fluffypony Posted February 2, 2014 Share Posted February 2, 2014 hi all, im looking for a revision alar plasty doctor.... currently looking at dr ryan hsu in gaoshiung...... anyone keen to go with me april-may 2014??? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fluffypony Posted February 2, 2014 Share Posted February 2, 2014 hi pichu, u doing ur nose wing reduction soon? Im interested too!! pm me.. when r u going? i was thinking about gg to taiwan for it instead of korea due to language....... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fluffypony Posted February 2, 2014 Share Posted February 2, 2014 hi shrodinger,,,, which procedures did you have done especially to the bottom half of ur face???? so interested to know Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fluffypony Posted February 2, 2014 Share Posted February 2, 2014 hi..... which clinics have u short listed?? im planning april - may as well but im flexible in korea or taiwan.... im currently thinking taiwan....... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pichu Posted February 2, 2014 Share Posted February 2, 2014 Hi hi I still cannot pm you. Probably you are new? Going to Taiwan? After reading some threads I remembered that if you can speak chinese in korea it will be a big advantage than speaking english. correct me if I'm wrong. Im planning to go by the end of this year 2014 pm me when you can : ) you have kakao? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
k-couture Posted February 2, 2014 Share Posted February 2, 2014 there's alot of clinics with full time chinese translators in seoul. In fact, they have way more chinese translators than english ones. Very accurate chinese too they use. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
liara Posted February 2, 2014 Share Posted February 2, 2014 I'm thinking of checking out Wonjin, Dream, Pitangui and Grand. I emailed those three asking for quotes and I should get a reply soon. I also emailed Banobagi, but I kind of want to stay away from the high volume clinics. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
liara Posted February 2, 2014 Share Posted February 2, 2014 Also, I have one more question: Would it be safe to fly (for an hour to Japan) on the same day as stitch removal day? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hawthorntree Posted February 2, 2014 Share Posted February 2, 2014 Anyone knows visa issue?? If I am flying from Europe to korea and stay in korea for two weeks, then flying to mainland china. Do I need to apply travel visa to korea before going there ? Or just to make a transit visa at the airport after landed in Korea ? Thank you !!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
k-couture Posted February 2, 2014 Share Posted February 2, 2014 hawthorn best is you check with your travel agent or do a search on google. It depends on what passport you hold. liara its fine to fly from to japan. I fly from La up to Vancouver 3hoursish the day i removed my stitches. Just don't overexert yourself by lifting heaving luggage. i would rest more tho if you are having surgery that is more stressful on your body. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
muppets Posted February 3, 2014 Share Posted February 3, 2014 Hi everyone, I am back! And really really pleased with this trip! I don't think anyone remembers me here, so here's a short history: I did my first tip and alarplasty at Pitangui, which while not a disaster was pretty bad. I thought i looked better, but realised that my nose had, in fact, not changed at all while clicking through my photos. At that time my priority was price, but this time round I realised that bar those clinics which cater to international patients, most clinics' pricing for rhino were about the same, give or take. This meant that I shortlisted my clinics more easily because I didn't have to wait for price quotes from consultants. Second, from reading this forum I realised that I needed to take note of the surgeons too (eg Dr Lee, who's quite famous, was at View but has set up his own clinic, but he doesn't perform rhinoplasty (it's a Dr Ahn whom I didn't manage to find information on)). I shortlisted View, Laforet (from one of the bna photos shinyglittery collated), wannabe (although I changed my mind afterwards- have you seen how protruding the nose on their model is?? And they are actively recruiting for real-life stories so I wasn't very sure whether reviews I read on forums could be trusted..), Life, Item, JK, Braun (they did this Chinese model and this is a clinic recommended by Koreans) and Chungdam U (apparently does a lot of ulzzangs). I dropped JK and Braun because even though I liked them they were really expensive and Chungdam U because I think they practise discriminatory pricing (I really hate this) and are expensive too... In the end I scheduled appointments with Life, Item and View, but went to Life first and decided on them straightaway. I already had a favourable impression of Life because their consultant was very prompt in replying (I had to call Item and View up to make appointments, and communication in English was a problem) and the email advice they gave was comprehensive- I wasn't pushed to do more procedures and they refused to do some of the procedures I wanted. The consultant also offered to arrange for transport and accommodation but by then I had already reserved my hotel so didn't take this option. I also liked Life because there was just one surgeon (no switching) who was previously from Grand (experience, and probably pretty damn good), and I'd searched for him and his name showed up on Naver etc (made an assumption here that surgeons have to be really good to be mentioned on Naver hehe..). There are quite a few horror stories about Grand though so I thought his experience could either be a good or bad thing and had reservations. Consultation: I spoke with the consultant first, and then with the surgeon, Dr Rhee. I thought he was really cute and earnest!! The moment he came in he gave me this whack/encouraging squeeze on the shoulder which really reassured me, and then he took the time to explain everything to me all over again. The consultant was there acting as translator but Dr Rhee actually understands English well- I asked a question and before the consultant had translated he was already moving to check and measure my face, and to answer the question. I was to have a I-shaped soft-silicon implant, open rhino because it was a revision, alarplasty and septal cartilage for tipplasty. The implant was what I wanted (in short- I didn't want the L-shaped because it = sharper tip but more risk of protrusion, and soft silicon > goretex which may cause complications because skin grows into the pores and makes it harder to remove) and the type of tipplasty I wanted (I wanted septal last year because it is less intrusive than ear cartilage removal but for some reason Dr Yoo said I didn't have enough cartilage?). I decided on them straight after because it just. Felt right. i felt like the people in charge of me were people I could trust to do a good job. I had a huge problem with the payment though, but which was solved. Second consultation: Right before the surgery i had another consultation. This time round I brought along some photos to show Dr Rhee what I wanted/didn't want. I found it really touching that he spent a really really long time trying to figure out what exactly I wanted (yes I was slightly overkeen and showed like tons of photos). After he'd drawn on my face, he was still repeating what I wanted to himself when he left the room . I was then led into a room to take 'before' photos. Surgery: This was whoa. The nurses knew what they were doing- they were so efficient! I was strapped down and had heavy blankets piled on me. The consultant was there to pass on instructions. The surgeon checked and measured my face again, and then I went out like a light. When I woke up I found myself in another room on a reclining chair. Which is weird because I cannot for my life remember waking up at all?? If anyone can explain this I'm interested to know. Was quite glad for being so dead though since I had had nightmares about waking up mid-surgery (see post on previous op). The consultant was there and brought me antibiotics etc. Post-Op Care I am impressed with the post-op care too. The nurse was seriously damn efficient in cleaning my nose, but damn did it hurt! Especially when the nurse pulled the cotton swabs out from my nostrils. Taking out the stitches hurt too. A freaking lot. The consultant was so sweet though- she sat by me and held my hand throughout. They didn't remove the stitches inside my nose though. Guys, remember that stitches inside the nose are taken out two weeks after surgery, so plan accordingly or you'll have to go to a clinic back home to take them out. Random- I am quite curious to know if the nurses moved over to Life from Grand too. After this I was taken to see Dr Rhee again. Dr Rhee checked my nose and was happy with it (choayo?). He also gave me feedback on what happened to my nose the first time round. Apparently, when he opened my nose up, my ear cartilage was chopped up and in weird positions. Nothing had been done too to make the nose less bulbous. Dr Yoo had also cut out some of my septal cartilage which screwed up the structure of my tip. And then.. that was it. What I didn't like about the trip/could have done: I stayed in Nonhyeon-dong and the clinic was in Apgujeong, which isn't very near for walking but too near for some taxi drivers. I had quite a hard time trying to find cabs willing to take me, and even when I did some drivers took the longer route so I was charged thrice the price. Which was really annoying since I couldn't see at all without my glasses and had to rely on cabs. Life is one entire building (was subconsciously thinking dayum Dr Rhee must be damn rich.. ) and is right in front of the Apgujeong tube entrance. I don't know about you guys but I still get quite awkward about being seen going into a clinic, so this was quite uncomfortable for me... I was also quite ditzy and didn't ask enough questions about what kinds of procedures would be performed. So I had as you would guess quite a shock when I realised that I'd had a 4.5mm implant. It doesn't look very high though.. Conclusion? I think that Life are really professional and will recommend them in a heartbeat. I have only had surgery experience with one other clinic though which may have set the bar slightly too low, but I still think this clinic knows what it's doing. Ultimately though what is most important is the feel- I may be putting too much stock into this but I seriously think this is what works best. In retrospect I probably could have researched more or went for other consultations first, but there was something that just said this was the right clinic. Although I am pretty sure I annoyed some of the consultants (there was this consultant who was giving me the death glare lol.. well I am sorry if I am so ugly that I offend your senses, but whatever) the two consultants helping international patients (Yaebeen and this really cute Korean lady...can't remember her name though her surname's ee?) are more than enough. Yaebeen was in touch with me and keeping me company right to the end, which really helped since I don't spek Korean. heh. And I love my nose now and that's all I care about . And.. that's all. Ask away! Although I value my privacy so no photos, sorry. They have a before and after album on the first floor though so if you're going for consultations go flip through that (I didn't do this till when I removed my stitches.. which in retrospect is also quite silly..) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
