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Consult Experience at 6 Clinics (101, April, Cindy, Cocoline, GNG, VIP)


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I'm a long time member who went to South Korea this summer to get revision nose surgery (and a couple other things). I had a very specific scope of what I was searching for - an ENT doctor (someone who has worked in otorhinolarynolgy), or academically-active rhinoplasty surgeon, with good aftercare. My main concern was functionality, since I have soe breathing issues I won't get into too much detail here, as well as the replacement to my previous implant which had shifted and there was now a tangible cartilage bump on the bridge of my nose. My tip had lost its projected shape from its first surgery 5 years ago as well. Looks were one factor, but they were secondary to my functional issues.

While online sources are helpful in primary research, in-person face to face consultations are invaluable. Here are my notes from my conversations and visits. I hope it will be a useful starting point or reference for any one else looking for procedures similar to what I as looking for.

I. Long list:
Here are all the clinics I contacted online that I can recall, as well as any notes.
  • 101 - Active in research and conferences.
  • April31 - Active in research and conferences.
  • Banobagi - I spoke with them via email. Dr Lee is well known for nose work. They disclaimed that they perform aesthetic work, and do not touch functional issues. I appreciated the honesty and let them know that doesn't work for me, and they were very polite.
  • Baum - *ENT* I did a brief online consult through Kakao. I made an appointment for an office consultation with Dr Park, their ENT, however it was a few days after my other consults because the doctor was not available. I ended up cancelling because I decided on a clinic already before then. Quoted 4.2m for nose, 8-9m for malar reduction, and 1.2m for incisional des.
  • Braun - I consulted with them via Whatsapp. Their coordinator was very nice and thorough. I liked their B&As but decided not to make an appointment as the starting price was too high, their nose doctor is not ENT, and I wasn't sure which results were attributable to the doctors who had left the clinic to open Baum. 11.1m for nose, 2.4 for eyes, 3-3.5m each for paranasal or chin implant.
  • Cinderella - *ENT*
  • Cocoline - *ENT*
  • DA - Consulted through LINE. The consultant was very nice and friendly, but there wasn't a nose doctor that I liked there. Online quote was 6m.
  • GNG - *ENT*
  • Hanabi - *ENT* I had a good consult with them online but ended up cancelling my consult because I was uncomfortable with the doctor's association with Dr Jung from Shimmian and I did not prefer his style of noses.
  • ITEM - I consulted with them on LINE. The coordinator was friendly and I liked their before and aftrs, but decided not to go with them. 6.1m for nose, 1.6m for eyes, 2.4 for fat grafting, 840k for ptosis.
  • JK - I messaged them online, and they said to email them. I emailed them at the address they provided and never heard back. 😕
  • JW - Online consult. They went into the most detail of all the clinics I consulted with online, but their starting price was a little too expensive and I wasn't interested in their before and afters.
  • Premier - They did not have an English coordinator at the time and it was difficult to consult online. However, I've noticed recently that they've updated their website to have different language versions and added different online chat app handles, which make me think they are expanding to further accommodate foreigners. It's too late for me, but I think for other people, getting a consult would be easier now.
  • VIP - Active in research and conferences.
II. Short list:
Here are the clinics I met onsite for face to face consultations, in order of my favorites to my least favorites.

