somedayskiesareblue Posted August 30, 2019 Share Posted August 30, 2019 I am hoping to share my primary DES and rhinoplasty (nose tip) experience, and hope that all queries can be consolidated here to serve as future reference for others. Please add your query as a reply to this thread, and I will address them as best / as soon as I can. Eye Research & Shortlist I consulted about 35 clinics online (via KKT), and shortlisted 3 for face-to-face consultation. Please note that I shortlisted the following clinics for f2f consultations based on the following criteria: Doctors’ aesthetics sense for DES - high dramatic parallel crease style Doctors' specialty - must include eyes, and not primarily rhino or facial contouring or breast augmentation Doctors' stitching style - should be neat and consistent (i.e. no messy lines, sausage lids, hooded eyes etc) Doctor should ideally be from Korea's top 3 universities (Seoul National University, Yonsei University or Korea University) Plastic Surgery Board-certified (or if suspended, only non-renewal of fees accepted) (to check if a doctor is certified, please refer to my other post https://beautyhacker.com/topic/1012254-checking-if-a-doctor-is-certified-by-the-korean-association-of-plastic-surgeons/) Need not be on VAT refund list Sources that I based my research on include: KKT group chats (please only join the moderated chats and not those set up by clinic promoters), Beauty Hacker, Plastic Surgery apps for B/A photos (Babitalk (Korean), Gangnam Unnie (Korean and requires Korean phone number), Soyoung (Chinese)), Purseforum 1) Mate Plastic Surgery 메이트성형외과 Dr Kim Geun-Sik 김근식 Plastic Surgery Board-Certified Clinic not yet on VAT refund list (staff said that they are in the process of applying to be on the list) (Former Top Class – left in Aug 2019; Cinderella, Izien, Grand) Korea University graduate Nearest subway: Sinnonhyeon Website: http://mateps.co.kr/ 2) PR Plastic Surgery 피알성형외과 Dr. Rho Kyoung Hwan 노경환 Plastic Surgery Board license suspended, did not pay renewal fees Clinic not on VAT refund list (Former Jewellery, Banobagi) Nearest subway: Sinsa Korea University graduate Website: http://www.prprs.co.kr 3) Item 아이템 성형외과 Dr. Lee Jun Woo 이준우 Plastic Surgery Board-Certified Clinic on VAT refund list (Former BK) Nearest subway: Sinsa Website: http://www.itemclinic.com/ Consultation Experience *Please note that i have indicated an indicative price as price varies from person to person. For a list of sample consultation questions to ask, please refer to my other post. (https://beautyhacker.com/topic/1015406-pre-surgery-pointers-list-of-consultation-questions/). Please note that for Mate and PR, I went with a translator from Gangnam Medical Centre. She charges 30,000 KRW per hour, minimum 2 hours. I find her to be very professional and impartial. If anyone would like her contact, I have listed it below: Name: JJ (tell her you were recommended by Lee) Email: [email protected] 1) Mate Plastic Surgery - Dr Kim Geun-Sik 1st discussion with consultant: 10 minutes Waiting time to see doctor: 5 minutes Consultation with doctor: 25 minutes 2nd discussion with consultant: 15 minutes Recommended procedures & price: $2.2 - $2.7 mil (including tax) for Incisional DES + Epi canthoplasty + Lateral canthoplasty My personal take on consultant: Consultant was professional (read not friendly) and not pushy. She speaks only very basic English. My personal take on doctor I was specifically looking for Dr Kim and messaged TopClass but they said he was leaving in end Jul and did not share where he was leaving to. I searched the Korean apps and found out that he was starting his own clinic. Managed to book a slot right before I left for Korea as his clinic only opened in 3rd week Aug. Doctor seemed shy but confident. He did not seem to have a fixed aesthetics sense that he favoured. In my opinion, he also did not over-recommend unnecessary procedures. 2) PR Plastic Surgery - Dr Rho Kyoung Hwan 1st discussion with consultant: 15 minutes Waiting time to see doctor: 30 minutes Consultation with doctor: 15 minutes 2nd discussion with consultant: 15 minutes Recommended procedures & price: $4 - $4.5 mil (including tax) for Incisional DES + Epi canthoplasty + Upper canthoplasty + Ptosis (and you have to give them permission to use your pictures for marketing purposes) My personal take on consultant: Consultant seemed insincere and started quoting at $6.2 mil before lowering it down to $4.2 mil. My personal take on doctor Doctor was very friendly and spoke intermediate English. Doctor seemed confident. 