Hi! I finally finished all my clinic visits and I’m writing my full review! I didn’t have anyone around me to ask for hospital recommendations, so choosing my own shortlist through online research was seriously headache-inducing But today I made my final decision, put down the deposit, and came back Of course, I still have a month until surgery, so I might change my mind in the meantime... Still, the final decision is made, so I’m posting my review. Please use it only as a reference, and feel free to ask anything! The post is likely to get long, so I’ll use a casual style for convenience..!
First of all, my eyes are completely monolids, the skin thickness is average, and I have a long epicanthal fold, so the inner corner of the white of my eye is barely visible. My eyes are kind of fish-like! Also, I kept hearing that if the line is made too thick it can become sausage eyes, so I’m considering an in-out line
The clinic order is the order in which I went for consultations, and the format below is the same for all of them - Clinic / Doctor - Estimate / Price - Consultation details - Impression - Consultation fee - Surgery time - Anesthesia method - Aftercare / AS period
1. Sinsa Station ㅇㄴㅂ / ㅈㅊㅎ - Estimate / Price: Incisional double eyelid surgery, epicanthoplasty, eye correction / 250 with same-day booking condition - Consultation details: I went on a weekday afternoon, so there were only 1-2 people there. While waiting, I looked at a review booklet the clinic had made. I was thinking about epicanthoplasty, so I mainly looked at reviews for canthal widening, but honestly I didn’t like them. The inner corner was made too round. After waiting about 5 minutes, I consulted with the director. The coordinator gave me the estimate first. She also marked the double eyelid line for me. The coordinator talked a lot about medical details. About 5-10 minutes after that consultation, the doctor came in. He marked the line on only my left eye 2-3 times and gave the estimate right away. As I had heard, he didn’t say much. He explained the surgical method. He only talked about the epicanthoplasty and incisional surgery methods, and didn’t mention eye correction separately. He showed me a few before-and-after cases similar to my eyes, answered questions, and left right away. I consulted with the doctor for about 5 minutes. In contrast, I talked with the coordinator for 30-40 minutes, but the coordinator talked too much about the surgery, which I didn’t like. The coordinator showed me a ton of before-and-after photos. There was a bit of pressure to leave a deposit. - Impression: Overall kind, straightforward, and decent.. This is the only clinic recommended by an acquaintance, and they seem good at natural-adhesion and buried sutures. My acquaintance actually had buried sutures there, and it’s been 6-7 years without loosening and looks very natural. However, there was a slight sales-like feeling.. If you don’t ask first, they don’t really explain the basics (including aftercare). The coordinator talked for too long, which I didn’t like, and in the end their epicanthoplasty style was different from what I wanted, so I passed. Also, they seem to specialize in buried sutures and natural adhesion... I wanted someone good at incisional surgery, so I removed them from my list right after the visit. The doctor said he was the first to develop natural adhesion, so he seems like an expert in buried sutures and natural adhesion. - Consultation fee: None - Surgery time: 2 hours - Anesthesia method: Must be sleep anesthesia only (an anesthesiologist is on site O) - Aftercare / AS period: It was the first consultation so I was too overwhelmed to ask
2. Sinnonhyeon Station ㅇㅇㅂ / ㅂㄷㅎ - Estimate / Price: Incisional double eyelid surgery, epicanthoplasty / 240 with same-day booking condition - Consultation details: I went straight into consultation with the doctor, with no waiting. The coordinator was watching from behind during the consultation. As soon as I sat down, they put a headband on me and looked at the line first. This was the line I liked best out of all the ones I’d seen so far. The reason I liked it was that the line was a good thickness, but at other clinics it had always been drawn a bit too thin. And this was the only place that marked the line on both eyes and even showed what it would look like if I had epicanthoplasty. I already have asymmetry, but they said surgery wouldn’t be able to correct it perfectly. They kind of hyped me up by saying just doing my eyes would make a huge difference. Of course, that might really be true.. But I’d read a review before saying that the line drawn here was so nice that I wondered if marking the line immediately upon sitting down was a strategy to seduce patients right away, and I kind of agreed with that... They said my eyelid-opening strength was weak, but that I didn’t need eye correction. They don’t seem to do overtreatment. I was a bit tempted here.