How to choose a clinic/hospital/doctor?

[Novacrite]

I saw that another place was recommending the Gangnam UNNI website https://www.gangnamunni.com/us, but it seems pretty bad. On the main page, I click "Facial Contouring", then "Clinics", and there's only two there -- "Jfeel Clinic" and "Reverse Clinic". After doing more research, these seem like relatively small, unknown clinics. When I click on them, their specialties are extremely basic stuff, IE: "Botox, fillers, lifting, skin, and dieting".

 

I saw that you guys warn about fake info from aggressive clinics & PR companies, but I don't see any info here on how to choose a clinic.

 

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Stuff I found from a web search:

 

There are huge 20+ story hospitals dedicated to plastic surgery. These seem like the best options for foreigners looking for major surgeries. Examples:

 

BK hospital https://bkhospital.com/english/. "Offers a full range of procedures with multilingual support."

 

ID hospital https://eng.idhospital.com/ or https://en.idhospital.com/

Specializes in facial bone surgeries https://en.idhospital.com/facial-contouring

They advertise Active CCTV cameras and NO shadow doctors.

 

 

Guide to Getting Plastic Surgery in South Korea as a Foreigner https://medicaltourismabroad.substack.com/p/guide-to-getting-plastic-surgery-in-south-korea-as-a-foreigner - lists BK and ID hospitals.

 

Plastic Surgery in Korea: A Foreigner's Guide https://www.yourkorea.life/blog/health-wellness/plastic-surgery-korea-foreigner-guide-144/

Gangnam is partly a brand. Clinics in other parts of Seoul, and in other cities, can offer comparable quality at lower prices. If you find a surgeon you trust who happens to be in Mapo or Hongdae, that's not a red flag. The Korean Society of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgeons (KSPS) maintains an official registry of board-certified surgeons. Use it. 

 

How to Find Safe Plastic Surgery Clinics in Korea https://kculture.com/how-to-find-safe-plastic-surgery-clinics-in-korea/

If a sales consultant dictates your surgical plan and quotes a price before you have even met the doctor, walk away. This indicates the clinic prioritizes revenue over medical judgment.

They have a clinic search, but there are hundreds of results, and I don't see a way to filter them. The info on each clinic/hospital is also very basic.

 

Categorized recommendations:
Plastic Surgery in Korea for Foreigners: A Guide to Procedures, Costs & Top Clinics https://us-uk.bookimed.com/article/plastic-surgery-in-korea/

 

More, with no sorting https://bookclinics.com/republic-of-korea/seoul

 

Medical tourism agency:

https://www.beautytherapykorea.com/post/plastic-surgery-korea-guide-foreigners

 

Could make things easier if you're willing to pay more. But a concern I read is that they might push partner clinics.

 

Many international patients rely on medical tourism agencies to overcome the language barrier. However, you must ensure you are using a legally registered broker. Check if the agency is registered as a “Foreign Patient Facilitator” with the Ministry of Health and Welfare (보건복지부). Illegal brokers charge exorbitant, hidden fees and take zero legal responsibility if something goes wrong.

Learn more about navigating this choice in our Korea Medical Tourism Direct vs Agency: Cost and Booking Guide. https://kculture.com/korea-medical-tourism-direct-vs-agency-cost-and-booking-guide/

using a legally registered agency offers full-service convenience without extra medical costs, as their 10% to 30% commission is legally paid by the hospital from your standard fee

 

Whatclinic.com:

Clinics in Seoul https://www.whatclinic.com/cosmetic-plastic-surgery/south-korea/seoul

 

They have 35 Jaw Contouring Clinics in Seoul (compared to the two from gangnamunni) https://www.whatclinic.com/cosmetic-plastic-surgery/south-korea/seoul/jaw-contouring

 

Pitangui Medical & Beauty: https://www.whatclinic.com/cosmetic-plastic-surgery/south-korea/seoul/pitangui-medical-beauty

Lots of good reviews, but most of the links on their website are broken, and the address is different. https://www.pitanguiplasticsurgery.com/

 

Grand Plastic Surgery: https://www.whatclinic.com/cosmetic-plastic-surgery/south-korea/seoul/grand-plastic-surgery

Also has lots of good reviews. Their website is better, but still shows a different address https://eng.grandsurgery.com/about/location.php

Only 1 floor vs the whole buildings for BK and ID? But the whatclinic link says "plastic surgery hospital in Korea with a total of 21 floors".

 

AB plastic surgery: https://abplasticsurgerykorea.com/

The first result when I search for "south korea plastic surgery". 

They have visual representations of their main surgeries: https://abplasticsurgerykorea.com/facial-contouring/chin-tip-surgery

 

JK plastic surgery: https://www.jkplastic.com/en/

Seems to specifically solicit foreign patients 

They're one of the more expensive clinics, and specialize in eye surgery according to https://seoul.clinic/jk-plastic-surgery-review/