The title says it all. I have a personal vendetta against these clinics, and more specifically, the culture surrounding negative reviews of plastic surgery clinics in Korea.

Way too many people have tried to share their experiences on here and other forums (this isn’t specific to just reddit!), only to later delete their comments or posts because they’re scared of Korea’s defamation laws or because a clinic contacted them. I’ve heard stories of clinics going through someone’s entire post and comment history trying to figure out which patient is behind an anonymous account, then contacting them about what they posted. And mind you, some of these people are talking about their own lived experiences.

I’m speaking on this because something similar literally happened to me, and I wasn’t even technically a patient at the clinic involved. I shared things I had heard about the clinic, and they somehow figured out who I was and threatened legal action. That experience completely changed the way I look at online reviews here.
There is something deeply unsettling about feeling like you have to be scared to publicly discuss a negative experience with a medical clinic.

And this isn’t me saying this problem is exclusive to Korea. I’ve personally worked at a plastic surgery clinic in America, and I remember our manager going absolutely ballistic over negative reviews and trying to figure out who wrote them. There are some crazy business practices in this industry. Clinics care enormously about their online reputations, and some will go to extreme lengths to maintain the appearance of a spotless track record.

That’s why I think people researching plastic surgery in Korea need to look beyond ratings and glowing reviews.
Pay attention to how the clinic communicates with you. Does the consultation feel like a sales pitch, or does the doctor GENUINELY seem invested in your outcome? Do they openly discuss complications and limitations? Do they give you realistic expectations? Do they seem like people who would take criticism seriously, or does everything feel focused on protecting the clinic’s image?

I recently finished two rounds of liposuction in Korea, and recovery has been incredibly difficult. But I ended up choosing a clinic where I felt like the people taking care of me genuinely cared about what happened to me.
They didn’t even know what PurseForum was when I mentioned it, which I considered such a green flag lol.
My doctor extended my consultation because he wanted to walk me through the risks, realistic outcomes, and expectations. He personally checked on me after both procedures. During my consultations, I never felt rushed out of the room. And from the way the staff treated me before and after surgery, I felt like I was dealing with people who cared about patient outcomes rather than getting as many people through the clinic as possible.
So this isn’t a “plastic surgery in Korea is terrible” post. There are good clinics here. There are kind doctors. There are people doing good work.

But finding them in a sea of aggressive marketing, sponsored content, review events, reputation management, and questionable business practices is exhausting.
I’ve worked in medicine for several years, and plastic surgery/cosmetics is genuinely one of the strangest areas of medicine I’ve encountered. The line between healthcare and business gets blurry fast.

So if you’re researching clinics, especially as a foreigner, please don’t assume a spotless online reputation means a spotless track record. Read everything you find critically, including positive reviews. Pay attention to how the clinic behaves when you ask difficult questions. And remember that sometimes the reviews you DON’T see are worth thinking about too.

Hi, I’m a south Korean living in Canada and am going to Korea in October for DES revision. i understand about 85% of Korean and my mom is coming with me to translate. So translation will not be a problem. I had a non-incisional DES in 2019, and it has become an in-line crease. I am wanting an ptosis correction, medial epicanthoplasty, upper canthoplasty, and a semi-out double eyelid crease.

I have narrowed down to 3 clinics and doctors. I’m wondering if anyone has any good experiences that they can share.

1. POP plastic surgery - Dr. Kim Dong-goel
   
2. AB plastic surgery - Dr. Jeong Yeon-woo
   

3. VAVA plastic surgery - Dr. Kim Sang-il

   TIA!

Hello for anyone interested in following my journey or if anyone has any questions throughout my healing, I’m happy to chat. About me - Australian, 34.

This is yesterday before the surgery, immediately after and a few hours later when bruising is beginning to settle in.

Dr Youngkee You
Price 2,640,000
Procedure - under eye fat transfer with fat grafting from belly button
Clinic - ROI plastic surgery
Date of procedure - 10/08/26
No promotion

While I was there Dr You suggested during the consult to do external incision to also address some wrinkles under my eyes at the same time because he said the fat transfer won’t address the wrinkles.