1. 101, also known as PS101
This is a small clinic a 15 min walk from Apgujeong-rodeo station. It's on a smaller street, off the main street, but the location was easy to find because it matched what was on Kakao Maps and Naver Maps. Dr Paik is incredible. As a doctor, he has a perfect mix of expertise, humility and attentiveness. He was able to pick up and notice things about my nose very quickly, some things other docs missed. At the same time, he was kind and attentive too, not arrogant. 7.7m for revision with silicone and dermafat (from your behind) implant, ear cartilage for tip. He was also very honest, examined my functional issues and said I should go to an ent hospital for it, even though it seems like he was very well versed on the subject. He showed me his before and afters via powerpoint slideshows and they are the most beautiful natural-style noses I've seen so far. He very firmly believes in making his patients look "unoperated" and advises against building up features that don't naturally occur within your ethnic group. However, it seems like the clinic is truly booked far in advance, as their reputation indicates, and it is not their modus operandi to move appointments around to cram in more surgeries last minute. I know some other patients in the past have been able reserve a surgery without deposit, but I was not allowed to do so, or get a refund if I did cancel. I went in August and the next availability was in December. If I lived in Korea, I would definitely trust him with my surgery. But for the most part, I would not tell a friend or colleague to go just for a consult unless you can come back months later as I'd feel like they'd be wasting the doctor's time. Consult fee was 10k won.
101.thumb.jpg.06f78784f9eda0d686220b65f5032951.jpgapril.thumb.jpg.106d1acb87b5e24d0e753534ea61ab2e.jpg
coco.thumb.jpg.f57698ea58f7b3dda3a4e68d6771d915.jpgcindy.thumb.jpg.769fd1bb51a2843e9202435603a53cc6.jpg
 
 
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2. Cocoline

This little clinic surprised and impressed me a lot more than I thought it would! It's also located near Apgujeong station but not on the same road as the other clinics. I believe it's exit 5. I got lost a bit even though it's on the main street because I did not look around enough. It's in the same building as the bank, but you must walk around the side, facing the gas station, to see their sign and the elevator that goes up to the clinic. It's very small but the clinic was very clean, warm and well-maintained. There were many staff workers and they were immediately very friendly and helpful. There were about 2 or 3 other prospective patients waiting, as well as one post-op patient coming in for aftercare, and the staff was being very attentive to her. I didn't have to wait long. The doctor (Dr Tae Hwn Kim) spoke great English, and the staff communicated via LINE ok, but I heard other people recommend an interpreter, so I brought one just to be sure my desires where communicated properly. Their style is very natural, which is fine, because I already had one surgery done and I know the extent to which you can change your face is limited, but what I liked was how the doctor was an ENT who had a good grip on functional issues and I felt confidence he would improve my structural problems. He recommended a small silicon implant on the bridge and rib cartilage on the tip. I asked if I could use ear or donor materials, but he felt very strongly about using a patient's own rib. Their prices were about average, or on the higher end of average, but still within my budget. I did feel that they were very open to negotiating within reasonable. Overall, it was a great experience and I walked out there thinking "Well, this is it. This is the place I'll have my surgery." I ended up choosing a different place that could do eyes (Cocoline only does nose, jaw, and fg), and had a good aftercare system, but I still feel like this clinic was a perfect mix of professionalism and diligent patient care. If there was someone else who had the same values as me, I would absolutely suggest consulting with Cocoline. Consult fee was 10k.


3. GNG - You can't miss their building. It's a standalone, eight floor hospital a small block outside exit 3 of Bongeunusa metro station. GNG really impressed me with how organized they were. I was there very early, but they were already prepared with my translator, consultant, people to take my photos, and people to take my CT scan. There were a lot of people on PF and Kakao who talk ****, but it logically met all my requirements and I took the complaints from people who were not even patients with a grain of salt, so I booked a consult anyway and I was glad I did. The consult was good because of the use of my photos and CT scans, I spent a long time discussing details with the translator and consultant, and I was able to meet with all of doctors for each procedure I was considering. Unlike the other clinics, no one really put their foot down about any particular type of implant or procedure, so I got the impression they could do almost anything you'd want, within reason, so a patient must really understand what he or she wants. I put down a deposit there before I came as a backup plan because they had the best refund policy of the clinics I was interested in at the time. It was consistently busy, there were people on every floor's waiting room, but they are staffed well enough so I was always attended to and did not feel like it was too crowded. The coordinator said it was about 60% local and 40% foreign patients, but I was there almost everyday for 2 weeks and mostly heard Korean spoken (I heard one other english-speaking patient, one Japanese patient, and one Chinese patient). Surprisingly, there were a ton of military personnel at the hospital. Perhaps they have a special program for soldiers? There were also people frequently going to their research floor and sleeping disorder clinic. This is were I ended up getting my surgery, but I won't be writing a review on PF due to my personal feelings about this forum. Sometimes the general replies towards people posting is so hostile, it dissuades people from posting their full reviews here. I'd also like to wait until my nose heals to see final results, as results can change greatly over the course of the 6 months period post-operation.


