alice-gpb

Post-Op Day 11:

General soreness and pain has reduced, but I get sharp stabbing pain from time to time or if I over exert myself. My nipples are also hyper sensitive to fabrics TT.

I have had an unexpected bruise form at the bottom of my right breast. Dr. Lee suggested it may be due to the tightness of my post-op surgical bra and suggested that I switch to a softer sports bra. I've been monitoring it and it doesn't seem to be a hematoma; perhaps it was just a a very small blood vessel that leaked some blood into the breast when I over exerted myself this past week shopping in Seoul.

My breasts are slowly settling and I'm really liking the overall progress!

My incisions are still sore to the touch and quite hard. I've been wearing my clinic supplied silicone scar tape to aid in the recovery of the scar 24/7, unless i shower which I then remove the tape beforehand.

That's it for my updates so far!

^^

 

Hello!

I consulted with a variety of clinics for primary breast augmentation. Here were my experiences:

1) Jayjun - Dr Shin, the English translator and Korean speaking consultant met with me in October. Initially, I wanted to do my breast surgery with Dr. Shin and I had put down a deposit. However, after requesting a second consultation in January, I felt that his style and technique was not suited to what I was looking for. The Korean consultant during the second time I met with Jayjun provided me with almost a 50% discount, essentially giving me a fantastic deal that matches what Korean locals would get for breast augmentation. I also did a blood test through Jayjun which was fairly pricey (in preparation for the surgery which I didn't go through with) but they kindly released the results for me which I was able to use for my final choice hospital.

The English consultant is wonderful and we became friends on Kakao. She is extremely helpful in so many ways.

Dr Shin speaks English but seems like he is very busy and cannot provide a lot of time for thorough consultations, however he is detailed oriented. Each time I met him he took measurements of my IMF, intra nipple space, etc. Overall though, he tends to be reserved and does not communicate much unless asked specific questions.

He recommended anatomical (tear drop) granular textured implants for me and seemed like he did not care too much if it was an IMF incision or armpit incision. He didn't spend significant time explaining the advantages of the implant choice for me and why.

2) With - Very clean bright clinic. I met with the Chinese consultant who was kind and friendly. I was taken to see the breast specialist who is apparently very famous and has been on tv plastic surgery make over shows many times.

The Dr. measured my breasts (IMG, intra nipple space, nipple to IMF) and didn't really speak much unless asked questions directly. In this case, I would suggest patients come prepared with a list a questions. I asked him to show me some before and after cases similar to me, which he did but he did not seem too enthusiastic about doing so. However, he was polite and answered the questions I did have. I believe he recommended a round implant, micro textured for me as I have a full A cup and enough breast tissue to expand around an implant. This was an important point for me as it showed he had the experience to recognize the qualities of my case as a patient.

The Chinese consultant noted that I was consulting with many hospitals, and cut to the chase when it came to price. She provided me with a lower end foreigner price which I was very happy with.

3) Fresh - I came to fresh with the intention to ask about fat transfer to breasts. The english consultant is such a wonderful girl, friendly and responsive on kakao. Dr Hong speaks some english but spoke mainly through the consultant. The examination was quick and he offered his insight, noting my chest wall is wide and breast tissue expandable.

The consultant provided an overview of expectations for fat transfer, strongly suggesting that a second top up of fat be conducted if I want more significant results. She mentioned that at best 1/2 cup change would be visible after one round of lipo transfer.

The price was quite high for lipo transfer and I ultimately chose not to do it and opt for implants, since I didn't want to commit to coming back to Seoul a second time for lipo transfer round 2.

4) Mool Bang Wool - The clinic I chose to do my surgery with... for a detailed review, please check my post history. I'm not sure if I can hyperlink the post here? #

5) DA - I've consulted in the past with DA with Katie the English consultant was still working there. Several of my friends have done surgery with DA so I have a fairly good idea about price ranges with this hospital. I was quoted a higher than average price for breast augmentation via kakao, but was told that this price is negotiable in person. I met with Dr. Ku the breast specialist and the English consultant, and Korean house manager. The actual consultation was extremely quick and Dr. Ku seemed quite disengaged.

The final price offered to me was .... 3.5 times the original higher than average quote given to me via kakao. Let's just say that I can usually buy an entry level BMW with what they wanted me to pay.... Overall, a fairly negative experience. When I mentioned that the price is not what I would be willing to pay, they basically showed me the door.

6) Park Jin Seok - Dr Park is a breast specialist and runs his own clinic in apgujeong. He speaks English but his staff do not. However, I can speak conversational Korean so I was able to manage my appointment fine. He is clearly a specialist in this area, and also recommended a round implant over an anatomical one. He also was one of the first doctors to suggest that the motiva chip implant is just bait because the warranty cover 5 years only, and the rate of rupture/capsular contracture is *so* low within that five year period that it isn't worth the additional cost.

He was the only doctor the suggested placing the implant under the fascia for a more natural feel, however, he expressed the cons of this method as well. In the end, I chose not to go with him as I wanted a different surgical technique.

