hapagirl_99 Posted June 1, 2016 Author Share Posted June 1, 2016 Thank you K Couture for the clarification! ^^ I'm still very ignorant when it comes rhinoplasty and plastic surgery in general, so I'm always glad to know more. I would ask you more questions, but I understand you have a plastic surgery guide, I just haven't had the time to read it yet. I want my nose to be on the natural/straight side, which would require them to shave the bone, but I don't want anything "artificial" in my nose (aka silicone) but I'm not sure if my nose would look strange without anything. I'll have to consult with the surgeon. You don't have to go into detail, but is it possible to list off a few clinics that you would recommend that have a good surgeon for rhinoplasty? I would really appreciate it! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
k-couture Posted June 2, 2016 Share Posted June 2, 2016 why don't you want anything artificial tho? It is most often the case where people who do not want to use silicone regret is because their improvement is limited. But of course if you are one of the lucky few who naturally have a higher bridge, which in your profile pic it looks like it, then you can just get away with tipplasty. If you need a higher bridge tho then do avoid using autologous grafts for the bridge. There's a high risk of aesthetic side effects that comes with it Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
happysoul123 Posted June 9, 2016 Share Posted June 9, 2016 Hi Hapagirl_99, I have just done my rhinoplasty 4 weeks ago. As someone who is a first-timer in doing rhinoplasty, i could totally understand your worries XD anyway personally i think there's no need to engage in docfinder since they would only introduce you to the clinics they are affiliated with and that would mean exorbitant prices. Getting around seoul and booking a consultation is pretty easy. Taxi is not expensive over there as well. Below are some of the information I have gathered through reading tpf, joining kakao chats and weChat. Hope it'll be useful to you 1. i have read through some of the reviews from tpf and these are the clinics which most of the people have negative reviews on: grand, BK, wonjin, pitangui, and many more 2. these are the clinics which are more affordable and produce good results: Mvp (dr. seo), the line (Dr Kim), JW (Dr suh), braun, dream (dr park), april 31st 3. you can ask for quotation in your mail but there's not much point since those prices will change after you consult the surgeon and bargaining only starts after deciding what are the procedures to be done 4. Big clinics charge more because they charge you for their facilities as well. So it does not mean that bigger clinics more expensive it'd be better 5. When i go for consultation, I'd usually ask the surgeon what other surgeons suggested me to do and ask if it is necessary. Cause some of the surgeons would suggest different ways of doing the surgery and if confused which to choose, why not ask other surgeons. hehe. For example, when i went to tlps, the surgeon suggested me to use septal cartilage, ear cartilage and donor rib cartilage for my tiplasty which i felt there's no need but i'm unsure. Hence I asked all the clinics which I've went for consultation and all of the doctors agreed that there's no need for donor rib cartilage. 6. I've went ruby, dream, mvp, tlps, baum, banobagi for consultation. i wanted to consult JW as well cause i have heard a lot of good reviews on JW though their prices are very expensive. But Dr suh is super busy and the consultant did not reply my email despite me sending multiple ones to ask them. So in the end i gave up on JW. 7. If the doctor is very busy, it might be good or bad. Good in the way he is popular. Bad in a way he might be very tired or feel rushed when he is operating. there's a few clinic that i went to the doctor seems like they have just finished their operation and they had to rush to see me and after my consultation, they had to rush for another operation. 8. after all my consultations, i did my rhinoplasty with the baum even though they do not have much reviews. However, they are the only clinic which offered me CT scan and the doctor (dr. park) is able to speak good english. He is also very patient through out the consultation in explaining to me the whole surgery procedure. Also, all the procedures including the surgery, cotton pack (in the nose) removal and stitch removal were done by him while most clinics, the latter two were performed by the nurses. 9. I feel that it is VERY important to find the doctor whom you trust so that you can maintain a positive mindset through the recovery period so go for more consultations! 10. I did my nose at 3.38 million won which is very reasonable for my case: primary rhino + alar base reduction + tiplasty so i did not bargain at all. I feel that anything above 5 million won is considered expensive already! Hope this helps! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hapagirl_99 Posted June 9, 2016 Author Share Posted June 9, 2016 Hi Happysoul! Thank you so much for reaching out to me! Is it possible to discuss more with you over Kakao? Everything that you did for your rhinoplasty sounds like what I'll be doing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gantz Posted June 9, 2016 Share Posted June 9, 2016 Hey! Could you please tell us more details about all the clinics you visited? I mean the proposed methods, the doctors attitudes, the consultants, prices, anything.. It would help tremendously! Thank you and happy healing Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