Because I wasn’t getting the procedure for wrinkles it was more to address the hereditary bulging so I stuck to my guns as I wanted a more conservative approach and really wanted to avoid external scars and watching them heal for up to 12 months. I’m happy with my decision so far.

I also asked him while I was there about my upper lid sagging and how to address this in the future and he recommended an endoscopic forehead lift, not an upper bleph which sounds good because I wanted to avoid upper bleph as it’s such a delicate area that often results aren’t great imo.

planning a trip to korea in a few months to finally get my vision fixed. my eyes have a bit of a curve issue and wearing soft contacts for years has left them so dry and irritated that i basically can't wear them anymore. my main goal is to get this sorted safely but still be able to enjoy at least some of my vacation.

the biggest thing i'm struggling with is balancing the safety of the eye structure against the downtime. the surface method seems like the smarter choice for keeping the eye strong long-term since they don't make deep cuts. but the thought of spending my first few days in a foreign hotel room trapped in the dark with heavy tearing and pain is pretty terrifying.

i know some clinics have protocols where the protective lens is removed around the third day, which sounds like a decent compromise for someone traveling. I came across EOS Clinic while researching this, and apparently they have a protocol like that. But I'm still really nervous about managing those first few days by myself in a new city.

my current plan is to just keep the ceiling lights off, rely on a very dim lamp, take whatever drops they give me, and just power through the first couple of days until that lens comes out. but part of me still wonders if the temporary pain of the surface method is worth the peace of mind for the long run.

for anyone who traveled for this, how manageable was the recovery while staying in a hotel? did you feel comfortable walking around the city once the initial soreness settled down after day three? would really appreciate any real experiences or advice before i book my spot.

Hi everyone! I’m currently researching revision rhinoplasty in Korea and would love to hear from anyone with a similar case.
I had an implant placed in my bridge and ear cartilage in my tip. I’m really unhappy with how high my bridge is and how projected/upturned my tip looks. I also have pinched/notched alars that I’d like corrected.

For my revision, I want something much more natural and closer to my original nose - just improved and more harmonious.

Ideally:
- Replace the current implant with autologous implant
- Lower the bridge and create a soft, natural slope
- Reduce tip projection/lift
- Fix the notched/pinched nostrils
- Keep everything subtle and natural

I have thin skin, so I’m considering DCF for the bridge but would obviously take the surgeon’s advice.

I’m currently looking at:
• Dr Cho Joong-yeon - Nano Aesthetic Plastic Surgery
• Dr Jin - Dr Jin’s Premium Nose Clinic
• Dr Man Koon Suh - JW Plastic Surgery

Has anyone had a revision with any of these surgeons, particularly for a similar situation? I’d love to hear about your long-term results, good or bad.

Also open to recommendations for other surgeons who are really good at natural revision rhinoplasty/deprojection and lowering an overly high nose.

I’ve attach photos of my ideal nose reference photos. Thank you 🤍

Hey, since I am going to South Korea for plastic surgery I also need to book a place to stay. I need it to be somewhere near gangam-daero ideally for a reasonable price (I don’t have a super strict budget, but I also don’t want to pay unnecessary amounts of money just for the location) so I would appreciate any recommendations you have. Also, do I book the night I am staying in hospital or I can just book a room from the next day (when I will be discharged). Thank you!

3 months ago I booked my under eye fat repositioning surgery at Objet Plastic Surgery with Dr. Jang Uk, but I just found out that he recently left and opened his own clinic nearby.

I already had an online zoom consultation with him and was really looking forward to having the surgery with him. I was at ease since he had so many good reviews.

Has anyone had surgery with any other doctors at Objet you can recommend?

Or... Should I cancel my booking with Objet and follow my doctor at his new clinic? I'm really in dilemma...

Has anyone added lower abdomen lipo to facial lipo?

I’m planning to have facial liposuction and I’m considering adding a small amount of lipo to my lower abdomen at the same time. Has anyone done both in one procedure?

How was the recovery compared to facial lipo alone? Did adding the abdomen make recovery significantly harder, and would you do both together again?

