poppypot

May 6, 2019

mango-gummy said: ↑

My review of my consults, surgery with Uvom, post-op recovery

In particular thank you to Maggie, JJ, Audrey, Robin, Yumi, PrettyDiva, and all who either I met in person in Korea or talked with online for help on the KKT group chats (Feb PS group, March/April PS group, and the 2019 rhino group).

Ive split this review into general chronological order.

I live in the US, so I started out doing 2 in-person consults with US docs. Didn’t really find what I was looking for but it gave me a basis of what to expect.

ONLINE CONSULTS

I spent weeks to months reading Purseblog’s forum about which clinics were generally good or not, and what to avoid. I emailed or Kakao-Talked these clinics:

Jw, Banobagi, VIP, Namu, Koko, Uvom, Dr Jin premium nose.

All of the above had english consultants or translators that replied to my emails or Kakaos, with the exception of Koko (Korean and Mandarin Chinese only).

At first I really wanted rib-only rhino. I wasn’t sure though. I kept reading about pros and cons of rib vs septal vs ear cartilage. All I knew was I didn’t want any foreign material. Definitely no donated cartilage. No Goretex, no silicon.

CLINICS I CONSULTED WITH ONLINE:

VIP - I was heavily considering VIP since they like rib rhinos a lot, and seemed to have a pretty good reputation on Purseblog. Their nicely maintained English site gave me a good baseline. However midway through my research I dropped VIP cuz they were really expensive.

JW - Really detailed and thorough online consult via email. They looked at my pics and noticed a lot of small things. I liked them a lot just based on correspondence alone. However their prices were also about as high as VIP. Also dropped due to high cost.

Dr. Jin Premium nose - I emailed rhinoplastykorea, which seems to be an agent that advertises a blog for both Dr Jin and Koko clinic. Just them two. I don’t know if they know each other or something. Dr. Jin personally replied to me a couple days later in English. However I decided to not pursue this further cuz I wanted a clinic where I could do all my surgeries all in one go. Dr. Jin only does or specializes in rhino I think since he is an ENT doc. It’s worth noting that although he’s expensive, he probably doesn’t need the patients. He’s highly published in academia in PS and rhinoplasty, and is a visiting scholar for many international universities, including my old university in the US. One probably can’t go wrong with Dr. Jin. His results look really natural and he seems to specialize in rhino revisions. For anyone not minding the price, he’s probably a very solid choice.

Banobagi - Emailed this big hospital out of curiosity cuz an old college friend went here for her double eyelid revision and her eyes look good even a couple years later. Their response was so copy-paste that I marked them off my list cuz I didn’t want a big factory clinic. I’ve heard some good and some bad things about them on the Purseblog before - makes sense if they have so many patients. This wasn’t what I was looking for.

Namu - I Kakaoed this clinic after hearing a big spike in good hearsay about this clinic on Purseblog. The consultant Claire speaks really good English and is super sweet and honest. I loved asking her questions on Kakao. I ended up doing an in-person consult with them which I will write more on below. Prices were good.

Koko - Dr. Cho Bae Jung. Korean or Mandarin Chinese speaking consultant only. Their English is very very limited. I barely was able to find any reviews on this. However what I found was good. His results looked a little more dolly than Dr Jin, and looked really good at rhinos. I made an in-person consult appt with them as well.

Uvom - I didn’t add this on until a week before my departure date to Korea. I heard JJ and a couple others say good things about Uvom in the chats, and I wanted a third option in addition to Namu and Koko. So I Kakaoed Uvom and they were really nice and responsive so I made an in person appt with them as well. They were my third choice at the time since I hadn’t looked into them as much.

IN-PERSON CONSULTS

Namu - first appointment I had in person. It’s kinda hard to find the entrance. It’s through the side door around the back of the Starbucks building. If you find yourself inside Starbucks you went in the wrong door.

Namu is a medium sized clinic. They use several floors in that tower. The waiting room was very busy, but the staff was nice and they got to me fairly quickly. Did some X-rays and CT since I was interested in genioplasty. They took some pics of the face to put on their computer during consult.

Meeting Claire the consultant in person was great. She’s super sweet and honest about what was realistic for my face and goals. We talked for about half an hour and then the docs came in. First Dr. Jeong, the rhino doc. He’s wild and very friendly and nice. Lovely guy. He gave his opinion and then Dr Kirk came in. Dr Kirk is a quiet calm doc, which I liked. He does the eyes mostly. He tried out some creases on the eyes. I liked his style a lot. Claire translated for us during the doc consults altho the docs knew some English too. After the docs left, Claire cleared up any qs I had. I left Namu with a good impression. I think it would have been a solid choice as well. Currently this was my second choice. Koko was still #1 for now (I meet them tomorrow).

Uvom - My second in-person appt. Currently this was my third choice. But when I went in person, the quality of the consult blew every clinic I had consulted with out of the water. It was 2.5 hours of productive discussion. I was super impressed. And from what the other members on Purseblog have said, this is pretty standard for them. X-ray, CT done. I appreciated their attention to super small face details.

The consultant Eunice and English translator Choi spent 2 hours with me. Eunice was amazing. I’d be lying if I said Eunice wasn’t a main reason I decided to go with Uvom. She’s attentive and intelligent and very kind, the type of person I would trust with my face. People have said that we should make decisions based on the docs, not the consultants. But I think the consultant and clinic staff are very important to consider as well - if you come vibe well with them then that is the best. As an English speaking patient, the majority of your wishes and questions will be conveyed to the docs via the consultant. Choi is also super sweet - she translates for the consultant and the docs. I feel like her English was very good and she was able to convey everything I wanted to say or ask.