happysoul123 Posted June 10, 2016 Share Posted June 10, 2016 Sure, I just pm-ed you my kakao id! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
happysoul123 Posted June 10, 2016 Share Posted June 10, 2016 Thanks Gantz for your well wishes. I've went to 6 clinics in total for my consultation. They are ruby, dream, baum, mvp, tlps, banobagi as mentioned in my previous post. There are actually quite a few reviews on banobagi, dream, mvp and tlps on tpf if you search abit. So I'll just briefly share my experience here Ruby: 4.5-5 million won (open primary rhino + alar base reduction + tiplasty using ear cartilage) -It's a one floor clinic with posh interior. The consultant who attended to me was quite friendly and not pushy at all. I waited for around 15-20 mins before i got to see the doctor and the actual consultation with the doctor lasted only 5-10 mins before the doctor had to rush off (probably to surgery or something). I didn't really probe much as well because i didn't really consider ruby seriously cause it's more well-known for its double eyelids surgery. Just went ruby to accompany my friend who was interested in del surgery. Dream: 3.5 million won (closed primary rhino + tiplasty using ear cartilage) -As mentioned in many other reviews, dream has a clean and professional looking interior. I actually quite like the vibe given by dream. The consultant was very friendly as well. When i reached there, there're a few people waiting but not crowded at all. I was brought to the consultant by the translator and after talking to the consultant who briefly introduced to me the areas that needed to be done as well as how it would be done, i was brought to Dr park after waiting for 5-10 mins. Dr park was very friendly and patient in explaining to me the procedure. He could speak english as well though not very fluent. I actually quite like the idea of a closed rhinoplasty cause there'd be less/no visible scarring and the price dream offered me was quite reasonable. However, in the end i did not choose dream because i felt that the width of my nose was quite big but Dr. park said he would not recommend alar base reduction. Banobagi: 5.5-6.5 million won (open primary rhino + alar base reduction + tiplasty using ear cartilage) -Banobagi was packed with people the moment i entered the clinic and i waited quite a while before getting attended to. The translator was super friendly though. Before seeing the doctor, the translator brought me to take some pictures and then i had a consultation with the consultant. After the consultation with the consultant, I was brought to see the doctor. The consultation with the doctor was kind of brief, probably cause they are really very busy. The doctor suggested me other procedures like fat grafting and chin filler/implant to be done together with my nose to improve my overall appeal. Tlps: 5.5-6.5 million won (open primary rhino + alar base reduction + tiplasty using ear cartilage, septal cartilage and donor rib cartilage) -I waited the longest at tlps, probably close to an hour before seeing the doctor. The doctor sounded really knowledge and was patient in explaining to me the details. However he suggested using donor rib cartilage on top of my ear cartilage and septal cartilage and was the only one who suggested that procedure. Personally i feel that I do not need so many cartilage even though my nose is pretty flat. Hence I did not choose tlps as well. Mvp: 3.5-4 million won (open primary rhino + alar base reduction + tiplasty using ear cartilage and septal cartilage) -The clinic is a one floor clinic. When I arrived, there's a few customers. There was this lady with super nice nose but i do not know if she did it at mvp or just accompany her friend for consultation. haha. The consultation was super friendly and not pushy. I waited 30 mins before i got to see the doctor. The doctor sounded very knowledgeable as well but sounded a bit rush through the consultation. The price offered by Mvp was very reasonable as well. However, when I asked for BA pictures of similar cases like mine (bulbous wide nose), the consultant kept showing me pictures of revision cases and emphasized that if the doctor could do such a good job for revision nose, then primary rhinoplasty would definitely not be a problem. Without BA pictures, I do not know what to expect hence I did not choose Mvp also. Baum: 3.38 million won (open primary rhino + alar base reduction + tiplasty using ear cartilage and septal cartilage) -Baum is a clinic introduced by my friend and its actually quite new. It's a one floor clinic as well, however the clinic is very clean and gave me a good vibe when i entered. The