babyish Posted May 11, 2016 Share Posted May 11, 2016 Thanks for the info vero! Im looking for more dramatic change so I will check with top class. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
letsflyakite Posted May 11, 2016 Share Posted May 11, 2016 Hey all! I've been a silent reader of most plastic surgery related threads here on purseblog forum and I really appreciated the vast amount of reviews and information that was provided during my research stage so I just wanted to take the time to 'give back' and share my recent experience at Banobagi. I've posted a review on another thread, I hope double posting is allowed seeing as this is a much larger thread. Anyhow, here goes I did quite a lot of research online trying to narrow down my choice of clinics, to be honest I feel that quite a lot of posts especially those found on blogs are to be taken with a pinch of salt because bloggers' representations are very often influenced by sponsorships and interests that don't benefit the readers. With that said, I'm certain that there are the very few who genuinely want to share the experiences (myself included haha) For starters, I cannot stress enough how unnecessary it is to hire a translator. I've seen so many reviews of this 'docfinderkorea' etc. on forum and blogs. I don't understand what they are meant to do that we ourselves can't do. Refer doctors? I think that if you decide on getting any form of cosmetic surgery you should trust your own research and instincts because not one of these agencies will care about your body more than you do care for yourself. You won't have a conflict of interest with your own interests right? Translation? Most clinics have in house translators who are act as your consultant (they basically accompany you throughout consultation and surgery) you simply need to just ring the clinic and make an appointment yourself; hiring a translator is not necessary and most often hiring agencies/translators jack up your overall surgery costs. Pick up your medicine after your surgery? You could simply request to purchase your medicine before your surgery, I'm sure its a very reasonable request and can easily be accommodated by any clinic. Buy you food? Just grocery shop yourself the day before surgery! But I suppose at the end of the day if you feel much more comfortable hiring an agency/translator you should do whatever you're most comfortable with. I just wanted to put it out there that its not necessary and going solo is very doable lol.Clinic Research I combed through all major forums online and built a few shortlists, there are plenty of useful threads and reviews on purseblog. On top of that I looked up multiple plastic surgeon societies (such as ISAPS) and did a search on member surgeons based in Seoul. I also googled medical journals on the procedures I wanted to do and looked up individual doctors who authored them. My final shortlist was: 1. Banobagi 2. Faceline 3. April 31 4. Bong Bong 5. JW 6. Teium I personally rang them up to make appointments (friendly reminder that each consultation may take up to 3 hours so make sure to factor this in when planning your consultation schedule). Procedures 1. Non- incisional double eyelid 2. Acculift 3. AlarplastyConsultation Process I don't really want to go into great detail here, as I'm sure this varies from person to person. But what I generally took away from my experience is that I didn't feel comfortable going with a doctor that completely didn't speak a word of English because that would mean that you would be 100% relying on translation and with that is a high possibility of communication errors or oversights. My main procedure of concern was the double eyelid surgery, if anything went wrong it would be in plain sight for the world to see so I really wanted a surgeon who would give me natural results. At Teium Dr. Kwon told me that to achieve the parallel fold that I wanted I would have to undergo partial incision and have epi whereas at Banobagi Dr. Lee suggested ptosis correction and the non-incisional method. I ended up going with Dr.Lee mainly because I was in favour of starting off with the least invasive method (risks are relatively low and if you're unhappy with the results you could opt for a revision or more invasive method) and also because he would be able to perform the other procedures on me. My gut instinct also told me to go with him.Review of Banobagi Consultation: When I stepped into the clinic it felt like a serious clinic, its interior didn't give off an over decadent vibe; to me that meant that it didn't need to compensate for lack of substance with grand decor. I was greeted by my consultant Jane who is the sweetest and friendliest consultant I met throughout my trip. She spoke perfect English and really took care of me during my experience with Banobagi. She took me upstairs to meet another super nice consultant Chloe was also spoke perfect English, Chloe discussed the procedures I wanted to go for and is completely on hand in answering any of my questions. Shortly after I went in to see Dr.Lee. I liked his vibe, he has a very laid back demeanor and was very professional and patient. However, I would like to honestly point out that the consultation was very brief. Like very brief. I highly suggest going through all the questions and concerns you have in advance and be sure to raise them during your consultation with Dr.Lee and don't expect him to sit there and