I made my list after checking reviews on Gangnam Unni and asking everyone here for clinic recommendations to confirm whether there were any black-listed clinics! My nose is small and low! There were 8 clinics in total, but I couldn’t go to one because I was late! The costs include donated rib cartilage in full, and all of them are the prices under review conditions, with the ones digit rounded off.
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1. Sinnonhyeon ㅁㅂ(ㅏㅡㄹ) ㄱㅈㅎ
:: In the high 300s, close to 400 Consultation fee: X / CT: X / They said a CT wouldn’t matter anyway because they’d have to open it up to know They touched the tip of the nose / Checked the photo of the nose shape I wanted: O / Functional nose: X
:: Diagnosis - Need bulbous-nose correction (slight fat removal, cartilage tying) - Need nasolabial angle correction (they said the tip would be lifted a bit with cartilage, but I didn’t hear exactly how) - Nasal bridge: silicone (4 mm to 5 mm) / tip: ear cartilage, septal cartilage, and donated rib cartilage if needed - Since the tip tissue is quite thick, they said donated rib cartilage would probably be better, and because my nose is soft they said they could raise it as much as possible - They drew lines on the monitor and showed me the height that would fit the proper proportions
:: Coordinator There was a little pressure to pay a deposit (with a condition that it would be refunded 100% if cancelled within a certain period) They strongly recommended booking because the director supposedly does this exact nose shape best They strongly recommended lifting the tip first and then building the bridge, saying there was absolutely no chance of getting an avatar nose So I left a deposit and got it refunded 100%
:: Director The director wasn’t rude or careless, but I didn’t get the feeling that they explained things in a very delicate or meticulous way. They seemed to care a lot about cosmetic aspects like proportions. They said to ask questions, but since this was my first round of consultations, I didn’t really have many questions
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2. Sinnonhyeon ㅈㅅㅌ(ㅓㅡㅡ) ㄱㄱㅎ
:: Mid 300s Consultation fee: X / CT: O / They touched the tip of the nose / Checked the photo of the nose shape I wanted: O / Functional nose: O - covered by insurance
:: Diagnosis - There is a slight bulbous-nose tendency, but they didn’t think bulbous-nose correction was necessary - Need columella correction (they said because the nose is short, it would be better to lower it a little) - Nasolabial angle correction (I didn’t hear exactly how they would do it) - Nasal bridge: silicone (3 mm to 4 mm) / tip: ear cartilage, donated rib cartilage - On CT, the septal cartilage is on the small side, so they would leave it alone and only use donated rib cartilage - Functional nose surgery is possible, but the inferior turbinate is somewhat enlarged, so they can trim it a bit. However, because of the nature of the inferior turbinate, it can enlarge again, so permanent rhinitis correction is difficult - Since my nose is soft, they said they could raise it as much as possible - They explained the line by drawing with a pencil over the monitor
:: Coordinator There was no pressure to pay a deposit. It just seemed average. So I don’t remember it very well They said the OR CCTV is recorded only if you say so in advance, and that they would let me film the replayed recording on my phone
:: Director Extremely meticulous and delicate. They said the nose shape I brought in would suit me perfectly They spoke calmly and listened patiently to everything I was curious about without making it uncomfortable, so I felt trust Autologous rib cartilage is good, but since this is the first surgery they recommended donated rib cartilage
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3. ㅁㅇㄷ(ㅏㅣㄴㅡ) ㅇㅇㅌ
:: Low 400s, close to mid 400s Consultation fee: 10,000 won / CT: O / Didn’t touch the nose / Checked the photo of the nose shape I wanted: X / Couldn’t ask about functional nose
:: Diagnosis - Need bulbous-nose correction - Slight correction of the nasolabial angle (I didn’t hear exactly how they would do it) - Nasal bridge: silicone (3 mm to 4 mm) / tip: ear cartilage, septal cartilage, and donated rib cartilage if needed - The septal cartilage on CT is small, but they will try to use only autologous cartilage as much as possible (But my nose is so low that, in my opinion, they’ll probably use donated rib cartilage lol) - They explained things by drawing over the photos I brought - Recommended fat grafting focused on the front cheeks
:: Coordinator There was no pressure to pay a deposit. It just seemed average. So I don’t remember it very well
:: Director I’m not sure whether they were especially delicate or meticulous It felt a bit like listening to an in-person lecture explanation for a 2-point math mock exam question It seemed to last about 5 minutes
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4. ㅇㄴㅅㅌ(ㅏㅓㅢ) ㅈㄷㅇ
:: In the high 500s, close to 600 (nose + cat-eye surgery) Consultation fee: 10,000 won / CT: O / Touched the nose / Checked the photo of the nose shape I wanted: X / Functional nose is possible, but I don’t have rhinitis severe enough to need functional nose surgery
:: Diagnosis - Nasal bridge: silicone (3 mm to 4 mm) / tip: ear cartilage, donated rib cartilage - When they touched it, the nose felt very soft - the cartilage may be small and weak, so they said not to touch the septum and just use donated rib cartilage (same opinion as clinic #2) - My nose is small, but the skin doesn’t seem like it stretches very easily, so they planned to raise it moderately and naturally (This clinic was the only one that said my nose doesn’t stretch very well) - Recommended cat-eye surgery (nasolabial angle surgery) - Recommended fat grafting (optional)