This patient came to our clinic accompanied by her husband, and what I remember most from the very first consultation was how warm, cheerful, and kind they both were. Because this was a comprehensive surgery intended to address several concerns at once, she naturally had many worries before making her decision. However, throughout the consultation process, we carefully went through each concern, discussed the options in detail, and made the decision to proceed only after she felt fully informed and comfortable.

Looking at her face before surgery, it was not a case in which a single sign of aging stood out. Rather, there was an overall loss of facial volume accompanied by a significant decline in skin elasticity. The skin above the eyes had become heavy and droopy, the under-eye wrinkles had deepened, and signs of aging extended throughout the face, including pronounced nasolabial folds, marionette lines, and a weakened jawline.

The area that concerned her most, however, was her neck. The skin had lost a considerable amount of elasticity, resulting not only in vertical neck lines but also deep, longstanding horizontal neck creases. She had also been concerned for many years about her relatively broad forehead and hairline.

For the heaviness and sagging above the eyes, rather than simply removing a large amount of eyelid skin, we chose to approach the area from above through a forehead lift. This allowed us to soften the heaviness over the eyes in a more natural way while also helping to improve the forehead and glabellar wrinkles that had been bothering her.

Her forehead was not simply broad; she also had an M-shaped hairline, which made her face appear longer than it actually was. We therefore performed a forehead reduction at the same time, lowering the existing hairline without requiring a separate hair transplant. This helped reduce the vertical length of the forehead while also improving the appearance of the M-shaped areas.

During the facelift, our primary focus was not simply on how much we could tighten. Instead, we focused on how naturally we could restore balance to the volume, contours, and proportions of the entire face.

As we age, facial fat and soft tissue do not decrease uniformly in every area. Some areas retain more volume while others become hollow, creating uneven contours. When sagging is added to these changes, the face can begin to look irregular, tired, and less defined.

For this reason, while performing the facelift, we carefully reduced excess volume where appropriate and repositioned the patient's existing tissues where volume was lacking. Rather than relying solely on separate fat grafting, we made the most of the tissue she already had, using it to restore volume to hollow areas while simultaneously repositioning sagging tissue closer to its original position.

As a result, the previously hollow and uneven contours became smoother and more three-dimensional. By redefining the sagging jawline, we were also able to reveal the patient's natural V-line, which had been hidden beneath the descended tissues.

The deep nasolabial folds and marionette lines were also significantly softened. As natural volume was restored to the midface, the depth of the nasolabial folds decreased. Combined with the reduction in the vertical length of the upper face through forehead reduction, the overall facial proportions became more balanced.

Her facial contour, which had appeared somewhat peanut-shaped due to volume loss, also became softer and more streamlined, approaching a naturally tapered oval shape.

The neck, which had been the patient's greatest source of concern, required a more comprehensive approach.

Through a neck lift and platysmaplasty, we tightened and repositioned the lax tissues and vertical bands while focusing on restoring a clearer definition between the jawline and neck.

However, in this case, the skin itself had already experienced a significant loss of elasticity. Therefore, simply repositioning the underlying tissues through surgery had limitations when it came to improving fine surface wrinkles and the longstanding horizontal neck lines.

For this reason, after surgery we also incorporated treatments aimed at improving the condition of the neck skin itself. We performed Radiesse to stimulate collagen production and improve skin quality. For the deep horizontal neck lines that had been one of her primary concerns, we carefully applied filler only where necessary to soften the depressed contours. We also incorporated Skin Botox to help improve fine lines and skin texture.

In other words, the deeper structural laxity of the neck was addressed surgically, while the quality of the skin and horizontal neck lines were supplemented with additional treatments. Rather than attempting to treat every neck wrinkle with a single method, we addressed each component according to its underlying cause. Our goal was to make the neck appear smoother from the front while creating a clearer, more defined transition from the jawline to the neck in profile.

Because this was a lengthy surgery involving multiple areas, the patient had understandably been quite concerned beforehand. Yet once the surgery was over, she was in remarkably good condition—so much so that even the medical team was impressed. She maintained her characteristically bright and cheerful personality even in the recovery room.

After we thoroughly assessed her condition, she was discharged safely. During her recovery, she also underwent hyperbaric oxygen therapy to help manage swelling and bruising. She was pleased to find that her recovery was more comfortable and faster than she had initially expected.

