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Botched Rhinoplasty April31 Plastic Surgery Clinic


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UPDATE: I ended up canceling surgery 3 times at 3 different clinics, upon further consultations-

one doctor said something that really stood out to me: he said that I went from having the First Class rhinoplasty at my primary surgeon's Johns Hopkins University hospital to downgrading to COACH at April 31. That was the confirmation I needed that I need to get an evaluation from my primary doctor and perhaps proceed with revision with him. The doctor's name was Dr. Im and VGPRS.com and he is the CEO of his clinic, I trust him very much and if you like the dramatic/dolly look, he can do it for you, and with rib :smile:.

Anyway, I've been to perhaps 30-40 clinics in Korea and I will update my blog with experiences with them; there are a lot of clinics you all don't know about because you are not in Korea- the clinics that are visible to us are the ones pushing their marketing towards foreigners, while yes in my situation- April 31 is renowned but by only board members because of the academic activity papers that Jae Hoon Kim submits (I know Brian used to help him with writing/translation before they fired him, so I don't know that academic papers are Jae Hoon Kim's own true words, or words fluffed up by english-speaking writing assistants), that will remain a mystery.

I think that using tpf should not be the primary source of your information when it comes to Korean clinics- the site has too many promoters and the promoted "reviews" drown out the botch stories and valid reviews which often go forgotten or trapped way down in the deepest depths of the tpf. In my blog I'll have some resources available if you find yourself in a similar situation, and also my full experience with april 31 and their deception/botches/unhappy patients. Any other choice besides April 31 will reap better results for you. If you do go to a different clinic and experience a botch, it is not the end of the world, you can enter mediation and take legal action although you are a foreigner (mediation is a few hundred dollars, there is free legal help for foreigners in korea, and in the event you do end up paying for a legal representative, it will be one flat fee (up to $3,000 I think), it's not like in the US where we are constantly spending money on lawyers. While yes, it is very good to leave reviews, you will need to open a mediation case against the doctor who botched you unless you can reach a resolution without getting a 3rd party involved. In conclusion, I don't really recommend Korea for invasive surgeries unless you are of East Asian descent; too many foreigners of other descent have been left botched or unhappy, and that's not what we are traveling all this distance for and pouring our money into the Korean economy.

At the same time, everyone deserves access to good and affordable QUALITY elective surgery... but my opinion still stands that if you are not of East Asian Descent or need a good cheap FFS (you're transitioning and the prices in your country are too high for very little result), then you should not undergo invasive surgery unless
1. you have absolutely no other options.
2. the doctors in your home country have no experience working on patients with ur features.
3. you know someone who has personally went to the clinic you are interested in who is not a promoter and has had a good experience.

Doctors can write all of the academic papers they want, so in Korea, I don't think you should focus on the papers too much or let that impress you (like I did). I'm American so we tend to love to read the doctor's work as a form of research, but that puts a haze over our view of them and makes us look at the doctors as more than what they actually are; doctors can write about plastic surgery and rhinoplasty cases and innovation, but it really comes down to IF they're able to execute all of the things they talk about. Some doctors use academic activity to fluff up their resume and to give the appearance of prestige in front of their colleagues, board members, and patients. No matter how drawn to intellectual energy you are, I need you to not read so much into the academic papers of the doctors because it truly creates a false veneer and expectations that are much too high- even if those expectations are a basic level of ethics, surgical skill, and decency.

And lets not forget the
pièce de résistance pictures of my nose before and after April 31.
Do NOT allow Dr. Jae Hoon Kim to operate on you even if the surgery is free or discounted. He has botched patients of ALL origins, ethnicities, and nationalities. The promoters of April 31 are in every forum including reddit; they have a very believable con game going by victimizing foreigners which is why they've been in operation for so long. No matter what, do not go to April 31 and no matter what clinic Dr Jae hoon Kim runs off to, do not have surgery with him. EVER.


6847029E-E54B-4A44-9E58-0CA2B36B19AF.JPG D46D796A-D087-4AF3-8527-DCEA6E0F7A43.JPG
I know it's very hard to relive your trauma, but the only way for the standards of elective surgery to get better when it comes to medical tourism in Korea is to start reporting the perpetrators for medical negligence and shake up their system. The Korean culture is very different from western culture so please keep in mind that this spills over into the medical arena as well; senior doctors aren't used to having to answer to their own medical negligence. If things are to get better and safer for yourself and others who travel to Korea for surgery in the future, you must shake up the system so that they raise their standards to a level that foreigners are serviced well. There are way too many instances of botch and unhappy patients in Korea and it's not just because they do a lot of surgeries; the ratios just don't make sense- too many patients end up needing correction due to functional issues but we never hear about that unless we speak to people privately or in small groups.