The docs came in for probably a total of 30 min combined. Dr. Kang would do the eyes and nose. He tested out a number of different crease heights and we picked a crease height that wasn’t too large. I wanted a parallel crease and medial canthoplasty since I look a little cross eyed sometimes when looking straight on. Dr. Kang said we can cut a little of the medial corners but not too much since that would make the eyes look too close together, since my eyes already aren’t far apart.

Dr. Lee would do the chin reduction, sliding genioplasty, bottom lip reduction, and jaw fat repositioning. The jawline fat repositioning was something suggested by Eunice during the consultant part of the appointment when I mentioned having a lot of cheek fat near the jawline that I didn’t like. Dr. Lee agreed and said we can purify/process some of the removed fat and then rearrange it into the nasolabial folds where I had mentioned was something I wish could be smoothed out. The chin bone would be reduced in length (I wanted a shorter chin but it was also weak) and then slid forward for a sliding genioplasty. There would be notches where the cut chin bone doesn’t match up anymore with the jawline, so the solution would be to shave the jawbone a little to smooth that out.

They offered a discount for deciding that same day. But I declined, cuz my deposit was still with Koko so I needed to see that through and wanted to know what Koko would be like tomorrow.

Koko - ok this place is a tiny tiny clinic. One doc only, he’s also the owner. A few staff members. Mandarin Chinese was the Consultant’s second language, as was mine, so I wasn’t able to fully convey my wants I think. Dr Cho spent the most amount of time with me than any of the other clinics (minus the US ones). Could definitely tell he was a doctor first, business second, which I liked a lot. Ethical as well...he told me to wait until I was 40-50 years old to get double eyelids since it would likely not stay even if he did it. So I liked that he was honest. But I really wanted my eyes done so I took a chance - I gave up my deposit and went with Uvom instead.

I texted Uvom back to ask what their first available surgery date would be. They replied right away and were able to fit me in for 3 days later after rearranging their schedule.

SURGERY AND RECOVERY:

Surgery day.

At one point on the operating table when they were prepping everything, I had a momentary “What am I doing omg” feeling. IV went in and then the sleeping anesthesia for eyelid surgery first. I saw fractal art XD it was a lot of fun. But then the visual stuff went away and I was half aware of the eyelid surgery stuff, thank god it was quick. It’s a bit uncomfortable cuz you feel the pressure from the needles. Opened and closed eyes after that when Dr. kang asked, to check the positioning etc.

And then I don’t remember anything after that since it must have been general anesthesia time.

I woke up probably about 8 hours after surgery started in their post op recovery room. Waking up from general anesthesia is weird. I think I woke up once or twice but fell back asleep, and then I was aware enough to stay awake but was dizzy so I didn’t get up until half an hour of staying awake. Sitting on the edge of the bed will help stabilize blood pressure. I did that for a bit and then walked around a little. Then Choi and Eunice came in and said everything went well. I felt ready to go home so the IV was removed and they took me to the taxi.

The next couple of days were super hard to sleep cuz of the nose packing that stays in until approximately post op day 2. You breathe via your mouth but your throat is sore from the general anesthesia. I slept sitting up at an angle. Pain was surprisingly ok. It was more the breathing discomfort that made the first couple of days hard. And the swelling - my eyes were puffy. I used ice packs on my face and that helped so much.

I had bottom lip stitches that were not fun to deal with cuz the mouth breathing made them really dry and the lip was swollen and it was so hard to drink water.

So maybe if you want to get lip reduction do it separate from a rhino procedure.

Post op day 2 or 3: they removed the nose stuffing. I can breathe again.

Post op day 6: was nose cast removal, eye stitch removal, columnella stitch removal (all the externally visible stitches).

Post op day 9: was removal of 60% of the sutures inside the mouth (bottom lip and gums). Mouth sutures are no joke. Luckily it’s all over in 30 min. I was thinking “why did I do this”. There was some blood/bruising accumulating in the jaw so Dr. Lee tried to drain some of it.

Post op day 10: Dr lee wanted to see me again so I was back. He removed the rest of the gum sutures and more of the lip sutures. Pain again was bad but they have a plushie you can hold. It helps. Dr lee and his nurses were very nice.

Post op day 11: My last full day in Korea. One last appointment to remove the last few stitches in the bottom lip, and also the visible sutures in the nose. It was all bearable today. Those nose stitch removal was just uncomfortable but not really painful. I was so relieved when they said everything is done now. The rest of the nose stitches are dissolvable and will dissolve by themselves in the next few months.

The docs came to check up one last time and everything looked good.

I flew home the next day. By this time I had been done with the 7-day course of pain meds and antibiotics for about 4 days now. I still took over the counter Tylenol post op days 8-9 but today I didn’t need any. It’s mostly the chin swelling and numbness left. Still sleeping sitting up. It’s less uncomfortable to wear the compression face mask now. I can chew most normal foods except meat or super chewy/hard things.

The bruising around my eyes is mostly gone now. The jawline bruising is still there but a lot less.

