot of problem with people there? Do you speak Korean at all?

I wouldn't say my Korean's great, but I can understand a bit. Most people assume I'm local until I open my mouth. 😅
Maybe I misrepresented the situation a bit. It's unlikely that you'll face open discrimination on the street or anything, especially if you're just visiting the tourist areas. It's not like you're applying for a job. But from a service standpoint, I do think Chinese customers get treated a bit like cash cows.

Hi thanks for your review! Re: studio apartment rental in Gangnam - is it for a minimum of 1 month stay? I mean since it's really cheap, if we were to stay only for 3 weeks, do you know if we could still rent the place as long as we pay for 4 weeks?

I think the standard minimum is three months, but everything is negotiable. I'm just doing two months for mine. I have rented for one month before. The downside is that you need a deposit (usually one month's rent, sometimes more). You get it back later, but then you have all this cash in won when you leave that you won't need. There are also livingtels/oneroomtels which are smaller and have communal kitchen/laundry areas, but you generally won't have to put down a deposit for those. Or it'd be a very small one, if at all. You can find those around Gangnam for 500,000 to 800,000 won a month.

 

[throwaway_lect]

Was your quotation for your nose at jestar with rib or with ear cartilage? O:
I've actually put a deposit down for them and I'm curious about the price ranges haha

 

[twocupcakes]

Was your quotation for your nose at jestar with rib or with ear cartilage? O:
I've actually put a deposit down for them and I'm curious about the price ranges haha

If I remember correctly, they wanted to use septal cartilage for the tip, and if that wasn't enough, they'd harvest ear cartilage, but that would cost more. And it'd be a silicone implant for the bridge. How much did they quote you? I thought they were a bit expensive.

I consulted with Inique and 1mm for eyes and nose recently. I wasn't particularly impressed by either of them.

Inique
This clinic is oddly out of the way and not on a main street. The consultant/translator was nice. She speaks Chinese as well, and there were a couple Chinese patients in the waiting room when I was there. Dr. Yang didn't have a lot to say. It was basically, "We'll do your nose. We'll use a silicone implant. Any questions?" And the same with eyes. There wasn't really any explanation about the method or technique. He basically just named the procedure. I don't understand why somebody would get their surgery here just based on the consultation process.
Quotes were expensive too. Four million for eyes, and no offer of a discount, except to say there was a tax refund. I think it was almost 7 million for nose. She wrote it down for me, but I'd already mentally crossed them off my list, so I'm not sure where I ended up putting it.
Before I left, the consultant said to me: "You're Korean. You can ask your friends about us." (I asked my friends about them, and they hadn't heard of Inique.)

1mm
The place was very busy! There were 10 other people waiting in the lobby with me. This is the first clinic I'd been to with a male consultant (though the translator was a girl). The eyelid surgery consultation was very thorough. A lot of eye-opening and closing, which I've gotten used to, and asking me to open my eyes wider. This is as wide as they go! He was also the first doctor to say the same thing as the doctor at Wink about the limitations of designing a hidden crease in my case. The nose consultation was a pretty standard. The doctor recommended a silicone implant, except he wanted to use donated cartilage for the tip, or ear cartilage, which would would cost more.
They had multiple electronic screens showing the promotional prices: 590,000 for men's eye surgery, it said. So I was surprised when the consultant quoted me 5.5 million, almost 10 times as much. Does he think I'm blind? He ended up discounting it to 4 million if I wrote two reviews. Nose was 6 million, plus another 1 million for ear cartilage, discounted to 5 million and 500,000. The doctor seemed very skilled with eyes. But the audacity to be sitting right next to a sign with the price and then quoting 10 times that much was a big turn off.

 

[throwaway_lect]

If I remember correctly, they wanted to use septal cartilage for the tip, and if that wasn't enough, they'd harvest ear cartilage, but that would cost more. And it'd be a silicone implant for the bridge. How much did they quote you? I thought they were a bit expensive.

I consulted with Inique and 1mm for eyes and nose recently. I wasn't particularly impressed by either of them.

Inique
This clinic is oddly out of the way and not on a main street. The consultant/translator was nice. She speaks Chinese as well, and there were a couple Chinese patients in the waiting room when I was there. Dr. Yang didn't have a lot to say. It was basically, "We'll do your nose. We'll use a silicone implant. Any questions?" And the same with eyes. There wasn't really any explanation about the method or technique. He basically just named the procedure. I don't understand why somebody would get their surgery here just based on the consultation process.
Quotes were expensive too. Four million for eyes, and no offer of a discount, except to say there was a tax refund. I think it was almost 7 million for nose. She wrote it down for me, but I'd already mentally crossed them off my list, so I'm not sure where I ended up putting it.
Before I left, the consultant said to me: "You're Korean. You can ask your friends about us." (I asked my friends about them, and they hadn't heard of Inique.)

