This is why you should not go to JW Clinic

katrinawhy

High
Sep 7, 2017
171
49
The unkindest cut of all in the name of beauty
Updated: 2015-04-14 08:03

By Zhang Yi(China Daily)
Print Mail Large Medium Small
0
Demand for cosmetic surgery is booming across Asia, especially in China. However, for some patients the fleeting dream of physical perfection has turned into a prolonged nightmare, as Zhang Yi reports.
Every year, thousands of Chinese women travel to South Korea for plastic surgery in the hope it will produce the "perfect" appearance and transform their lives.
For some, their wishes are granted, but many find themselves distraught, lacking confidence and even suicidal as a result of badly performed operations and the side effects of the medication they have been prescribed.
Now, three of those women have banded together to raise awareness and warn potential patients of the risks they may face if they choose to go ahead with the procedures.
The women said they feel they were duped, and the deception is almost as hard to bear as the pain they suffer every day because of their disfigured faces.
Jin Weikun, 27, a professional style consultant, said she had been reduced to the status of a laboratory mouse after a series of failed operations, including "face contouring" and two procedures to alter the shape and size of her breasts.
Jin originally had breast reduction surgery at a clinic in Taiyuan, her hometown in Shanxi province, but was unhappy with the results because she felt the surgeons had left her breasts asymmetrical. When she complained, the clinic said it was unable to repair the "damage".
Jin researched operations designed to rectify asymmetric breasts, but was wary of proceeding because of the risks involved. However, her hopes were rekindled when she saw Bucket List, a TV show aired by KBS, South Korea's national broadcaster, which told the story of a woman who had successfully undergone surgery to correct a botched breast operation.
In late 2013, Jin saw ads canvassing participants for a purported sequel, Bucket List 2. The producers, who claimed to be working in association with Shanghai Television and clinics including JW Plastic Surgery Korea, were offering free surgery to 24 people unhappy with previous cosmetic procedures. Jin was convinced that the show would provide an opportunity to have the surgery that would turn her life around again.
Deception and sham
"Talking with the head of the JW clinic, I believed it had top-notch cosmetic techniques, and in January last year I flew to Seoul with 16 or so other women. I went ahead with the breast surgery, plus a further 12 operations on my face (at the insistence of the program's producers), based on the trust I placed in the show's recommendations for the clinic. That all turned out to be a sham.
"About a month after the surgery, when I began to feel everything was totally disorganized, I called Shanghai Television only to be told that they'd never heard of the show. The surgery on my breasts was a failure, my chin was lopsided, and an implant in my nose had been placed incorrectly."
The clinic rejected Jin's claims, saying the operations went well. The breast surgery had been successful, it said, and the lopsided chin was the result of an imbalance of soft tissue in Jin's face, rather than bone damage sustained during surgery.
Ge Lijun, a spokeswoman for JW Plastic Surgery Korea, confirmed the clinic had taken part in Bucket List 2, but she refused to vouch for the authenticity of the program. She claimed the show had been broadcast by a cable channel affiliated with STV, but that the Shanghai station had not commissioned it.
The clinic said it always advises potential patients to be cautious when mulling plastic surgery, to consult family members before making a decision, and to be prepared to accept the changes that will be made to their bodies.
Jin said she wonders if she was naive to believe the bona fides of TV programs she had regarded as documentaries, but which she now believes are essentially advertisements.
"I partly blame myself for making this reckless decision. I have discovered about 200 other Chinese women who have gone through similar things in South Korea, and I know that many faces have been ruined by the deficiencies in some clinics and by illegal operations in others, and also by unscrupulous medical brokers."
Crackdown commences
In February, the South Korean Ministry of Health and Welfare announced a crackdown on illegal brokers and unregistered clinics, following a series of cases involving accidents with plastic surgery, including that of a 50-year-old Chinese woman who was declared brain dead after she had surgery on her eyes and nose in the prosperous Gangnam district of the South Korean capital.
The ministry adopted a series of measures in response to the rising number of complaints, many of them made by female "medical tourists" from China, about botched operations and exorbitant charges.
