Banobagi Plastic Surgery Review - Real Patient

[aloevil]

Thanks for sharing your story!
Would you mind posting before and after pics?

 

[brianblfsh]

JustinCC said: ↑

Hi y'all,

I’ve been contemplating having a rhinoplasty for a long time (since 2016) and have been reading numerous threads in this forum over the last 12 months. Finally, I pulled the trigger and had my surgery on 16/10 at Banobagi Plastic Surgery. I thought this review will help other people in the future when making the decision. Please pardon me for my English which I’m not really good at, particularly with medical terminologies.

Background:

I’m a male Asian (Vietnamese) with a typical bulbous, short and upturned nose, resulting a very flat face. Before going into Banobagi, I’ve shortlisted the following hospitals / clinics:

1. April 31: this is the first place I considered with Dr Kim initially because of a thread in my language that someone had the surgery there and was very happy. I then read on to a number of threads on this forum and the general comments are Dr Kim is very skilful, but his talent comes with a high price tag. I consulted with the main sale person, his name is Brian I believe and was told the price for my case is around $8m+, depending on what I want to do.

2. GNG: 2nd place I considered and almost placed a deposit. Until 2 recent threads came out from the woodwork claiming how awful GNG’s services and results were. I did like the idea of having ENT surgeons though + GNG’s reasonable prices though.

3. Dream: Dr Park was highly regarded by 0firefly and KCouture so I decided to consult with this clinic. However, Dr Park only does closed method and my nose requires an opened method. Since I specifically wanted Dr Park, I decided to remove this clinic from my list.

4. Banobagi: this is the last option in my shortlist and is also the place I decided to go to. They had a promotion back in July (30% off), making their prices quite reasonable. I ended up paying KRW 5.4m.

Although I had an option to consult the above clinics in person, I decided to place a deposit with Banobagi (because of their promotion). This is because I feel that the more I consult, the more confused and scared I’ll be, and it will be more difficult for me to make the decision. I also did consider using a third party agent, like DocFinder Korea and Medical Korea Service (with Daphne, an ex-consultant at Dream clinic), but I thought it gotta be cheaper going direct where the clinic can pass on the commissions paid to the agent.

Before Surgery:

I placed a KRW 300,000 deposit and booked for a 12 day holiday in Seoul. I didn’t stay in Gangnam or the nearby area. Instead, we stayed at Hilton Hotel near Myeongdong because my partner works for Hilton and we can get discounted rate ($66 USD per night). The downside is that I had to travel 40 mins each time I visit the hospital – although I didn’t think it was a bad idea because it kinda forced me to get up and move around.

I booked my consultations and check-ups on Monday 15/10 and surgery with the main surgeon, Dr Lee Hyun Taek, on 16/10. Initially, my case was dealt by Banobagi’s English team. However, because my partner was having some facial skin treatments with their dermatology and was managed by a Vietnamese team, there was a clash in the timetable between the two teams. Hence, I ended up having everything managed by the Vietnamese team to simplify things.


When I visited the hospital, it wasn’t super busy at the reception area. After around 15 mins wait, I met my translator, a pretty girl named Trinh and was taken to a room in level 2 to meet a consultant, named Kim Aerum, very slim and pretty Korean girl. She asked me about what I want to achieve, what she thinks I should do and my translator did a good job in helping us communicating well. She also told me not to be surprised if Dr Lee recommended Botox for my recessed chin, and told me I don’t have to go ahead if I don’t want to.

After locking in things that we want to do, I was taken into another room where I sat and wait for Dr Lee to come in. He looked at my file, pictures and after few touches on my nose, he said this is a relatively difficult case because my nose is extremely short. I also asked if he can fix my sinus issue because I often find it hard to breath occasionally. He said he can cut some of the meat on the internal sidewalls, but it will cause severe bleeding for 2 weeks. I accepted it and went home.

Surgery Day:

I was told to not eat or drink anything in the morning and after final check-ups, I was taken into Dr Lee room one more time to go through the final details before the surgery. I was then taken to the surgery room where I was sedated and last thing I knew was my translator’s voice to tell me to relax and sleep.

The initial plan was to put me into general anaesthesia but because they checked my heart rate and identified some abnormal issue, they decided to have local anaesthesia. As a result, I woke up around 30 mins before Dr Lee finished his work. I was scared as hell but didn’t let them know to avoid any complications.

The surgery went for around 5 hours in total, as I said, it was a difficult case. I was taken to a recovery room where I laid down for around 1 hour and was told to go home.

The translator gave me a box of pumpkin juice, some masks, ice packs etc. after taking my partner to the nearest pharmacy to pick up my medicines.

After Surgery:
I was told to come back to the clinic the very next day to remove the stuffing inside my nose. I did bleed a lot as expected but no significant bruises on my face which surprised me and partner.

Normally each patient will be given one or two deswelling facial treatments, but thanks to my translator who is so kind to offer me 5 smartlux laser treatments + 1 additional comslaser treatment on top. The treatments were done every second day, so I had to stay around Seoul for the whole trip. This has tremendously helped me in the deswelling process. The end result is that I went back to work after 2 weeks with no swelling / bruises whatsoever. Even my boss, who’s been seeing and sitting next to me in the last 3 years couldn’t tell any difference.

