I’m posting a clinic-hunting review for a double-eyelid revision I had done last year~ I also wrote this on my blog, so please understand the copy-paste casual style... (The surgery was done last summer, so it’s exactly been 1 year)
Condition before revision) I had my first double-eyelid surgery 8 years ago together with epicanthoplasty at a not-so-famous clinic (I should have visited a lot more places back then I thought all double-eyelid surgeries were the same.)
-I had pseudo-ptosis. -The surgery was done with the incisional method, and there was left-right asymmetry. Because the degree of epicanthoplasty was different, one side came out as an inner-out line and the other as a semi-out line. -There was a depressed scar on one side. -Even when I opened my eyes, the tissue did not tuck inward into the inner corner of the eye, whether because one eye had loosened or because my eye-opening strength was inherently weak, so my eyes stayed a little sleepy-looking. -My interbrow distance was on the narrow side.
What I focused on most during consultations)
- Whether correction could be done with as much left-right symmetry as possible. - And what I felt while visiting clinics was that the doctors who pointed out the exact problem as soon as I walked in, and clearly explained how they would fix those issues, felt trustworthy. If they asked the patient, “Then what are you unhappy about?” it felt like they didn’t really understand the problem, so honestly I trusted that less.. - If possible, I preferred a one-doctor clinic specializing in eyes. What surprised me was that each director had a different surgical method. Opinions were split on whether to do double-fold fixation or another excision, and whether eye-opening correction was necessary or not. Somehow, the more places I visited, the more curious I became about how they would each explain it.. I looked mostly around Gangnam and Sinsa in Seoul
1. ㅇㅈㅇ (Apgujeong)
A relative and an acquaintance had procedures done here, so there weren’t many search results on community sites, but I went and had a consultation. Consultation fee: 10,000 won. They did spend a long time with me, though. First of all, they identified the problem clearly. They said the asymmetry was due to the different degree of epicanthoplasty, that because one side had been opened too much it would not be easy to make it into an inner-out line, and that there was a scar and a bit of sausage-like fullness. They said the chance of being satisfied was 50%, so my mom and I, who went together, were a bit taken aback. At minimum it should be 70-80% for surgery to feel worth trying; if it’s 50%, you’re spending that money and recovery time, and this isn’t a coin toss or betting game.. Problem diagnosis and surgery are different matters, so after the consultation I went on to visit other places.
2. ㄷㅂㅇ (Sinsa)
The director here was also kind during the consultation. I felt reassured because they were confident about correcting the asymmetry. Here they said they would do double-fold fixation and also mentioned eye-opening correction. When I asked whether double-fold fixation would leave two scars, they said there would still be almost no visible marks. They said the line was a bit high, so it should be lowered. I also asked about epicanthoplasty reversal as an extra option, and they said it would only be restored by about 1 mm, so satisfaction would be low relative to the cost. They said it would be better to open one side more instead. But my interbrow distance is already narrow, so making it even narrower felt a bit off. They said they would give a slight discount if I posted some kind of review, but even so, out of the 8 places, this was on the pricier side.
3. ㅋㅅㅌ (Nonhyeon)
The director here looked skilled. Just by looking, they said not to do double-fold fixation but to lower the line with excision. They explained well, but the problem was that the consultation coordinator was too overwhelming.. I barely got out because they practically forced a same-day booking They kept saying, “What are you going to do about the sausage-like fullness? Hurry up and book already...” Sigh.. The surgery fee was a bit high, so I just left to continue visiting other places.
4. ㄷㄹㅅ (Gangnam)
This place is famous for fillers, but surprisingly it was mentioned a lot for eye revision too, so I booked a consultation. Hmm.. it was the main director, and they seemed quite tired. They said the line height was fine and instead recommended solving it with eye-opening correction. The cost was on the cheaper side out of the 8 places.
5. ㅅㅋ (Gangnam)
This wasn’t the place I had surgery at, but it was my second choice if I hadn’t gone with the place I chose. It’s a one-doctor clinic specializing in eyes, and the director explains things extremely well. They said eye-opening correction was not needed and only recommended lowering the line. They said they would use double-fold fixation because the skin reserve was tight. They said not to remove fat, and that eye-opening correction could become overcorrection if done wrong, so it wasn’t necessary. There was trust in the way they spoke. I was about to book here, but I felt it would be bad to rush, so I left for the time being. The price was around the middle range.
6. ㅊㅇ (Gangnam)
Here, instead of stating their own opinion, the director mostly said things like, based on the problems I described and my dissatisfaction with my existing eyes, this or that approach would be possible. If one side was dull, they said they could do eye-opening correction on only that side, or perform epicanthoplasty reversal on one side, or open one side more.. things like that.. The price options were very diverse depending on incisional surgery, lowering the line, eye-opening correction, restoring one side of the epicanthoplasty, or widening one side of the epicanthoplasty.
7. ㅍㄹㅁㅇ (Gangnam)
I went here after hearing that they had many doctors and were well-known. There were a huge number of people waiting. Only some of the directors had consultation fees, while others did not. I heard the female director was famous for eyes, but I saw a different doctor, so there was no consultation fee. They said the eye problem was caused by sagging skin, and that they would excise the sagging skin and lower the line only a little. They also said that once it has already become semi-out, it is hard to make it into an inner-out line. They also recommended doing epicanthoplasty only on one side. The interbrow distance would get a bit narrower, but the benefit of correcting the asymmetry would be greater.. The director’s explanation was fine here too, but I still hesitated because they were young and it wasn’t a one-doctor clinic. The price was on the cheaper side among the 8 places.
8. ㅇㅇㅂ (Nonhyeon)
The place where I had surgery. It’s a one-doctor clinic specializing in eyes. As soon as I walked in, they said it was a mild sausage-eye look and showed me several similar before-and-after photos. They said they would improve the depressed scar, and because I had enough skin reserve, they would do excision. Here too, they did not recommend eye-opening correction. The before-and-after photos felt trustworthy, and I felt they weren’t just doing whatever the patient wanted but had their own professional judgment, so I decided on this place.
It’s been 1 year since the surgery now, so all the swelling has gone down.. If I can, I’ll post a follow-up later..