consultant was friendly as well. Before seeing the doctor, I had a CT scan and a consultation with the consultant. The consultant provided me with quite a lot of useful insights that the previous consultants did not tell me. She was quite honest as well and told me it is important to pick a doctor i trust. After consultation with the consultant, the doctor came to see me. He looks really young and i was doubtful about his skills at first. However, later when i asked the consultant, she told me Dr park was previously from braun and shimmian and had 13 years of experience. During the consultation, it was only me, my sister and Dr park because Dr park speaks really good english hence there's no need for translator. He was very patient during the consultation and gave off the trustable vibe so in the end i decided to go with Baum. Baum also provided me with good aftercare (i supposed haha), like after my surgery i was given pumpkin porridge to eat before i leave the clinic. Whenever my medicine or bandage ran out, the consultants would always top it up for me without any additional charges. What reassured me is the fact that Dr park was the one who did my stitch removal as well as cotton bud removal (2 days after surgery). Personally i chose a doctor whom i trust and a clinic which gave me a good vibe. However, as i'm still in the midst of recovering, hence I would not give any recommendation to anyone. Tlps and banobagi are both big clinics hence it explained the expensive prices. In terms of the vibes that the clinic and doctors gave me, personally i would rate them like this: Baum>Dream>Mvp>Tlps>Ruby>Banobagi. However, this is all based on my personal feelings and the consultations i had with them. Everyone would have different experiences hence you have to go for consultation to judge for yourself! Cheers (: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gantz Posted June 10, 2016 Share Posted June 10, 2016 Thank you so much for providing this info, it helps a lot! Did you acquire all these prices with the help of a Korean friend or you have good bargaining skills? Did you even bargain at the clinics or are these starting prices? Did you ask for a straight or curved nose? And if you don't mind, are you a girl or a boy? Thanks again! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
happysoul123 Posted June 11, 2016 Share Posted June 11, 2016 No problem! No, I did not go with a korean friend. haha i just did a bit of research. It's important to roughly know how much it costs for your procedure at the respective clinics you are interested in as that'll give you a lot of bargaining power. -some clinics have fixed prices like Baum, so i did not really bargain. However i did ask for a bit more discount by fixing my appointment that day. -big clinics (i.e. tlps and banobagi) and small clinics have a price difference of around 1-1.5 million won because of the facilities they provide. Hence do not expect to cut down the price offered by the big clinics to the same as those offered by small clinics. -I think everyone is charged slightly differently depending whether did you bargain or not and if you know how to bargain. e.g. If you know the market prices, then you could tell them "oh but most of the people i know did it here at XXX price, is it possible if i do it at similar prices?" The consultant might ask for your friend's name or say it's possible if she gives you a junior surgeon. Be firm and ask for the lowest price possible for the surgeon you wanted to do with. -Let the consultant know that you are doing your surgery this trip and will be deciding on the clinic that day or the next day. Most probably the consultant would be more eager to help and give more discount. If the consultant became pushy, just tell her that you still have another consultation for the day and would get back by the end of the day or next day if you are keen. -Also, be sweet and polite to the consultant. Make friends with them. haha. if they like you, they would give you more discounts XD -I did not bargain much actually as I think there's no need to bargain unless I'm confirmed with doing my surgery with the clinic. However, by doing the above steps, most clinics offered me 1-1.5 million won discount (which i think it's the amount of discount they would usually offer if you ask). By the way, I'm a girl i did not particularly asked for a straight or curved nose. However I told the doctor i wanted higher nose bridge, smaller width and a natural looking nose that is suitable for my face and asked the doctor which kind of nose is more suitable for my face. I prefer to hear what the doctor has to suggest as this gives me a direction of their aesthetic sense. I believe since they have been done thousands of noses, they would know what is best for me. In the end, i went with Dr Park's suggestion, which is not-full straight nose with a little slope. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