(because I prioritize safety...) They showed me a few before-and-after cases similar to my eyes. They didn’t mention the surgical method. This was also only about 5 minutes with the doctor. Then I immediately continued with the coordinator, but I didn’t get the impression that the coordinator was especially professional. The coordinator didn’t mention medical details. I also looked at several before-and-after photos with the coordinator. But both during the doctor consultation and with the coordinator, all the before-and-after photos they showed were ones posted on other review sites and here.. When we talked about the price, they told me upfront about how many follow-up visits were needed after surgery. There was a little bit of pressure to leave a deposit. - Impression: The doctor was kind. The coordinator was kind too. There was a slight push for a deposit. This clinic seems somewhat famous for not doing much promotion, but apparently they don’t avoid it completely either. It doesn’t seem like a place that hired marketing staff and pushes ads like crazy, but they do seem to do a lot of their own monitoring. When I said I found them through search, they asked if I came after looking at a community like this The photos they showed me were all from reviews posted on review sites and from here too. When I asked whether there was a review discount, they said no. That surprised me a bit, but they said quietly that if things go well, they record the progress after surgery and post it after agreeing with the patient. Also, it’s a bit awkward to say this.. but the coordinator’s double eyelids were a little odd, so I lost interest. - Consultation fee: It seems to be 10,000 won, but since I left a deposit, I didn’t pay separately... - Surgery time: 1 hour 10 minutes - Anesthesia method: Must be local anesthesia only (they showed me the needle and said not to be scared because it uses a very thin needle) - Aftercare / AS period: Swelling laser unlimited / 1 year
3. Sinnonhyeon Station ㅅㅇㅇ / ㅇㅌㅈ - Estimate / Price: Incisional double eyelid surgery + eye correction, epicanthoplasty / 240 (cash and card price are the same, no review event at all.) - Consultation details: After about 5 minutes of waiting, I immediately consulted with the doctor. This was the only place where the coordinator did not come in during the doctor consultation. As soon as the doctor saw me, he gave the estimate and started explaining right away. At first, he recommended incisional eye correction (including double eyelid) and epicanthoplasty. He marked only my left eye line about 3 times, and after marking the line he said that my skin was not as thick as he’d expected, so non-incisional surgery was also possible. He told me to choose between incisional and non-incisional.. and explained the pros and cons. I chose incisional. What was a bit unusual about this doctor is that he is extremely academic. It felt like he researches a lot. He doesn’t just write about conferences or academic meetings, but also contributes to textbooks. Maybe because of that, he explains the surgery in very detailed terms, but instead of talking about the method itself, he talks about the effects the surgery can achieve. Still, he explains objectively without bias. He goes into detail about possible side effects and how things change depending on the case. He talked about my eye structure and explained what my eyes would look like after surgery. He also brought up forehead lift surgery, but said I’m still young, so he wasn’t telling me to do it now, only to consider it later if problems arise with time. It felt like he was recommending a lot, yet at the same time approaching things conservatively.. a strange feeling.. But while listening, the doctor’s philosophy I felt was: "You can’t get dramatic results from double eyelid surgery alone." Since everyone’s eye shape, structure, and the reasons their eyes look dull or small are different, he said different surgical methods need to be applied. For example, if eye correction is needed, making the double eyelid bigger does not fix the eye size, so in such cases revision surgery later becomes very disadvantageous. He also showed examples. Anyway, he explained for more than 30 minutes. It was a consultation centered on explanation. He also answered questions comfortably. After the doctor consultation, I spoke with the coordinator. The coordinator was extremely kind. The coordinators at the previous clinics were all kind too, but this one felt kind in a different way. Not just polite, but warm. Even without me asking first, they organized everything in a table and explained all the basic details. So I didn’t really have any questions left. They told me the surgery time, cost, anesthesia method, number of visits, aftercare, and AS period in advance. They didn’t bring up medical details and there was no pressure to leave a deposit. They said they only do one surgery on Saturdays.(Saturdays also have shorter consultation hours) They probably do only 2-3 cases even on weekdays. - Aftercare / AS period: Unlimited swelling laser / line loosening covered free for 2 years, from 2 to 5 years they redo it for only the minimum cost after checking the condition, and after 5 years it is treated the same as the first surgery.