In conclusion:
petit procedures: GO.
Invasive procedures: Pause.


For RIB rhinoplasty I like: Dr. Jin (wise, conservative revision, safe option), Dr. Lee, (wise, revision, safe option), Dr. Im (high ethics, very good consultation), Dr. Park (Harvard, golden-ratio aesthetic), Dr. (Gwangmin) Park (soft-spoken, artistic), Dr. (Han Jo) Kim (sweet, high ethics, cute nose aesthetic), Dr. Min (VERY sharp eye, ethical), Dr. Cho (highest level of experience, thorough, great for revision), Dr. Jeong (confident/ skilled/most BnAs/great for revision) and Dr. Kim(nice aesthetics and personality) (same practice), Seoulista (expert, revision in genio and rhinoplasty), Kowon (sweet, primaries). Dr. Suh (experienced).


I will list everyone's information in my blog, but- if you've had a poor experience in Korea in relation to cosmetic surgery, I need you take a stand, open a dispute, to NOT spend your money with any clinic in Korea before you think long and hard about it, and exhaust all other options. Korea makes a lot of money from we foreigners and their medical, tourism, and legal boards and government agencies need to make sure they create a safe environment for us by not allowing negligent doctors to practice, especially if they want continued access to our very strong foreign currency.

When you cut them tf off as a conscious effort, it's helpful not only for you in your healing process, but to other foreigners- it creates a net of safety where others a less likely to be botched, reduces the instances of death, and other unfortunate events related to cosmetic surgery because for once- the doctors will be held responsible for their actions and it's not good for Korea's economy that foreigners refuse to funnel excess funds into their economy after poor experiences and lack of safety.

I know you don't want to hear this, but our American doctors tell us to stay in the United States to have our surgeries for this very reason; while yes, they are in business to make money, they see a lot of botch cases from overseas and they are the ones who end up correcting our highly questionable and devastating choices. April 31 and doctors like Jae Hoon Kim are the kinds of people that our ethically practicing medical professionals from all over the world warn us about.

Actually, Dr. Mascaro in Miami gave me this warning on Skype when he found out I was thinking of international medical tourism; I've traveled for all of my surgeries over the years in my home country, and aside for the bad medical staff, my surgeries all went well at every facility. In Korea, you can not let unprofessionalism from the staff slide, it's package deal; in Korea, you're not just going there for the surgeon but for the full experience and ALL of your needs should be met before surgery or it may foretell of a bad outcome of the surgery, you can't ignore the issues like you can do in the States and the UK. Korea is very different than other places and you need to always be treated well. I said all that to say, he was very right and it is my fault for not considering his warning more thoroughly than I did. I know sometimes doctors can deliver their message in a harsh way, but American doctors and those trained in the states take their oaths very seriously and a lot of them try to protect the patient even if you aren't treated by them.


Drastic change rhinoplasty outside of Korea:
Wide/fatty nose: Turkey. UK. (Natural Result- Primary: Dr. Naderi. Some girls like Janjua. Dr. Nassif (yes from me). Dr. Ghavami. UK surgeons like Ion (Miss Orange reminded me of him again for Asian noses). You will be ok in the US as long as you want something very conservative. ) If you need a revision and you have a wide/fatty nose in the US- it will be sort of difficult to find your surgeon but you still have options.
Ethnic/Middle eastern nose with Thick skin: you will be ok in the United States. (Saw a girl of my ethnicity with medium skin who had surgery by Dr. Miller that was pretty). Dr. Nassif.
All of the Ethnic girls I know who went to Thailand now look mixed lol, but were not botched.
Caucasian girls and those Ethnic girls going for a mixed-race look seem to like Dr. Grigoryants in the US- natural but his signature style can give a drastic change if your nose is droopy.

xo
 
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I’ll update that information in my blog narrowed down to my top choices and considerations.
 
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  • 1 month later...
I had a rhinoplasty consultation at April 31st last year and was waiting for an hour.
The translator then asked me when I would like to have my surgery, I said maybe expecting in a few months and after that they told me the doctor was not able to meet me that day. @.@
 
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That turned out to be a blessing for you. Typical botch factory- rushing customers to make decisions, making you wait, and being unprofessional. You're better off going to any other clinic in Korea. xo
 
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Thank u! It's really not about the money- I have more than enough of it & could have surgery even without recouping any funds; its about accountability and clinics being held responsible for their medical negligence- so I also reported the doctor to the medical board as well as finding a way to report the clinic for unethical practices. If I had been a resident of Korea, I would've gone about this situation in a different way, but being that I'm not I decided to maneuver in a way that most efficient and makes sense and hit those mofos from every angle so other people can see that it can be done as long as you're dedicated to getting your justice for the higher good of everyone, not just yourself. I know that not everyone can stand up for themselves after having a failed result plus insult to injury so I really need to do my part because some people really do go into depression and it's very unfair to them; I'm so happy that I didn't get depressed and that I came out of it alive; I know that some people have it worse than me and they're silenced/victim-blamed on top of being physically disfigured and economically distressed. I'm not done just yet- I know that if I make an example out of April 31, they'll think twice before they pull their bullshlt again on another patient, and by sharing my story, it will give victims hope and courage to move forward with an inner-peace knowing that there are solutions for all problems and unfavorable circumstances are VERY temporary. Ty for your prayers xo
 