I did have my external stiches on day 6 and internal stiches on day 10, met Dr Lee on the last day before flying home. Although the nose is still upturned now, this is what I was told before the surgery – it will slowly come down slightly and the final angle will be ‘ideal’ 95 degrees (fingers crossed).

What I like about Banobagi:
- I’m extremely happy with the result and the price. Even if I was to do it in Vietnam, the cost will be quite similar and I’m sure the result will be no where near as good. Although the result is quite natural and not dramatic, this is what I expected and discussed with Dr Lee before the surgery.

- Good location with many good restaurants nearby.

- Love my translator, who ended up turning into a social friend. We hung out almost every second day for dinner and thanks to her, I was able to try many good local restaurants that I wouldn’t have been able to try because these are not featured on tripadvisor or other websites.

- My consultant, Aerum, is such a nice lady. Although very busy, she always tried to squeeze herself into each occasion I was at the hospital, including when I remove my stiches and before I flew home.

What I don’t like about Banobagi:

- The nurses who provided the deswelling treatments and who removed my stiches where kinda rough and not so genuinely care about the patient. I’m not saying they lack any of the due diligence, I just feel that they are not so gentle – possibly because of the repetitive tasks.

- Staff, other than those from the English team, don’t speak English very well, which makes communication an issue. Although, my translator was always there to assist if needed.

I’m not affiliated with the hospital in anyway, and not paid to write this review. This is purely based on my experience. Let me know if you have any questions and I’m happy to share any information I have.

Click to expand...

Hi Justin
Thanks for your detailed feedback about your experience with Banobagi. I'm thinking go with Dr Lee. It seems like most people feel the same that he is always in hurry at his consultation session. Did you manage to have about 15 minutes with him at your initial consultation? I guess you are even happier with the result post 10 months of surgery. Many thanks.

 

[unique45251]

JustinCC said: ↑

Hi y'all,
Hello I'm thinking about going to banogobi for plastoc surgery can you tell me when the best time to have sx, who did you talk to about specials and do think its much cheaper just to go through clinic
I’ve been contemplating having a rhinoplasty for a long time (since 2016) and have been reading numerous threads in this forum over the last 12 months. Finally, I pulled the trigger and had my surgery on 16/10 at Banobagi Plastic Surgery. I thought this review will help other people in the future when making the decision. Please pardon me for my English which I’m not really good at, particularly with medical terminologies.

Background:

I’m a male Asian (Vietnamese) with a typical bulbous, short and upturned nose, resulting a very flat face. Before going into Banobagi, I’ve shortlisted the following hospitals / clinics:

1. April 31: this is the first place I considered with Dr Kim initially because of a thread in my language that someone had the surgery there and was very happy. I then read on to a number of threads on this forum and the general comments are Dr Kim is very skilful, but his talent comes with a high price tag. I consulted with the main sale person, his name is Brian I believe and was told the price for my case is around $8m+, depending on what I want to do.

2. GNG: 2nd place I considered and almost placed a deposit. Until 2 recent threads came out from the woodwork claiming how awful GNG’s services and results were. I did like the idea of having ENT surgeons though + GNG’s reasonable prices though.

3. Dream: Dr Park was highly regarded by 0firefly and KCouture so I decided to consult with this clinic. However, Dr Park only does closed method and my nose requires an opened method. Since I specifically wanted Dr Park, I decided to remove this clinic from my list.

4. Banobagi: this is the last option in my shortlist and is also the place I decided to go to. They had a promotion back in July (30% off), making their prices quite reasonable. I ended up paying KRW 5.4m.

Although I had an option to consult the above clinics in person, I decided to place a deposit with Banobagi (because of their promotion). This is because I feel that the more I consult, the more confused and scared I’ll be, and it will be more difficult for me to make the decision. I also did consider using a third party agent, like DocFinder Korea and Medical Korea Service (with Daphne, an ex-consultant at Dream clinic), but I thought it gotta be cheaper going direct where the clinic can pass on the commissions paid to the agent.

Before Surgery:

I placed a KRW 300,000 deposit and booked for a 12 day holiday in Seoul. I didn’t stay in Gangnam or the nearby area. Instead, we stayed at Hilton Hotel near Myeongdong because my partner works for Hilton and we can get discounted rate ($66 USD per night). The downside is that I had to travel 40 mins each time I visit the hospital – although I didn’t think it was a bad idea because it kinda forced me to get up and move around.

I booked my consultations and check-ups on Monday 15/10 and surgery with the main surgeon, Dr Lee Hyun Taek, on 16/10. Initially, my case was dealt by Banobagi’s English team. However, because my partner was having some facial skin treatments with their dermatology and was managed by a Vietnamese team, there was a clash in the timetable between the two teams. Hence, I ended up having everything managed by the Vietnamese team to simplify things.


When I visited the hospital, it wasn’t super busy at the reception area. After around 15 mins wait, I met my translator, a pretty girl named Trinh and was taken to a room in level 2 to meet a consultant, named Kim Aerum, very slim and pretty Korean girl. She asked me about what I want to achieve, what she thinks I should do and my translator did a good job in helping us communicating well. She also told me not to be surprised if Dr Lee recommended Botox for my recessed chin, and told me I don’t have to go ahead if I don’t want to.

After locking in things that we want to do, I was taken into another room where I sat and wait for Dr Lee to come in. He looked at my file, pictures and after few touches on my nose, he said this is a relatively difficult case because my nose is extremely short. I also asked if he can fix my sinus issue because I often find it hard to breath occasionally. He said he can cut some of the meat on the internal sidewalls, but it will cause severe bleeding for 2 weeks. I accepted it and went home.