waitingforyou Posted June 11, 2016 Share Posted June 11, 2016 Happysoul123, Thank you for the in-depth review. All the best! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hapagirl_99 Posted June 13, 2016 Author Share Posted June 13, 2016 Hey Happysoul, thank you for allowing me to add you on Kakao I have messaged you. Now I finally have some time to reply on the forum! It's kinda crazy thinking about how I'm heading off to Korea in 8 days, I just have to finish my last week of school and get through exams. I think I'm more excited that nervous, but I still feel like I have so many questions. First off, congrats on your successful primary rhinoplasty! I guess I'm replying to both of your posts on here. My mom and I decided not to go with Docfinder, and just consult with the clinics by myself. I've definitely been avoiding the bigger clinics, as I've heard bad things about the big "manufacturing" clinics even before I decided I wanted to do plastic surgery. So far, I will be consulting with four clinics: MVP, Top Class, JW and Dream. It's funny because the surgeons you recommended with each clinic are all the ones I requested! Dr.Park from Dream, Dr.Suh from JW and Dr.Seo from MVP. I already have a high nose bridge, so I'm looking to do alarplasty, straighten the bump on my nose bridge and possibly do tiplasty. Price isn't really a concern to us as long as the surgeon I have the surgery with is skilled, so I didn't bother asking for a quotation. Also, I prefer for them to just tell me the price in person once they see my nose. So far, Top Class is my top choice. I know people who went there, and it was extremely packed. The consultant I contacted on Kakao (her name was Gao Fei) was extremely nice. She got back to me the day I requested to set up a consultation, and she answered all the questions I had. She knows I am Caucasian/Chinese, so she made sure to ask what language consultant would be most comfortable for me. She contacted me to remind me of my consultation date two weeks in advance and she told me what I should/should not do a week before surgery, even if I don't decide to do surgery with Top Class. Super sweet and not pushy. I had contacted the consultant Ellen at MVP through another person, and while she seemed a bit brusque, she seemed nice. It was a bit weird because she never asked me any questions or personal information to set up my consultation. I don't know who responded to my Kakao message for a consultation with Dream clinic. I requested for a consultation with Dr.Park on either June 23rd, 24th or 25th (when all my other consultations are.) She told me she had one at 10 a.m. on the 23rd, but I had to decline because it conflicted with my MVP consultation. I asked if they had a later time frame or another date, and she abruptly said "No, we don't. Dr.Park is too busy doing surgery then." Finally, I was able to get a consultation on the 28th, which is much later than I prefer, but I'm glad I got a consultation at least. When filling out information while booking my consultations, I've always made a separate note to them saying my mom will be accompanying me because I'm a minor. Every other clinic didn't say anything, and Gao Fei (Top Class consultant) went so far to ask me questions to make my consultation more comfortable, and gave me tips to make sure I'm okay. The person at Dream was just like "You're a minor, we cannot set up a consultation." -_- I feel like she didn't even bother to be attentive to me. I got it settled though. Even though I already have 4 clinics I'm consulting with, I'm always anxious that I'm missing out on a great clinic. I haven't heard any negative reviews about BAUM, I've actually only heard good things about it. I was hesitant though because I remember disliking the before and after photos. Should I just contact BAUM and request a consultation anyways? 3.3 million won is a great price! That's even cheaper than what I was quoted last year in Braun (3.5 mil won.) I have a few more questions, but I'll just Kakao message you. Thank you so much again for the in depth review of clinics from your consultations! Note: Wow, I just looked at Dr.Park, and Dang, he does look young >_< Do you remember the name of your consultant at BAUM? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
qcherry Posted June 13, 2016 Share Posted June 13, 2016 Thanks for sharing! Who was the trustworthy doctor at Baum? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
happysoul123 Posted June 14, 2016 Share Posted June 14, 2016 Thank you! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
happysoul123 Posted June 14, 2016 Share Posted June 14, 2016 the doctor i had my surgery is Dr park kwang min. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
happysoul123 Posted June 14, 2016 Share Posted June 14, 2016 Hey, glad to hear that you doing well with your pre-trip preparations! i think it's always good to go for more consultations because your decisions might change after you have went through the actual consultations. No harm getting more advices. I'm sorry, i do not remember the consultant's exact name but she said i can call her xiao you. hahah and yea Dr park looks really young and i think he looks a bit like bae young joon :giggles: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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