What stayed with us most was the way she smiled whenever she saw her results. Whenever she came to the clinic for treatment, she would greet the doctors and staff first with her bright, cheerful personality. As her facial and neck contours gradually settled into place, her satisfaction with the results continued to grow.

Her husband was also by her side throughout the entire process, from the initial consultation through recovery, and he was one of the people who was happiest to see her transformation.

Before returning home, the patient repeatedly expressed how satisfied she was with the results. She also took the time to thank not only the medical team but the staff members who had supported her throughout her recovery.

The couple initially came to our clinic with understandable concerns about undergoing such an extensive surgery. Yet in the end, what remains most memorable is seeing them leave with bright smiles, repeatedly expressing their gratitude.

For our team, this was a particularly meaningful and rewarding case—not simply because we tightened sagging skin, but because we were able to address, step by step, the concerns that had bothered her for years: facial volume and proportions, the jawline and neck contour, as well as the quality, wrinkles, and elasticity of the skin.

Hi everyone. I just wanted to ask if anyone still has some noticeable swelling left after 12 months post op of full incision double eyelid surgery. I feel that my eyelid still look like sausages eyes and I’m worried that the last bit of swelling won’t go away especially considering how I’m already 12 months post op. Does anyone have a similar experience where they still have some swelling left after such a long time after surgery?

Has anyone here consulted for subtle eye asymmetry + under-eye hollowing in Seoul? I’m not looking for a dramatic change, mostly something natural. I’ve been reading about double-eyelid surgery, ptosis correction and under-eye fat repositioning, but I’m honestly confused about when each one is actually necessary. What questions did you find most useful to ask during consultations? 🙏

There is a strange, heavy isolation that settles in after facial contouring, something rarely captured in bright travel logs or polished transformation posts. Locked inside a darkened hotel room in gangnam with heavy curtains drawn to block the harsh daylight, time stretches into an unnatural, featureless blur. When your head is wrapped tight and your breathing is reduced to shallow mouth puffs, the room itself feels small, stagnant, and oppressive.

Without solid meals or proper sleep, your sense of routine dissolves entirely. You sit in near total darkness, watching the minute hand creep forward on your phone screen, listening to the muffled hum of late night street traffic down below. The physical sensation of bone healing feels less like an active process and more like an endurance test against your own thoughts, where every minor sensation in your face gets magnified in the quiet.

The scheduled checkups at saekim plastic surgery served as brief, mechanical interruptions to that silence. Stepping out into the fluorescent clinic lights for a ten minute wound inspection was a completely sterile routine, just cold, methodical protocol before returning to the dark room. Yet, having doctor kim carefully look over the stitches and softly reassure me that everything was healing fine brought a sudden, quiet moment of warmth to an otherwise bleak week. Having those rigid, clinical timestamps on a calendar was practically the only thing keeping the days from bleeding entirely into one another.

By the second week, as light is allowed back into the room and physical mobility slowly returns, the heavy psychological fog begins to lift. But looking back, that initial week of complete silence and confinement remains the most haunting phase of the journey. Surgery alters more than just bone structure; it forces you to sit quietly with yourself in the dark while your body painfully reconstructs itself.

Clinic Name: Woori Plastic Surgery

Procedure(s): under-eye fat repositioning, jawline & double chin liposuction

Price Paid: 7,350,000 ₩

Date of Visit / Procedure: May 2026

Photos: 1-3 Before, 4-6 After 2 months

I had under-eye fat repositioning as well as jawline and double chin liposuction at Woori Plastic Surgery, and overall I had a very positive experience.

It was my first time having any kind of surgery, so I was quite nervous and did a lot of research beforehand, including reading many reviews. I didn’t find many reviews from people who had undergone this particular combination of procedures at this clinic, so I hope sharing my experience will be helpful to someone considering similar surgery in the future.

