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My Disappointing Experience at VIP Clinic...
Let me start off by saying that my surgery at VIP Clinic in Apgujeong was a revision rhinoplasty. My first surgery was in the US by a surgeon who used Medpor as an implant for my bridge and tip, since my nose was naturally wide and bulbous Asian nose. Over the years, the Medpor implant shifted and therefore I had trouble breathing in my left nostril.
I had started to research on Realself about clinics in South Korea because I knew they had a good reputation for plastic surgery. I found VIP clinic and saw all the good reviews. I read about how Dr. Lee used rib cartilage and also recommended mid-face augmentation. It looked like this would be a perfect solution for me, and I knew that it would be a difficult surgery because Medpor allows the blood vessels to grow through it, so I knew that an experienced doctor would be needed to remove it. I submitted photos for an online consultation and was later contacted by the main consultant who deals with international patients. She was very kind and helpful and we ended up booking my surgery for spring of 2018. I flew to Seoul and was picked up by their driver and taken to the officetel nearby. It was great they provided housing and it is walking distance to the clinic.
My first interaction with the staff was very nice, everyone was friendly and I was treated well. My only concern was that I didn't really get to talk to Dr. Lee about my concerns that much. When I went with the international client consultant, she assured me that Dr. Lee would do a good job. Now that I think back on it, I should have spoken up more but he didn't seem like he wanted to talk. He just opened my folder and spoke in Korean and then I was led out of the office. But I was nervous, I didn't speak any Korean, and I just thought that he knew what he was doing so I didn't have to worry.
Fast forward to the surgery, it was very tough. I realize that this was a complex surgery to remove the Medpor and replace it with rib cartilage. The recovery was PAINFUL. I ended up having to stay at the hospital for two nights. I was in so much pain, my mouth was so dry I ended up developing sores in the back of my throat so I had trouble even drinking water. My ribs hurt so much that even walking to the clinic was difficult. I remember feeling so groggy and it took me a very long time to come out of the anesthesia. I told myself that it was a huge mistake - I was miserable. I had to go daily to the clinic to get suction and change the bandages and gauze, and it was so uncomfortable.
After a couple months, my ribs didn't hurt anymore and the swelling started to subside. My nose definitely looked different but I wasn't sure if I liked the shape. It was very bulbous at the tip, asymmetric (however I am aware my face is quite asymmetric so this wasn't too much of a bother) and very stiff and big (see photos). However, I kept thinking that this was a big surgery so I needed to be patient with swelling and that it takes 6 months to a year to see the final result. So I waited...and at about the 8 month mark, I noticed that a bump started forming on the right side of my nose and it looked like a piece of the cartilage that came off. I asked the international client consultant about it and she told me to come in (at this point it was about 9 months post-op). Dr. Lee confirmed it was a piece of rib cartilage that broke off and he could remove it. It was then when I mentioned that my nose was still bulbous and had no tip definition and that my nasal bridge was still wide. I understood him to say that he could fix it (this is where the communication issues started with Dr. Lee, the consultant, and myself). So afterwards we booked the revision for the summer of 2019 which would be a couple months past the one year mark of my surgery.
When I arrived on the date of my revision, I was really excited because they were going to fix my concerns...or so I thought...I got changed into my gown and the nurse shaved my nose hairs (which is normal for open rhinoplasty) and then led me to the operation room. As I laid on the table, I pointed out the cartilage bump and Dr. Lee told the consultant he was going to remove it from the OUTSIDE - so they shaved all my nose hairs for no reason? His bedside manner is so different when I came for my revision. He was just mumbling and wasn't friendly. After the shock of realizing he was cutting it out from the outside, I told him that I wanted to fix the tip and the wide nostrils because it was bulbous and I thought that he agreed he could fix it then. But APPARENTLY this was not the case, he said NO and that I had to wait even longer and that the swelling was still going down. Keep in mind, I'm literally on the table as he is saying this. I was getting frustrated but I couldn't really do anything. He removed the cartilage from the outside and I was awake - but I didn't feel pain. I could feel him scraping away on the right side taking out the extra piece of cartilage. I realized after the swelling subsided that he also shaved parts of the right side down as well. Now my bridge width was shaved down on the right side, but still wide on the left! I was so frustrated! He just made my nose even MORE uneven.