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Ok so I photos of result of Dr. Jin and she was unhappy, I too agree that the result was unsatisfactory, I think you should consult with Dr. Jin because he has good information, BUT- although most of his patients are happy, please also keep in mind that he has unhappy patients, I was surprised he did someone's nose and the nose was uneven (i think because of the nostrils looking incorrect which was the complaint, and yes she will need a revision to fix it). He also told me some things that would be difficult for him for my case (nostrils), and his vibe was just sort of unhumble but not in a bad way, I thought it was entertaining, but anyway I took all of that as a red flag that he couldn't give me all of what I wanted. Still consult with him but keep in mind that he may not be able to give all of what you want if it's not primary. If it's a primary I think his price is high and he doesn't do tipwork like that- he's conservative and the people I've seen going to him have a very minimal difference tbh unless it was like a severe contracture or infection case. Autologous options: Dr Jin is a safe option (cash only though and he is overworked for his age)- I believe if you unhappy he will give you revision and that he is ethical, but the patient I was referring to above is yet to have her case resolved/surery date set, Dr. Kim at Eightps because I know he is ethical and he's closer to his 30s so he knows what looks hot- he's a locals dr and chinese girls go there, and Dr. Im at VG (Dr. Im is sort of high but he has a lot of experience so you can use me as ur referral if u do f2f and want the price to go down). Try SURES and JAYJUN as well- I think their doctors are good- the doctor at SURES is sweet/nice. Dr. Cho at KoKo is very good but you have to bring a translator, the price is high lol but he knows what he is doing- my only issue with him is that the staff don't speak english, if you have a local friend or referral you can get a lowered price. Jin is definitely not your only option. All have their own clinic except for Jayjun which is probably a pimp clinic like the rest of them that aren't owned by the doctors, but the doctor is sweet, so you can put that one last on your list for ****s and giggles. There's one clinic I don't think you should go to and that's a big building with multiple floors- I forgot the name of it but I know the pimps own it and they pimp out the doctors and park lambos outside, and may have paid someone's family off after a patient death during surgery- it's in apgujeong. Hope that helps!
 
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  • 2 weeks later...
Update: The bank let april31 counter the closed dispute case and I'll upload those documents soon, they're claiming they didn't botch my surgery. The bank asked me to provide more documentation so I will and I'll let you know how the outcome- whether or not the bank lets me keep it- I still need to sue april 31 for damages beyond what was paid for the surgery; if they try to close the clinic down- the clinic owner will be held liable as well as each separate doctor including the female doctor who helped them cover everything up- I found a good attorney but I feel that April31 is going to try to shut down in apathetic attempt to avoid a lawsuit; they owe too many people money, they're struggling financially, and now it's coming back to bite them in the a$$. This is even more reason not to go to april31 for surgery, they're desperate for money because they have no longer have any customers, and they're very seedy overall for trying to fight back for money that in essence doesn't belong to them. Do not go to april31 even if the surgery is free; Jae Hoon Kim is probably going to find another clinic to botch patients from so if you see his name listed with any clinic outside of April 31 you need to run in the other direction.
 
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Update from speaking with the bank: I can't upload April31's documents here because they're supposed to be confidential but April 31 was able to try to reopen the case after it was already closed because they issued an appeal after the case was already decided in my favor (they are really hurting for money and trying to do anything they can to scam foreign currency). So what I will need to do is give the case manager my documents again plus extra. April 31 DIDNT deny any malpractice for those of you wondering, which leads you to infer that they're aware that they've been botching people for a very long time. I had a virtual consultation with a rhinoplasty specialist in Cali and it went well- he knows many rhinoplasty specialists in Korea, but Jae Hoon Kim is NOT one of them- go figure. He won't agree to do my surgery until an in-person evaluation is done in October when everything comes to light because now I'm noticing more issues with my nose like nose bleeds, pain, and my nose is DEVIATED when it was never deviated before. Like other doctors, he said he was upset that I allowed that surgeon to touch my nose. For now, he wants to see my before and afters and my CT scans for my nose and chin (although he is not going to revise my chin, he wants to evaluate it and may know another doctor who is comfortable doing that kind of revision)- I'll give names once everything is said and done. I'll update after the appeals process is over. xx
 
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