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Hi All, I have collated a list of consultation questions from my research and sharing it here for those who may find it useful. Please feel free to add on to the list. Wishing all with upcoming surgeries a smooth journey! PRE-SURGERY POINTERS Two weeks before trip Avoid alcohol for 2 weeks before surgery No smoking at least 1 week before surgery Take vitamin supplements if needed (vitamin c, vitamin a, zinc, vitamin k, vitamin b, vitamin d, magnesium, amino acids) Avoid Vitamin E (increases bleeding) or ginseng/ ginko/ garlic/ ginger/ dongquai/ omega3 fatty acids Take good care of your skin (surgery may be postponed if there is pimple) Stop taking any medication or dietary supplements 2 weeks before surgery and notify during consultation Do not take any drugs with aspirin as they may have an undesirable side effects that may affect your surgery (abnormal bleeding and bruising). You may take Tylenol as a substitute for discomfort. The following is a summary taken from the Journal of American Medical Association on eight herbs that can potentially pose harm during and after surgery. It is recommended that the following herbs be stopped before surgery in order to avoid any potential complications from their use: St. John’s Wort can significantly increase the breakdown of other routinely administered drugs during surgery, some of which are vital to the care of patients after surgery. This should be discontinued at least 5 days before surgery. Echinacea should be used with caution in patients with asthma or allergic problems and should be discontinued as far in advance of surgery as possible. Ephedra causes a potential increase in blood pressure and heart rate. This herb has also been associated with sudden death under anesthesia. This should be discontinued at least 7 days before surgery. Garlic supplements have a potential for reducing clotting function and platelet function and should be stopped 7 days prior to surgery. Ginseng has also been shown to have effects on clotting pathways and should be discontinued approximately 7 days preoperatively. Ginkgo should be discontinued 7 days prior to surgery because it can inhibit platelet clotting factors. Kava should be discontinued 7 days preoperatively because it can increase the sedative effects of anesthetics. Valerian can increase the sedative effects of anesthetics. This should not be discontinued abruptly because there is risk of physical dependency to Valerian and withdrawal symptoms may develop. This should be tapered over several weeks before surgery. Consultation Consult 3 Clinics / Day (space out start times by at least 2 hours, but spacing out by 3 hours buffer is recommended). Prepare some photos of how you want to look. Negotiate price - a) List example prices from other clinics b) State your budget is significantly lower than it actually is c) Offer to write them a review / before and after pictures for them to use on their site Always ask about the available dates for your surgery at the end of your consultation. Make sure you clearly understand the clinic’s revision policy and it is a good idea to get this in writing. You can get this by sending your consultant a mail/message where you summarize this policy and ask the consultant whether your understanding of this is complete and correct. Bring along something to take notes. MUST notify during consultation of any allergies or hypersensitive reactions towards certain medication LIST OF CONSULTATION QUESTIONS Doctor Are you certified by the Korean Society of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery? Were you trained specifically in the field of plastic surgery? How many years of plastic surgery training have you had? Is doctor X specialized in (procedure)? Or does he focus on other areas? Cost What is the exact breakdown of fees for this procedure? Are there any hidden fees? What is the total cost of the surgery including drugs and treatment aids needed after the surgery? What is included in my aftercare and what not? For example things like overnight stay, medications, scar cream, pumpkin juice, pressure garment, ice packs, deswelling treatment, hair treatment, etc.? Is there VAT refund? Where is the nearest downtown VAT refund point (i.e. apart from the airport refund counter)? What is the name of the VAT refund counter operator? If possible complications may occur, does the patient have to pay for the treatment? What is the cost for this treatment? If the patient decides to discontinue the surgery for any reason, does the patient still need to pay for the entire surgery? Surgery What procedures do I need to do or would you recommend me to do? Am I a good candidate for this procedure? How will you perform my procedure? Where will the procedure be performed? How many of these procedures do you perform a week? A month? What is the most popular surgical procedure you perform in your clinic? How many other medical staff will assist with this procedure? Will there be an anesthesiologist present during my surgery? What type of anesthesia method and anesthetic are used? Is some or all of the surgical equipment and instruments sterilized and used only for my surgery? What are the risks of the surgery? What are the complication occurrence rates and the surgeon’s surgery success rates of this clinic? How are complications handled? Can I see before and after pictures of the surgery? Post-Surgery What type of treatment will I need after the surgery? Will I need to take painkillers after the surgery? Does swelling or bruising occur after surgery? If so, is it treatable? How long will it take for me to return to day-to-day activities after the surgery? How long will the surgery results last for; if not permanent? If I need to consult the surgeon, can I meet him/her even months after the surgery? What is the clinic’s revision or refund policy in case there are complications or when I am not satisfied? What is exactly included & excluded in the revision policy, like revision excludes anesthetics costs? How many follow-up visits will I need? When is the next follow-up visit? When will the stitches be removed? How long does it take for the scars to disappear? Surgical Records Is any information about my surgery recorded? If so, how is it recorded? Will my surgical records or photos be shown to anyone else? Will my approval be sought before any of my records, including photos, are shown to someone else? Can I keep a copy of my surgical records? How long does the clinic store surgical records after the surgery? Where can I find my surgical records if the clinic which performed the surgery closes?

