About 12 years ago, when I was young and only had courage to go on, I had nose surgery at an ENT clinic along with septoplasty, but I was never told about the cartilage or the surgical method. Honestly, I went ahead with it in a state of zero knowledge and just accepted it as it was.
At first I looked into the nose only, then got greedy about my cheekbones and looked into cheekbone + nose, and then even had consultations for double jaw surgery.. In the end, double jaw surgery is the best match for me, but if I had done it, I should have done it before orthodontic treatment when I was younger.. (frustrating) As for the cheekbones, because of my conservative company environment and my personality that worries about how others see me, I didn’t think I could handle the swelling, so I ended up giving up
My nose has a somewhat high bridge.. the tip is thin and slightly upturned, so the nostrils are visible. So I looked into revision surgery with a lower bridge height and a lower starting point, and with improvements to the tip so the nostrils would not show.
Anyway.. enough preface, let’s go ㄱㄱ (For most prices, please think of them as review-condition prices.)
1. DA Plastic Surgery (consultation fee x)
Director Kim Hyun-joo
Nose, cheekbones, chin advancement - KRW 10.3 million, nose + chin implant KRW 6.3 million For the nose: implant replacement, dermal graft, autologous costal cartilage for the tip KRW 4.8 million
It felt like it was my first plastic surgery consultation, and because it was around the Lunar New Year holiday there were so many people that I remember it being exhausting. The director was kind. The manager was also not pushy about reservations, and there was a KRW 50,000 reservation deposit for the chart and price hold (?) So I paid that.. and about 2-3 weeks ago? I asked to cancel, but it still hasn’t been refunded.. haha
I also got a facial contouring consultation with Director Lee Dong-chan.
He immediately recommended contouring type 2 or 3.. Personally, after studying plastic surgery for over a year, I think my face does need lower-jaw volume because of the recessed chin, but it felt like a face that should not undergo chin advancement surgery.. Because it is a large hospital, I got the impression that it is quite proactive in recommending surgery, as if there would hardly be any patient who would oppose contouring type 3.
2. HIT Plastic Surgery (consultation fee x)
Director Han Sang-cheol
I went because the male reviews on the plastic surgery app looked good. I had a cheekbone + nose consultation, with CT imaging and then the consultation. The price was about 3 million for the cheekbones + 7 million for the nose, around KRW 10 million total. It mentioned implant replacement, donated costal cartilage, nostril wing modification, alar reduction, scar tissue removal, etc. (price added for each item)
The director was straightforward, and I liked the consultation style that felt like making an error notebook for revision surgery. However, from watching YouTube, it felt like they were pushing nostril wing adjustment (alar repositioning).. Later, I was told that because I have type 3 alar retraction, with the nostrils pointing outward toward the sides of the face, alar reduction would have no effect.. And someone strongly said that the nostril wings are tissue-related and not something to touch. Also, since they said once you change the nostrils and nostril wings, you can’t reverse it, I felt I should be a bit more careful.
I did get a cheekbone consultation too, but it didn’t seem like a hospital that does a lot of contouring in the first place. The manager was not pushy about reservations, and the KakaoTalk replies were kind too. I think they also tried to match the price as much as possible.
3. GNG Hospital
Director Kim Hye-young The cheekbones were mainly 45-degree cheekbones, and the nose used 3D silicone and donated costal cartilage. They checked it while looking directly at the skin. Cheekbones 3.5 million, nose 5.5 million, around 9 million total
The director had a very soft, gentle, and kind feel. The manager had a sharp, no-nonsense style, but personally it felt a bit draining.. haha the two of them felt completely opposite. They do marketing, but it didn’t feel like they were playing tricks with the price, and it felt somewhat like a fixed-price system.
For some consultation related to functional nose surgery, there was a CT scan fee.. (felt wasteful)
4. Nose Lab (CT scan fee KRW 30,000)
A one-doctor clinic with the chief director
They recommended donated costal cartilage or autologous costal cartilage, and if autologous costal cartilage is used, the price is around 9.5 million, so it’s on the expensive side.
The manager only handled pricing, and most of the consultation was with the director, which I liked. I also liked that they were good at catching subtle crookedness in the nose (there was one person at another hospital who said it was only noticeable to me).
They run a nose surgery blog.
They explained that they already have foreign patients who had surgery there, and that the schedule fills up quickly.. It seems expensive because of the non-open technique, but if it were my first surgery I think I might have done it. Since this is already a revision surgery.. I thought there wasn’t a big advantage.
5. TS Plastic Surgery (consultation fee KRW 30,000) Director Lee Seung-chan
I think the price for the nose was around 7 million. Donated costal cartilage..? I don’t remember well. He was against lowering the nose tip, saying raising only the tip would be enough + lower the starting point. He seemed a bit tired and bothered, which was disappointing.
Chief director
He was completely against contouring and told me I should absolutely only do the nose. I don’t know whether the consultation fee of KRW 30,000 was worth it. The chief director had a more conservative attitude toward contouring compared with other hospitals!
6. Taco Plastic Surgery Director Kim Tak-ho He was extremely polite, which gave the feeling of being respected, and he was a gentleman.