Surgery Day:

I was told to not eat or drink anything in the morning and after final check-ups, I was taken into Dr Lee room one more time to go through the final details before the surgery. I was then taken to the surgery room where I was sedated and last thing I knew was my translator’s voice to tell me to relax and sleep.

The initial plan was to put me into general anaesthesia but because they checked my heart rate and identified some abnormal issue, they decided to have local anaesthesia. As a result, I woke up around 30 mins before Dr Lee finished his work. I was scared as hell but didn’t let them know to avoid any complications.

The surgery went for around 5 hours in total, as I said, it was a difficult case. I was taken to a recovery room where I laid down for around 1 hour and was told to go home.

The translator gave me a box of pumpkin juice, some masks, ice packs etc. after taking my partner to the nearest pharmacy to pick up my medicines.

After Surgery:
I was told to come back to the clinic the very next day to remove the stuffing inside my nose. I did bleed a lot as expected but no significant bruises on my face which surprised me and partner.

Normally each patient will be given one or two deswelling facial treatments, but thanks to my translator who is so kind to offer me 5 smartlux laser treatments + 1 additional comslaser treatment on top. The treatments were done every second day, so I had to stay around Seoul for the whole trip. This has tremendously helped me in the deswelling process. The end result is that I went back to work after 2 weeks with no swelling / bruises whatsoever. Even my boss, who’s been seeing and sitting next to me in the last 3 years couldn’t tell any difference.

I did have my external stiches on day 6 and internal stiches on day 10, met Dr Lee on the last day before flying home. Although the nose is still upturned now, this is what I was told before the surgery – it will slowly come down slightly and the final angle will be ‘ideal’ 95 degrees (fingers crossed).

What I like about Banobagi:
- I’m extremely happy with the result and the price. Even if I was to do it in Vietnam, the cost will be quite similar and I’m sure the result will be no where near as good. Although the result is quite natural and not dramatic, this is what I expected and discussed with Dr Lee before the surgery.

- Good location with many good restaurants nearby.

- Love my translator, who ended up turning into a social friend. We hung out almost every second day for dinner and thanks to her, I was able to try many good local restaurants that I wouldn’t have been able to try because these are not featured on tripadvisor or other websites.

- My consultant, Aerum, is such a nice lady. Although very busy, she always tried to squeeze herself into each occasion I was at the hospital, including when I remove my stiches and before I flew home.

What I don’t like about Banobagi:

- The nurses who provided the deswelling treatments and who removed my stiches where kinda rough and not so genuinely care about the patient. I’m not saying they lack any of the due diligence, I just feel that they are not so gentle – possibly because of the repetitive tasks.

- Staff, other than those from the English team, don’t speak English very well, which makes communication an issue. Although, my translator was always there to assist if needed.

I’m not affiliated with the hospital in anyway, and not paid to write this review. This is purely based on my experience. Let me know if you have any questions and I’m happy to share any information I have.

Click to expand...

 

[lifeinplastic]

Thank you for sharing your story. I’m glad you had a good experience. I am thinking of getting work with them in February.

 

[justincc]

Best of luck to you

 

[emmawat_09]

JustinCC said: ↑

Hi y'all,

I’ve been contemplating having a rhinoplasty for a long time (since 2016) and have been reading numerous threads in this forum over the last 12 months. Finally, I pulled the trigger and had my surgery on 16/10 at Banobagi Plastic Surgery. I thought this review will help other people in the future when making the decision. Please pardon me for my English which I’m not really good at, particularly with medical terminologies.

Background:

I’m a male Asian (Vietnamese) with a typical bulbous, short and upturned nose, resulting a very flat face. Before going into Banobagi, I’ve shortlisted the following hospitals / clinics:

1. April 31: this is the first place I considered with Dr Kim initially because of a thread in my language that someone had the surgery there and was very happy. I then read on to a number of threads on this forum and the general comments are Dr Kim is very skilful, but his talent comes with a high price tag. I consulted with the main sale person, his name is Brian I believe and was told the price for my case is around $8m+, depending on what I want to do.

2. GNG: 2nd place I considered and almost placed a deposit. Until 2 recent threads came out from the woodwork claiming how awful GNG’s services and results were. I did like the idea of having ENT surgeons though + GNG’s reasonable prices though.

3. Dream: Dr Park was highly regarded by 0firefly and KCouture so I decided to consult with this clinic. However, Dr Park only does closed method and my nose requires an opened method. Since I specifically wanted Dr Park, I decided to remove this clinic from my list.

4. Banobagi: this is the last option in my shortlist and is also the place I decided to go to. They had a promotion back in July (30% off), making their prices quite reasonable. I ended up paying KRW 5.4m.

Although I had an option to consult the above clinics in person, I decided to place a deposit with Banobagi (because of their promotion). This is because I feel that the more I consult, the more confused and scared I’ll be, and it will be more difficult for me to make the decision. I also did consider using a third party agent, like DocFinder Korea and Medical Korea Service (with Daphne, an ex-consultant at Dream clinic), but I thought it gotta be cheaper going direct where the clinic can pass on the commissions paid to the agent.

