My first cosmetic surgery A one-doctor clinic I spent 2 months analyzing my eyes and researching online. 1st round of clinic selection: chosen through the ㅂㅂㅌ ㄱㄴㅇㄴ app 2nd to 4th round of clinic selection: over those 2 months, I kept checking this community and narrowed down the clinics to exclude from the first round and the ones to add. 5th and final round of clinic selection: I finally chose 3 clinics that matched my needs and had reviews I liked In particular, when making the final list, it helped a lot to check the notifications every evening before bed for reviews others had written about the clinics I had bookmarked.
ㅇㄹ) ㅈㅅㅂ I booked a consultation appointment on November 9 -> there were open dates, but I wanted to set aside one full day, so I booked November 22 at 10:00. I was contacted the day before the consultation to confirm whether I could come in. (If they cannot reach you by phone at least twice by the day before the consultation, it is automatically canceled; you have to reply by text.) I scheduled this as my first consultation because it was the clinic I liked the most while researching online. Although the consultation was at 10:00, I arrived around 9:20? I happened to go up together with a staff member. Interior: clean, and I liked the size and atmosphere, which felt appropriate for a one-doctor clinic (there was a water dispenser and tea, so I drank some while waiting) Waiting: after confirming my name, I waited while filling out a chart with my personal information, how I found the clinic, what medications I take, and whether I have any illnesses. After that, I went into the photo room for imaging. Consultation order: manager - doctor - manager
Consultation: The manager guided me to the consultation room, and after a short wait, the consultation began. We proceeded while reviewing the chart I had filled out while waiting. They looked through the checklist I had prepared, and the manager carefully read each item and answered all of my questions one by one. I was praised for having studied well. They also looked at how my eyes move, recommended a surgical method, and even discussed the surgery schedule I was planning.
Doctor: They came in greeting me warmly. As soon as they arrived, they looked at the checklist I had prepared and the consultation continued with expert answers based on it. While marking out the line, they understood my needs very well. Through the consultation with the doctor, I learned that my right eye is more sunken than my left, and I also found out I use my brow muscles much more than I thought, plus my primary field of vision and the asymmetry between the left and right muscles. I liked that they said they would work according to my needs, keep the muscles on both sides symmetrical, and proceed based on my left eye during surgery. They mainly marked an in-out line, and it was exactly the kind of line I wanted and that suited me. I had also written that I was considering a semi-out line, so they marked that too, but they said that if they were recommending what suited my needs best, it would be an in-out line, and I agreed. I liked that after finishing all the consultation points from the checklist, they kept asking if I had any more questions. They said the surgery would be done with sedation anesthesia first (for the canthoplasty), followed by local anesthesia (for setting the line). The total time would be about 1 hour 20 minutes. Lastly, the doctor said they could see I had been worrying a lot, and asked me to send a screenshot of the organized checklist to the manager so they could check it again before surgery, and then it ended.
Manager: They came in 2 to 3 minutes later. First they explained the surgical method that would be performed, where the stitches would be, when I would need to come in again (surgery day, the next day, and day 7), aftercare (bruise laser, scar laser, etc.), and the cost breakdown (reviews, events, same-day booking discount) They emphasized that because it is a one-doctor clinic, the doctor personally handles treatment and aftercare after surgery. They also explained after-sales service (2 years for asymmetry and loosening), CCTV (viewing possible if a guardian requests in advance), deposit refunds (excluding consultation and test fees), and the number of surgeries per day (if there is a major operation, e.g. breast surgery, the morning is left completely open; usually 2 cases per day). Finally, they went through the checklist again and asked whether I had any more questions. Once again, they strongly asked me to make sure I sent a screenshot of the checklist I had prepared before surgery.
Overall impression: I liked that the clinic accurately understood my needs. The total consultation lasted about 30 minutes. Both the manager and the doctor were extremely kind, and there was absolutely no pressure to leave a deposit. Because I was deliberation about whether to do epicanthoplasty due to the cost (the estimate was higher than expected), they told me it was fine to decide on the day of surgery, which I appreciated. More than anything, I liked that they kept looking at the checklist I had prepared and answering based on it. They also summarized the consultation by KakaoTalk, which was nice. I booked for incision + ptosis correction + fat removal (whether to include epicanthoplasty to be decided on the day; the cost would be charged separately depending on whether epicanthoplasty was included). This clinic also clearly lists an anesthesiologist on its website!