Post op day 14: I’m a lot less swollen now, and people back at home said it gets better by the day. The nose is a huge difference from before surgery and I’m super happy with it. The eyes also, I look so much more alive now. The jaw and chin made a huge difference and looking at before and after pictures you can definitely tell it helped a ton with my overall appearance. The lip is healing and more feeling is returning to my lower face by the day as the nerves heal. I’m overall super happy with how everything went and how everything is turning out. I would definitely like to go back to Uvom again when I want anything else done.

The photos attached are of me before and after at post op day 14.

View attachment 4390456 View attachment 4390457

If you have any questions, feel free to ask. However I am not able to answer for you questions like “what is the best material for __procedure”, “what is the best clinic for x and x”, etc. Those are personal decisions to make between yourself and your surgeons.

Good luck to all. I hope you find what you are looking for!

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Hi, Thanks for sharing,
Could I know how to join the KKT chat groups,
IM in the midst of dilema myself,
Im looking for a clinic who is specialized in Eye and lip revisions , but there is too many reviews going on, and I cant seem to be able to settle on one,
Hopefully, you can give my some recommendations.

May 6, 2019

lipstickarsenal said: ↑

Hey! Don’t be scared. Message me privately if you have questions and join the KakaoTalk chats too. Do a ton of research and book f2f convos with clinics to really get a sense of their aesthetic, service and techniques.

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Mass researching now,
And there too many bouncing of each other, negative and positive. so tough to make a decison.
How do I join the chat groups though??

May 4, 2019

ifterms said: ↑

My partner went to Namu for plastic surgery to look better and younger, I don't know what made Dr Kirk and Claire think that my partner or anyone would be ok with an extra procedure that they recommended with side effects of bad scarring, hair loss, and actual brows got cut off without being informed before the surgery.

Claire commented that my partner didn’t look that bad and considered my partner’s brows were not botched and well corrected by Dr Kirk. Let's put this straight, before the surgery my partner looked way better and younger with her full natural straight brows, now she is left with two uneven arched brows with different thickness, different shapes with different arches sitting at different heights. Dr Kirk argued that my partner’s brows were a bit asymmetrical before the surgery so he cut off more of her actual brow on one side. But the fact is, my partner’s old brows were much more symmetrical in term of thickness and shape. Doctors are supposed to improve symmetry not make it worse. If the variance between expectation and result is 5%, we can call it unsatisfactory. In my partner’s case, the result (30% permanent loss of actual brows with bad scarring and hair loss) and expectation (0% brow loss with non obvious scars) are not at bar, if this is not considered botched, should we go back to Namu and thank them for not cutting off my partner’s entire brows?

I don’t know what everyone’s definition of botched plastic surgery is. Majority patients get plastic surgeries to look better, if someone looks worse after the surgery, has to spend more time putting on more makeups after the surgery, and has to spend more money to fix what previous doctor has done, then that’s indeed a botched surgery. No one would prepare to get functional issues or death when they go for plastic surgery.

Dr Kirk even said he could reverse my partner's direct brow lift by cutting the same incision line if my partner not satisfy with the result after 6 months, but how could that be possible after the actual brow skin has already been cut off and disposed months ago? We have been seeking opinions from other surgeons in Korea after we came back to our own county. None of plastic surgeons would recommend this procedure because of the bad scarring and hair loss issue, they all confirmed that there is no reversal of this surgery. All the surgeons we have contacted were surprised that my partner was recommended and operated with the procedure, as based on her before surgery photo, the procedure was very unnecessary, she wasn’t a good candidate for that procedure to begin with, however, Dr Kirk still operated this procedure on my partner based on Claire's recommendation.

My partner didn’t ask for this procedure, Claire and Dr Kirk talked her into it. That’s not ethical to sell procedures without full disclosure of risks. I am not sure how competent Dr Kirk is in performing this procedure, but according to other surgeons, this is a very outdated procedure rarely performed nowadays. I believe no ethical clinic in Korea would recommend this procedure to my partner based on her before. What Claire told us about all their clients came back for that procedure was basically untrue. Dr Kirk could just say to my partner that she wouldn’t need that procedure when Claire pushed on making sales, but instead he just agreed on a consultant whom doesn't have any medical background.

My partner's trusting in Dr Kirk costed permanent loss of her brows , she has been self blaming and in depression since the surgery, it’s affecting her physical and mental health, it's heartbreaking to see loved one suffer from other people's mistakes. She has to see psychologist on regular basis for counselling and working on her depression issues.

As soon as my partner shared her experience at Namu in the Kakao chat group, Claire offered refund of the brow lift procedure with an agreement stating no party will pursue any extra claims after the refund, she also blamed my partner's review in the chat group damaged their business. The chat group is open discussion for patients sharing their true plastic surgery experience, good or bad as long as it's the truth. Namu has no right to interfere the true information being shared or discussed in open chat groups. If Namu only want positive reviews floating in the the forums and chat groups, then they should provide more ethical and procedure knowledge training to their consultant and doctors to prevent any unnecessary procedures to be operated on their patients. If Claire and Dr Kirk disclosed full risks of this procedure at the time they recommended it to my partner, then my partner wouldn't have it done and the damage to their business that Claire talked about wouldn't have happened.

Soon after my partner signed the refund agreement and sent it back to Claire, Claire put an additional sentence on the refund agreement that my partner just signed, the purpose of this extra sentence they put in was to stop my partner telling people about her experience at Namu. What they did was cut and paste my partner's signature from the document my partner read and signed into a different document with the additional sentence stating my partner will not reveal her surgery at Namu to anyone. My partner was mentally unstable and under great pressure when she had to accept that altered agreement. There are still two years warranty on other procedures she had done at Namu, but no way we would go back to Namu after all the damage they have done to my partner's face.