1mm
The place was very busy! There were 10 other people waiting in the lobby with me. This is the first clinic I'd been to with a male consultant (though the translator was a girl). The eyelid surgery consultation was very thorough. A lot of eye-opening and closing, which I've gotten used to, and asking me to open my eyes wider. This is as wide as they go! He was also the first doctor to say the same thing as the doctor at Wink about the limitations of designing a hidden crease in my case. The nose consultation was a pretty standard. The doctor recommended a silicone implant, except he wanted to use donated cartilage for the tip, or ear cartilage, which would would cost more.
They had multiple electronic screens showing the promotional prices: 590,000 for men's eye surgery, it said. So I was surprised when the consultant quoted me 5.5 million, almost 10 times as much. Does he think I'm blind? He ended up discounting it to 4 million if I wrote two reviews. Nose was 6 million, plus another 1 million for ear cartilage, discounted to 5 million and 500,000. The doctor seemed very skilled with eyes. But the audacity to be sitting right next to a sign with the price and then quoting 10 times that much was a big turn off.

What did they quote you for septal/ear cartilage? They quoted me 5.5mil first but i mentioned that I wanted rib so they said about ~9mil but that's before my consult so, we'll see in a couple of weeks

 

[twocupcakes]

What did they quote you for septal/ear cartilage? They quoted me 5.5mil first but i mentioned that I wanted rib so they said about ~9mil but that's before my consult so, we'll see in a couple of weeks

I think it would've been about the same. I only have the discounted prices written down, which is 4.9 million for septal cartilage, and I think that's 5.1 million for ear. I don't remember the original price, but they didn't discount by much. I didn't ask about rib because I figure if they don't recommend it from the start, then they probably aren't as proficient in it.

 

[sicaaa]

Your thread is very helpful thank you!

 

[nickyta]

This is very informative, thank you!!

 

[cynchou]

Thanks so much for this! I'm a male looking to get a rhinoplasty procedure done as well so I found this post to be extremely helpful.

Are you looking to do rhinoplasty without silicon implants? I'm asking because I'm trying to avoid silicon implants and instead use rib cartilage to augment my nose, so if you are of the same opinion I would love to hear what clinics you'd recommend and which one you'll end up going to.

So far my research has only led me to Wave as the only clinic that was open to using rib cartilage over implants. Every other clinic seems to be very much advocates of silicon implants

I am currently looking for no-implant rhino too. I believe Miho, Dr. Jin, ILAC, VG, and 1st button offer it.

 

[Cmami]

Two cupcakes, have you decided where you having your treatments done ? Or have you already undergone your procedures?

Thank you for the super informative thread!

 

[twocupcakes]

Two cupcakes, have you decided where you having your treatments done ? Or have you already undergone your procedures?

Thank you for the super informative thread!

I went to 345 for my genioplasty (which turned out to be a whooole thing), and I just got my eyes done at BT a couple days ago. But I have mixed feelings! I might do separate write-ups once I've had more recovery time.

For nose, I've mostly decided on Wave, but that'll have to wait for my next trip. I also consulted with Top Face, Marble and Wonderful for eyes and nose. I'll write up those experiences later!

I have another consultation with Faceline on Monday for Acculift, and I'm trying to get an appointment with Vibe for facial liposuction too. Ajour Clinic also has really impressive lipo results, but they're a bit far away. Online reviews are positive on results and price, though, so I might see if I can make it there before the holidays.

I've also been to a lot of skin clinics and dermatologists, if anybody is interested in some of those recommendations.

 

[flutterytealeaves]

Thank you this was so helpful! Seems like every clinic has different opinions, how did you choose?. Can you do a review for the genioplasty? I've been looking for more information but there isn't too much compared to other surgeries.

 

[Mochi_ball]

I went to 345 for my genioplasty (which turned out to be a whooole thing), and I just got my eyes done at BT a couple days ago. But I have mixed feelings! I might do separate write-ups once I've had more recovery time.

For nose, I've mostly decided on Wave, but that'll have to wait for my next trip. I also consulted with Top Face, Marble and Wonderful for eyes and nose. I'll write up those experiences later!

