Asian Rhinoplasty: Stories

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Love my Nearly Perfect Nose - Seoul, South Korea

  • Worth It
  • Cost: $4,000
  • Dr. Kim (Seoul, South Korea)

I always had a flat nose bridge so got a nose job...

  • 2 Feb 2012

I always had a flat nose bridge so got a nose job in Korea but the first PS shaved down my bridge prior to inserting silicone on it. He said it was to hold the silicone insert better. It didn't look unnatural but it didn't help make it look better.

Second surgery Dr. Kim tried to repair what the first PS did but it still didn't fix the problem. Went back to Dr. Kim and he worked very diligently in correcting the problem this time. He stitched internally the tip of my nose (it was kind of drooping down the tip, a little parrot-like), so that it would hold the tip of the nose, which also had the cartilage from the back of the ear implanted in the tip, to the top of inbetween my eyes.

I don't know if I explained that correctly. The tip looks so nice and my nose is not that ultra fake looking too high bridged stick straight nose you see in all of the Korean dramas. Very satisfied with Dr. Kim. A lot of celebrities go to him, he's one of the best for noses.

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Dr. Kim is very highly educated, has perfect bedside manners, is gentle, takes his time in answering your questions, and is extremely professional without being cold. His clients are Korean celebrities, so maybe that has something to do with it.

Comments (29)

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terinov 18 Feb 2013
thank you for sharing your experience! how long did it take you to heal?
bang2tang 5 Nov 2012
Your nose looks so natural unlike fake "Han Ga in" nose + mole that copied by many female celebs in Korea.
HelloKitty81 23 Aug 2012
Thank you so much for sharing your experience with all of us. I'm thinking about getting my nose done but not sure where to start.

Did you consult with Dr. Kim first before flying there? When you got there, did you go see him then come back for surgery on another day? How long did you stay at his clinic? Did you come back later for checkup?

I'm not sure how to get around with bandages on my face. Also, I don't know how long to stay in Korea before heading home. I just don't want to come home then have problems. how can I find a translator in Korea? Thank you again.
AnaMandera 23 Aug 2012
I didn't consult with him first from America, I flew there and then consulted with him prior to coming back a few days later for the surgery. I think surgery was 1 hr or so, they put you under for that and you're bandaged up for about a week. I didn't stay at his clinic. It's outpatient procedure, only 1 hr for the surgery. Yes, you do have to come back for removal of stitches and for Dr. Kim to check to make sure your swelling is coming down and to make sure everything looks perfect. You only have to go in for 2 checkups after surgery.

There's so much nose jobs/surgeries in Korea they don't really care if you walk around with bandages on your face. But calling a private taxi to take you back to the hotel will save you the time of having to try to get one on the street. I'd get a hotel close to the clinic. 10 - 14 days should be plenty of time. And you can get a translator through any school or university english department.
AnaMandera 17 Jul 2012
His MD Phd profile
http://www.goodoc.co.kr/doctors/5282
AnaMandera 17 Jul 2012
This is the doctor, he wrote this book: Plastic Dream.
http://www.fnnews.com/view?ra=Sent0901m_View&corp=fnnews&arcid=201202280100249720013026&cDateYear=2012&cDateMonth=02&cDateDay=28
j02261982 16 Jul 2012
Hello there,
Your nose is sooo pretty =)
I was trying to look for the clinic's website, I am not sure if I found a right one. Because I sent in 2 inquiries. None of those were replied. Do you mind sending me their correct address? and Do you happen to know how much do they charge if I just want my tip done? how was the recovery after a week or so? I'm debating if i should do my bridge too because I am not sure if it is a good idea to put something which doesn't belong to there originally. Like one day it will move? or the position will change or something?
What did you do to your nose? It looks very very pretty.

THanks so much~
AnaMandera 17 Jul 2012
This is Dr. Su Shin Kim and his Real Clinic's website:
http://www.real-beauty.co.kr/index.php
South Korea: 042-477-8080
You're going to need a Korean translator to speak to them for you.
tatia 15 Jul 2012
Hi! it would b great if u could share your experience with us. may i know how much you spend on the nose surgery, recovering days so i can assume how long should stay and slightly cost of the overall expenses in Korea..like accommodation & hospitality.
thank you so much
AnaMandera 16 Jul 2012
I stayed with family so I didn't have hotel or transportation expenses. So I wouldn't know about those fees. I spent approx $4k USD because he had to remove the first nose implant and make corrections prior to redoing the nose, which was done all at the same time so it took a lot longer than if someone who had never had their nose done before. It's only 1 week for recovery monitoring by the doctor and 1 month in all for your nose and bruising to heal completely. But if this is the first time you're having your nose done, I'll say that true healing time for your nose to settle into the final look is about 4-6 months. It's just swelling and your nose skin adjusting to the nose implant. Airfare round trip from SF to Korea is around $800-$1k offpeak economy, hotel I would think around $120-$150 (for 3 stars), food is fairly cheap if you eat at local places, and transportation, depending on if it's taxis and what kinds of taxis, they have regular taxis and private taxis, they both get a little bit expensive due to severe traffic. I would recommend that you stay as close to the clinic as possible. It's across from Hyundai Department Store.
tatia 16 Jul 2012
thanks alot for the info.
Helen67 31 May 2012
Hello Ana, I have a question for you. The photo on the left, was that your first surgery or your natural nose before the surgery? Thanks for sharing your experience with us and I don’t mean to alarm you but after some research on Asian Rhinoplasty this is what I’ve found out and would like to share it with everyone.

