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In part 1, I forgot to mention I was required to remove nail polish for both hands and toes. I was given a neck pillow before the surgery, so I didn’t need to bring one there. I was also able to keep the pillow afterwards. Like I said in my last post, I had terrible nausea after the surgery. It was my first surgery in my whole life. During recovery, I had a roommate who also had fc surgery, but she had 2jaw and vline by Dr. Shin. We were there for two nights together. There was a sign telling me when I can start drinking water, usually is about 4 hours post-op. The nurse came in and gave my roommate a syringe to drink her water, but I was just given a cup. Usually after vline, people can open their mouths a bit and drink water, but my front teeth were touching my lips quite closely and I was not able to get any water in my mouth. There was also a metal piece I was wearing to support my chin, and it further against me to open my mouth. Lena was there after the surgery for quite a while, asking me how I felt and all. I told her that I was not able to drink my water and she asked the nurse to give me a syringe which is primarily used for 2jaw patient. I was able to drink afterwards. Lena was a very nice persona and she spent a great amount of time sitting in the room and talking to me. Before she left, she invited the nightshift nurse to our group chat, so if I had any concern, they could translate for me to the nurse. The nurse can understand English actually but that was just more efficient and helped me to get what I needed precisely. I really liked this. It was like this for the second day and night too. The nurse from the first night was more caring than the daytime and 2nd nightshift nurse though. They had a TV for each patient, but I was honestly too tired to watch. I was focusing on drinking more water and sleeping. I forgot to mention, Lena helped me to run down to the pharmacy to buy nutritional drinks and because I was not able to get out of bed, I couldn’t get my wallet out of the locker, but she paid for me at the time. I did return the money to her afterwards. She did help me to run up and down to talk to nurses, buy drinks and all kinds of other things. Thinking back, I think with the disability after the surgery, having a support system and a group of people who are so willing to help means SO MUCH! Like I mentioned before, this was partially why I didn’t choose TFD. There, the staff who took me to get x-ray walked as she dragged her feet (not sure how to say it). The impression I was given was low energy and not happy with her job. Or maybe she was sick. Anyhow, this is something I considered important as I was there alone. Hye In came in my room and said bye before she went home. It was very sweet. The first night was better than expected. All medications were injected via IV and this was the same for the rest of the hospitalization. I would not able to insert those pills in my mouth to be honest. I was glad I was there for 2 nights so at least I could get my pain killers and antibiotics on time and effortlessly. Nurse also helped to change the ice pack regularly. On Saturday, I was able to drink a lot more water, and I was managed to walk a lot in the hallway. The hallway wasn’t big but there was only me and my roommate on Saturday. Other rooms’ patients left in that morning. The nurse took me to get deswelling treatment and Dr. Shin disinfected my mouth. At this time, the medal piece for my chin had removed. I was taken to get my x-ray and CT Scan, and then back to the recovery room. Hye In came to say hi in the morning before work. Daytime nurse was very young, but she did her job, just not as caring as the first night nurse. Ask them to inject the med slower if you felt the pressure too much. Lena added her to the group chat as well. During that day, my face probably swelled up more and I felt the pressure against the compression band. I had the non-adjustable band. My roommate who did 2jaw had the adjustable one. I asked if I could have the adjustable one, because at that time, my chin was hurting, and I felt SUPER uncomfortable in it. I messaged in the group chat and I believed Lena spoke to the doctor. Dr. Shin gave me the adjustable one the next morning after disinfecting my mouth. Hye In came to check in on me before she left work on Saturday and confirmed my appointment times for the following day. On Sunday morning at 6am, the nurse sent me for deswelling treatment and at 8am, I saw Dr. Shin. We started to pack up our things and changed to normal clothes (the zip-up shirts) at 9am. I had a backpack, a toll bag, a case of nutritional drinks, and a paper bag given by the clinic. It was too much to bring home honestly. I was tempting to leave some there and picked them back up on Monday. Anyhow, the subway wasn’t busy at all and the weather that morning was a bit cool, but I was managed to bring everything back home. So please don’t bring things that are not necessary. They had pretty much everything I needed at the clinic. I will try to upload my x-ray, CT, and some recovery photo along with this.

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?

You can usually scoop some up at airport kiosks when you exit baggage claim, but if you can't do this it's best to get in the city. You can also pre-oder ones for pick-up at the airport here: https://www.klook.com/en-US/ I have some information I wrote to a similar question here:

hi, in2eeyor. i chose him for his neat symmetrical lines; and i have earlier shared my results in the KKT chats (links at sidebar of BH website). i actually did incisional des + lateral canthoplasty + slight epi. I will reply your PM in more details. cheers.

Thank you so much somedayskies are blue for your advice! By the way, love your username, good choice!

Different clinics have different refund policies. Legally, clinics are only required to refund 90% of the surgery cost (i.e. not the 10% deposit) if you cancel 3 days before the surgery date. It is always good to ask for the clinic to provide the refund policy in black and white when you pay the deposit for avoidance of doubt in the event you would like to get a refund subsequently. I wouldn't rush to book a surgery date unless you are super sure that you are going to go with the doctor. Paying the deposit means they know they have locked you in. Consequently, 1) You lose your bargaining power to negotiate for lower prices 2) They won't be so welcoming and may even make you wait for a fair bit before the f2f consult with the doctor if there are other potential patients which they have not managed to lock in 3) You are at their mercy if they decide to shift your surgery date to slot in someone else or if the doctor is suddenly not available I would try to squeeze in as many consultations as possible on Day 1 (and Day 2 if needed). Remember to ask for the surgery dates after consultation (clinics are usually willing to shift local patients around to slot in international patients). You can refer to my other post on pre-surgery pointers and consultation questions for more details of questions you may wish to ask during the f2f consults (https://beautyhacker.com/topic/1015406-pre-surgery-pointers-list-of-consultation-questions/).

Sorry for the late reply dear. I am not sure if they accepted credit card but I paid with cash. Don't think there was a further discount with cash since I got the tax refund slip. Usually clinics that give discount with cash will not have a tax refund slip (since they technically don't declare the transaction to the tax authorities). As mentioned in my post, I found out about Mate PS because I was researching the doctor not the clinic. The clinic is newly set up by a doctor, former Topface, Cinderella. I like his aesthetics sense so I went to him. Transportation - subway is well connected and very reasonable rates. From airport to central Seoul, there are several airport buses that cost about 15USD - skip the taxi; that will set you back about 60USD. I stayed in an Airbnb since I was there for slightly more than a month - prices were more reasonable; there was a fridge for me to store the ice pack and a washing machine for me to do my laundry. However, I can speak some Korean and can read a fair bit of Korean so I didn't quite need much assistance around. If you prefer to have someone who can speak English in the vicinity (for assistance with finding things, asking questions, getting directions), a hotel in the Gangnam/Sinsa/Apgujeong area may be a better choice. I will do up a post on getting around Korea soon. All the best for your PS journey.

Hi, Yes, I am perfectly happy with the result for my eyes as it is exactly what i wanted - medium to high deep crease, neat symmetrical lines. Unfortunately, as far as I am aware, the website is in Korean. There is a consultant that can speak a little English, but I mainly communicated with them in Korean. I understand from some of them who went after me that they either went without a translator or requested for the clinic to help hire one.