Before Surgery:

I placed a KRW 300,000 deposit and booked for a 12 day holiday in Seoul. I didn’t stay in Gangnam or the nearby area. Instead, we stayed at Hilton Hotel near Myeongdong because my partner works for Hilton and we can get discounted rate ($66 USD per night). The downside is that I had to travel 40 mins each time I visit the hospital – although I didn’t think it was a bad idea because it kinda forced me to get up and move around.

I booked my consultations and check-ups on Monday 15/10 and surgery with the main surgeon, Dr Lee Hyun Taek, on 16/10. Initially, my case was dealt by Banobagi’s English team. However, because my partner was having some facial skin treatments with their dermatology and was managed by a Vietnamese team, there was a clash in the timetable between the two teams. Hence, I ended up having everything managed by the Vietnamese team to simplify things.


When I visited the hospital, it wasn’t super busy at the reception area. After around 15 mins wait, I met my translator, a pretty girl named Trinh and was taken to a room in level 2 to meet a consultant, named Kim Aerum, very slim and pretty Korean girl. She asked me about what I want to achieve, what she thinks I should do and my translator did a good job in helping us communicating well. She also told me not to be surprised if Dr Lee recommended Botox for my recessed chin, and told me I don’t have to go ahead if I don’t want to.

After locking in things that we want to do, I was taken into another room where I sat and wait for Dr Lee to come in. He looked at my file, pictures and after few touches on my nose, he said this is a relatively difficult case because my nose is extremely short. I also asked if he can fix my sinus issue because I often find it hard to breath occasionally. He said he can cut some of the meat on the internal sidewalls, but it will cause severe bleeding for 2 weeks. I accepted it and went home.

Surgery Day:

I was told to not eat or drink anything in the morning and after final check-ups, I was taken into Dr Lee room one more time to go through the final details before the surgery. I was then taken to the surgery room where I was sedated and last thing I knew was my translator’s voice to tell me to relax and sleep.

The initial plan was to put me into general anaesthesia but because they checked my heart rate and identified some abnormal issue, they decided to have local anaesthesia. As a result, I woke up around 30 mins before Dr Lee finished his work. I was scared as hell but didn’t let them know to avoid any complications.

The surgery went for around 5 hours in total, as I said, it was a difficult case. I was taken to a recovery room where I laid down for around 1 hour and was told to go home.

The translator gave me a box of pumpkin juice, some masks, ice packs etc. after taking my partner to the nearest pharmacy to pick up my medicines.

After Surgery:
I was told to come back to the clinic the very next day to remove the stuffing inside my nose. I did bleed a lot as expected but no significant bruises on my face which surprised me and partner.

Normally each patient will be given one or two deswelling facial treatments, but thanks to my translator who is so kind to offer me 5 smartlux laser treatments + 1 additional comslaser treatment on top. The treatments were done every second day, so I had to stay around Seoul for the whole trip. This has tremendously helped me in the deswelling process. The end result is that I went back to work after 2 weeks with no swelling / bruises whatsoever. Even my boss, who’s been seeing and sitting next to me in the last 3 years couldn’t tell any difference.

I did have my external stiches on day 6 and internal stiches on day 10, met Dr Lee on the last day before flying home. Although the nose is still upturned now, this is what I was told before the surgery – it will slowly come down slightly and the final angle will be ‘ideal’ 95 degrees (fingers crossed).

What I like about Banobagi:
- I’m extremely happy with the result and the price. Even if I was to do it in Vietnam, the cost will be quite similar and I’m sure the result will be no where near as good. Although the result is quite natural and not dramatic, this is what I expected and discussed with Dr Lee before the surgery.

- Good location with many good restaurants nearby.

- Love my translator, who ended up turning into a social friend. We hung out almost every second day for dinner and thanks to her, I was able to try many good local restaurants that I wouldn’t have been able to try because these are not featured on tripadvisor or other websites.

- My consultant, Aerum, is such a nice lady. Although very busy, she always tried to squeeze herself into each occasion I was at the hospital, including when I remove my stiches and before I flew home.

What I don’t like about Banobagi:

- The nurses who provided the deswelling treatments and who removed my stiches where kinda rough and not so genuinely care about the patient. I’m not saying they lack any of the due diligence, I just feel that they are not so gentle – possibly because of the repetitive tasks.

- Staff, other than those from the English team, don’t speak English very well, which makes communication an issue. Although, my translator was always there to assist if needed.

I’m not affiliated with the hospital in anyway, and not paid to write this review. This is purely based on my experience. Let me know if you have any questions and I’m happy to share any information I have.

Click to expand...

Can I know the name of the Engilsh coordinator you had?
I booked an appointment with them and I can maybe ask them to match me with her/him.

 

[justincc]

emmawat_09 said: ↑

Can I know the name of the Engilsh coordinator you had?
I booked an appointment with them and I can maybe ask them to match me with her/him.

Click to expand...

I came in without a pre-selected coordinator. They asked me whether I wanted English or Vietnamese - so i chose Vietnamese because I was not too confident with English medical terminologies. Thank God they sent me a very nice Vietnamese girl who later became my friend - unfortunately she has resigned and moved back to Vn.

 

[beware]

JustinCC said: ↑

Hi y'all,

I’ve been contemplating having a rhinoplasty for a long time (since 2016) and have been reading numerous threads in this forum over the last 12 months. Finally, I pulled the trigger and had my surgery on 16/10 at Banobagi Plastic Surgery. I thought this review will help other people in the future when making the decision. Please pardon me for my English which I’m not really good at, particularly with medical terminologies.