I am sharing my partner's experience with the hope of someone reading this post could be more cautious putting their trust in doctor or clinic in a foreign country. In developed countries, medical professionals are regulated with very high ethical standard, patients naturally would trust doctor's recommendations and believe the doctor has disclosed full risks with worst case scenarios, however, plastic surgery in Korea is just big business. My partner picked Namu based on glowing reviews floating in the forum and chat groups, and she picked a smaller clinic because she thought if 2-3 doctors opened clinic then it means something to them, they have a reputation and have to be responsible. But unfortunately when those small clinics suddenly started to get ambitious and did things out of scope of expertise and comfort, people who trusted them got botched.

We discovered there were more people got botched than we thought after my partner's surgery, but why we only see glowing reviews most of time? Firstly, people tend to share more of their positive experience with successful results, it is just the human natural. Secondly, people who got botched generally would fall into self blame and feel shamed about their failed surgery while going through a mental depression with much painful recovery. Finally, the clinics that botched their patients would offer either revisions or refund of procedure to keep their patients' mouth shut.

I hope something could be done to prevent anymore unethical operation on foreigners, full risks should be disclosed to the patients before the surgery when a procedure is recommended, even the slightest chance, surgeon and consultant should inform patient before the surgery, so patient can decide themselves what they want to do with their face, plastic surgeons don't have the right to make decision for unconscious patient during the surgery. But I guess it's not always the case in some Korean clinics.

So if you are planning plastic surgery in Korea, for your safety and your loved ones, I would suggest a few things below.
- please don't put plain trust on doctors just because of the glowing reviews you read
- please don't get convinced into extra procedure just because you are already having surgeries
- please don't rush a decision because of time restraints
- please don't have your guard off just because the consultant seems nice and caring, that's what they do to get your trust first then make sales
- please don't pick a clinic because they offer two year warranty or great aftercare, because if they cut off too much of your bone, skin, fat or muscle, the two year warranty won't get back your bone, skin, fat or muscle that have been removed, and the great aftercare light won't matter if you get botched, plastic surgery need to be done right in the primary

I hope no one has to go through the same psychological pain as my partner. A botched surgery not only destroys you mentally and physically, it also hurts your family and friends who care about you but have to witness your pain. Please keep in mind, revisions are way more complicated and expensive than the primary, and not all botched surgeries could be fixed by revisions.

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Thanks for sharing, Namu was actually in my list of surgeons to pick from,
I do hope your girl can get someone do a successful revision, It's so saddening to hear all these jobs gone wrong.
I too had a bad surgery done in BK thailand at Asia Cosmetics hospitals, I feel a majority of such clinics are just dishonest.
Its really not easy finding a good doctor i guess,
Could I get the kakao chat group details? I would like to join.

May 3, 2019

niniwowo said: ↑

Hi
Just want to share my experience with MVP.
I did threadlift and fat graft around a year plus ago (ard Jan 2018) with MVP. Doc Seo did my surgery.
I think I was given too much sedation and I vomited for 2 days after the procedure. They did ask me back and put me on drip for around 2 hours. I felt better after that.
The end thread of the threadlift on my scalp was tied together with a strand of hair and I had to get a local plastic surgeon to help me cut it. (S$150)
The fat graft had left me two lumps that can be felt when I press my face and my local PS say its the fats not properly processed during the procedure. I had steroid jabs on the lumps which cost me S$400 and the lumps are still there !! Doc say might need few more jabs to totally 'melt' the lumps away.
when I was there, Elizabeth was very very very nice to me. The service was really very good but my result of the surgery is disappointing.
When I came back, they will still response to you for a while or so, but when I recently gave them a update of my situation, they totally ignore me already.
I really regretted going to MVP, I shouldnt have done it just because they gave me a cheaper price compare to other clinics.
I had my nose and eyes done at JW in 2015 and even though the price is at the higher side and service sucks to the core (Jay), but the result turns out beautiful, which is the most important.

I am just sharing my experience. Do all your necessary homework before deciding on any procedure.
Hope this post will help.

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Oh My goodness, So thankful for your sharing,
MVP was one of my choices after JK and VIEW,
But till now I am still undecided, Im singaporean, I suppose you are too?
I did my previous surgery of eye and lips in BKK thailand Asia Cosmetic Hospital, they suck!
Therefore got to revise it now, chosing korea, otherwise Dr Andrew Tay in SG.
Would you have any other recommendations?

May 3, 2019

Hellonina0027 said: ↑

Hi, I got a really really good price! Actually, probably the most price competitive out of all the clinics I emailed. If you have a personal email/line account/ WeChat I can personally tell you the price I paid!

Also, if you are emailing them for consultation, ask to talk to Elizabeth, and say Nina referred you. She will give you a referral price

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Hi, thanks for sharing, Please PM me.
Im looking into everything that you did, plus lip correction,
I had previously done my surgery in BK thailand, it was terrible.

May 2, 2019

lipstickarsenal said: ↑

Hello, PF Plasties!

I just came back to the US from Seoul last week and wanted to share my journey (a term that will be overused in this post haha) on my first rhino and double eyelid surgery experience at UVOM with Dr Lee Jung Soo. It's been a long road and I'll show progress pics as I heal in the coming months. So far, I'm super thrilled with my results and thankful to everyone I've come across here on PF and the KakaoTalk chats (Mar/April 2019, PS 2019 Eyes & Nose).