liara Posted February 3, 2014 Share Posted February 3, 2014 muppets, thanks for sharing your experience. I was originally set for Pitangui, but I've seen so many mixed reviews that i'm not sure anymore... Frankly I think I'm not sure about any of the clinics on my shortlist anymore because my opinion sways with each positive / negative review T_T What influenced you to go to Life in the first place?? I'm a little unsettled by their site having only 3 photos for rhinoplasty b&a Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
k-couture Posted February 3, 2014 Share Posted February 3, 2014 its always tough isn't it deciding on a place. Especially if a clinic is well known and received alot of patients you will tend to read about more negative reviews in comparison to another clinic. Because positive and negative reviews are based on so many factors, like how complicated the procedure is, the pre op physical condition of the patient, the patient's subjective view of what a successful surgery is vs the surgeon's interpretation of what they think the patient wants etc. don't be unsettled by having few before and after photos. Before and after pics is not important. Every surgeon can do great work and bad work at times. B & A pics is just a marketing tool for them. Plus some clinics have been known to use photoshop in their pictures. I find the best pictures are if the patient looks somewhat like you, same facial structure etc and achieved the result you want. That and pictures coming from patients from this forum helps alot. I had some people kind enough to pm me their before and after pictures from the clinics i shortlisted and am very happy with what i was told and saw. So maybe you should shortlist your clinics after your consultations then make a post asking for opinions on those who have been to the clinic before. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
muppets Posted February 3, 2014 Share Posted February 3, 2014 Hey Liara, it was a combination of many factors, and also a process of elimination: 1. some of the other clinics were too expensive. I actually really like Braun, but they were too ex. I'd recommend them too if price is not an issue for you! 2. Those clinics were also discriminatory in pricing and I didn't think I could trust them to not shortchange me. 3. Of the clinics I shortlisted, I looked more closely at before and after photos of the noses. One thing I was very wary of was the uneven size of the nostrils. And realised that a lot of the clinics showed quite imperfect noses. I particularly liked the profile of the three girls (women? I really have no idea what to call the Kpopstra-lookalikes, they're too cutesy to be women yet too old to be girls..) on the website, cos I thought he did noses that were kinda...slightly more adult-feeling? View's noses were nice but quite weird from the side. They looked like..onion bulbs rather that curved slope thing (words fail me haha) that I wanted. But they are really famous and have skilled surgeons so I sill booked an appointment with them. Item has good reviews on naver. 4. I searched his name on the web. Found out that he is really good at revisional eyelid surgery but little on rhinoplasty. Also has good reviews on naver. But he's from Grand and I think he'd have received good training.. he performed surgery on quite a few of the stars if I'm not wrong, and for me I think pride would mean he'd want to do a good job to maintain his reputation, especially given that the clinic is new and he's running a one-man show. 5. He was using the operating techniques and implants that I wanted. 6. The consultant spoke English. She's lived abroad for 9 years and so is bilingual, which really helped a lot. 7. There were many locals there, which kind of made me think that they knew something I didn't. 8., and this is actually what clinched it for me- the vibe I got was positive. I thought they were professional and I could trust them and so I decided to take the plunge. But remember to book consultations with other clinics too!! I am someone who goes with my gut feeling quite a lot heh (which sometimes is frankly suicidal) but this time it worked and I'm really blessed I guess. There's a bna album on the first floor (second floor non-European..I think?) where consultations are held so you really should flip through them to judge for yourself before deciding. Best of luck with the search! Speaking of which..they took before and after photos but promised they wouldn't display them. I really hope this is the case if not I'd be seriously fking mad. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
quick2014 Posted February 4, 2014 Share Posted February 4, 2014 I'm so happy and congrat with your successful operation. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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