3) Item Plastic Surgery - Dr Lee Jun Woo 1st discussion with consultant: 15 minutes Waiting time to see doctor: 30 minutes Consultation with doctor: 10 minutes 2nd discussion with consultant: 10 minutes Recommended procedures & price: $3.5 - $4 mil (including tax) for Incisional DES ($1.7 mil) + Upper canthoplasty ($950k) + Upper fat grafting ($950k) (price for cash payment) My personal take on consultant: Consultant’s English is good. She is also friendly and prompt in replies. Although I eventually did not select them, she followed up to offer assistance during my stay at any time - I found this to be a very nice gesture and thanked her for her kind hospitality. My personal take on doctor Doctor was very friendly and spoke good English. Doctor seemed confident. Choice I personally based my choice more on my research (I tried to sieve out real reviews rather than planted reviews) than f2f consultations. In my view, even if the doctor is friendly or confident during the consultation, there is no correlation to the doctor's surgical skills. I also highly suggest researching on doctors rather than clinics. I personally do not place much emphasis on clinics' reputation unless clinics' past reputation suggest unhygienic/unethical practices. Clinics do not train the doctors. If anything, the doctors' past experience, educational background and accreditation would be more relevant. I eventually chose Dr Kim (from Mate) for the following reasons: Based on my research, both Dr Rho (PR) and Dr Kim (Mate) specialised in dramatic high parallel crease. Dr Lee's specialty was more of overall transformation rather than eyes. While all three doctors seemed confident that they could achieve the parallel look I wanted, and shared that epi would be required to achieve the desired crease, Dr. Kim (Mate) was the only one that pointed out that epi would be risky for me given that there is already a large amount of pink at the inner corner of my eye to begin with. Dr Rho (PR) was the only doctor that recommended ptosis. He also initially suggested doing Lateral / Lower canthoplasty but the consultant dropped it from the quotes (after realising the other procedures already added up to $6.2 mil). Dr Lee (Item) had an ideal crease height (which leaned towards being conservative) based on proportion, which I respected but I really wanted a more dramatic transformation. Also, mixed reviews of Item clinic swayed my decision. During the consultation, Dr Kim (Mate) seemed to be more meticulous in designing the crease height and balance with my other facial features Surgery Morning of Surgery Wake up early & wash your face Make sure you are not wearing any accessories or nail polish Bring your contact lens case to store your contact lens (if applicable) NO breakfast (not even a small biscuit or a cup of water) Wear comfortable clothes (button down shirt) and bring cover-ups like caps or sunglasses to protect your eyes after surgery Prepare your appointment card including fees for the operation in advance so that you are on time for the surgery. Go over to clinic early to check in Bring socks - The surgery room can be a bit cold and socks can keep you warm thus calming you down before the surgery. Make sure that in the contract you sign with the clinic before your surgery, it is clearly stated what the full name is of the doctor that is operating on you. The clinic is legally obliged to put this in the contract. This is to avoid a clinic using another doctor for your surgery. Pre-Surgery Process Change into your surgery clothes. Take everything off except for your underwear. Tie your hair back Wash hands first, then your entire face. Make sure it’s completely cleaned. Wait in patient waiting room Consultant brief you about the risk, liability, warranty (in my case, for the 1st year it's free revision, and in the 2nd year it's free revision but you have to pay anesthesia and consultation fees). Sign the waiver of liability form. Go into another room to take a photo of you pre-surgery Doctor comes in and analyses you for the second time (the first time should be at your consultation). He will make small notations on your face and discuss the shape again. This process for me took about an hour. Go into surgery (mine took about 2 hours). Rest in recovery room (I requested to leave immediately since I was super hungry; almost 24 hours since my last meal). The consultant helped me book a taxi and on my way back, she called the driver to check if I reached my Airbnb (the