Airbnb is a common alternative to hotels, but here are some Airbnb selection tips: Try to pick ones near the clinic area (Gangnam Station, Yeoksam Station, Non-hyeon Station, Sinsa Station). Picking places around here will generally put you in 8 to 15 commute from most clinics located in the Gangnam area (depends on traffic) Try to pick places that have an elevator or are only 2 or 3 floors max stair walk if there is no elevator. If you stay in a hotel or airbnb make sure you prepare it for your recovery. Move things that you might trip on, cover up sharp corners, buy plastic covers if you think you may leak from your wound site, make sure you get plenty of pillows, so you can sleep on a 45 degree angle. You could also try a homestay with a Korean family, and let them know if you are coming for surgery. Note of Caution About Hosts Be cautious when telling a host you are coming for surgery. Although we'd like to believe in the kindness of strangers, if they suddenly become invested in your surgery details and volunteering their time to assist you, then they may actually be brokering your surgery without your knowledge. You should not disclose the names of the clinic you plan to visit until you have confirmed your final prices face to face, and have decided upon which clinic will do the surgery. If they ask clinic details before that time, then give them a random clinic name that you don't actually plan to visit. You can tell them the real clinic name after everything has been confirmed and decided upon, since it may be relevant for them to know for emergency contact purposes after your surgery. Some red flags that a host may be acting as a covert broker is if they start volunteering services that are essentially done by medical tour agencies such as planing and arranging your clinic schedule, soliciting clinic recommendations, handling your personal information with clinics, escorting you to the clinic and interpreting for you. If you want all these things then you should just simply work with an actual medical tour agency from the get go, since they'll be upfront about these services and what their role and responsibilities are.

Most wait staff generally speak Korean, unless you are at Itaewon area. However, you can always point at the pictures and get by. If you have time, you can learn some of the more basic phrases through this video (http://www.sweetandtastytv.com/blog/korean-phrases-ordering-food-at-a-restaurant) and this page (https://www.90daykorean.com/ordering-food-korean-restaurant/). Alternatively, you can use the food delivery apps - the popular ones like Yogiyo are in Korean but there are English apps too (big chains like Mcdonalds, Shuttle for Itaewon area, Uber eats for Gangnam area, Helpmeemo). Supermarkets and convenience stores are also usually within walking distance so if you need a quick fix without the hassle of ordering at a restaurant, you can usually grab lunchboxes at these places. Hope the above is of some help.

$20K for Dr. Yoo is just for rib rhino. In Korea, full rib rhino is about $12K for primary. So the difference after taking that into consideration is about $7K (taking into account $2K living and traveling - VAT refund). I think there are a good selection of doctors in Beverly Hills for Asian rhinoplasty. If you want to explore another country, go to Korea. If you prefer to have the healing process somewhere you are familiar with, there are also options in the US.

Any Korean resident or non-resident who carries in less than USD10,000 into Korea doesn't need to declare it with the customs. If the amount exceeds USD10,000, you are required to declare it when entering Korea. But no customs duties, taxes or fees will be imposed. Customs officials may request to see the entire money for verification. Let's say you brought in $18,000 USD, declared it, but you only spend $4,000 in Korea. If you carry out USD14,000 after bringing in USD18,000, you don't have to get approval from or declare with the Bank of Korea. (under the Foreign Exchange Transactions Regulation Article 6-2) What happens if I am bringing in more than $10,000 USD and I don't declare it to just skip the paperwork and fuss. You may be subject to less than 1 year of imprisonment or less than 100 million won of fine under the provisions of Article 28 of the Foreign Exchange Transactions Act of Korea. Source: Korea Customs

Yes, this is a common universal travel adapter, and will usually get you by just fine. They cost between $3 to $10 and you can pick it up at most airport travel shops or get one at your nearby electronics shop. Know your volts Be sure to know what your voltage is in your home country. Just google: "Power voltage _______ (country)" But Korea's power voltage is 220 Volts (the strength of the electrical current) in the USA it is 120 V. Most devices like laptops and mobile phones will automatically adjust, but other appliances like hair dryers and blenders won't, so don't bring those to Korea. You could damage them, shock your self, or blow a fuse and knock out the electricity.

Taxi drivers will usually understand you're a foreigner and lower the expectation for you to speak Korean. If you want to speak Korean for practice or to be polite then you can try to say this simple script: Anh yeong ha say yo - 안영하세요 - Hello Yo Gee - 여기 - Here (show driver the address) Ka ju say yo - 가 주세요 - Can you take me please? Also in Korea, it's best to show a Korean taxi driver the address in the Korean language. PRO TIP: 1) Driver's like big font and text. If you can some copy and paste text into a app to increase font size or screen shot and zoom, it makes things easy. 강남구 대치동 998 (instead of small font like this: 강남구 대치동 998) 강남구 대치동 998 = District - Neighborhood - Land Lot Number 2) If you have the English address and want the Korean version use this website: 998, Daechi-dong, Gangnam-gu, Seoul (English version of above address) http://www.juso.go.kr/openEngPage.do 3) There are two ways to express an address in Korean If you see another version of your address it is not incorrect, it could be one of two versions. Example: 강남구 대치동 998 and 강남구 테헤란로114길 11 are the same place In English: 998, Daechi-dong, Gangnam-gu, Seoul and 11, Teheran-ro 114-gil, Gangnam-gu, Seoul Land Lot Version (Old way, but taxi drivers are used to it) 998, Daechi-dong, Gangnam-gu, Seoul 강남구 대치동 998 Street Address Version (New way) 11, Teheran-ro 114-gil, Gangnam-gu, Seoul 강남구 테헤란로114길 11