sandie27 Posted May 21, 2020 Share Posted May 21, 2020 Hello all! What an informative and interesting thread! Thank you for sharing all your insights and experiences. I want to share mine as well and also ask for advice. To better understand my story and my concerns, here's a short overview: I have a very petite/delicate figure, long arms and legs, overall quite thin and with defined muscles, but my facial features - except for my eyes - are not very feminine. I have a bulbous, humpy nose, and also a wide jaw which looks very "strong" and masculine. Over the last few years, (also due to sickness) I have lost a lot of volume in my face (and drooping skin), which make me look older and slightly sick. Also, I have excessive fat around the jaw and chin area. All of that does not really match my body at all. I have lost my confidence up to the point that I even feel uncomfortable and sad looking in the mirror or socialize with others. I have tried some other ways to make me look and feel better, but those solutions do not provide lasting results or come close to what I wish for. So after I while I took plastic surgery into consideration, as many of you do, too. The appropriate procedures in my case would be rhinoplasty (humpsectomy and tip plasty), facial contouring/V-line surgery (probably with thread lifting or a related procedure to prevent sagging skin), liposuction, fat grafting (and probably fat repositioning). Since I have had this wish to have plastic surgery done to target the problematic areas for a long time (probably over 10 years), I have done quite a lot of research and whatnot... I started looking into Korean plastic surgery clinics in 2016 after reading that Korean plastic surgeons are top-notch and unmatched, especially at facial contouring. To be honest, at that time I was very naive and easily influenced by clinics that did excessive advertisement and marketing (in English). For a foreigner, having all the information provided in English is just great and convenient and makes you easily forget to focus on other options, too. I felt quite overwhelmed and decided to contact DocfinderK, as I thought they should know best what clinics to choose, and they were promoting so eagerly back then and were praised on social media (I know, I should have known better *cough*). They recommended all those big clinics which you guys mentioned before in this thread (ID, Banobagi, etc.) and I thought "Well, there are so many bloggers/vloggers raving about them, this can't be wrong". Long story short, I had face-to-face consultations with Bano and Grand. During the whole process, I felt rather uncomfortable and insecure. To be honest, I simply had a bad feeling. I was not able to make a decision I would be comfortable with. So I called the whole thing off and flew back home together with my boyfriend. Best decision I have ever made! The months after, I (again) did a lot of research and, eventually, not only found out about Bano's and Grand's (and a few other clinics') questionable reputations/ways of working, but also decided not to go with DocfinderK anymore as they seemed to heavily depend on certain clinics and not so much care about (non-famous) patients. Then, last year (2019), I found an excellent local doctor here in Germany who did my functional and aesthetic rhinoplasty. I am happy with the result. But for the main problems with my appearance (masculine jaw, sagging skin, loss of volume, etc.), I still want to have the plastic surgery procedures done in Seoul. The problem is that there are very few experts here in Germany (or in Europe, in general) who have proper knowledge and training to perform facial contouring surgery (and related procedures). It is very difficult to find a surgeon who communicates well, is trustful and understands your concerns (also on an emotional level). I have consulted two specialists here in Germany. Let's just say...I would never even consider them to be my surgeons. I did not feel understood or comfortable nor could I shamelessly address my concerns. I bet many of you know what I am talking about! South Korea, especially Seoul, is known for plastic surgery. No one would judge you no matter what problems you address. Also, I think Korean surgeons are much more familiar with certain procedures (especially facial contouring and eyes) and better trained as well. They have a very good understanding of harmonic and beautiful facial proportions. Although I can speak some Korean (but not enough to have in-depth discussions with a doctor^^) and have been two Seoul twice, I still feel like going there as a foreign patient gives me a headache. If you are not a local or speak Korean to a certain extent, you will be at loss sooner or later. At least that's how I feel about it. Although in the past, my boyfriend accompanied me and will do so in the future, I would feel much better having a "helping hand" in Seoul. I wanted to refrain from contacting a (shady) medical tourism agency whose only goal is to make profit. There is one agency which is said to be "Korea’s largest and most trusted government approved medical tourism service provider", Seoul Guide Medical (SGM). I liked their philosophy and way of work. I contacted them and have since been in touch with one of their employees, Tom, who has listened to my concerns, asked good questions, contacted different clinics and provided me with their surgery suggestions and further information on basically everything. He is responsive and not pushy at all. Of course, all medical tourism agencies work similarly and that is why I am now being extra cautious towards SGM, too. I did a lot of research on the clinics they recommended and - without them knowing - I contacted each of the clinics by myself (via email). The goal was to see whether there would be any differences between contacting them myself and contacting them through SGM. The prices were the same, so were the procedures. That showed me that SGM is indeed to be trusted. Do any of you have experience with SGM? I would love to hear about it! The only benefit from writing to the clinics myself was that I could see whether the clinics (=staff) are friendly and responsive or not, whether they would treat me like "one of many" and only give basic information or if they care about my individual case and provide detailed information without me asking a thousand times... I have three clinics on my list now. The one I am currently the most comfortable and confident with is Girin. It is a smaller but reputable clinic (trusted by locals and foreigners alike), with an excellent safety record, very natural and beautiful results. They do not promote much or boast about their achievements. Also, the communication was very satisfying, friendly and informative, the prices reasonable and they did not suggest a vast amount of procedures but, in fact, deemed some to not even be necessary. As for the other two (View and JK), I am not yet sure, which one I like better. Both are larger clinics with excellent safety records (no medical accidents since opening), the prices are okay and the Before & After pictures are also pretty nice. I have read mostly positive reviews on Girin, View and JK and also did not stumble across any signs of crooked methods or dangerous practices. Any views on the three clinics? I would love to hear about your experiences! I think there is no such thing as a perfect clinic or a perfect surgeon. On the contrary, one should probably become suspicious precisely when there is not a single negative review. We are all humans and we all have our good and bad days. Obviously, results can vary due to expectations or circumstances. Although we all hope that won't be the case when we are under the knife... I guess the most important thing is to find a surgeon who carefully listens to his patients and understands their concerns, no matter how big or small they are. He/She should be confident in his/her abilities, make you feel safe and comfortable. You should carefully discuss every aspect of the surgery and find a common understanding of the result to be achieved and the possible side effects/risks involved. If you feel rushed or pressured, if the explanations are lacking or if you simply have a bad feeling, then forget about it and have another consultation elsewhere. Go with your gut! Thank you so much for reading and helping! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cg012 Posted May 31, 2020 Share Posted May 31, 2020 @pssk029 or also to all locals: I wanted to ask if a nose job in Korea makes sense for westerners at all? The Koreans are highly specialized, but do they have good experience and results with western noses? I would be very happy to receive answers. I actually wanted to have several things done at once. But in Germany there are only good nose surgeons. So I wonder whether I should have the nose done in Germany and the rest in Korea. Or whether I should have everything done in Korea. Because of the many negative news in this threat I am now very insecure and I am afraid to have a bad experience in Korea. After all, as a foreigner you are all alone there. And if problems arise, you have to travel to Korea again. And maybe as a foreigner in a far away country you are rather helpless? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cg012 Posted May 31, 2020 Share Posted May 31, 2020 Hello @Sandy27 Thank you for your detailed message. I have exactly the same problem as you and I'm also from Germany. I hope we can exchange some experiences and tips via direct messages? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
puppycat Posted June 1, 2020 Share Posted June 1, 2020 Anyone had an experience at DAPRS? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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