+ Also, most patients here come through acquaintances and get a referral discount, but I came through search, so I couldn’t get one...? But since I’m a student and all, they just applied the referral discount for me큐 The amount above is with the referral discount
4. Apgujeong ㅋㄹ / ㄱㅎㅅ - Estimate / Price: Incisional, epicanthoplasty / (250 + 100) total 350. This was the only place that posted fixed prices on its website. Cash and card prices are the same. - Consultation details: The age range was quite diverse. The reviews said the staff were unfriendly, so I was a little nervous, but it just felt like a neighborhood clinic. After waiting 10 minutes, I consulted with the doctor. While I was waiting, the coordinator looked at my eyes and said, "But the doctor is older and only does buried sutures... other clinics all said you need incisional surgery, right...?(Correct큐) It’s an eye that needs incisional surgery, but would you still like to get a consultation?" So I said I’d at least consult... The doctor, just like the reviews said, was exactly like a kindergarten teacher! He consulted while saying things like "teacher will~". I was a bit flustered because he was more cute than I expected^0^; But he was still adorable The coordinator was standing behind him. He peeked out and showed himself in the mirror, which surprised me. As soon as I sat down, he called me by name in a friendly way and marked the line. He marked the line a little high, but as soon as he did, the line immediately loosened... He was shocked and said this was definitely an eye that needs incisional surgery. If he did non-incisional surgery, it would probably loosen within 6 months. He told me to go elsewhere and ask for incisional surgery there too. Epicanthoplasty was up to me, but he said it would probably be better to do it. He also complimented me on having a pretty nose bridge. He said that when I open my eyes, I slightly use my brows and the power to open my eyes isn’t great, so other doctors would probably recommend eye correction, but he said it would be okay to do it. He said if the line is made too high, it would become sausage eyes, so it should be kept thin. He also advised me to visit several clinics... Since I’m clearly an eye that needs incisional surgery, they definitely couldn’t operate on me here, but he gave me a lot of helpful advice. That was it. Because it was so obvious that I couldn’t get surgery here, I only talked with the doctor for 5 minutes and then went home. I didn’t even see the coordinator separately. - Impression: Pretty ordinary, with both younger people and older women, just a neighborhood clinic feeling. It’s an old clinic, so it feels trustworthy. It’s a very reliable clinic, but unfortunately I’m not a case they can operate on, so I felt disappointed.. Still, I was really grateful that they gave me sincere advice. The doctor seems extremely conscientious. I’d read reviews saying the doctor approaches things very conservatively, so I already trusted this clinic a lot before the consultation, and hearing that they said eye correction was okay and epicanthoplasty was okay too made me feel very relieved. If you have eyes that need incisional surgery and want peace of mind like I did, I think it would be worth going once for advice! - Consultation fee: None Here below, I was so sure I couldn’t have surgery at this clinic that I didn’t even have the energy to ask큐 - Surgery time: Didn’t hear.. - Anesthesia method: I was told they only do local anesthesia - Aftercare / AS period: I think it’s 1 year
Ugh, I felt like my head was going to explode all this time, but in the end I’m done too. My house is far away, so going to consultations was hard, but still I think going in person was better than researching online? The reason is that online research is confusing and makes it hard to judge, but after visiting in person, you still get a clear feeling If a clinic has some vague, hard-to-put-into-words unsettling vibe, be brave and remove it from your list! For reference, I’m extremely timid and worry a lot, so I kept researching until the scheduled surgery date! That’s why I think the clinics above are at least not ones with a high risk of major side effects or medical accidents. Of course, no surgery has zero chance of side effects, but I still narrowed it down to fairly conscientious clinics! I made my clinic list very strictly too, so all 4 clinics had over 20 years of experience, were small-scale, had eye specialists, were not on any blacklist (I also removed any history of working at blacklisted clinics), had reasonably good reviews, and were natural-looking clinics Then I’ll post another review after surgery! Wishing everyone good results~!!!!