I want both function and a natural improvement for my nose, and this is my first surgery.
I visited about 6 clinics for consultations, and honestly I had already made up my mind, but I’m writing this in case it helps someone and for my own整理. My surgery is scheduled for the end of this month!
Clinics I visited: ㅂㅌㅇ / ㅇㅂㄹ / ㅁㅇㄷ (ㅇㅇㅌ / ㅇㄱㅇ) / ㅁㅌ / ㅋㅂㅈ / ㅍㄹㅁㅇ (final) / ㅇㄷ (final). You can tell just from the list, but I don’t like anything flashy, and my main goal was improving the nose tip.
First, the places I quickly ruled out were ㅁㅇㄷ and ㅁㅌ, and I’ll explain why they were not a fit for me first. (This is subjective.)
1) ㅁㅇㄷ Both doctors, by my standards, were flashy, and they said they would use donated costal cartilage, so I ruled them out. The director was reasonably kind. I first saw Dr. ㅇㄱㅇ, but it was too flashy for my taste (more on the glamorous side even among natural-looking styles), and he talked as if silicone and donated costal cartilage were essential. Also, the mock-up photo they drew for me (they quickly touch it up in Photoshop) felt way too much for my taste. -> The nose alone looked pretty, but the harmony with my face was not great. When I said it seemed like I wouldn’t do it, they recommended I also get a consultation with Dr. ㅇㅇㅌ. Dr. ㅇㅇㅌ was relatively natural, but he had that ㅁㅇㄷ-specific nose-tip look that seemed stiff...?(probably because they use cartilage from the ribs for most cases) I didn’t like it. Also, as many consultation reviews mention, Dr. wasn’t unfriendly, but how should I put it... he felt a bit distant... (I had seen posts saying he mutters, so I ended up laughing to myself when I went there. lol) So I wasn’t really drawn in. There were also so many Chinese patients talking loudly while I waited, which added to it. If you want to put a positive spin on it, maybe it means they’re known as good even in China...? The price was on the expensive side, and somewhat amusingly they added 500,000 won for each item, so for example, nose tip / dorsal hump / osteotomy etc. were all +500,000 each, and the total was quoted based on however many items there were. Because of that, even though my surgery wasn’t complicated, they quoted almost 7 million won. They said there was a review discount (almost 2 million won less, which is also a bit...) and that they would do Photoshop. Leaving the price aside, the gap between the base price and review discount was too big, and the doctor’s aggressiveness? and the materials didn’t suit me, so I ruled them out. Still, since it’s relatively large, it seemed like aftercare is well organized.
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2) ㅁㅌ The consultation with the doctor was exactly as people said: very blunt, just telling me clearly what was needed and what wasn’t possible. It was neat, but the overall tone was mostly negative? So I couldn’t shake the feeling that it was very defensive... like, “If the surgery goes wrong, I already clearly said it’s not my fault.” I’m sure he had valid points, but then why even do the surgery...? That thought kept coming up strongly. That said, it’s not like I had a lot of demands or that my nose was especially difficult. At the other clinics, most people suggested just raising the tip a little with septal cartilage + ear cartilage (my bridge is already fairly high, so no need there), and the surgery time was said to be a little over an hour.
The most absurd and least impressive part was the staff member. I don’t know if there were several, but this one was older and kind of plump... When I was about to leave after the doctor’s consultation, they called me back in. I went in, and they just stared at me blankly without saying anything. When I looked back, they asked if I had any questions, so I said, “Aren’t you supposed to explain the process?” and asked them to tell me the procedure and the cost. Then they said, “After surgery, you’ll just need to visit the clinic about four times.” That was it. So I asked about the packing, aftercare, and things like that, and they just said something like, “Well... you’ll take the packing out... remove the splint... right?...”
I’ve been to a lot of places too, and honestly this was the first time I’d seen a staff member like that. I even thought a staff member who pressures you to leave a deposit is better (at least they’re working hard at the job). I didn’t hear much about CCTV, aftercare, or whether you meet the doctor again. And usually they explain the price in multiple scenarios (discounted / with osteotomy and without it), but here they kept asking one by one: “Will you do this? Will you do this one?” So I said, “Just tell me the total price for the doctor-recommended plan.” Then they quoted 8 million won for a first surgery including function surgery It wasn’t a supermarket, so asking one by one whether I’d buy each item was weird, and if they weren’t going to explain, I wondered why they even called me in and sat there staring blankly.
I think there may be people who like the doctor’s firm personality, but for me, the staff member’s attitude toward me directly is also very important, so even if I liked the doctor, I don’t think I’d go here.. And the absurd price was shocking too. If only they would at least explain why it reached that amount. The ㅁㅇㄷ style of “500,000 won per item” would have been better. It felt like the price was just whatever they wanted... For a first surgery with no implant and only the nose tip, 8 million feels excessive..
And the interior too. You could say that isn’t important, but I think the overall atmosphere of a clinic does go with its sense of aesthetics. Maybe because I work in the arts... Even if it’s not extremely luxurious, I look to see whether it feels appropriately clinic-like (clean and reassuring) and hygienic. The old-style salon-like front desk, the big Chinese writing, and idol songs blasting really loudly... it just wasn’t my style.. Just saying.. -
3) ㅇㄷ The doctor was very calm and kind, and explained things carefully. He explained the materials, the surgical method, and why things had to be done that way in a way I could understand. He seemed to prefer a natural line without going overboard, so that was good. I don’t think he uses donated costal cartilage, and he said either autologous costal cartilage or septal cartilage + ear cartilage were options, but because he gave options, it was hard to decide on anything firmly. The price was reasonable (autologous costal cartilage in the upper 4 million range / septal cartilage + ear cartilage in the low 3 million range), and he also recommended doing function surgery at the same time. But he preferred raising the nose tip higher than I had in mind, so that would create a difference in height, and he said silicone would be necessary. I absolutely did not want an implant, so I ruled this out because I wanted maximum safety + naturalness.
The staff member was also reasonably kind and didn’t pressure me, which was fine. But both the doctor and the staff made me wait a long time past the appointment time (about 40 minutes), and the consultation ended somewhat abruptly as if the doctor had to step out during surgery, then handed me off to the staff and left quickly. The staff member came in midway through the consultation and stood behind us the whole time... The doctor also seemed to rush because of that, and it was awkward to ask questions with them standing behind me. I couldn’t ask proper questions, and the staff member answered reasonably well, but if I were to have surgery here, a second consultation would definitely be necessary.
For the reasons above, I’ve ruled out these three for now. The other clinics had similar consultation content, quotes, and surgical methods, so I debated and eventually chose one. I’ll leave that separately.
I hope this helps
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ㅇㄷ ㅁㅌ ㅂㅌㅇ
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