Background: Aside from my wisdom teeth extraction at 20, I had never undergone any surgery. I wanted to be extremely meticulous in my research and find the right surgeon. Knowledge gives me comfort so I read countless reviews and medical journal articles specifically about Asian rhinoplasty and implants. I've had a complex about my ‘koala’ nose since I was a child and would always squish the tip to make it into my desired shape. I put off plastic surgery for a while because I wanted 1. to save money for it and 2. to wait for my facial features to grow in. As for eyes, I luckily have natural double eyelids (thanks, Mom & Dad) but one is more pronounced than the other. Symmetry was my goal.

Procedures: Rhinoplasty (nose elongation, hump removal, nostril correction for uneven nostrils, lateral osteotomy) and double eyelid surgery

Research: I initially sought out plastic surgeons in NY and LA on RealSelf. I wasn't too impressed with the results on Asian clients and felt they were too conservative for the rather exorbitant cost. Memes aside, Seoul seemed like a much more accessible alternative plus Korea was on the travel bucket list (and I even did a little side trip to Japan!). I booked my trip to Korea in January for April 2nd and decided that 4 months was adequate to research and consult online with clinics. It became something of a pastime for me to the point where my friends would say "Ugh, G's looking at noses again".

Clinics: In total, I consulted about 23 clinic and had a large spreadsheet going. The larger clinics (Banobagi, Grand, BK and ID) were all big contenders early on given their reviews and exposure on shows like Let Me In. However, after digging a little deeper on forums, I decided to go with smaller clinics. Clunky response times from some of the other clinics turned me off, along with blacklists, subpar results and the list gradually became smaller.

The day I landed, I ended up meeting with View, Faceline and UVOM. Wannabe was also a contender but I had a scheduling conflict. The day I landed, I ended up meeting with View, Faceline and UVOM f2f. View was at the top of my list to the point where I almost put a deposit down until I saw them f2f. They charged an exorbitant amount (2x more than the online consultation) and I felt super rushed. I felt like most of these large clinics had factory vibes and would push unwanted procedures on me (ex. midface augmentation for my 'protruding mouth').

Why UVOM: UVOM didn't come on my radar until about a week before I left on my trip and I'm glad it did. A few of their patients had great results and posted them on KKT chats. The results looked amazing but not fake and I liked how they had more Korean patients than foreigners. UVOM is meticulously detailed, both in their online consults and in person. The f2f consultation was lengthy (2 hours) but I felt like this was necessary. The nerd in me loved hearing about what would be done to the point where it felt like an anatomy lesson. Eunice and Choi (the consultant and English translator) were really warm and detailed in their answers to my questions (ex. silicone vs goretex). I also liked how even though I don't speak Korean, Eunice would look me in the eye when explaining vs looking at Choi all the time which would've made me feel like a subject. Then I met with the doctors. Dr Kang demonstrated different creases and I eventually picked a tapered one (the parallel option would've looked too Caucasian). I asked him about epi and he said my inner corners were too open and it wouldn't look natural on me. For rhino, Dr Lee pointed out things that other surgeons missed (ex. deviated septum, uneven nostrils). He also had a good bedside manner and was realistic about what he could do with my short nose and thin skin. He would make the angle between my lips and the tip of my nose within the 90-105 degree range since it was much more obtuse. I chose UVOM ultimately because I liked their aesthetic, attention to detail, Dr Lee and that they didn’t pressure me to have unnecessary surgeries. I've read countless times that I should go with a clinic that I vibed well with f2f and UVOM was that clinic. My surgery was scheduled for the next day after I paid my deposit.

Materials/Methods: PCL and septal cartilage for tip, ePTFE for bridge. I went with non-incisional double eyelid surgery since I wanted minimal scarring.

Right after the consultation, I had dinner with a group of girls who I affectionately dubbed the 'Plastic Fantastics' from a KKT chat. We were all set to have surgery within the next 2 days and discussed what led us to this point. After dinner, we stopped by a grocery store to grab food for the next few days, which I definitely recommend because the swelling and anesthesia are no joke.

Surgery: After fasting for 6+ hours, I went to UVOM in the morning. There were a few patients there and I filled out more paperwork. They did a CT scan and showed the deviated septum and how one side was a bit larger than the other. I met with Drs Lee and Kang one last time to go over the surgery and any last minute concerns. There was a bit of a delay to the start of my surgery so I waited in the recovery room in a heated bed until the surgeons were ready.

I put on the gown and took a few more last looks at le nose. Choi remarked on how calm I was before the surgery. Mental fortitude is key! I didn’t get nervous until the nurse arranged the scalpel and other tools on the surgical tray. I thought, “Oh. Those are going inside me.” Choi could sense my nervousness and explained what the nurse was doing. I took a few deep breaths before the anesthesia sunk in. I had a psychedelic dream about going through tunnels and felt some light tugging towards the end but no pain. Dr Lee said he was finished and I groggily woke up. Choi and one of the nurses helped me get to the recovery room. I had a painful sore throat from the anesthesia and Choi gave me some water while I drifted in and out of sleep. By that time, it was almost 11pm at night and Choi stayed with me (so thankful). I threw up bile in the bathroom from the anesthesia which was super unpleasant. Choi gave me the meds and was nice enough to get me a taxi and translated my hotel address to the driver. That night, I slept upright and didn’t get the best quality of sleep.