Background:

I’m a male Asian (Vietnamese) with a typical bulbous, short and upturned nose, resulting a very flat face. Before going into Banobagi, I’ve shortlisted the following hospitals / clinics:

1. April 31: this is the first place I considered with Dr Kim initially because of a thread in my language that someone had the surgery there and was very happy. I then read on to a number of threads on this forum and the general comments are Dr Kim is very skilful, but his talent comes with a high price tag. I consulted with the main sale person, his name is Brian I believe and was told the price for my case is around $8m+, depending on what I want to do.

2. GNG: 2nd place I considered and almost placed a deposit. Until 2 recent threads came out from the woodwork claiming how awful GNG’s services and results were. I did like the idea of having ENT surgeons though + GNG’s reasonable prices though.

3. Dream: Dr Park was highly regarded by 0firefly and KCouture so I decided to consult with this clinic. However, Dr Park only does closed method and my nose requires an opened method. Since I specifically wanted Dr Park, I decided to remove this clinic from my list.

4. Banobagi: this is the last option in my shortlist and is also the place I decided to go to. They had a promotion back in July (30% off), making their prices quite reasonable. I ended up paying KRW 5.4m.

Although I had an option to consult the above clinics in person, I decided to place a deposit with Banobagi (because of their promotion). This is because I feel that the more I consult, the more confused and scared I’ll be, and it will be more difficult for me to make the decision. I also did consider using a third party agent, like DocFinder Korea and Medical Korea Service (with Daphne, an ex-consultant at Dream clinic), but I thought it gotta be cheaper going direct where the clinic can pass on the commissions paid to the agent.

Before Surgery:

I placed a KRW 300,000 deposit and booked for a 12 day holiday in Seoul. I didn’t stay in Gangnam or the nearby area. Instead, we stayed at Hilton Hotel near Myeongdong because my partner works for Hilton and we can get discounted rate ($66 USD per night). The downside is that I had to travel 40 mins each time I visit the hospital – although I didn’t think it was a bad idea because it kinda forced me to get up and move around.

I booked my consultations and check-ups on Monday 15/10 and surgery with the main surgeon, Dr Lee Hyun Taek, on 16/10. Initially, my case was dealt by Banobagi’s English team. However, because my partner was having some facial skin treatments with their dermatology and was managed by a Vietnamese team, there was a clash in the timetable between the two teams. Hence, I ended up having everything managed by the Vietnamese team to simplify things.


When I visited the hospital, it wasn’t super busy at the reception area. After around 15 mins wait, I met my translator, a pretty girl named Trinh and was taken to a room in level 2 to meet a consultant, named Kim Aerum, very slim and pretty Korean girl. She asked me about what I want to achieve, what she thinks I should do and my translator did a good job in helping us communicating well. She also told me not to be surprised if Dr Lee recommended Botox for my recessed chin, and told me I don’t have to go ahead if I don’t want to.

After locking in things that we want to do, I was taken into another room where I sat and wait for Dr Lee to come in. He looked at my file, pictures and after few touches on my nose, he said this is a relatively difficult case because my nose is extremely short. I also asked if he can fix my sinus issue because I often find it hard to breath occasionally. He said he can cut some of the meat on the internal sidewalls, but it will cause severe bleeding for 2 weeks. I accepted it and went home.

Surgery Day:

I was told to not eat or drink anything in the morning and after final check-ups, I was taken into Dr Lee room one more time to go through the final details before the surgery. I was then taken to the surgery room where I was sedated and last thing I knew was my translator’s voice to tell me to relax and sleep.

The initial plan was to put me into general anaesthesia but because they checked my heart rate and identified some abnormal issue, they decided to have local anaesthesia. As a result, I woke up around 30 mins before Dr Lee finished his work. I was scared as hell but didn’t let them know to avoid any complications.

The surgery went for around 5 hours in total, as I said, it was a difficult case. I was taken to a recovery room where I laid down for around 1 hour and was told to go home.

The translator gave me a box of pumpkin juice, some masks, ice packs etc. after taking my partner to the nearest pharmacy to pick up my medicines.

After Surgery:
I was told to come back to the clinic the very next day to remove the stuffing inside my nose. I did bleed a lot as expected but no significant bruises on my face which surprised me and partner.

Normally each patient will be given one or two deswelling facial treatments, but thanks to my translator who is so kind to offer me 5 smartlux laser treatments + 1 additional comslaser treatment on top. The treatments were done every second day, so I had to stay around Seoul for the whole trip. This has tremendously helped me in the deswelling process. The end result is that I went back to work after 2 weeks with no swelling / bruises whatsoever. Even my boss, who’s been seeing and sitting next to me in the last 3 years couldn’t tell any difference.

I did have my external stiches on day 6 and internal stiches on day 10, met Dr Lee on the last day before flying home. Although the nose is still upturned now, this is what I was told before the surgery – it will slowly come down slightly and the final angle will be ‘ideal’ 95 degrees (fingers crossed).

What I like about Banobagi:
- I’m extremely happy with the result and the price. Even if I was to do it in Vietnam, the cost will be quite similar and I’m sure the result will be no where near as good. Although the result is quite natural and not dramatic, this is what I expected and discussed with Dr Lee before the surgery.