pick you apart for your concerns. Nevertheless, Dr.Lee was very precise and skilled in his opinions, he told me straight out what my 'problems' were and what procedures he suggests to 'correct' them backed up with explanations of the procedures. Dr. Lee understands English (I also understand a bit of Korean- but I never revealed this to anyone during consultations) judging from his replies, he actually understood everything I said. On a few occasions he responded to me directly in English without translation. This was important to me because I was assured that he understood everything that I said and didn't have to rely on someone else's interpretation of what I said. Also throughout all my consultations, not once did Dr.Lee or Chloe try to push me for additional procedures. On top of that, Dr.Lee's aesthetics are completely in line with what I had in mind. I wanted very natural results and that was what he suggested and delivered. He understood and agreed with retaining my original characteristics while making improvements on them. The second I walked out of my consultation with him my gut instinct told me that he's the doctor that I should go for. Back in consultation with Chloe she gave me a quote for all my procedures, she told me that there is a cap on how much of a discount Dr.Lee could offer. What she quoted me was very reasonable and the cheapest out of all the other clinics. I didn't negotiate on price because I felt that it was a very reasonable price; paying for plastic surgery is not the same as paying for a carrot at the wet market and I didn't want to lower Dr.Lee's motivation (not that I think that he even knows about how much we actually end up paying for surgery anyway). Surgery: On the day of surgery things were taken care of, my sweet consultant Jane was there with me throughout the entire process. We went to the pharmacy next door to pick up my medication in advance and she ran through my post surgery care. I suggest making sure that you remove all personal jewellery before heading to the clinic and go in comfortable clothes (sweatpants, loose fitting t-shirts and shoes that are easy to put on) because after surgery you'll still be a bit groggy, so you want to make the process of changing back into your clothes a comfortable one. Also bring a hat and sunglasses, not to worry though, I've seen quite a few people sport mummified bandage looks in Gangnam and noone seemed phased about it! I met with Dr.Lee before my surgery to go through the procedures in greater detail, we 'designed' my eyelids and he explained the procedures to me again and went through what to expect post surgery. So off I went and before I knew it I was lying on the operating chair and before I knew it I was kind of high/happy and before I knew it I think I was knocked out. I remember being woken to 'open' and 'close' my eyes for Dr. Lee - I knew it was him because I recognised his floral surgery hat (I also heard him talking during my acculift). At some point I think I hummed along to some kpop song they were playing and I even talked to Jane. The entire process was painless, I drifted in and out of sleep. Memories in between and after was a bit fuzzy, it was still quite painless even after I woke up. I remember being escorted to the recovery room where I napped for a bit and cabbing back to my hotel. Post-op: I followed Jane's instructions on ice-packing as much as I could and swelling on my eyes went down considerably by day 3. My face however, was quite swollen from the Acculift procedure, swelling for this subsided by day 5. I went back to Banobagi on day 6 I think for stitches removal, it was relatively painless. I suggest checking with your hotel in advance if they have a fridge and making dead sure that the fridge has a freezer compartment which works. Before coming to Seoul I bought surgery anti-bacterial handwash (yes the type that surgeons use to scrub their hands before operating) and arnica pills and these eyelid wipes called Belphasol. Belphasol wipes are particularly useful especially when you can't wet your eyes for the first few days post-op. Its good for cleaning your eyelid rims and all the gunk in your eyelashes. I even used it over my sutures (not sure if that's allowed but it worked for me). I'm really happy with my results. 10 days post-op and I only had a line of bruising along my eyelashes (it looks like eyelinder), the eyelid crease was clean and completely scarless by then I literally couldn't see anything on the crease. My alarplasty was very natural and exactly what I was looking for! Can't really comment on the acculift as I was still swollen from it. 