Day 1 Post Op: I felt super groggy and the painful sore throat was still there. The nose packing and drip pad meant I would be a mouth breather for the next few days. Excellent. I ate some breakfast downstairs and put on my disguise for the next few days: a baseball cap and black dust mask (my sister said I looked like a Ninja Turtle villain). I went back to UVOM for my deswelling treatment (light therapy) and a check up with Dr Lee. He said the surgery was very long (about 6 hours) and I bled a lot, probably due to my thin skin. He changed my dressings and I finally saw a glimpse of my new nose!

Despite all the swelling, my nose looked super snatched! The hump was gone and I finally had a tip! There was an incision on my columella covered by bandages.

On Days 2, 5 and 11, I went back for deswelling treatments and check ups. On Day 2, the awful nose packing was taken out. It was the strangest feeling ever, like wet boogers getting taken out. The nurse was a bit rough but super efficient. On Day 2 I started taking After Plus +, a combo of bromelain vitamins, arnica cream and ampoules for deswelling and it was worth every penny!

On Day 5, the cast finally came off and the stitches on my columella were removed. It felt a bit weird and the area was a bit dry. The stitches were covered by a bandage so it was difficult to apply the ointment there. The result was quite natural on the frontal view but my nose looked so great from the side (no more Koala nose)! Dr Lee did a great job with the nasal base added a good amount of height. I selfied the crap out of my nose on the bus ride to lunch. My eyes had also swelled down considerably and I loved how even they looked. I used Kristen Kreuk as my inspiration and love the interpretation.

Dr Lee was at a conference so my next appt wasn’t until Day 11 post op, when the stitches inside my nose were removed. I was given a plush toy to hold on to while the remaining stitches were removed. It was a bit dry but the nurse was able to pull them out. After, Dr Lee came by and looked at how it was healing. The scar on my columella was barely visible and the bruises were virtually gone. I thanked him for doing such a great job on my nose and for creating such a harmonious balance in my features.

Initially, I was nervous about doing plastic surgery abroad but my experience at UVOM really put me at ease. Dr Lee is an artist and sculpted a beautiful nose out of the short blunt one I had. The improved crease made my eyes look larger and somehow lifted my eyelashes on my left eye (the one with a smaller crease). UVOM may not give you packs of pumpkin juice or wash your hair on their salon floor, but they deliver beautiful results and have a minute attention to detail. I would definitely recommend UVOM for these procedures and look forward to the continuous deswelling of my nose.

I’ll keep you guys updated on my progress!

Here are some before and after pics:

Click to expand...

Hello ,
Thank you for sharing,
Im intending to do a revision for Double eyelid with Ptosis correction end May, but I keep seeing mixed reviews.
Its really confusing, also I cant speak Korean, and my choices were VIEW or JK clinic.
But after reading your post, There's a new clinic UVOM....
Could anyone bring some light to this, as I really cant seem to make up my mind on a clinic,
Also because I previously did DES in Bangkok thailand asia cosmetic hospital ( they were bad ) ,
Hence forth, now I'm really scared on picking a clinic.
OR any Singaporeans here know if Dr Andrew Tay is any better??

May 2, 2019

EllenSeoul18 said: ↑

Hey! Is there a kakao for people going in May? Please add me! I may get revision des, or just going for skincare.
Kakao is EllenSeoul18

Click to expand...

Which Clinic for Revision DES???
Im looking into VIEW or JK,
also doing Revision DES with ptosis correction

May 2, 2019

Waifuu said: ↑

Hey guys,
I'm Korean (but I dont live in Korea so I dont know anything about it) and I'm planning to be in Korea from may 30th to June 3rd around gangnam and get some plastic surgery done. Im looking for someone to go explore together and eat good food. I speak good Korean but dont expect me to know everything lol but I could probably help you a lot on plastic surgery places since I've done quite a bit of research on the Korean plastic surgery review app. Do let me know your kakaotalk.

Click to expand...

Which Clinics your looking into?
Im also going end of MAy to seoul
considering between VIEW and JK clinic,

May 2, 2019

Yunieee said: ↑

Hello all, I've been an anonymous long time lurker of this and other forums since I've been considering cosmetic surgery for around 2 years. Since purseforum is what ultimately convinced me to consult with popular clinics that others have had good experiences with, I thought I'd make an account to share my experience and recovery with everyone and hopefully help others make a decision for themselves.

Recently, I took a trip to South Korea in Jan 2019 with my mom for DES, rhinoplasty and breast augmentation. Prior to this, I had made online consultations with clinics that had good reviews for foreigners - MVP, Banobagi and Ruby. There were others that I considered as well (Namu, Opera, View) but since I did not have much time in the country I decided to shortlist and arrange consultations with MVP and Banobagi by uploading my photos online and scheduling a date for F2F. Ruby never ended up replying to my post on their website in a timely fashion so I decided to go ahead with MVP and Banobagi and drop in to other clinics while there.