7) JW - I met with Dr. Seul and Brian, the english consultant. Dr. Seul really impressed me with his knowledge and thorough explanation of breast augmentation techniques. He showed me cases on his computer that he felt matched mine and was very detailed in his explanation, despite the fact he was already late for another operation.

He recommended micro textured implants (motiva or bella gel) with a round shape, citing the same reasons as some of the other doctors above. I would have really liked to have gone with him if the final quote was more reasonable and didn't cost more than a fully loaded Honda fit. I also would've preferred a different implant option which JW didn't offer. Also it was very obvious that Dr. Seul does many operations a day and so I felt that the patient attention would not be there and I prefer small hospitals where doctors do fewer ops a day.

 

thank you!

 

thank you!

 

Oh ya, I see what you mean. I didn't read any Mega reviews on him. He took me through his years of cases that he compiled before and after from his time at mega, and walked me through the specifics of the cases and how they applied to me. That to me was the most important thing about choosing him as my surgeon.

 

The clinic is only three months old so i didn't find any reviews, but after consulting with so many doctors and clinics, I felt like Dr. Lee was among the top breast specialists in the industry. His track record and thorough consultation with me was what won me over. Plus I liked how his clinic is small and patient focused.

 

1) Dr Lee carries pretty much all the brands that are out there, including motiva and allergan.
2) So I did a lot of research and I spoke with a lot of doctors about brands, and they told me their honest opinion which was that you can't really think about motiva being the best or allergan the best. One person said it's like two good bags, but one is a branded bag versus a non branded bag. People gravitate towards branded goods more. Personally motiva feels way too firm for my tastes. Allergan didn't make the micro textured implants that I want. Sebbin, like I wrote in my post, fit my criteria for round and micro textured, and was also what I picked out during an eyes closed touch test.
4) there is no translator provided, but I speak korean so I was able to communicate with the staff there. Other non korean speaking patients brought their own translators from what I saw
5) Instagram hashtags, for real lol

 

Hello! I am 7 days post up and here was my experience with Mool Bang Wool.

The clinic is new, clean and efficient. There's one doctor, Dr. Lee Young Dae MD, PhD, who is the former breast director at Mega Clinic. There is one manager, Lee Soo Hyun, two nurses and two front of house staff. Dr. Lee speaks English, the manager speaks Korean, the nurses speak Korean but know some English words, and the front staff speak korean.

The first consultation was thorough with the manager and doctor using a 3d imaging scan of my breasts. The doctor measured my IMF line, intra nipple space, etc. He also took photos of my breasts. I was given different implant simulators to try on under a second skin t-shirt to get a good idea of the actual sizes of the implants on my body. It was recommended that I get 330cc since my chest wall is large, but I opted for 300cc since I wanted a smaller incision line at the IMF (below the breast incision). The doctor showed me before and after patients, discussed the surgerical techniques and incision locations. We discussed post surgery expectations and recovery experiences of other patients. We discussed the pros and cons of anatomical (tear drop) versus round implants, micro/nano textured versus grain textured and smooth implants. The surgical technique the doctor suggested was dual plane type 2.

2nd consultation - the doctor provided me several implants to choose from with my eyes closed as he wanted me to select one based on touch rather than focusing on brand names. I got Sebbin classic moderate profile micro textured implants.

Surgery day - I arrived and was taken to my recovery room to change and put my clothes away. I was then taken in for photos by the doctor in the studio room and he designed my breasts, discussed incision locations and size. I was then taken into an air shower room to be blasted 360 degrees with air to remove debris. In the OR, I was sanitized, prepped and tied down for the surgery by the two nurses. Dr Lee joined shortly after and administered sleeping sedation, 7 ml instead of 5ml since I have a higher tolerance for things such as alcohol after he quizzed me. The surgery was only 1 hr, and I woke up in my recovery room. The nurses and manager checked in on me periodically, and gave me instructions in korean to sit up and walk through the clinic when I was able to.
They provided me a post surgical bra, bra band, post op care instructions in Chinese and korean, soy bean protein juice, post op sports bra, Cetaphil lotion for my breasts, and a prescription form for the pharmacy downstairs.

Post-op day 1: I returned to the clinic for an IV port administered antibiotic, the doctor examined me, and asked me my thoughts. The nurse checked my breasts for swelling and infection.

Post op day 2: I returned to the hospital for more antibiotics and the doctor redressed my incision area. The doctor showed me where to strap my bra band down now that the first day's swelling has gone down.

Post op day 3: I returned for my last round of antibiotics, doctor briefly examined me and I was told to return on my 7th day. I got some deswelling treatment after my examination (light therapy).

Day 7: I returned to the clinic for photographs of my progress and the doctor checked my incisions after he removed the bandage. They provided me silicone tape and explained to me how to use them. The manager adjusted my bra band and now I have to use a new way of strapping my breasts down to ensure a good final shape. He asked that I return in 1,3, and 6 months for a check up. I told him I couldn't return to Korea so soon, so they are okay with me messaging them if any issues arise and for me to send photos of my progress to the doctor.

I asked the front staff if I can see the doctor one more time before I leave next week, she agreed and I'll get one more check up with Dr Lee.

Thanks for reading! I will update my progress at the one month mark.