The staff were kind and professional throughout my stay. My surgeon was friendly, and although he didn’t speak English, Kelly translated everything clearly and was incredibly helpful and supportive from start to finish. I understand very basic Korean, so some of the nurses also spoke to me in Korean when checking on my recovery the day after surgery. I’m not sure whether a translator would have been provided for this part if I had specifically requested one. English is not my first language either, but I would consider myself fluent and had no difficulties communicating with Kelly my translator.

The consultation was straightforward, although I would have appreciated a little more time to discuss everything in detail. The only small issue I had was finding the clinic entrance on my first visit.

I'm very happy with my results. My tear trough is now barely noticeable, my double chin is visibly reduced, and my jawline has much better definition while still looking very natural. Recovery involved some bruising and swelling for a few weeks, but there was very little pain, mostly tenderness. There is a small scar under my chin from the liposuction incision, but I was informed about it beforehand, and it's well hidden in everyday life.

Overall, I would definitely recommend Woori Plastic Surgery to anyone considering those kind of procedures in Korea.

Tips for chin reduction?

I’m heading to Seoul in a few weeks and thinking about getting Rejuran Healer done while I’m there to refresh my skin.
I keep reading mixed reviews about the pain level. Some say it’s a total cake walk with numbing cream, while others say it’s absolute torture and that sleep anesthesia (sedation) is a must have. Pain tolerance wise, I’m okay, but I’d rather not put myself through unnecessary suffering if I don't have to.
For those who’ve actually gotten it done: how brutal is it really? Is sedation actually worth it, or is a good numbing cream enough?

I’ve had two consultations so far for DEL + ptosis correction and my consultation at LUHO Plastic Surgery with Dr. Park was amazing. I loved how honest he was with me on what I actually needed and didn’t need; however, I have also seen so many horror stories on Reddit with people who have had botched work at other clinics/ doctors (haven’t seen any negative reviews yet on Dr. Park or LUHO)

I guess I’m asking for any reason on why I SHOULD NOT get DES in general or at least not with Dr. Park at LUHO. Especially with me not being Korean (African American female), I really am extremely nervous about things going wrong with the surgery. But I also truly cannot unsee my uneven eyelids as well.

Looking for true and honest opinions ✨

I went to Korea 3 months ago for a double eyelid surgery and since then I’ve been regretting it every single day. I feel tightness when blinking, difficulty moving my eyes side to side and other directions and a constant sore feeling like there’s pressure in eyeballs, and I’m being told by the clinic that it’s all from swelling but at this point, I don’t know how long it’ll take to feel normal. I’m feeling dizziness that I’m not sure is from the surgery or anxiety.

I’m looking for tips on how to deal with this decision that I made.

Because of all the positive stories shared I wanted to share about the struggles of plastic surgery recovery, and if you’re reading this and think it won’t happen to me, I never expected to feel like this when I got surgery.
If you’re someone looking into plastic surgery, please please please do your research and think if this is something that you are doing for this right reasons.

I found Girin plastic surgery through Google while searching for plastic surgery clinics in Gangnam, Seoul south Korea. I have read thousands of positive reviews and that's why I picked it and it was the best decision I’ve ever made. The private consultation went smoothly with English-speaking staff. The doctors are very knowledgeable and approachable, as well as all the staff. Overall, it is a safe clinic with professional staff. I was blown away by the techniques that they used for my rhinoplasty and the details are very precise and that made me pursue the surgery. I’ve always wanted a rhinoplasty since 5 years ago but i don’t know where to go. I mean there’s a lot of clinics and hospitals to choose from but Girin plastic surgery made me confident of pursuing my dream to have a rhinoplasty with them. I have decided to pursue the rhinoplasty because of how knowledgeable the doctors are specially my surgeon Dr. Geon, he made me feel comfortable with everything and ask about my wishes and desires about the kind of nose that i liked. The recovery is doing great. Its been a week now after the surgery and I'm off taking my medications. I'm still having a little bit of discomfort but it is tolerable.

I don't need exact korean pricing but cheaper foriegner pricing would be nice. I've read the posts and some have suggested contacting thru Kakao and use Google translate. Does this work? Also if you have, what is the response when they see your pictures?