ㅍㄹㅁㅅ) ㄹㅅㅌ I booked a consultation appointment on November 9 -> the earliest available was Wednesday, November 22 at 11:00. Waiting 11:00 consultation appointment (when booking, they informed me in advance that the wait time would be 1 to 2 hours, and if you are more than 10 minutes late, it is canceled) I was contacted the day before the consultation to confirm whether I could come in. I arrived around 10:15? As soon as the elevator doors opened, the clinic was right there. Interior: Even though it is a one-doctor clinic, it was very large and there were many staff members. Since many foreigners also come, there was a staff member who used foreign languages. Waiting: after confirming my name, I waited while filling out a chart to confirm my personal information, how I found the clinic, what medications I take, and whether I have any illnesses. + The chart also included information about CCTV At 10:50 I went into the consultation room. Consultation order: manager - doctor - manager
Manager: They came in right on time at 11:00 and spoke based on what was discussed when I booked the consultation. They also kept asking why I wanted incision surgery (I think this place mainly does non-incisional adhesion, so that may be why.) Then they briefly looked at the checklist I had written and, after explaining the hooked-eye concern, said that because the 10:30 consultation had been delayed, there would be a wait, asked what time my next appointment was, and left without mentioning anything else. On the TV in the consultation room, before-and-after photos kept playing according to the surgical method, and there were a lot of non-incisional adhesion-type cases.
Doctor: After waiting another 20 to 30 minutes, the doctor came in. As soon as they arrived, they put on a headband and immediately analyzed my eyes. They said I did not need ptosis correction and that it was simply being pressed down by sagging tissue. While explaining, they showed clinic materials (surgery reviews, before-and-after photos). And because of my eye structure, they said the orbital bone is close, so the back part of the double eyelid crease might not go all the way to the end (I already knew this, so I had written it on the checklist) They kept mentioning risks, so I asked them to show me a case like mine, but while touching the computer, they muttered to themselves, "We don't keep cases that didn't turn out well separately," and then showed me photos that were not really even similar... (I had already mentally checked out at that point) After that, they kept explaining the surgery method but only talked about risks, seemed unsure, and although I understand that from a sales perspective, I still thought they should keep case examples organized.
Manager: As soon as they came in, they brought up the risks and talked about the type of surgery, the cost, and the time. (They also told me the amounts for events and review-related discounts.) They showed photos of the surgical methods, explained them again, mentioned the 1-year after-sales service, and immediately asked about my surgery date, saying with an implication that the schedule was almost full and that I should book quickly. They also mentioned how many clinics I was visiting, that other people usually visit a certain number of places, and that going to too many can actually make things more confusing.
Overall impression: During the doctor consultation, which lasted less than 10 minutes, they did not really look at the checklist I had prepared, and I did not get proper answers. They spoke with a smile, but it felt like they did not want to take on eyes with a high risk. The manager's consultation also did not seem particularly professional, and it was obvious they wanted to rush through it. I did not leave a deposit, and because I had already mentally decided against it during the doctor consultation, I left without asking further questions. After the consultation, they summarized it by KakaoTalk (without mentioning the cost) Surgery time 2 hours (incision, epicanthoplasty) / 5 to 10 minutes of sedation anesthesia for local anesthesia in the eye area / conscious during surgery / stitches removed after 7 days / aftercare (swelling and regenerative laser performed at no extra cost, reservation in advance) / 1-year after-sales service (surgical problems, loosening, asymmetry)
ㅇㅇㄱㄹ) I booked a consultation appointment on November 9 -> reserved for Wednesday, November 22 at 13:30. They contacted me the day before to confirm whether I could come in, but I was in class and could not answer the phone, so they contacted me by KakaoTalk. + Suddenly, they said the appointment had to be moved to 2:00 the day before. As someone who is sensitive about schedules, it was difficult that they told me only the day before. Still, I wanted to rebook as soon as possible, but the earliest available was in mid-December. Because the time was suddenly changed the day before, and I had another appointment later, I was disappointed, but I canceled the consultation booking.
This is all of my clinic-visit review, and since it is based on personal experience, I recommend going yourself! One clinic was recommended by an acquaintance and is far away, so I plan to visit it separately. (If this one is not satisfactory, then clinic 1 is confirmed) If you have any questions, feel free to ask~ If you want to know the cost, send me a message
++++++++++ Just in case, I’m sharing the checklist too since it helped when going to clinic consultations~ - Checklist Desired direction: eyes that my eye condition can support, and that suit my face proportions and harmony Desired line and surgical method, and reasons (e.g. photos): my facial analysis materials (I took bare-faced photos and analyzed my eye structure) Concerns + questions: whether ptosis correction is needed / degree of protrusion or sunkenness / the black of the eye is slightly covered, so concern about triple whites after surgery / fat at the back of the eyes when smiling, etc. Dislikes: overly strong canthoplasty (hooked shape) / sausage eyes Anesthesia method / recommended surgery name (method) / surgery time / aftercare / CCTV / number of surgeries per day / doctor direct check (clinic visit) / A/S period and cost / cost / deposit refund