- Good location with many good restaurants nearby.

- Love my translator, who ended up turning into a social friend. We hung out almost every second day for dinner and thanks to her, I was able to try many good local restaurants that I wouldn’t have been able to try because these are not featured on tripadvisor or other websites.

- My consultant, Aerum, is such a nice lady. Although very busy, she always tried to squeeze herself into each occasion I was at the hospital, including when I remove my stiches and before I flew home.

What I don’t like about Banobagi:

- The nurses who provided the deswelling treatments and who removed my stiches where kinda rough and not so genuinely care about the patient. I’m not saying they lack any of the due diligence, I just feel that they are not so gentle – possibly because of the repetitive tasks.

- Staff, other than those from the English team, don’t speak English very well, which makes communication an issue. Although, my translator was always there to assist if needed.

I’m not affiliated with the hospital in anyway, and not paid to write this review. This is purely based on my experience. Let me know if you have any questions and I’m happy to share any information I have.

Click to expand...

JustinCC said: ↑

Hi y'all,

I’ve been contemplating having a rhinoplasty for a long time (since 2016) and have been reading numerous threads in this forum over the last 12 months. Finally, I pulled the trigger and had my surgery on 16/10 at Banobagi Plastic Surgery. I thought this review will help other people in the future when making the decision. Please pardon me for my English which I’m not really good at, particularly with medical terminologies.

Background:

I’m a male Asian (Vietnamese) with a typical bulbous, short and upturned nose, resulting a very flat face. Before going into Banobagi, I’ve shortlisted the following hospitals / clinics:

1. April 31: this is the first place I considered with Dr Kim initially because of a thread in my language that someone had the surgery there and was very happy. I then read on to a number of threads on this forum and the general comments are Dr Kim is very skilful, but his talent comes with a high price tag. I consulted with the main sale person, his name is Brian I believe and was told the price for my case is around $8m+, depending on what I want to do.

2. GNG: 2nd place I considered and almost placed a deposit. Until 2 recent threads came out from the woodwork claiming how awful GNG’s services and results were. I did like the idea of having ENT surgeons though + GNG’s reasonable prices though.

3. Dream: Dr Park was highly regarded by 0firefly and KCouture so I decided to consult with this clinic. However, Dr Park only does closed method and my nose requires an opened method. Since I specifically wanted Dr Park, I decided to remove this clinic from my list.

4. Banobagi: this is the last option in my shortlist and is also the place I decided to go to. They had a promotion back in July (30% off), making their prices quite reasonable. I ended up paying KRW 5.4m.

Although I had an option to consult the above clinics in person, I decided to place a deposit with Banobagi (because of their promotion). This is because I feel that the more I consult, the more confused and scared I’ll be, and it will be more difficult for me to make the decision. I also did consider using a third party agent, like DocFinder Korea and Medical Korea Service (with Daphne, an ex-consultant at Dream clinic), but I thought it gotta be cheaper going direct where the clinic can pass on the commissions paid to the agent.

Before Surgery:

I placed a KRW 300,000 deposit and booked for a 12 day holiday in Seoul. I didn’t stay in Gangnam or the nearby area. Instead, we stayed at Hilton Hotel near Myeongdong because my partner works for Hilton and we can get discounted rate ($66 USD per night). The downside is that I had to travel 40 mins each time I visit the hospital – although I didn’t think it was a bad idea because it kinda forced me to get up and move around.

I booked my consultations and check-ups on Monday 15/10 and surgery with the main surgeon, Dr Lee Hyun Taek, on 16/10. Initially, my case was dealt by Banobagi’s English team. However, because my partner was having some facial skin treatments with their dermatology and was managed by a Vietnamese team, there was a clash in the timetable between the two teams. Hence, I ended up having everything managed by the Vietnamese team to simplify things.


When I visited the hospital, it wasn’t super busy at the reception area. After around 15 mins wait, I met my translator, a pretty girl named Trinh and was taken to a room in level 2 to meet a consultant, named Kim Aerum, very slim and pretty Korean girl. She asked me about what I want to achieve, what she thinks I should do and my translator did a good job in helping us communicating well. She also told me not to be surprised if Dr Lee recommended Botox for my recessed chin, and told me I don’t have to go ahead if I don’t want to.

After locking in things that we want to do, I was taken into another room where I sat and wait for Dr Lee to come in. He looked at my file, pictures and after few touches on my nose, he said this is a relatively difficult case because my nose is extremely short. I also asked if he can fix my sinus issue because I often find it hard to breath occasionally. He said he can cut some of the meat on the internal sidewalls, but it will cause severe bleeding for 2 weeks. I accepted it and went home.

Surgery Day:

I was told to not eat or drink anything in the morning and after final check-ups, I was taken into Dr Lee room one more time to go through the final details before the surgery. I was then taken to the surgery room where I was sedated and last thing I knew was my translator’s voice to tell me to relax and sleep.

The initial plan was to put me into general anaesthesia but because they checked my heart rate and identified some abnormal issue, they decided to have local anaesthesia. As a result, I woke up around 30 mins before Dr Lee finished his work. I was scared as hell but didn’t let them know to avoid any complications.

The surgery went for around 5 hours in total, as I said, it was a difficult case. I was taken to a recovery room where I laid down for around 1 hour and was told to go home.

The translator gave me a box of pumpkin juice, some masks, ice packs etc. after taking my partner to the nearest pharmacy to pick up my medicines.