I have another consultation with Faceline on Monday for Acculift, and I'm trying to get an appointment with Vibe for facial liposuction too. Ajour Clinic also has really impressive lipo results, but they're a bit far away. Online reviews are positive on results and price, though, so I might see if I can make it there before the holidays.

I've also been to a lot of skin clinics and dermatologists, if anybody is interested in some of those recommendations.

Can you share your thoughts on the skin clinics and derms you visited? I'm trying to research skin clinics . TY!!

 

[twocupcakes]

Can you share your thoughts on the skin clinics and derms you visited? I'm trying to research skin clinics . TY!!

Sure. I've been to a few, but my recommendation would depend on whether or not you know what you want/need and how long you're staying in Korea.

As with plastic surgery clinics, there are big skin care "factories" in Korea too. You book your treatment online, show up, and they do it for you. They offer consultations, but the consultants aren't specialists, so they'll just be recommending treatments, and not diagnosing your skin issues. You generally don't have a private area, and you'll be in a room with several other people on beds, hospital ward style, getting skin treatments. If you're getting lasers, injectables, etc., a doctor will come and perform the treatment. But they're all young, probably fresh out of university, and probably not dermatologists. You don't get to consult with the doctor either. They just show up, do it, and leave. You have to wash your own face at most of these places. You get a locker for your belongings, and most places had grooming stations with Dyson hairdryers to make yourself pretty before you leave. Most of these places have their prices online too, and in multiple languages, so it's usually very transparent.

These are the ones I've been to. Most have multiple branches, so I can't speak for all of them.

Muse Gangnam
I'm here once or twice a week, just to get something, so this is sort of my baseline to which I compare other clinics. I like the oxygen facial for 39,000, though I don't feel like it does much. It just feels nice on my face. This is, on average, the cheapest of all the places.

Ppeum Gangnam
I didn't go to Ppeum until a couple weeks ago, but their new building is huuuge and fancy. It's factory-style, but you get a private room, which is nice. It's slightly more expensive than Muse, but the experience is nicer overall. They have really impressive facilities.

Toxnfil
One of the original skin clinic franchises. I forgot which branch I went to, but it was okay. Wouldn't be my first choice, though.

You&I
I went to the one at Sinnonhyeon Station by myself, and then another branch with my friend. Completely different experiences at both! My friend had a consultation with a lot of upselling and ended up buying a two million won package. My experience was pretty standard. Maybe they don't try to sign up tourists to months-long treatment programs. The facilities were nicer than Muse, and a bit more expensive.

Jfeel Hongdae
This was the first factory clinic I went to, and it really threw me off for a bit. It was a little weird getting an Aquapeel two feet from someone else, but you get used to it. Dentists are like this in Korea too! Jfeel was okay. I later found out one of my idol friend got fillers done here, so maybe it has a good reputation? But it's far from me so I wouldn't make the trip just to go there.

Lienjang
A bit more expensive than the others, and they have a plastic surgery clinic too. They're doing a big revamp and merging the two locations later this month.

Me Clinic
Okay, this is technically not a factory clinic, but it operates like one. They have actual dermatologists, but you don't get to consult with them beforehand. They do a lot of marketing towards foreigners, so they have procedures that other clinics don't, like vampire facials. They do cleanse your face for you, though, which is nice, but they charge you twice as much for it.

The Heal
I went here once, and it was a boutique dermatologist experience. But when I went to make a follow-up appointment a few weeks later, they said the English-speaking doctor had left the clinic. I'm not sure if they found a replacement since then.

Ever Skin
I didn't actually go here because they weren't accepting new patients. But it's popular among expats in Korea.

Banobagi Skin
This is right across the street from me, but they were a bit pushy in recommending one-day packages, and they weren't cheap, so I didn't end up going. There are lots of reviews on YouTube, though.

Feel So Good Dermatology
Probably my favourite out of all the places I've been to. The doctor is fluent in English (most doctors in Korea are very conversational in English, but it's nice to be able to talk to someone), and you get to consult with him directly. So you get a treatment plan from an actual dermatologist who performs the procedures himself. The staff don't really speak English, but you can manage. The downside is that it's not cheap, and they don't do tax refunds.

Renovo
I consulted here but didn't get any treatments. They also tried to sell me on one of their one-day packages.

Renewme Seocho
There are a few Renewme branches. It was a nice experience. You get to consult with a doctor, and they take a photo of your face and do a skin analysis to see what needs improving. I didn't get any treatments here. (But I suppose you could just do the skin analysis and get recommendations, and then get the procedures done somewhere cheaper.)

