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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?

Hello, I am flying to Korean end of this month for consultations. I am also looking for a place (spa?) to get facials. Looking for recommendations! Thank you

Hi Ive booked cheek implants and lip corner lift surgery for February at VG plastic surgery clinic. Does anyone have any experiences with this clinic or with the surgeries I'm getting? Thanks.

I am going to SK end of this month for consultations. Did you get surgery for your cheekbones before?

Pocket WiFi has the added benefit over SIM card purchased in-country of being able to be used in other countries, if you decide you want to visit other countries besides Korea. I personally prefer a SIM, since I can use my phone as a hotspot if I need to connect more devices. However, you will need to make sure that your phone is unlocked, which can be problematic if you got your phone subsidized by your carrier. You would want to call your carrier to check if it can be unlocked before buying a SIM card.

Hi everyone, and hi beauty hacker I personally really thankyou to the owner who help us to making this forum. And i am new in this forum too, i just saw a lot of information from purse forum but still not sure enough about that, true or false, or some of them are promotore or not. My goals to find the right clinic. For my nose revision, i did my nose about 3 years ago in my country, and want to do eyes for balancing the size also want to do breast augmentation. Still doing the research to find out the clinic and procedures. Hopefully can get a lot of information and share the information that i got to all of you.

After nose surgery it's recommended to not wear eye or sun glasses for up to 6 weeks. This depends if you had an osteotomy and bridge work done. This is because of the pressure that glasses can have on the nose in terms of their nose pads and the frame touching or resting on your nose bridge. This can be inconvenient if you need your glasses to actually see, read and or work. Common solutions for this problem are taping the glasses to your forehead or buying special head band. Taping Special Head Band

Just to do an update, I got rhino a few days ago. My prescription is -9.50. On the day of surgery, I was able to wear my contacts up until I laid down on the operating table. After surgery, my eyes were not immediately swollen, but I didn't feel comfortable putting contact lens back in. My husband was able to guide me into a taxi back to our Airbnb, and I just went back to sleep. The next day, my eyes blew UP. I wore my glasses the whole day and used the tape method. LIFE-SAVER. I look like a cross between Alfalfa and Harry Potter and my husband can't help by laugh every time he sees me but it works — my glasses don't touch my (silicone implant) bridge at all and I can see fine. It's now almost 4 days post-op and the swelling around my eyes have gone down considerably, so I feel comfortable wearing contact lens again. However, at home I use the tape method, and I believe I will have to do this at least for the next 4 weeks. Hopefully my experience helps others who are interested in rhinoplasty but worried about getting lasik first. (I'm actually not a good candidate for lasik.)

I would recommend using the SIM card as you would need to charge the pocket wifi separately.

Hi all, During the course of my research so far, I have extensively used this site to check if a doctor is certified by the Korean Association of Plastic Surgeons. This post is to share how to check if a doctor is certified. There are several pointers to note: The Korean website is more updated than the English version (a few years dated). The mobile version of the Korean website allows you to search by clinic's and/or doctor's name (whereas the web version only allows you to search by doctor's name). Sometimes, the clinic's name may be spelled differently (e.g. DA Clinic may be reflected as 디에이성형외과, 디에이 성형외과 or DA성형외과). It may be better to search by doctor's name in this case. Also, sometimes when a doctor moves to a new clinic, the site may not be as updated and the doctor's name may still be reflected under the old clinic's name which he practiced at. I have attached screenshots on how to interpret the results. To search by clinic name (click here http://www.prskorea.co.kr/mobile/search/search_h_name.asp) To search by doctor (click here http://www.prskorea.co.kr/mobile/search/search_h_dr.asp) For other pointers on how to check if a doctor is certified, you may refer to the English write-up on the page (click here http://www.prskorea.co.kr/English/mobile/sub/sub_02.asphttp://www.prskorea.co.kr/English/mobile/sub/sub_02.asp). If there are no results, it means that the doctor is not certified by the board to begin with. I have updated the post as the board has recently updated their database to indicate those who were suspended because they did not pay their membership renewal fees vs other reasons. Please refer to the 3rd post on how to differentiate the results for this. Hope this is of some help.