After Surgery:
I was told to come back to the clinic the very next day to remove the stuffing inside my nose. I did bleed a lot as expected but no significant bruises on my face which surprised me and partner.

Normally each patient will be given one or two deswelling facial treatments, but thanks to my translator who is so kind to offer me 5 smartlux laser treatments + 1 additional comslaser treatment on top. The treatments were done every second day, so I had to stay around Seoul for the whole trip. This has tremendously helped me in the deswelling process. The end result is that I went back to work after 2 weeks with no swelling / bruises whatsoever. Even my boss, who’s been seeing and sitting next to me in the last 3 years couldn’t tell any difference.

I did have my external stiches on day 6 and internal stiches on day 10, met Dr Lee on the last day before flying home. Although the nose is still upturned now, this is what I was told before the surgery – it will slowly come down slightly and the final angle will be ‘ideal’ 95 degrees (fingers crossed).

What I like about Banobagi:
- I’m extremely happy with the result and the price. Even if I was to do it in Vietnam, the cost will be quite similar and I’m sure the result will be no where near as good. Although the result is quite natural and not dramatic, this is what I expected and discussed with Dr Lee before the surgery.

- Good location with many good restaurants nearby.

- Love my translator, who ended up turning into a social friend. We hung out almost every second day for dinner and thanks to her, I was able to try many good local restaurants that I wouldn’t have been able to try because these are not featured on tripadvisor or other websites.

- My consultant, Aerum, is such a nice lady. Although very busy, she always tried to squeeze herself into each occasion I was at the hospital, including when I remove my stiches and before I flew home.

What I don’t like about Banobagi:

- The nurses who provided the deswelling treatments and who removed my stiches where kinda rough and not so genuinely care about the patient. I’m not saying they lack any of the due diligence, I just feel that they are not so gentle – possibly because of the repetitive tasks.

- Staff, other than those from the English team, don’t speak English very well, which makes communication an issue. Although, my translator was always there to assist if needed.

I’m not affiliated with the hospital in anyway, and not paid to write this review. This is purely based on my experience. Let me know if you have any questions and I’m happy to share any information I have.

Click to expand...

 

[beware]

I am sharing my personal experience with Banobagi to help future potential clients

I have done blepharoplasty at Banobagi clinic with Dr. Lee in September 2019
Pre - operating and post operating instructions are almost non - existent
After the surgery, still under anesthesia, I was still dizzy, leaving on my own to find my way to the reception !
Before payment with my credit card , nearly 4/5 consultants were there to inform me about their treatments but After surgery, nobody around!

As for the surgery, He saw me for 5 minutes the day before and 5 minutes on the day of the removal of the threads. But He let a Nurse remove the threads.

Back to y home country, post complications: cornea ulceration, blepharite, and my scar would not heal because the nurse left the Non resolvable thread under one eyelid, and some remnant thread on the outside eyelid !

I contacted the clinic no answer, no apologies!
Once they get your money, they ignore the patients !!!

Run Away from this clinic which is a slot factory and no consideration for the patient!
It was a nightmare!!

 

[beware]

JustinCC said: ↑

Hi y'all,

I’ve been contemplating having a rhinoplasty for a long time (since 2016) and have been reading numerous threads in this forum over the last 12 months. Finally, I pulled the trigger and had my surgery on 16/10 at Banobagi Plastic Surgery. I thought this review will help other people in the future when making the decision. Please pardon me for my English which I’m not really good at, particularly with medical terminologies.

Background:

I’m a male Asian (Vietnamese) with a typical bulbous, short and upturned nose, resulting a very flat face. Before going into Banobagi, I’ve shortlisted the following hospitals / clinics:

1. April 31: this is the first place I considered with Dr Kim initially because of a thread in my language that someone had the surgery there and was very happy. I then read on to a number of threads on this forum and the general comments are Dr Kim is very skilful, but his talent comes with a high price tag. I consulted with the main sale person, his name is Brian I believe and was told the price for my case is around $8m+, depending on what I want to do.

2. GNG: 2nd place I considered and almost placed a deposit. Until 2 recent threads came out from the woodwork claiming how awful GNG’s services and results were. I did like the idea of having ENT surgeons though + GNG’s reasonable prices though.

3. Dream: Dr Park was highly regarded by 0firefly and KCouture so I decided to consult with this clinic. However, Dr Park only does closed method and my nose requires an opened method. Since I specifically wanted Dr Park, I decided to remove this clinic from my list.

4. Banobagi: this is the last option in my shortlist and is also the place I decided to go to. They had a promotion back in July (30% off), making their prices quite reasonable. I ended up paying KRW 5.4m.

Although I had an option to consult the above clinics in person, I decided to place a deposit with Banobagi (because of their promotion). This is because I feel that the more I consult, the more confused and scared I’ll be, and it will be more difficult for me to make the decision. I also did consider using a third party agent, like DocFinder Korea and Medical Korea Service (with Daphne, an ex-consultant at Dream clinic), but I thought it gotta be cheaper going direct where the clinic can pass on the commissions paid to the agent.

Before Surgery:

I placed a KRW 300,000 deposit and booked for a 12 day holiday in Seoul. I didn’t stay in Gangnam or the nearby area. Instead, we stayed at Hilton Hotel near Myeongdong because my partner works for Hilton and we can get discounted rate ($66 USD per night). The downside is that I had to travel 40 mins each time I visit the hospital – although I didn’t think it was a bad idea because it kinda forced me to get up and move around.