 

[happyparis]

1st button seems to be very nice. I also wanted morph before the surgery. Thanks this is really helpful

 

[apolunee55]

Sure. I've been to a few, but my recommendation would depend on whether or not you know what you want/need and how long you're staying in Korea.

As with plastic surgery clinics, there are big skin care "factories" in Korea too. You book your treatment online, show up, and they do it for you. They offer consultations, but the consultants aren't specialists, so they'll just be recommending treatments, and not diagnosing your skin issues. You generally don't have a private area, and you'll be in a room with several other people on beds, hospital ward style, getting skin treatments. If you're getting lasers, injectables, etc., a doctor will come and perform the treatment. But they're all young, probably fresh out of university, and probably not dermatologists. You don't get to consult with the doctor either. They just show up, do it, and leave. You have to wash your own face at most of these places. You get a locker for your belongings, and most places had grooming stations with Dyson hairdryers to make yourself pretty before you leave. Most of these places have their prices online too, and in multiple languages, so it's usually very transparent.

These are the ones I've been to. Most have multiple branches, so I can't speak for all of them.

Muse Gangnam
I'm here once or twice a week, just to get something, so this is sort of my baseline to which I compare other clinics. I like the oxygen facial for 39,000, though I don't feel like it does much. It just feels nice on my face. This is, on average, the cheapest of all the places.

Ppeum Gangnam
I didn't go to Ppeum until a couple weeks ago, but their new building is huuuge and fancy. It's factory-style, but you get a private room, which is nice. It's slightly more expensive than Muse, but the experience is nicer overall. They have really impressive facilities.

Toxnfil
One of the original skin clinic franchises. I forgot which branch I went to, but it was okay. Wouldn't be my first choice, though.

You&I
I went to the one at Sinnonhyeon Station by myself, and then another branch with my friend. Completely different experiences at both! My friend had a consultation with a lot of upselling and ended up buying a two million won package. My experience was pretty standard. Maybe they don't try to sign up tourists to months-long treatment programs. The facilities were nicer than Muse, and a bit more expensive.

Jfeel Hongdae
This was the first factory clinic I went to, and it really threw me off for a bit. It was a little weird getting an Aquapeel two feet from someone else, but you get used to it. Dentists are like this in Korea too! Jfeel was okay. I later found out one of my idol friend got fillers done here, so maybe it has a good reputation? But it's far from me so I wouldn't make the trip just to go there.

Lienjang
A bit more expensive than the others, and they have a plastic surgery clinic too. They're doing a big revamp and merging the two locations later this month.

Me Clinic
Okay, this is technically not a factory clinic, but it operates like one. They have actual dermatologists, but you don't get to consult with them beforehand. They do a lot of marketing towards foreigners, so they have procedures that other clinics don't, like vampire facials. They do cleanse your face for you, though, which is nice, but they charge you twice as much for it.

The Heal
I went here once, and it was a boutique dermatologist experience. But when I went to make a follow-up appointment a few weeks later, they said the English-speaking doctor had left the clinic. I'm not sure if they found a replacement since then.

Ever Skin
I didn't actually go here because they weren't accepting new patients. But it's popular among expats in Korea.

Banobagi Skin
This is right across the street from me, but they were a bit pushy in recommending one-day packages, and they weren't cheap, so I didn't end up going. There are lots of reviews on YouTube, though.

Feel So Good Dermatology
Probably my favourite out of all the places I've been to. The doctor is fluent in English (most doctors in Korea are very conversational in English, but it's nice to be able to talk to someone), and you get to consult with him directly. So you get a treatment plan from an actual dermatologist who performs the procedures himself. The staff don't really speak English, but you can manage. The downside is that it's not cheap, and they don't do tax refunds.

Renovo
I consulted here but didn't get any treatments. They also tried to sell me on one of their one-day packages.

Renewme Seocho
There are a few Renewme branches. It was a nice experience. You get to consult with a doctor, and they take a photo of your face and do a skin analysis to see what needs improving. I didn't get any treatments here. (But I suppose you could just do the skin analysis and get recommendations, and then get the procedures done somewhere cheaper.)

Thank you so much for this! Skincare consult reviews are something I didn’t know I needed, since I’m also considering getting derm treatment in SK down the line. So this is immensely helpful and you are incredible for taking the time to write such thorough and candid reviews.

I’ll also wait for your genioplasty review as that’s something I want to get done too. Just curious and not sure if you mentioned this previously or not, but did you have any advancement done for your chin or was it purely a frontal v-line procedure?