4. April31 - This clinic is right next to the metro exit that they describe on their website. It's the same building as the Twosome Place Cafe. Just go to the side of the cafe and there will be a little door to the elevator. Of all the doctors I met, I like Dr Jae Hoon Kim's technique the best. He would use dermafat and silicone on the bridge, and would use only ear cartilage on the tip, and his technique would leave the tip projected but very flexible. He suggested only a small increase in the bridge height. He and Dr Paik of 101 are bffs, so it makes sense that their recommendations would be almost identical, and they were. Like Dr Paik, Dr Kim also told me he made no promises about improving my breathing functionality. Their before and after images that I saw in the consult were great, even better than the ones they posted online.
 
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I think the clinic is going through a bit of a transition though, and so it made me uneasy about being taken care of there. When I came to the front desk, the reception was a little chilly and no one knew of my appointment. The best person I spoke to there was Claire, the English language coordinator, and she was preparing to change jobs in a few days, so I have no idea who would be my main contact. Claire was great though. She had good insight on the aging process, vetoed paranasal and chin implants, and recommended undereye fat repositioning as more urgent than browlift or incisional DES. I really wish I knew where she went after quitting April31. The price was consistent with what they quoted me online; 9m for nose, 2m for eyes, and 2.5 for fat grafting. There was a CT scan fee but I don't remember what the cost was, but it was definitely more than other clinics.


5. VIP - This clinic is very close to Dream, JK, JW, MVP, and several other clinics,, a short walk from Apgujeong station. Arrived late but they were very nice and ready to take care me immediately. There were about 3 other prospective patients or regular patients. Short talk with a coordinator at the front desk and questions about my medical history. Dr Lee speaks perfect English. He used a machine to check out my functional problems. For my nose, he recommended rib cartilage only, and suggested bone crushing and mucus removal for the turbinates. I decided not to go with them because I did not want rib cartilage and the price was too high for me. 16m for nose and midface augmentation. The staff and the doctor seemed very attentive though.


6. Cinderella

This clinic was hard for me to find because there was heavy rain coming down as I was trying to find it, and I could not find an English sign. Follow the directions on their website though - it's accurate. The clinic is right next to the subway exit indicated on the website, you just have to go inside and up a few floors until you see any English sign. It was extremely busy, people coming in and out of the entrance and offices frequently, and space was tight due to the coveted building location. I spent a long time waiting for my appointment, and they seem a little short staffed. When I went into a consult room, there was no official English translator available, so I worked with a new intern who knew English and another language that I am somewhat fluent in. I spent a lot of time in the consult office waiting too. My meeting with the nose doctor was good, he seemed knowledgeable and could perform dramatic changes. The eye doctor and FG doctor was not available so they told me to make another appointment later and ushered me out through an exit next to the operating room hallways. I felt really uncomfortable with how cramped everything seemed to be and did not even keep my notes on their pricing because I knew this clinic was not for me. They truly do have remarkable results, but bedside manner and patient aftercare is very important for me, so I crossed them off my list.


III. Helpful things

· Gangnam Medical Tour Center translators. This government office connected me with a medical translator for the very reasonable price of around $30/hr, 2 hour minimum. My translator was great and it was much less of a hassle to hire a translator than I thought. You just need to give them early notice, like a week or two ahead of time. I'd advise on earlier notice if you want to be sure you have someone. I got Mrs Lee and she is the sweetest lady ever.