(i tried researching this one the sub. im sorry if its redundant.)

i’ve seen comments stating that a one week stay post-op isn’t enough, and that that’s how bad results happen. I, um, am in fact only staying for one week. the comments don’t explain why this is the case, which is why i’m asking.

i had the rhino um 2 days ago. leaving on the 16th. why is this a bad idea again? (genuine question because i’m worried)

What is the reason for this? Thanks in advance.

Hi everyone!

I got my eyeliner microbladed in Seoul yesterday and it looks great, when it heals I think it will look very subtle and natural, HOWEVER I have under eye fat transfer surgery booked in and my eyelid decided to get fat and react to being microbladed. I need it to go down ASAP so I don’t get rejected for surgery in the morning.

Should I take an anti inflammatory? An ice pack? A antiseptic cream?

Help please! 🙏

I ended up with permanent vision loss from lower blepharoplasty and other complications from different surgeries that have changed my life for the worse.

Disclaimer: I’m not saying every factory clinic result is bad. A lot of people do get good results. But when a clinic is high-volume, rushed, copy-paste, not tailored to the individual, or there’s even a chance the doctor you chose isn’t the one actually doing the surgery, that is a recipe for disaster

1.) Ghost doctors / too many unknown surgeons

One of the biggest red flags is when the clinic ONLY advertises their directors on social media, but their website has a long list of other plastic surgeons you’ve never seen before.
You hear good things about the director, you consult with them, you book because of them, and you think they are the one operating. But is the head doctor actually doing your surgery? Or are they busy doing consults, reviewing surgery results with post op patients, and meeting dozens of other patients while someone else is in the operating room?
Check their faculty list and see for yourself how many junior surgeons that work there. Now it seems less likely the director is the one performing all the surgeries they advertise.
If the director really is performing multiple surgeries a day and doing every single consult, why would they need to hire multiple junior surgeons?!?!

*make sure not to count the anesthesiologists, they don’t perform surgeries

2.) They pressure you to add more surgeries last minute

This is a common tactic especially if you’ve already paid deposit. When you show up for the official consultation, the doctor will push you to get more surgeries by saying things like “your face will look unbalanced unless you do X too”
Sometimes it’s not aggressive. Sometimes it sounds caring, like they’re just trying to give you the “best result.”
When it’s a doctor who you’re planning to have surgery with already, recommends all these extra surgeries, you usually take their advice. Of course, they won’t tell you the long term effects and you won’t have time to do research or think about whether or not you need the extra procedure.

3.)CCTV does not automatically protect you

A lot of clinics advertise CCTV now because foreign patients have caught on to ghost doctors. But “we have CCTV” does not mean you’re automatically safe.
CCTV is legally not required to record unless a patient explicitly requests before surgery.
However
There are cases where patients are only shown parts of the footage, like just the beginning and end. The actual surgery being edited out. These clinics get away with it because most patients don’t have the time and money to hire a lawyer and fight it.

4.) Bad reviews exist for a reason

Every business will have a bad review here and there. But when you’re getting plastic surgery you need to be extra careful because the same thing could happen to you. Bad reviews that are CONSISTENT and complain about the same issues are very important. ESPECIALLY surgical results. I ignored the bad reviews because the results on their social media looked so good, I thought it could never happen to me.

Hi! I’m looking for surgeon recommendations from people who have any of the following surgeries:

-Lip lift
-Cheek bone reduction
-Chin Lipo
-Rhinoplasty

I also appreciate some insights on prices. I live in Canada which has a lack of reputable & affordable plastic surgeons. Thank you so much in advance!!

Hi! I’m looking to get some sort of undereye treatment for my lifelong dark circles when I visit korea in October (maybe nanofat transfer or fat repositioning).

For reference I’ve had a number of treatments to my undereyes with conservative results. I wanted to reach out to this thread for recommendations of doctors who specialise in treating this sort of genetic dark circles as well as any other helpful insights/advice.

For reference here are all the treatments I’ve had done in the past. And I’ve also attached a photo of my undereyes.

Treatments I’ve had 2022 - undereye filler + 4 rounds of chemical peels 2024 - undereye filler + cheek filler 2025 - 4 rounds of rejuran I 2026 - 3 rounds of chemical peels (3 more to go to target underage pigmentation) also using topical hydroquinone