driver took the call on speaker mode). Recovery Day 0 / 1: I was tearing non-stop for the 1st 24 hours and most were tears with diluted blood. There was also a fair bit of bruising at my undereye area (which I religiously used Auriderm and found it to work like a charm). I did not ice much but should get down to being more diligent on icing my eyes. The recovery process has taught me the importance of patience; and the reassurances from the KKT chats were really helpful. Day 2: My eyes still seem very swollen after 40 hours. Will be following up with the doctor later in the day and hopefully, I can return to the clinic to remove the stitches on Day 5. Day 3: The swelling in my eyes has gone down a bit but still significantly swollen. Day 4: Much more bruising at the under area of my eye to my cheeks area but excited for stitch removal tomorrow. Day 5: Stitches are finally off. Stitch removal did not hurt at all. Hopefully my crease height doesn't drop too much from now on. Day 12: Eyes are still significantly swollen - I haven't been icing the past few days and when I visited Hanabi for a nose consult, the doctor said my eyes are still swollen because I did incisional and asked for high crease. I shall be patient and start working on icing and applying the ointment to bring down the swelling. Week 2: Eyes are still swollen and I noticed some small cysts. I went to the pharmacist and he prescribed me antibiotics. He said could be an infection since I did not take the antibiotics right after my surgery that I was prescribed. Week 3: My left eye is still significantly more swollen (even more swollen than Week 2). I contacted clinic and they requested for me to go down to see Dr Kim. Dr Kim said that I had an infection (I didn't tell him that I didn't take the antibiotics earlier prescribed) and asked the nurses to give me two shots of different antibiotics. The swelling subsided after but the left eye remains more swollen than the right as of writing. Week 4: The swelling on both eyes has gone down significantly, although the swelling on my left eye (which was earlier infected) is still slightly more than the right. I am liking the crease height now and I hope it only falls slightly more and not significantly more. Nose I separately decided to proceed with nose tip surgery. Both doctors (my DES doctor Dr Kim and Dr Chang from Hanabi) recommended slight hump reduction on my nose bridge and to adjust the nose tip using ear cartilage for a more refined nose tip. I eventually went with Dr Kim as I did not quite identify with Hanabi's recommendation of raising my nose tip significantly. Price quotation wise, Hanabi's quote was in the range of $5-5.5 mil and Mate's quote was in the range of $1.5-$1.8 mil (hump reduction was free but I opted out of it as I felt it would make my nose bridge appear flatter from the front profile) Day 0: Had a rough night with slight fever and vomitting, and a runny nose with blood trickling down. Woke up with a blocked nose from the dried blood. Day 1: Had cleanup for the dried blood done at the clinic. To return to the clinic on Day 6 for removal of external stitches for nose. (Day 8 for ear stitches removal and Day 10 for removal of internal stitches for nose). I managed to get my hair washed and blow-dried at the salon for 10,000 KRW. Day 2: The fever has gone down and hopefully there is no infection. Day 3: I did not have much bruising but I noticed some swelling on my left cheek. Day 4: I woke up to even more swelling on my left cheek and some swelling on my right cheek. I am still having a low-grade fever that gets better after I take my medicine but comes back again every few hours. Will get it checked when I return to the clinic on Day 6. Day 7: Splint and stitches removed. My nose and the area around it became really oily for the next few days after. Day 12: Left Korea despite there being a slight infection for one of the inner stitch site within the nose. To continue leaving the 3M steri-strip on for another week. Also, the bruising behind my ear was really bad at around Day 10 but has now changed to a yellow/green colour. Week 4: The bulk of the swelling went down by Week 2 and I could resume my daily activities without looking strange or odd. There is faint scarring which I hope it will fade eventually but nothing obvious unless I point it out to others. I have shared my before and after on the KKT group chats. Please do not re-upload or circulate my photos without my permission. Thank you! Here's wishing all with upcoming surgeries all the best. 8 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bugtypetrainer Posted September 1, 2019 Share Posted September 1, 2019 Great start to your surgery journey. Hugs [This is 라은 btw.] Keep on taking good care of yourself. You're going to be a stunner. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