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letsflyakite Posted May 11, 2016 Share Posted May 11, 2016 I have recently noticed some tiny bumps on my left eye along the suture sites though, it also feels a bit itchy sometimes. It appeared 2 weeks post-op. It doesn't look like an infection to me, I'm assuming it has something to do with the fact that because its also the same eye which had ptosis correction it's somehow healing slower? I remember asking Chloe about these bumps during our consultation, she told me that they would resolve in time (I think she said months). The curious thing is my right eye crease is completely clean, there are no bumps and no matter how I squint my eyes there is no sign of me getting anything done there. So hopefully the left side will match the right side's results soon! p.s At Banobagi, as part of my treatment, I got laser and some 'de-swelling' facial + this ion treatment where they put a plastic cover over my head for 20 mins and some machine released ions; I frankly have no idea what it was meant to do. However, the treatments were very effective in reducing Acculift swelling. EDIT: I read a review saying that he/she didn't get these treatments and that they were probably only for bloggers. I'm not a blogger and I didn't promise to write any reviews or anything and somehow still got the treatment. Maybe its because I had acculift done and really needed it for my facial swelling? I would suggest asking your consultants- be passive friendly and say 'I read a lot of positive reviews online about your decent post-op care treatments, I'm really looking forward to trying!' or something like that haha If you have any questions about the procedures I'll try my best to answer them if you send me a PM. I'll reply when I figure out how to use it. What sets Banobagi apart: I think for starters, the structure of how the clinic is run. Consultants are very on hand and informed, I never had to repeat myself to anyone. Jane, Chloe and Dr.Lee were all very in on it. Next, the fact that they didn't seem pushy and didn't over quote me made me feel like they were an ethical practice. I wanted to add that I went into consultation knowing exactly what procedures I wanted to go for. During consultation Dr.Lee did point out all my 'problems' as part of an analysis of my facial features such as a sunken forehead but he didn't suggest that I get any procedures to correct this. He only touched on the procedures that I had mentioned I wanted. and most importantly how they cared for me - After I went back for my stitches removal on day 6, I fell sick. I had a sore throat and a high fever that wouldn't go down. I whatsapped Jane and Chloe about my situation and they asked me to come back to Banobagi to see Dr.Lee. I was really out of it and literally just felt like I was going to die from my fever. Jane was really sweet and concerned, she came to fetch me and sat me down, within seconds she was holding an icepack to my forehead and even Chloe came to see me. They said that Dr.Lee would see me first and if there was nothing that he could do for me then perhaps I would have to go see an ENT. Jane never left my side, she was there the entire time, holding the ice-pack to my head and bringing me water and comforting me the entire time. I felt so grateful to have her. Within minutes Dr.Lee came in to see me and asked if I was eating enough/well, he explained that my body was weak from surgery which made me perceptible to flu and illness. I heard him say in Korean to the nurse to put me in the recovery room and to administer me with a vitamin IV drip and antibiotics. He told Jane to tell me 'not to worry, I will take care of you'. I was so relieved and felt so happy that I chose him as my surgeon, not only is he good at what he does, he's also an ethical and kind doctor. So Jane took me to the recovery room where I totally passed out. The nurses were very attentive, they came in constantly to check on me and change my ice pack. They all stayed overtime that night to take care of me and made sure I got home alright. I recovered within 2 days and was my healthy and cheerful self again. I went back to see Dr.Lee for the final time for a checkup and was informed that surgery was very successful and all my wounds have healed very well. At that point, I trusted Dr.Lee with my life, so when he gave me my fillers I didn't feel like I had to fret or explain much, I just trusted him. And of course, the results have also turned out really natural. (I actually think that Dr.Lee is exceptionally good with fillers.) It didn't bother me how 'brief' Dr.Lee and my meetings were anymore because he just knew what I wanted to achieve and delivers lol. That pretty much sums up my entire experience with Banobagi, I free hand typed up this review so I hope you all don't mind that it's not very organised. Do let me know if you have any additional questions. At the end of the day, its you who decides which doctor you want to go with. What worked for me might not work for you, I just wanted to share my experience on the forum because I loved reading through detailed reviews of clinics especially ones I was curious about! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
angel82 Posted May 12, 2016 Share Posted May 12, 2016 Dear letsflyakite, Im glad to read about your experience in banobagi. It's one of my shortlisted hospital too. I want to do alaplasty and face lifting, do you mind to share with us who performed your alaplasty and how's the scar healing? And also how much did you pay for ur surgery? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
