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I wanted to post this as a PSA for new members and anyone considering a clinic in Korea. Most clinics are up to code, registered/licensed, and follow their strict laws but some skirt them. One of the biggest and easiest to spot red flags are a lack of CCTV in the operating rooms. Korea requires this BY LAW. If a clinic does not have cameras in the operating rooms, decline service with them and fine a different clinic.

I don't know about surgeries but for hormone balancing stuff, you could just go to a regular doctor and they sort that. There is no profit or high requests for it. That is why. Most people that get these surgeries are happy.

It sucks cause I don't really see people talking about this online a lot either. I am wondering if this is normal or if I was getting brushed off and need to find a better clinic or something.

I am glad you got to go through the process. I was a bit confused by it. One clinic had me waiting for nearly 45 minutes to do a zoom call with the doctor. He was done with his chat with me in like 5 minutes. It was so fast I felt a bit rushed and uneasy about. I am going to try a few other clinics. I don't want to feel like I am being pushed to the side especially when I am flying all the way out there for surgery of all things. Same experience for me

I was going to say similar. If there is a market for it, they will have clinics for it. Most people do not seek to reverse these changes because they are happy or they end up getting more surgeries as they go through their journeys.

YES! I was looking into these options myself. My husband's co-worker has a wife that got Botox injections done for her scalp. She had lost hair after having covid-19 and it never came back. So she found a clinic last year that offers it. Within 6 months her hair had filled back in. I saw the pictures!

As far as I know they follow WPATH protocols and do not have anything for "reversing" these surgeries. Some of them can't be reversed at all. I would imagine if there is a trend for it, they will adapt for those trends but most people that get these surgeries seem to be happy with their results and have no regrets

I think you can use them to can an idea of the work the clinics have done but you shouldn't base your decision on them. I have seen a fair number of them that are obviously faked. Like they used AI or something idk.

How long were they? I am curious as I had one recently and I swear it went a lot faster than I thought. I was only on a video chat for maybe 7 minutes. I figured it would be at least a 20 to 30 minute thing but I guess they are busy.

Sorry! I thought I had replied to this. I must have typed it out and not hit send and only realized it. Thanks for the information. I wanted to update and say I have had two virtual consultations and both were great. I just have to decide on the clinic.

I sent you a DM. I am not sure what the rules are for sharing clinics publicly and don't want to get into any trouble on the forum If you have any other questions, feel free to ask there or in here.

It depends on the surgery. Just ask the doctor or clinic, they will be able to tell you what to expect in terms of recovery time. Some people don't need anything beyond a check-up a few days after and can go home. Others need a week or two for check-ups before they should go home.

I am just wondering once I book something with a clinic, should I try to get a hotel near the clinic? I am not sure how busy Korea is or how hard it is to get around. I have heard of people saying they were "late" to appointments because they stayed too far away.

I am booked for my surgery for the end of June. I have my hotel and everything. I will be heading to South Korea on the 23rd and my surgery day is the 25th. I gave myself a few days to settle in. I am a bit concerned though that I will be spending most of the time there in a hotel because of swelling. I have heard people say some are worse than others but I also see so many people exploring the city they are in after surgery. Won't I look like a mess? LOL

All sorts. Simple face lifts is an example. There is nothing really to check outside of if the healing process is going well. The skin takes care of itself. They most just check the healing process, bruising, and if there are any signs if infection.

A friend had lipo for love handles done and she said it was the most expensive lipo at the clinic she went to. This was in Canada. I am not sure what makes that one of the more expensive ones there but not in Korea. Maybe the tools and methods they use?

I am in my mid 50s and started getting a lot of sagging skin on my neck and jaw. I have those droopy bits on each side of my chin. I would like to get this all tightened up so I look and feel young again. I stumbled on a Facebook group that talked about plastic surgery and I was ready to book an appointment until I realized how expensive it was. I am still paying off debts and can't afford the cost in the states. Someone told me she got work done in Korea for 70% cheaper. I messaged her but have not heard anything for weeks. So I started looking around online for help and stumbled on this forum. I am hoping someone can help me figure this out. As in where to look for a clinic, the process, the prices, and how everything happens. I have not been outside the US in 15 years either. Last time I was I was in France.

I must have had the wrong information. Thanks for pointing that out. I did look it up again and you are right, they are cheaper on average in Korea. I guess that makes sense considering everything else is plastic surgery wise.

So you want a neck lift and a partial face lift from the sound of it. You can start with that by looking into the top rated clinics or doctors in South Korea for those particular surgeries. You will likely end up with a sizable list but it can help you narrow things down.

Thanks everyone. I was just curious. I am not sure what my friend's sister will do but I will mention the Texas thing. Maybe she already knows about it, who knows. I mean there are clinics that offer help but it is so expensive, it is insane!

I know, I just want to make sure people know all their options as laser costs and other options like this can add up fast. It is not always ideal to travel that far to get treatment either.

Not everyone gets relief from this stuff and do need other options. I have a friend that nothing worked for her and she did laser work and it made it much better. Her skin even looks younger too!

I will, thanks again. I have been reading up more on it and it is easing my worried. I was a bit nervous about the surgery in general and was considering putting it off but I think it will be okay. haha

Look into Han Gang Soo hospital, they only burns and scars.

I was going to mention this because I saw it mentioned at a lot of the clinics I was looking into. I am not getting this kind of work done or anything but it seems very popular over there!

Both my consultations were about an hour but when I spoke to the doctor directly, it was about 10 to 15 minutes. The rest of the time I was speaking with other people that handle all the information.