somedayskiesareblue Posted September 1, 2019 Author Share Posted September 1, 2019 1 hour ago, bugtype said: Great start to your surgery journey. Hugs [This is 라은 btw.] Keep on taking good care of yourself. You're going to be a stunner. thanks so much 라은 for the kind words. i am glad you are recovering really well already. speedy recovery to us both 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
in2eeyor Posted December 21, 2019 Share Posted December 21, 2019 Hi, Somedayskiesareblue Thank you for sharing your journey. How's your eyes surgery now? Are you happy with the result? I'm planning to go to Korea in Feb 2020 I tried to reach out to Mate PS, website listed only in Korean. Do you know the english version? Thank you Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
somedayskiesareblue Posted December 21, 2019 Author Share Posted December 21, 2019 14 hours ago, in2eeyor said: Hi, Somedayskiesareblue Thank you for sharing your journey. How's your eyes surgery now? Are you happy with the result? I'm planning to go to Korea in Feb 2020 I tried to reach out to Mate PS, website listed only in Korean. Do you know the english version? Thank you 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. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
in2eeyor Posted December 22, 2019 Share Posted December 22, 2019 4 hours ago, somedayskiesareblue said: 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. Thank you for your feedback! I'm happy that you have good result. I'll request consultation there for sure (hopefully it won't be problem with a language barrier). I also contacted english translator you mentioned JJ. How did you find out about Mate PS? Honestly, this's my first time hearing it from you. Clinics on my list are: Answer PS, JK PS, Marble PS, and Mina PS. Do you have any suggestions/tips for tourist in Korea? Places to stay? Transportation (subway, taxi)? Did Mate PS accept credit card or better discount with cash? Sorry I ask many questions. This will be my first time going to SK & have surgery. I'm nervous & worried but also want to get it over with. I've always wanted to "fix" my eyes. Now, it's almost dream come true Thanks a bunch ! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
somedayskiesareblue Posted December 28, 2019 Author Share Posted December 28, 2019 On 12/22/2019 at 11:27 AM, in2eeyor said: Thank you for your feedback! I'm happy that you have good result. I'll request consultation there for sure (hopefully it won't be problem with a language barrier). I also contacted english translator you mentioned JJ. How did you find out about Mate PS? Honestly, this's my first time hearing it from you. Clinics on my list are: Answer PS, JK PS, Marble PS, and Mina PS. Do you have any suggestions/tips for tourist in Korea? Places to stay? Transportation (subway, taxi)? Did Mate PS accept credit card or better discount with cash? Sorry I ask many questions. This will be my first time going to SK & have surgery. I'm nervous & worried but also want to get it over with. I've always wanted to "fix" my eyes. Now, it's almost dream come true Thanks a bunch ! 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. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
in2eeyor Posted December 29, 2019 Share Posted December 29, 2019 6 hours ago, somedayskiesareblue said: 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 Somedayskiesareblue, No problem. I'm glad you reply to my post. Your posts are very informative and thorough. With Mate PS, did you do only incisional DES or both with lateral canthoplasty? I know you mentioned in an earlier post you did not do Epi canthoplasty per Doctor recommendation. How's doctor's stitching style and your scar after surgery? Thank you Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
somedayskiesareblue Posted December 29, 2019 Author Share Posted December 29, 2019 Just now, in2eeyor said: Hi Somedayskiesareblue, No problem. I'm glad you reply to my post. Your posts are very informative and thorough. With Mate PS, did you do only incisional DES or both with lateral canthoplasty? I know you mentioned in an earlier post you did not do Epi canthoplasty per Doctor recommendation. How's doctor's stitching style and your scar after surgery? Thank you 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. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