Consultations
My schedule was quite tight so in my mind I had already decided to go with Dr Seo for DES since he has had many good reviews and I wanted a more natural tapered look. Forward to the consultation date, I was booked in to see him in the morning at 10.30am and ended up waiting in the waiting area for about 30 minutes. There wasn't many people at the time but apparently the doctors were very busy in theatres. I was briefly introduced to Elizabeth who I spoke to via Kakao, and I was told to sit in one of the consultation rooms after they took my photos. I only talked to the Dr Seo (eye, nose) and Dr Lim (breast) for about 2 minutes each since they were busy with other cases in between but they told me what they recommended (non-incisional with ptosis correction for eyes, alar reduction, nose augmentation and tiplasty for nose, inframammary incision for breasts) before rushing out again. The consultant then spoke to me after the doctors left and didn't talk to me much about the procedures (granted, I didn't have many questions since its my primary surgery) but more about scheduling the surgery date and prices. Because this was my main opportunity to undergo PS, in my mind I had decided that I wanted them done anyway even if I wasn't 100% confident and my mom could clearly tell as well. I told them that I'd get back to them that night about my decision to go through with it since they didn't have many surgery slots since it was a very busy time.

When I was waiting for my consultation at MVP, I was browsing on my phone looking up more reviews on forums for different PS clinics since I was in the area anyway. I saw a couple posts about UVOM and visited their website to look at BA pictures - they looked really good but natural as well. I ended up sending them a quick message via Kakao asking if I was able to drop by that day for a F2F consultation but wasn't expecting much since it was very short notice. They said they would be available in the afternoon and gave me 2 times to choose from (1.30pm or 3pm). I was particularly interested in clinics that were popular for locals but also catered to foreigners (since my Korean isn't very good). I didn't mind if the clinic was smaller but had good results and patient care. When I walked in, it was a small but clean clinic and was greeted by the receptionist. There wasn't many people there when we arrived and we sat in the waiting area for a short time before being introduced to the translator, Choi. She was very good at English and explained what was about to happen after choosing which surgeries I was interested in. At this time, I still wanted to choose MVP but I thought it couldn't hurt to have another consultation. I was then led into one of the 3 consultation rooms and was introduced to their senior consultant. True to other reviews, I spent almost 3 hours in the consultation, the consultant was very thorough and explained what each procedure entailed and what she recommended based on the surgeries I wanted.
The doctors Dr Lee (nose, breast) and Dr Kang (eyes) were also busy with other procedures but took some time to sit with me to talk about the specifics and previous BA results from other patients and tried to understand what look I wanted (very natural but slightly enhanced). Dr Lee (also the owner) is probably one of the most relatable and knowledgeable doctors and really tries to allay any fears about your concerns. He even showed me BA photos of rhinoplasty that he did on his wife with very good results. Someone talked about gut instinct on this forum once before, I actually felt that with this clinic and I just ended up paying the deposit and scheduling the surgeries. Please PM me for details about pricing/specific questions regarding both consultations.

My Banobagi consultation was scheduled for the day after but because I had confidence in the consultant and the doctor's expertise, I decided to cancel and deposit the money for my surgery at UVOM scheduled in for 4 days time (it seems like Jan/winter is a popular time for people to undergo PS so I never had a surgery slot on the consultation date or the next day).

Surgery - day 1
Fast forward to the day of the surgery, they spoke to me again in the consultation room - I was quite nervous but they took their time to explain what was going to be done again and double checked which procedures I wanted. Then they went through the risks of surgery and we signed the consent forms after I had time to ask any questions. My surgeries would be split into 2 days: nose, eyes, fat removal (I have a lot of fat under my cheeks giving me a round appearance) on day 1 and breasts on day 2. The nurses led me into the OT and I was put under sedation for the first time. Occasionally Dr Kang would tell me to open and close my eyes
Usually rhinoplasty doesn't take too long but my surgery lasted ~4 hours since they like to take their time to precisely operate (the consultant said 1mm makes a big difference in noses). I felt ok after the surgery and took time to recover in the recovery room for 1 night. After they placed an ice mask on my eyes, I slept to try and recover for another day of surgery.

Surgery - day 2
I was greeted cheerily by Dr Lee for my breast surgery the day after and he made sure to reconfirm the details as well as talk to me about the risks about the procedure but that they'd take care to minimise these as much as possible. I actually had a complicated operation because I didn't realise I had a tendency to bleed and the procedure ended up lasting many hours (I think about 8?) but I'm glad that I was safe afterwards and he still managed to finish the procedure (they have a good safety record with no incidents since inception). I was wheeled into the recovery room this time since I was in a lot of pain and couldn't really move - the IV analgesics really helped with the pain when I was lying in bed. They gave my mom a pack of goodies to use in our airbnb - compression mask, q-tips and gauze, ice mask for deswelling. Then the doctor prescribed a list of medications and the translator helped my mom purchase them from a nearby pharmacy. If you are unsure of any instructions, the translator will help you write down the post-op details on kakao so you can always reference them. If you are a foreigner, they will also provide you with a letter to the airport should you have problems with customs/immigration.

Recovery
I'll briefly talk about my recovery - I ended up returning to my home country after 1 week and continued to recover there. It was quite uneventful except for the first few days (I ended up spending 2 nights in UVOM's recovery rooms and the 2nd night they let my mom sleep in the bed next to me to take care of me since there was no patient in the 2nd bed (she could have stayed for both but she wanted to bring some clean clothes etc. on day 1). I was in some pain especially on movement after day 2 since that was the bigger procedure but that mostly subsided after about a week. You can also schedule to visit the clinic as many times as you want post-op for their deswelling laserbeam treatment as well as reviews to remove nose packing and stitches. My stitches on my eyes and nose came out on day 7 and over my breast incision site on day 8. Overall, I am quite pleased with the results and hope that the results will be even better with time. Also, you can always contact them if you have any concerns and they respond very quickly on Kakao.