letsflyakite Posted May 12, 2016 Share Posted May 12, 2016 Hey Angel, Dr. Lee did my alarplasty. The wound was really clean right after surgery, it consisted of sutures outside the nose and inside the nose. The exterior sutures were removed on day 4 (memory's a bit fuzzy on the days sorry) and the internal sutures were removed on day 6/7. I think alarplasty wounds should normally heal pretty quick. I didn't experience scabbing of any sort, but I would say mine didn't heal at optimal rate as compared to the sutures from my acculift for example. Reason being my skin/wound reacted negatively to the hydrogen peroxide I was prescribed to clean the wound with. Everytime I cleaned my wound with the hydrogen peroxide, it would sting like crazy and my wound would feel really irritated and would sometimes bleed from it. I would suggest switching to a saline solution earlier on (double check with the dr/nurse if this is allowed) it would make a world of difference to your wound healing if you react to the hydrogen peroxide like I did. Another thing is smiling and opening your mouth to eat, within the first week, it will feel really stretched and tight. Whenever I laughed it felt like I was tearing open my wounds - I probably did tear it open. 20 days post op, the wound is clean, no scabbing, it's pink, you can obviously see the incision if you look up my nose. I also suspect that all the laughing/allergy to hydrogen peroxide really hindered my heeling. On day 16 the incision was still kind of 'split' if that makes sense,like you could tell that the skin was not fully 'closed'. Day 20 the incision finally 'closed'. I was told initially at my consultation that the scars would disappear after 'a few weeks' and final results would take form in 3-6 months. I'm not sure what that means exactly, if your scars disappear in a few weeks why would it take its final form in 3-6 months? Maybe it was meant to be interpreted as it would take 3-6 months for the scar to disappear lol. In any case, be sure to bring this up during consultation with Dr.Lee he does give very honest replies. Im sorry I can't be of more help...as my incisions are still healing I can't tell you whether its absolutely scarless or not. I can do an update in a few weeks time on how the scar is healing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
letsflyakite Posted May 12, 2016 Share Posted May 12, 2016 oops. The price bit slipped my mind. I was quoted 1,980,000 KW for it - bear in mind that there is now tax refund available for nose procedures. On top of that I was given a further 20% discount on my overall price because I decided to pay a deposit on the same day. I didn't negotiate so maybe you might be able to lower the price even more if you do! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
glitteronmysush Posted May 15, 2016 Share Posted May 15, 2016 Hi all Just posting here regarding my bad experience with Dream clinic in the Gangnam area . Had a rhinoplasty here about 7 months ago , they doctor swapped on me at the last minute the entire process was rush rush me in and out. I woke up a few times during surgery and remember some of the process , some nerves around my nose are damaged and my nose only looks slightly different and deffinatly not what I asked for . The doctor they swapped me with was an unknown surgeon , I could not find any information on him at all . Very in happy and would not recommend this clinic to anyone. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
odnok Posted May 16, 2016 Share Posted May 16, 2016 I'm sorry to hear your bad experience. It saids that you could do the surgery at night. Did you do it at night? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
snoopy79 Posted May 23, 2016 Share Posted May 23, 2016 How is your BA at TLPS? Is it great? I am planning to do it too at this sept Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
snoopy79 Posted May 23, 2016 Share Posted May 23, 2016 I am looking for BA clinic... please let me know which is the best clinic Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
curlycat Posted May 24, 2016 Share Posted May 24, 2016 Just wondering if there would be a price difference with a Chinese translator instead of an English one? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
k-couture Posted May 24, 2016 Share Posted May 24, 2016 oh god chinese ones are much cheaper. I think maybe even half as cheap. You can pretty much go to a shop that serves those korean black bean noodles (Jya Jyeong Myan??? i think thats how you spell it) and pretty much ask one of the ahjumas to translate korean to chinese for you haha Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
curlycat Posted May 25, 2016 Share Posted May 25, 2016 How abt inhouse translator? Would they assume that I'm a cash rich mainlander if I can speak chines and charge me a much higher price for the surgeries? Just wondering if it's better to speak in Chinese or English to them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sundaelove Posted May 25, 2016 Share Posted May 25, 2016 Hello girls!! I have been to Korea for my surgeries 3 times... I honestly don't recommend any translator because now they are very conversational in both English n mandarin. my last trip was Dec 2015. Did only botox though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sundaelove Posted May 25, 2016 Share Posted May 25, 2016 I'm going for my 2nd time lipo and facial fat graft but not in Korea... this time round elsewhere and freaking economical! But not sharing details on the clinic because I'm scheduled on 15th June and don't want to give much details till I'm done with surgeries myself. FYI the price I'm paying this time for arm liposuction, thigh liposuction and facial fat graft is less than SGD5k in total. I will update when I'm done with my surgeries! 😁 can't wait! The first time I did liposuction arm and thigh, facial fat graft and chin implant in Korea and it cost me SGD11k. 😁 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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