:: Coordinator No pressure to pay a deposit; they said donated rib cartilage is expensive because they use a larger amount during surgery than other clinics They seemed very calm and also very knowledgeable about noses
:: Director Delicate, meticulous, calm. They answered all my questions kindly I can see why this clinic is famous for revision surgery Autologous rib cartilage is good, but since this is the first surgery they recommended donated rib cartilage
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5. ㄷㄷㅇ(ㅓㅗㅓ) ㅇㅈㅎ
:: Close to 400 Consultation fee: X / CT: O / Touched the nose / Checked the photo of the nose shape I wanted: O / Functional nose is possible, but the rhinitis isn’t severe enough to require functional nose surgery
:: Diagnosis - Nasal bridge: silicone (4 mm to 5 mm) / tip: ear cartilage, septal cartilage, donated rib cartilage - Because the septal cartilage is small, they said they would probably use donated rib cartilage as well - When touched, the nose was soft and stretchy, so they thought the result would be good - The rhinitis seems allergic, so surgery probably isn’t necessary - They drew over the printed photo
:: Coordinator No pressure to pay a deposit Calm, and the nose was pretty (they said the director I consulted with had undergone revision surgery)
:: Director Just so-so, like a neighborhood clinic doctor, with an appropriately friendly vibe
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6. ㅁㅇㅌ(ㅏㅣㅣ) ㅂㅈㅎ
:: Mid 300s Consultation fee: X / CT: O / Touched the nose / Checked the photo of the nose shape I wanted: O / Functional nose is possible, but the rhinitis isn’t severe enough to require functional nose surgery
:: Diagnosis - Nasal bridge: silicone (4 mm) / tip: autologous rib cartilage - When touched, the nose was soft and stretchy, so it seems like a nose that will turn out well - Bulbous-nose correction (no fat removal, just cartilage tying) - Lower the columella - Nasolabial angle (they didn’t think it was necessary to insert cartilage just to raise it) - Donated rib cartilage could also be used, but since it’s a gamble, they just recommended autologous rib cartilage - Autologous rib cartilage under sedation or local anesthesia
:: Coordinator They didn’t force a deposit, but said it would be better to do it (with a condition that it would be refunded 100% if cancelled within a certain period) The coordinator also said they had revision surgery with autologous rib cartilage themselves at another clinic, but their tip looked a little droopy, so I was worried... tsk. But according to the coordinator, it has been the same since the surgery! They explained things well and were kind For CCTV, you have to say in advance to record it, and it costs an extra 100,000 won
:: Director Seemed confident Extremely kind and meticulous, and the review photos they showed had pretty lines
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7. ㅇㅇㄹ(ㅏㅣㅏㄱ) ㅈㄹㄱ
:: High 400s, close to 500 Consultation fee: X / CT: O / Touched the nose / Checked the photo of the nose shape I wanted: O / Functional nose is possible, but the rhinitis isn’t severe enough to require functional nose surgery
:: Diagnosis - Nasal bridge: silicone (3 to 3.5 mm) / tip: ear cartilage, septal cartilage, donated rib cartilage - Bulbous-nose correction (cartilage tying 정도) - Raise the subnasale point (nasolabial angle) (using cartilage) - Lower the columella - The septal cartilage isn’t large, but it seems insufficient to use septal cartilage alone. They also said it’s not small. It’s a medium size, neither small nor large (the first clinic that did not plainly say it was small)
:: Coordinator No pressure to pay a deposit, just average, average, so so
:: Director Seemed meticulous, delicate, kind, and confident. The review photos they showed had pretty lines, but the nasolabial angle felt a bit excessive They seemed to have pride in carefully selecting donated rib cartilage and using only good-quality pieces
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Thoughts
The things the clinics say are all similar, so by the end I honestly started getting a bit glassy-eyed during the consultations lol They all say they’ll use as much septal cartilage and ear cartilage as possible, but my nose is small so for clinics like that I feel like they’ll end up using donated rib cartilage anyway..
What I’m wondering is: some clinics say that if they draw from the septum, people with a small septum and a small nose like me may end up with an empty internal structure that collapses and is hard to reconstruct, but other clinics say that’s not true at all and that using both the septum and donated rib cartilage together is actually stronger, so it’s hard.
!!
For now, I’m most drawn to ㅈㅅㅌ, ㅇㄴㅅㅌ, and ㅁㅇㅌ, but ㅈㅅㅌ and ㅁㅇㅌ don’t have many reviews, so I’m torn... ㅁㅇㅌ is so cheap that it actually makes me worry.
Autologous rib cartilage... for the mid-300s? If donated rib cartilage is used, it’s -20. Somehow it feels too cheap.. But ㅇㄴㅅㅌ is so expensive lol큐 It’s my first surgery, but isn’t that almost revision-surgery or even third-surgery pricing?
I was going to go to ㅈㅅㅌ(ㅔㅡㅏ) but couldn’t make it.. Should I go check out a few other places too? Sigh I’m torn I’m also wondering whether autologous rib cartilage is overkill for a first surgery.. What do everyone here think???