That is the part I liked about it. You didn't feel like you were stuck without anything. If you wanted to stay in and cook a meal, you could. Made things so much easier

I don't want to pull you away from seeking out better options but are you sure you tried EVERYTHING? I had a friend who thought she did. Ivermectin (Solantra), azelaic acid, sulfur, zinc, etc. etc. but she never tried niacinamide. I actually got her buying a Korean ointment I use for adult acne and it got her rosacea under control so much in under 2 weeks she doesn't even wear make-up anymore. If you are curious it is called Dr.Althea 345 Relief Cream. Might be worth trying

A friend of mine had a ghost doctor incident but not in Korea, it happened in Mexico. She ended up losing a kidney. We went there for dental work and they stole her kidney to sell on the black market. Thankfully she ended up being okay. I don't think things like this happen in Korea but I am just sharing this to make sure everyone triple checks everything about these doctors before going under the knife!

I wanted to point something out that back lipo IS cheaper. I know this because of a friend who had a lot of it done. I am not sure why people think it is more. All your organs and stuff is in the front and there is way more loose skin to work with.

I am actually going to need some lipo for my tummy tuck. I was told by two clinics so I have a general idea of the pricing. For me it is going to be $1,500 (in Korea). I don't have much that needs to be removed. I would guess it would be double for a standard amount and maybe another $1000 if it was around the back. I heard removing back fat takes a bit more effort and time. So I would guess $4,000 would be the price based on what I know.

I am sure you could find a clinic willing to remove breast implants or whatever else is done, maybe correct scaring and such. I don't know much about these surgeries but I never heard of a clinic specifically for this. There isn't even a clinic only for gender affirming surgeries. A lot of them offer this stuff on top of other plastic surgery.

Oh right, I didn't think of that. I guess the conversations they have must be scheduled or kept short. Maybe they only do surgeries on certain days and take calls/consultations on other days.

I don't think this is correct. I looked up the cost comparison and while back lipo isn't listed, you could assume the costs are similar where the US charges more. Abdominal Liposuction: Korea $2,000–$4,000 vs. US $5,900–$9,300+ Thigh Liposuction: Korea $1,500–$3,500 vs. US $2,400–$5,700+ Chin/Face Liposuction: Korea $1,000–$5,000 vs. US $3,000–$7,500+ Flank (Love Handles): Korea $1,500–$3,000 vs. US $5,000–$10,000

What sorts of surgeries are like that? I heard even simple nose jobs you have to wait to get on a plane for because you risk excessive bleeding from the pressure changes.

It sounds like you might want scar revision surgery? Z-Plasty and W-Plasty surgeries are both common options in Korea that you can look into more. It makes the scars blend better into natural skin so they are less noticeable and I do know burn victims do have these done as treatment.

I don't even think I have seen or heard of these in other countries. Although I saw something about Texas opening a clinic but I think this may have specifically been for minors. I am not entirely sure. Either way, Korea does not provide anything of the sort.

Sorry for the delay, been super busy and haven't been on the forum in a bit! But yes, it is free. You do not need to pay anything to access the information as it is for public safety purposes.

@mariemarieis right about the botox injections. Tons of people, especially women have seen success with it. The red light therapy works too but from what I understand, the results aren't as good but still decent. I think most people notice 30% regrowth.

I think it is fine to have them inform you as well as show you the quality of work done. But not every surgery is going to be a good one. I think most people tend to be happy though when they choose to get work done in Korea.

No problem Glad I could help. Let me know if you need any other help. I have learned a lot myself with research and talking to other people in the plastic surgery circle.

You should be able to go over all that and send it via e-mail before you even travel. Most clinics would prefer to have the information ahead of time anyways and not have to scan physical documents.

I like to look through them for everything, not just when I am looking to go to a clinic for some work. I check reviews before buying anything online, before eating anywhere new, etc. etc. The trouble is that a lot of them can be easily faked and often are. So I wouldn't hold reviews as a high standard when deciding. Contact the clinic and ask if you can see before and afters. See if they can show you an edited picture of what your surgery would look like.

It is okay Most people don't go on forums daily. I know life can be busy offline. I am just glad you got help here. It can be hard to plan for plastic surgery locally much less in Korea. There is a lot of consider and plan for.

I agree with this. You can't go based on them but you should use them to see completed work, especially on non-Korean patients. I have heard of people going to get work done but the doctor they went to mostly worked on Koreans so the end result was not good!

It has been an annoying process for me too. You are not alone. I feel like I am being pulled in different directions. A lot of useful information online about this will give you the basics but they leave so much information out. It is exhausting. I am happy I found this forum. Hoping to get some help myself.

I stayed here! Not for when I was getting surgery or anything but when I was in Korea with some friends. We stayed at the hotel for 6 days. The rooms are quite small but everything is made up for when you realize you essentially have a mini apartment. We enjoyed our stay there and everyone was insanely friendly.

I had work on my belly after my second child was born. I had gained a lot of weight with her and had loose skin. I don't think it was called a tummy tuck but I essentially had one. My recovery took about 5 weeks in total but I didn't feel "good" until maybe week 8 which my doctor said was normal.

This is what honestly got me looking into it. The price differences are insane and Korea seems to have higher quality standards for it. This is why I asked. It has crossed my mind but I didn't calculate anything. I am quite jealous haha Yeah I think as people have said, it is only worth it if I am already going there for a trip and just happen to get it done. As much as I want to go and do it, I think I will save and plan. Make a vacation out of it.

I saw a post about him on Facebook with a lot of people praising his work and some people even showed before and after, I was really impressed. I will have to ask permission to share it here but this one woman had her nose done and it looked stunning!