"Market-disturbing activities involving illegal brokers and inflated fees, as well as disputes over malpractice, are sparking complaints from foreign patients," the ministry said in a statement.
In 2013, more than 25,400 Chinese, mostly women, traveled to South Korea for cosmetic procedures, an increase of 70 percent on the previous year, with each patient spending an average of $3,150 on the surgery, according to the ministry.
The new measures require all medical practices that deal with foreign patients - and any brokers they use to attract those clients - to register with the ministry. Those who fail to do so are liable to a hefty fine and, in the worst cases, a prison term of up to three years.
However, many former patients have complained that the measures do almost nothing to help them obtain remedies, physical or financial.
Mi Yuanyuan, 39, a company CEO from Zhejiang province who lived in South Korea for a number of years, had never considered plastic surgery until she watched a TV show called Let Me, in which a number of "ugly" faces were turned into "attractive" ones. Having seen the show, she approached the clinic where the women were treated.
"I was a natural beauty, and I always received compliments about my appearance, but I went to the clinic because I was curious about how a face could be perfect. In September 2013, I was advised to have an operation to make my flat nose more pointed and to have my hairline lowered. That's when my tragedy began.
"It ended up costing me 70,000 yuan ($11,300) and the subsequent operations to repair the faults in December of the same year failed too. I now have an obvious 20-centimeter scar on my forehead. The most horrible aftereffect is that hair at the front of my head has stopped growing, and now I have to wear a hat all the time."
Legal quandary
Mi said her demands for compensation were refused, and one of the clinic's staff members poured noodle soup over her during a heated discussion.
"If I took legal action I would need to hire a Korean lawyer and an interpreter. And even if I did that, leaving aside the cost, I doubt I would get a fair hearing in court because the cosmetic surgery industry generates huge amounts of revenue for the country."
Wei Jie, a partner at the Jieqiang law firm in Beijing, said compensation cases for failed plastic surgery take years to settle, partly because of the complexity of the legal process but also because of a lack of agreed standards on what constitutes successful surgery. Even if the plaintiffs are successful, the travel and legal costs are extremely onerous, he said.
"It's really hard for individuals to instigate cross-border legal proceedings, given the geographical distance, language barriers and the question of obtaining evidence," he said.
Mi advised people considering traveling overseas for cosmetic surgery to think twice, and said they should be particularly skeptical about so-called true stories on popular TV shows, because the side effects of surgery can easily be glossed over with carefully applied make-up and clever filming techniques.
In 2010, Chen Yili, 33, a businesswoman in Shenzhen, Guangdong province, spent more than 170,000 yuan on a string of operations on her jaw, lips and nose at a clinic in Seoul that had been recommended by a medical broker.
After returning to China, she began to have nasal infections and flu-like symptoms in her nose that still persist nearly five years after the procedures were carried out.
"I can't go to sleep without pills, I can't meet friends, and I'm depressed," she said, adding that sometimes she needs to take 12 antidepressant tablets a day.
She also warned of illegal brokers who exaggerate the benefits of surgery, and of exorbitant costs - about 30 percent of the fee goes to the broker: "Profits are placed ahead of health and safety. The brokers are always after money, and they will do or say anything to get people to have costly operations."
The Korean Health Industry Development Institute said more than 1,000 legal agencies have registered with it, but estimated that illegal agencies hold about 87 percent of the plastic surgery market and they aggressively target customers from overseas.
Zhang Bin, chairman of the Chinese Association of Plastics and Aesthetics, said the problem has a global dimension, and Chinese who choose to have plastic surgery in South Korea usually hire an agent to act as a liaison between customers and clinics, which can result in people being taken to unlicensed clinics.
"Lax regulations, inadequate facilities and unqualified surgeons, some of whom are barely physicians, are the primary reasons for the failed surgery," he said.
CAPA said it's working with its counterparts in South Korea to establish a database of fully licensed Korean surgeons to prevent patients from falling foul of unscrupulous practitioners.
 
