shinyglittery Posted February 11, 2014 Share Posted February 11, 2014 if that is true i'm happy you are sharing and thank you. i read your other posts now and i see you didn't just talk about ITEM in them. i apologize if i accused you wrongly. it's so hard to know who is telling the truth anymore. it's suspicious if someone starts telling how great a clinic is only after 15 posts. that is why i though you must be working for ITEM... it also sounded suspicious that you said you can find cheaper but "if you find something for 35 a night that doesnt include fees, etc will push it past that price". i'm sorry, just sounds suspicious "my hotel is 43, other hotels say 35 but they will have fees that will also make it 43 so not really cheaper". It's true in gangnam area you won't find very cheap private rooms but if you look a little further (like 5-10km) you can find cheaper. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nosey77 Posted February 11, 2014 Share Posted February 11, 2014 Hey np, I see why it may have looked suspicious, it's good to be skeptical. As I said before, the best anyone can do is to try to narrow it down to a list of clinics to consult with face to face when you come to seoul. Give yourself enough time to visit all the clinics you are interested in. If at some point you talk to a surgeon who you feel like is the right surgeon for you then that's the point when you decide to proceed. Until they see you in person the quotes through email are just rough estimates. Anyhow this entire process seems very confusing and overwhelming but in the end if you give yourself enough time to do the consults face to face with the clnicis you've selected you'll be able to come to a decision most likely. Good luck to everyone. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pinkjade316 Posted February 11, 2014 Share Posted February 11, 2014 I just came back from Item for a consultation. However, this clinic isn't for me. The translator was Raina and she's very nice and speaks English well. She was friendly and translated everything I said. But I just couldn't connect with the doctor. I'm doing double eyelid (partial incision) and epi. The consultation was short but quite detailed. The manager looked at my eyes carefully and suggested what I need. After I went to the doctor, I didn't wait long for the him. The doctor came and looked at my eyes and used a toothpick to find an ideal crease on my eyelid. He seemed nice but I just feel he wasn't detailed or paid close attention to me enough( the consultation manager was more thorough than him). It took less than 5 min with the doctor (consultation was at 10:30am). He didn't tell me what types of eyelid ceases would suit me, and he barely looked at my eyes. He used poked my eyes with a toothpick once and that's it. He just didn't seem approachable to me. The other thing that turned me off was that he was actually in MIDDLE of a surgery. He stepped out of a surgery to do a consultation with me :O This raised a red flag fir me. How did I know? During the whole consultation. He spoke REALLY fast during the consultation. Even as a foreigner I knew he was speaking fast. So I asked Raina if the doctor usually speak this way or is he in a hurry? It was then that Raina told me the doctor was actually in a middle of a surgery..... Anyways their price for double eyelid and epi was reasonable. They quoted me: 2.9 million won but after discounts it went down to 2 million won (if paid in cash). Anyways, this is just my opinion. Of course the doctor is qualified and is able to do the surgery but I personally feel that a person has to feel comfortable with the surgeon and be able to trust them to do the surgery on your face. But in this case I just didn't feel comfortable. Sorry if there are any typos or grammar errors. I'm typing on my iphone lol. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
plasticsecret Posted February 11, 2014 Share Posted February 11, 2014 OMG! Thanks for sharing this! I think I saw from another thread that a doctor actually came out with his bloodied gloves in the middle of operation for a consultation! Forgot which clinic it was but definitely crossed off from my list! Is this actually a common thing to happen? I'm so scared my doctor will leave me lying there on the table when I'm knocked out... :O!! Do you remember the doctor's name? Now I'm hesitant whether to see them when I'm there. Dr. Kim sounded quite patient when explaining everything through emails though... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pinkjade316 Posted February 11, 2014 Share Posted February 11, 2014 Dr. Lee and according to the website, he was a former director for Grand. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nosey77 Posted February 11, 2014 Share Posted February 11, 2014 This is actually quite common in korea in general. Once you go to seoul and get consultations at any of the major clinics you'll be surprised to know that often times they are leaving a surgery to consult. Yes not very ideal and seemingly scary but thats just how it is in korea, its a very fast paced, volume ps surgery type of thing. Doesnt mean they are not good (if anything they have to be great to stay in business due to all the competition and they've all had a lot of practice) and this would raise more eyebrows or create an uproar in the us but unfortuneatly there just isnt enough time sometimes for the surgeons to focus only on consults all day long, esp if its a smaller clinic that only has a handful of surgeons. Im not trying to defend item clinic but when I went to my consults (went to 5 other clinics along with item), 3 of the other places also had a surgeon consult me in the middle of a surgery. Def not ideal as it probably made you feel even more rushed but that's the reality of the situation. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