in2eeyor Posted December 29, 2019 Share Posted December 29, 2019 5 minutes ago, somedayskiesareblue said: 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! Anytime at your earliest convenient for my PM reply I joined KKT chats for eyes & nose. It asked for chatroom code. I asked admin about a week ago and still haven't received it. Will check into your post once I can access KKT chats Happy New Year! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CeeCee Posted May 10, 2020 Share Posted May 10, 2020 Thank you so much for your very detailed post, somedayskiesareblue. I was scheduled for surgery at the beginning of April, but due to COVID-19, it has to be rescheduled. I know where I am going for lipo, but not for eyes and nose. I am now looking at Mate thanks to you. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vee Posted June 21, 2020 Share Posted June 21, 2020 Hi,@somedayskiesareblueI don’t know if you are still active on this forum, i just stumble to this forum recently, and your post is one of the most helpful one for me, as im currently researching for DES. And i totally agree with you, i prefer to choose based on doctor’s result than the clinic. And the price range on dr. Kim from mate ps is on my price range too, and reading good review from you definitely pique my interest. As i’m new to this forum, i cant get access to kkt group chat for eyes yet, and i hope i’m not being rude/to forward, but please can u pm me your before & after pic? I have no existence of eyelid whatsoever, there are only tiny winy crease(read: wrinkle) from using years of eyelid tape, and even that wrinkle cant be seen if im not wearing tape, the quirk of having monolid eyes [emoji24] And how can i contact this clinic/dr.kim if i cant speak korean, aside from using google translate that is [emoji28]Hi,@In2eeyorWhen will you go for your schedule? i have tickets to go to SK on the end of oct, but same with you, with the covid-19 situation going on i’m not entirely sure i can go later, not worried about the situation in korea, they handle it way better than in my country. Im more worried my country wont get permission to go there with the case of covid-19 here keep climbing, or the 2 weeks quarantine in korea for foreigner, when my total stay in korea is less then 2weeks, only 12 days to be exact. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vee Posted June 21, 2020 Share Posted June 21, 2020 Hi,[mention=673887]somedayskiesareblue[/mention] I don’t know if you are still active on this forum, i just stumble to this forum recently, and your post is one of the most helpful one for me, as im currently researching for DES. And i totally agree with you, i prefer to choose based on doctor’s result than the clinic. And the price range on dr. Kim from mate ps is on my price range too, and reading good review from you definitely pique my interest. As i’m new to this forum, i cant get access to kkt group chat for eyes yet, and i hope i’m not being rude/to forward, but please can u pm me your before & after pic? I have no existence of eyelid whatsoever, there are only tiny winy crease(read: wrinkle) from using years of eyelid tape, and even that wrinkle cant be seen if im not wearing tape, the quirk of having monolid eyes [emoji24] And how can i contact this clinic/dr.kim if i cant speak korean, aside from using google translate that is [emoji28] Hi,[mention=697575]In2eeyor[/mention] When will you go for your schedule? i have tickets to go to SK on the end of oct, but same with you, with the covid-19 situation going on i’m not entirely sure i can go later, not worried about the situation in korea, they handle it way better than in my country. Im more worried my country wont get permission to go there with the case of covid-19 here keep climbing, or the 2 weeks quarantine in korea for foreigner, when my total stay in korea is less then 2weeks, only 12 days to be exact. And here i am still collecting info about ps, desperately hoping this covid-19 situation will be over before then [emoji13] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
choofleur Posted July 8, 2020 Share Posted July 8, 2020 Thank you so much for the review @somedayskiesareblue ! Really helpful to see what I should be paying attention to in regards to doctors Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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