Thanks @katrinawhy for sharing! That is why this tpf is immensely helpful for foreigners travelling to s korea for plastic surgery. I would highly recommend ladies join a kakao group for the months they will be in korea. And from that group maybe pair with someone who you can meet up with who is also having similar surgery so you can visit clinics together.

The pitfalls of going to a large hospital may be the same as in the US or UK, ie one may worry about doctors being swapped, ie they may let a junior operate on you instead of the senior plastic surgeon you were expecting. This may explain why a well known hospital ends up with botched cases as the less experienced doctor may have performed the op instead of the one you had consulted with. Some clinics offer video recording of your surgery if you arrange and pay for this in advance to reassure you there has been no ghost doctor or doctor swap.

My favourite clinic is MVP as there are only 3 plastic surgeons and my revision des was done with me awake but pain free so I could see and hear who was doing my op, ie Dr Seo. Then I was put to sleep for the fat grafting.

However for major bone surgery operations with general anaesthesia one may have no choice but to pick a clinic which is a hospital. This is where the fear comes of doctor swapping especially if you have negotiated a good price and the senior surgeon may feel he would rather a junior operate for that price. Then after the botch, the senior surgeon may offer to revise for free which would mean extending your stay or flying back after 6 months. This is where it is vital you choose an ethical hospital and on the consent form cross out any reference to other doctors may be doing the operation or in capital letters put only Dr X and take a photo of your signed consent form. Ideally you want to hook up with past patients of a plastic surgeon who has similar bone structure to you and got a great result so you know what to expect and try to book surgery for the morning and not evening. From kakao messaging past patients of gng hospital, I would recommend this hospital for bone surgery but do your own due diligence.
 
  • Like
Reactions: sophia990
Anything from Chinese media should be taken with a pinch of salt! They try to bad mouth Korean plastic surgery industry to promote their own because nowadays many Chinese people go to Korea for plastic surgery as they don't trust the doctors in China. Any clinics have some unsatisfied cases and JW was just unlucky to be the target.
 
Anything from Chinese media should be taken with a pinch of salt! They try to bad mouth Korean plastic surgery industry to promote their own because nowadays many Chinese people go to Korea for plastic surgery as they don't trust the doctors in China. Any clinics have some unsatisfied cases and JW was just unlucky to be the target.
I mean what about their faces love. I have not hardship over any clinic. But the story even made it here in the states. So the united states are not trying to bad mouth this clinic. As side from that. I have other people who claim botched cases. An this clinic is black listed.
 
  • Like
Reactions: cieh
Let's all be honest plastic surgery is here to enhance what god gave us. If a clinic shows me a picture. Say Ms. Why this is you after. An when I healed. I look different. Hell they made a mistake and I would demand they fix. Or I would use my contacts an make sure they pay. That why I do not why some clinics claim they can do certain surgery's. If they can not they should not advertise . An botched someone face or body. Forget that. Real honest talk.
 
Anything from Chinese media should be taken with a pinch of salt! They try to bad mouth Korean plastic surgery industry to promote their own because nowadays many Chinese people go to Korea for plastic surgery as they don't trust the doctors in China. Any clinics have some unsatisfied cases and JW was just unlucky to be the target.

I'll never understand some of the attitudes on this forum...

One person has a bad experience at a clinic in Thailand, and the entire country gets blacklisted.

A couple people have bad experiences at JW, but, well, they're just unlucky.
 
  • Like
Reactions: figjamm and cieh
I'll never understand some of the attitudes on this forum...

One person has a bad experience at a clinic in Thailand, and the entire country gets blacklisted.

A couple people have bad experiences at JW, but, well, they're just unlucky.
That's because one word: koreaboo

Whether or not China is lying, I would not go to JW. There has been a lot of bad news about JW and not just from China.