· Food Delivery apps. I downloaded Shuttle while I was recovering for the first week and it was perfect for someone who is too swollen, bruised, or generally uncomfortable to/with going out to get food. There's a few other apps in Korean with a greater selection, like Yogiyo, but I was satisfied with the food choices in shuttle and did not use the other apps.

· Color correcting makeup. My undereye bruising was quite apparent, and regular concealer did not fully cover it. I picked up some color correctors at Olive and Young and that worked well. Purple covers yellow bruising, and peach covers blue bruising.


Lastly, I can't emphasize enough how valuable meeting other ps patients was, both in person and online.


I met up with several people in Seoul whom I found through TPF or chat groups, and it so great to share our experiences and talk about this mutually interest that I could not indulge in with my friends and family back home. I also chatted a lot online during my first week of recovery and that gave me a lot of emotional support, release, and a general assurance that the results would turn out well.


If you have an opportunity to meet or speak with other patients, go for it. It makes a world of a difference in decision making and recovery.
 
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Dear @Nochu , thank you for such a detaoled post. I'm cinsidering Dr Kim from April 21 and Dr Lee from VIP. Who did you with in the end for your nose reshaping please?
 
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  • 2 weeks later...
I recently had double eyelid revision and sunken eye correction done at April 31. Due to my good experience, I decided to share how my consult and surgery went. I previously had double eyelid suture method done in LA that came out pretty asymmetric so I was hoping that I could find a better doctor who had experience with Asian eyes and could also help with my sunken upper eye condition. I did some research before coming to Korea and learned about Dr. Oh who apparently pioneered fat repositioning in the upper eye and has a lot of experience as a plastic surgeon and in academic research. I came to the consult with my sister and mother and we were greeted by a very friendly English-speaking consultant, Christy, and her manager, Alex. After doing an initial consult with the Korean beauty consultant we were then able to meet Dr. Oh. He looked over my eyes and carefully listened to my concerns and then proceeded to explain with detail what procedures I needed based on my eye condition. I came with a lot of questions as I was very nervous and never once did he patronize me or rush me. He patiently explained exactly what upper eye fat repositioning was and how that could help correct my sunken eyes and recommended me to do the incision technique this time to better control asymmetry. My mother and sister were also considering surgery as well and he also took the time to consult with them and answer their questions. They then gave us the price and although it was pretty expensive, after thinking it over a couple days, I decided to go ahead with them still due to the patience and experience of Dr. Oh and how warm and friendly Christy and Alex treated us. The day of the surgery I was extremely nervous and as the surgery before me ran late, my nerves kept getting worse but Christy was extremely sympathetic. She is a great conversationalist and was able to distract me and keep me calm. I was eventually led to the surgery room where the doctor designed my eyes and drew on my face. I was able to quickly show him some photos of what I wanted my eyes to look like before I was put to sleep. I woke up after about 1.5 hours and was greeted by the nurse and doctor saying the surgery went well before being led to a room to recover with an ice pack. While I was in surgery, Alex the manager graciously helped my sister and mother pick up my antibiotics and even ordered an Uber for us to go home so we didn’t have to bother finding a cab as I was feeling pretty disoriented still. I am still pretty swollen and bruised but all in all, because of how dedicated the doctor and staff were, I had a great experience at April 31 and would recommend their clinic for DES. If you have sunken upper eyes, its worth checking out the condition on their website: www.april31.com
 
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  • 10 months later...
hi nochu!! thanks for the thorough explanation of all your consultation experience! Can I ask what was most distinct amongst all the ENT clinics that you visited?! Im currently trying to look into people with experiences with Hanabi, GNG and Cocoline
 
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You did seem to research well, 101, 431and cocoline all are well known for revision rhinoplasty. 101 more focuses on recovering in terms of functionality, some people in the end not so happy with the result in terms of feature despite the surgery result is good. For 431, he is well known for revision on contractured nose.
 
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  • 8 months later...
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