plasticsecret Posted February 11, 2014 Share Posted February 11, 2014 That's very interesting what you've pointed out. I'm still amazed at how this is a common practice in seoul! :O I guess that is one of the disadvantages of smaller clinics, but I think it's still better than going to those bigger/factory style ones catered to foreigners. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nosey77 Posted February 11, 2014 Share Posted February 11, 2014 Well the factory clinics could switch the surgeon on you, (you wouldnt know haha) which was my biggest fear really, to fly all the way out there and do a face to face consult with a doctor whose style I felt comfortable with in terms of our communication and then to have some inexperienced newbie, fresh out of medical school surgeon do my nose instead as I'm knocked out bc I'm just a foreigner who won't hurt their bottom line etc). That's why even after experiencing the hurried consults with the surgeon talking to me while a patient was out was the lessor of two evils (big clinic/vs small) bc I really feared the switching of the surgeon more than my surgery taking a bit longer if they had to do a consult while I was under. There's a decent chance that happened but in the end I have faith that they realize what they're doing (and have an internal clock and strict perameters on how long they can leave you there) and if the consult went too long they would have to tell them they need to get back in surgery and reschedule them for later, etc. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shinyglittery Posted February 11, 2014 Share Posted February 11, 2014 i agree with this, i have decided not to even consult at any big clinics. i never thought it strange to consult in the middle of a surgery if it's not a very long consultation. in america, don't drs take breaks in the middle of a surgery? so no difference if you take a break to consult with someone or rest or drink water. (i don't know why drs take breaks haha) but i don't think it's bad unless they are talking to you for an hour in the middle of a surgery! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
whateverb Posted February 12, 2014 Share Posted February 12, 2014 Price wise I think ITEM is one of the lower priced ones in comparison to some other big clinics and they are also known by some among the Chinese community. Ultimately, for any major surgery such as facial contouring, I really think you need to trust the doctor not just the clinic. There is always the chance that you could be left with paralysis in the face or irreversible damage to facial nerves. However, I have consulted online with Dr Kim, and he does not 'push' unnessasary surgeries like some other places. Still, won't know till I meet him in person. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brklyngirlnyc Posted February 13, 2014 Share Posted February 13, 2014 Hi Nosey77, Sorry I have been away! Yes, they don't tell you what exactly the meds are. I even googled Korean meds with their markings because I was curious. I called them too because of my stuffy nose and they gave me more yellow pills. I am guessing it is for swelling. It has been over 3 weeks. Are you happy with your nose result? I am kind of in shock by how different my face looks! Also, I just got your message today! Sorry, i received no notification that i had messages and since I have not reached my 10 posts, i cannot pm you back. Once the splint is taken off, I noticed that you can breathe better. I am now 3-4 weeks post op and though I am still swollen and stuffed up, I know this is normal and will get better with time.I sleep with a humidifier and use a saline spray to make sure my nasal passages are not dried up. It makes a world of a difference. The first couple of days is hard... sorry i could not help at the time but hope you are doing better now. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
peterpan88 Posted February 14, 2014 Author Share Posted February 14, 2014 Thanks for letting me know. I am about to consult with them next week. Will let everyone know about my experience. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
feebe79 Posted February 23, 2014 Share Posted February 23, 2014 Hi there, I did my double eyelid at ITEM 3 days ago. Dr Chung is a very caring doctor and he would ask u what u want. He will recommend the fold that suits u. I m having cold feet when I m there but Dr Chung reassure me that he will get me a bigger n brighter eyes. I did full face fat grafting as well.. now is still swollen though.. will update soon once sitiches are to be removed on 28 feb afterwhich I will be flying bk singapore on 2 mar. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sevenseas Posted March 9, 2014 Share Posted March 9, 2014 Thanks Peterpan88, I am actually looking forward to hearing your consultation results with them. I have them on my short list also I sincerely wish you good luck on your journey Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bigbrowneyedgir Posted April 25, 2014 Share Posted April 25, 2014 (Originally posted this in another thread but then I saw this one specifically about Item clinic so wanted to post here too!) I went to Dr. Chung at Item plastic surgery and asked for a high crease because I already have double eyelids. Too soon to tell or post results maybe in a few days (currently 7 days post op, very swollen, partial incision) but what I wanted to post after lurking for so long in these threads is that their English translator Raina while helpful before and during the surgery is COMPLETELY IGNORING ME NOW THAT THE SURGERY IS OVER! this isn't giving me confidence at all. I sent a few recovery questions like when can I wear makeup etc but got no reply on both times from her, as she was always my liaison. The day I took my stitches out I like how Dr. Chung came to look at my eyes, and told me what to expect in terms of progress. He also said that I can email Raina if I have any questions during my recovery, when I reach my home country in Canada. I know they're super busy, and Dr. Chung's got great bedside manner (love him, he's so nice and something about him just made me relax instantly) but their in-house English interpreter Raina has basically stopped replying me now that she's done although she used to reply me within a day of two before and the day of surgery! Seems to me once you're out of Seoul, and they have your money, they're no longer helpful or kind although I do believe Dr. Chung is still amazing in terms of bedside manner not sure about skills yet as my eyes remain googly due to swelling... To me, the entire surgery process is not complete until the customer is satisfied. If I have recovery questions now that I'm in my home country, they should reply me.so I'm pretty choked at the moment. Anyway! Anyone whose gone to Item and dealt with Raina have/had this problem? Thanks so much Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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