I booked my consultations and check-ups on Monday 15/10 and surgery with the main surgeon, Dr Lee Hyun Taek, on 16/10. Initially, my case was dealt by Banobagi’s English team. However, because my partner was having some facial skin treatments with their dermatology and was managed by a Vietnamese team, there was a clash in the timetable between the two teams. Hence, I ended up having everything managed by the Vietnamese team to simplify things.


When I visited the hospital, it wasn’t super busy at the reception area. After around 15 mins wait, I met my translator, a pretty girl named Trinh and was taken to a room in level 2 to meet a consultant, named Kim Aerum, very slim and pretty Korean girl. She asked me about what I want to achieve, what she thinks I should do and my translator did a good job in helping us communicating well. She also told me not to be surprised if Dr Lee recommended Botox for my recessed chin, and told me I don’t have to go ahead if I don’t want to.

After locking in things that we want to do, I was taken into another room where I sat and wait for Dr Lee to come in. He looked at my file, pictures and after few touches on my nose, he said this is a relatively difficult case because my nose is extremely short. I also asked if he can fix my sinus issue because I often find it hard to breath occasionally. He said he can cut some of the meat on the internal sidewalls, but it will cause severe bleeding for 2 weeks. I accepted it and went home.

Surgery Day:

I was told to not eat or drink anything in the morning and after final check-ups, I was taken into Dr Lee room one more time to go through the final details before the surgery. I was then taken to the surgery room where I was sedated and last thing I knew was my translator’s voice to tell me to relax and sleep.

The initial plan was to put me into general anaesthesia but because they checked my heart rate and identified some abnormal issue, they decided to have local anaesthesia. As a result, I woke up around 30 mins before Dr Lee finished his work. I was scared as hell but didn’t let them know to avoid any complications.

The surgery went for around 5 hours in total, as I said, it was a difficult case. I was taken to a recovery room where I laid down for around 1 hour and was told to go home.

The translator gave me a box of pumpkin juice, some masks, ice packs etc. after taking my partner to the nearest pharmacy to pick up my medicines.

After Surgery:
I was told to come back to the clinic the very next day to remove the stuffing inside my nose. I did bleed a lot as expected but no significant bruises on my face which surprised me and partner.

Normally each patient will be given one or two deswelling facial treatments, but thanks to my translator who is so kind to offer me 5 smartlux laser treatments + 1 additional comslaser treatment on top. The treatments were done every second day, so I had to stay around Seoul for the whole trip. This has tremendously helped me in the deswelling process. The end result is that I went back to work after 2 weeks with no swelling / bruises whatsoever. Even my boss, who’s been seeing and sitting next to me in the last 3 years couldn’t tell any difference.

I did have my external stiches on day 6 and internal stiches on day 10, met Dr Lee on the last day before flying home. Although the nose is still upturned now, this is what I was told before the surgery – it will slowly come down slightly and the final angle will be ‘ideal’ 95 degrees (fingers crossed).

What I like about Banobagi:
- I’m extremely happy with the result and the price. Even if I was to do it in Vietnam, the cost will be quite similar and I’m sure the result will be no where near as good. Although the result is quite natural and not dramatic, this is what I expected and discussed with Dr Lee before the surgery.

- Good location with many good restaurants nearby.

- Love my translator, who ended up turning into a social friend. We hung out almost every second day for dinner and thanks to her, I was able to try many good local restaurants that I wouldn’t have been able to try because these are not featured on tripadvisor or other websites.

- My consultant, Aerum, is such a nice lady. Although very busy, she always tried to squeeze herself into each occasion I was at the hospital, including when I remove my stiches and before I flew home.

What I don’t like about Banobagi:

- The nurses who provided the deswelling treatments and who removed my stiches where kinda rough and not so genuinely care about the patient. I’m not saying they lack any of the due diligence, I just feel that they are not so gentle – possibly because of the repetitive tasks.

- Staff, other than those from the English team, don’t speak English very well, which makes communication an issue. Although, my translator was always there to assist if needed.

I’m not affiliated with the hospital in anyway, and not paid to write this review. This is purely based on my experience. Let me know if you have any questions and I’m happy to share any information I have.

Click to expand...

 

[fixedsister]

BeWare said: ↑

I am sharing my personal experience with Banobagi to help future potential clients

I have done blepharoplasty at Banobagi clinic with Dr. Lee in September 2019
Pre - operating and post operating instructions are almost non - existent
After the surgery, still under anesthesia, I was still dizzy, leaving on my own to find my way to the reception !
Before payment with my credit card , nearly 4/5 consultants were there to inform me about their treatments but After surgery, nobody around!

As for the surgery, He saw me for 5 minutes the day before and 5 minutes on the day of the removal of the threads. But He let a Nurse remove the threads.

Back to y home country, post complications: cornea ulceration, blepharite, and my scar would not heal because the nurse left the Non resolvable thread under one eyelid, and some remnant thread on the outside eyelid !

I contacted the clinic no answer, no apologies!
Once they get your money, they ignore the patients !!!

Run Away from this clinic which is a slot factory and no consideration for the patient!
It was a nightmare!!

Click to expand...

That's terrible, very sorry to hear... Hope the rest of your healing goes well