I’ve been wanting to get my nose changed for a long time, I finally have the chance to do it, so I’ve been doing my home work. Well, come to find out, apparently Asian noses are the hardest to do and if not done correctly it can create a mass of serious problems. I was going to choose an Asian doctor thinking that they would know more about Asian noses but to my surprise that is not true. It seems like the most common material used for Asian rhinoplasty are either silicone or gortex. These plastic materials, I’ve be told by non Asian doctors, are not good for long term, it can cause an infection, rotation, erosion, or all the above. It seems like Caucasian doctors know more about this problem because they’ve fixed other doctors mistakes by using the patients own cartilage taken from either their rib or ear. Although, this may not happen for some people, I rather not take that chance by putting plastic in my nose to create a bridge but instead by using my own tissue, in the long run it would be a safer choice for me.

I hope I didn’t scare you and wish you the best with your new beautiful nose. Dr. Kim did a great job in fixing your nose but I sincerely hope you won’t run into any complications in the future!!!
AnaMandera 16 Jul 2012
The photo on the left was my 1st nose job (the MD did a bad job). I think my natural nose was much prettier than that fiasco on the left there. btw Korean doctors now use your rib bone for implant, but total cost of that is $5k. My cousin got her's done with rib bone. Cost is extra for additional surgery to remove the bone section. Her scar from removing the rib bone is tiny, about half an inch, you can barely see it. It doesn't move since it's hard and stays straight and will last forever on your nose unless you want to change the shape again. Ear cartilage they don't put into the bridge of the nose because it's too flexible. They'll use ear cartilage to build up the tip of the nose since it's more in line with the softness of nose cartilage.
li5868 1 Apr 2012
how much did you spend in U.S. dollars?
AnaMandera 16 Jul 2012
$4k USD
JKwan 3 Mar 2012
hi, just to confirm, is it called real COSMETIC clinic?
and did you travel to Korea? if so, how long did you stay for and what was the total cost? How long was the recovery time? I'm looking to do my nose in Korea too and any info would be great. Thanks!
AnaMandera 16 Jul 2012
It's called Real Plastic Surgery Clinic. It's located right across from Hyundai Department Store, the only Hyundai Department Store in the area. It was around $4k due to prior nose job implant removal and extra work, if you've never had yours done, I think it's around $2500. I stayed for vacation so a month. Recovery time is around a month for the bruises and swelling to go down completely.
jeen 29 Feb 2012
so you had to do it twice to get it right? If I fly out to korea, I cannot afford to do it twice or stay that long...
I'm so torn....are there any affordable hotels near the hospital? thank you for posting. I've been searching for a good doc but here in U.S., it's soooo expensive.
AnaMandera 16 Jul 2012
They're located in a very expensive part of Seoul but you can get motel stays for around $80/night. Hotel stays aren't that expensive either, maybe $200/night or even less.
jeen 23 Feb 2012
pic on the left is before? and one the right is after?
AnaMandera 24 Feb 2012
Yes, that's right.
AnaMandera 7 Feb 2012
His name is Dr. Su Shim Kim with Real Clinic

Specialty :Rhinoplasty,Blepharoplasty,Mammoplasty
Consultation :hello@hucaregroup.com
Phone :+82-2-519-8021
Website :http://koreamedicalhub.com
Location :Sinsa-Dong Gangnam-Gu Seoul
Accessibility :Subway Line 3: Apgujeong Station Exit# 5
Language :English, China
Premises :Cafe, Art Gallery
Amenities :Total Swelling Care, 24hr Emergency Calls, Self-Shampoo Room, Dietary Counseling, mp3 player system

http://www.koreamedicalhub.com/index.php?page_no=2&no=6&sno=&view=43
AnaMandera 7 Feb 2012
Sorry, typo: Dr. Su Shin Kim
j02261982 17 Jun 2012
Hi there,
Thanks for the info, however, I can't find anything about this surgeon, can you give me the clinic's website by any chance? thanks
AnaMandera 16 Jul 2012
I don't know their direct clinic. His office is on the 2nd floor. Small, but super busy. Celebrity favorite, or at least he was when I had my nose done.

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