Here are some BA pictures (1 and a half months post-op):
Left (before), right (after)

Tips - I definitely recommend washing your hair the day before because although you can ask hair salons nearby to wash your hair, it's best to avoid water splashing on your face. I heard that pumpkin juice/porridge was good for deswelling but I never really had any so I can't comment on its effect. Walking is also helpful for deswelling if you but for me it was hard since I had chest surgery the day after as well so I was in a lot of pain (pain relievers helped but I needed a lot of rest). If you are considering chest surgery, have someone to bring back heavy luggage/with you/ship your items because it will be hard to move around with a heavy suitcase especially in the airport. PM me for additional questions or images (for privacy reasons) and I hope this has helped someone.

Click to expand...

Thanks for sharing,
Did you stay in the clinic? theyprovide rooms?
were VIEW or JK clinic part of your choices? I've never heard of UVOM.
Im planning to do a revision on my eyes, previously did my eyes in BKK and they suck.
So right now, I and really torn between all these clinics to choose from.
Hopefully, I could get some good recommendations here.

May 2, 2019

Hi,
Yes Im Singaporean too
WHich clinic you looking into? Im deciding between VIEW or JK clinic ?
Im intending to do a revision for Double eyelid with Ptosis correction end May, but I keep seeing mixed reviews.
OR do you know if Dr Andrew Tay is any better??

May 2, 2019

Hi,
Could anyone Suggest which Clinic to choose from in Korea, VIEW or JK clinic ?
Im intending to do a revision for Double eyelid with Ptosis correction end May, but I keep seeing mixed reviews.
OR any Singaporeans here know if Dr Andrew Tay is any better??

May 2, 2019

Hi,
Could anyone Suggest which Clinic to choose from in Korea, VIEW or JK clinic ?
Im intending to do a revision for Double eyelid with Ptosis correction end May, but I keep seeing mixed reviews.
OR any Singaporeans here know if Dr Andrew Tay is any better??

May 2, 2019

Hi,
Could anyone Suggest which Clinic to choose from in Korea, VIEW or JK clinic ?
Im intending to do a revision for Double eyelid with Ptosis correction end May, but I keep seeing mixed reviews.
OR any Singaporeans here know if Dr Andrew Tay is any better??

January 15, 2019

Hi, Im looking in eye and lip revision in korea , maybe SMPS or VIEW plastic surgery.
Possible in march
Previously did it in BKK Asia cosmetic Hospital, bad place, regretted, if I had known better, I would never go under the knife, the complications that come with.
Read quite a number of forums, and many have to keep redoing the surgery.
Would like to get more insights as well, also noting that the clinics may charge foreigner higher
Im from Singapore. Would be great if anyone wantsto tag along and share their past experience.

January 15, 2019

glofishh said: ↑

!! i'm thinking of going then, too! (end of january). let me know if you want some company!

Click to expand...

Hi, Im looking in eye and lip revision in korea , maybe SMPS or VIEW.
Possible in march though, Could I get your feedback since you will be going for a procedure this month?
Which clinic you heading to?
Previously I did it in BKK Asia cosmetic Hospital, they werent good, hence needing revision.

January 15, 2019

Cindy1202 said: ↑

Hi,
In June 2018, I had my incisional double eyelid surgery in my country. But It was scarred badly and I also have hypertrophic scars in the inner corner of my eyes. I had been very stressing and decided to go to Seoul for eyelid revision surgery in November 2018, I am now 1.5 months post revisional operation but I am really disappointed with my results now. The dr did not help me with the scars in the inner corner and I am still suffering the same old situation. My eyes now also turn out uneven, maybe it is because of swelling? I don't know. I think I will have to come back Seoul again next year (2019) for an other revisional surgery. Moreover, anyone know any clinics that are good with tiny and tight stitching? this could help to avoid scarring.
Please help me if you know

Anyone going to Seoul next year for eyelid revision? maybe we can talk and catch up. Please add my kakaotalk id: Cindy1202

Click to expand...

Hi, Im looking in eye and lip revision in korea , maybe SMOS or VIEW.
Possible in march
Previously did it in BKK Asia cosmetic Hospital, terrible.
would like to get more insights as well, but I do not have kakaotalk, whats that though?

January 15, 2019

Hihi,
Im looking into heading Korea for surgery revision for eyes and lips( done in BKK ,
Dont have kakao talk
Any tips?
Have been chatted with docfinder, but heard they will charge super high,
Thinking of view clinic, SMPS,

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Review + B/A pics: Consults, surgery (primary DES, rhino, chin), post op recovery

Rhino and Double Eyelid Surgery at UVOM (Detailed)

Permanent brow loss and bad scarring at Namu

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MVP PLASTIC SURGERY - Double eyelid revision + canthoplasty + ptosis correction

Rhino and Double Eyelid Surgery at UVOM (Detailed)

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Anyone going to south korea for plastic surgery 2019?

My experience at UVOM PS

PLASTIC SURGERY KOREA OCT 2019

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Anyone going to south korea for plastic surgery 2019?

Anyone go to Korea/Seoul in 2019 for double eyelid revision surgery?

Anyone go to Korea/Seoul in 2019 for double eyelid revision surgery?

Anyone going to seoul for PS on mid February 2019?