I reached out again to the international clients consultant about this issue to have her ask him when I would get the tip revision and fix this NEW problem he created. She told me that she "asked the doctor but he YELLED at her for asking and that I can't touch my nose anymore". At first, I felt bad that she got yelled at but then I realized, hey I spent A LOT of money on this surgery, why should I feel sorry when I'm unhappy with my nose??? He told her that because it was rib cartilage surgery and that I can't touch my nose anymore - but I said, hey you MADE this new problem AND I waited patiently for the swelling to go down and it still hasn't. Overall, I was not happy with my nose. She then proceeded to call me, and at this point I was crying on the phone. She asked me, why are you crying?? I told her I was upset because of all the miscommunication, and the fact that he is basically refusing to do a revision when he said earlier he would. Not to mention he made a new problem when he took too much out of the right side removing the extra cartilage. She then had the nerve to tell me: "Dr. Lee has so many patients, he probably doesn't remember you!" and "You can come to the clinic and BEG for him to do your revision!" I WAS SHOCKED. Are you kidding me? I stopped communication with VIP after this. What a horrible way to treat your client who paid $12k USD for this procedure. Overall, I was disappointed because initially I was treated so well, but the moment you ask about revisions, you get treated like crap.
In summary, I was upset with how I was treated at the end. Some of the staff was incredibly kind and I had no issues with them, even going to lengths of driving me and buying me food, which I was extremely grateful for. I was just frustrated with the fact that my nose was not what I had wanted and the moment I asked for a revision, it's like you don't matter to them anymore. As you can see in the photos, my face is asymmetric so while my nose was crooked I understand it can't be completely straight. I was more upset with how after 2 years (see photos) my nose was still stiff, wide and bulbous with no tip definition, not to mention the mid-face augmentation that supposedly happened was not apparent. I think 2 years is more than enough time to see if swelling had gone down. I was treated poorly and I want other people considering VIP to hear my story so that they are aware if they do decide to pursue a revision - they may encounter issues like I did. Again, I realize that this was a very complex surgery and so I tried to be very understanding about the swelling and final results. But in the end, I was sorely disappointed. I ended up choosing another clinic to correct the issues caused by VIP and so far I am MUCH happier with the bedside manner and overall treatment by staff. Please think twice before you choose VIP Clinic in Seoul - it was a huge investment for me for pay to fly to Korea and pay for this surgery - I expected to be treated better.
I had started to research on Realself about clinics in South Korea because I knew they had a good reputation for plastic surgery. I found VIP clinic and saw all the good reviews. I read about how Dr. Lee used rib cartilage and also recommended mid-face augmentation. It looked like this would be a perfect solution for me, and I knew that it would be a difficult surgery because Medpor allows the blood vessels to grow through it, so I knew that an experienced doctor would be needed to remove it. I submitted photos for an online consultation and was later contacted by the main consultant who deals with international patients. She was very kind and helpful and we ended up booking my surgery for spring of 2018. I flew to Seoul and was picked up by their driver and taken to the officetel nearby. It was great they provided housing and it is walking distance to the clinic.
My first interaction with the staff was very nice, everyone was friendly and I was treated well. My only concern was that I didn't really get to talk to Dr. Lee about my concerns that much. When I went with the international client consultant, she assured me that Dr. Lee would do a good job. Now that I think back on it, I should have spoken up more but he didn't seem like he wanted to talk. He just opened my folder and spoke in Korean and then I was led out of the office. But I was nervous, I didn't speak any Korean, and I just thought that he knew what he was doing so I didn't have to worry.
Fast forward to the surgery, it was very tough. I realize that this was a complex surgery to remove the Medpor and replace it with rib cartilage. The recovery was PAINFUL. I ended up having to stay at the hospital for two nights. I was in so much pain, my mouth was so dry I ended up developing sores in the back of my throat so I had trouble even drinking water. My ribs hurt so much that even walking to the clinic was difficult. I remember feeling so groggy and it took me a very long time to come out of the anesthesia. I told myself that it was a huge mistake - I was miserable. I had to go daily to the clinic to get suction and change the bandages and gauze, and it was so uncomfortable.
After a couple months, my ribs didn't hurt anymore and the swelling started to subside. My nose definitely looked different but I wasn't sure if I liked the shape. It was very bulbous at the tip, asymmetric (however I am aware my face is quite asymmetric so this wasn't too much of a bother) and very stiff and big (see photos). However, I kept thinking that this was a big surgery so I needed to be patient with swelling and that it takes 6 months to a year to see the final result. So I waited...and at about the 8 month mark, I noticed that a bump started forming on the right side of my nose and it looked like a piece of the cartilage that came off. I asked the international client consultant about it and she told me to come in (at this point it was about 9 months post-op). Dr. Lee confirmed it was a piece of rib cartilage that broke off and he could remove it. It was then when I mentioned that my nose was still bulbous and had no tip definition and that my nasal bridge was still wide. I understood him to say that he could fix it (this is where the communication issues started with Dr. Lee, the consultant, and myself). So afterwards we booked the revision for the summer of 2019 which would be a couple months past the one year mark of my surgery.
When I arrived on the date of my revision, I was really excited because they were going to fix my concerns...or so I thought...I got changed into my gown and the nurse shaved my nose hairs (which is normal for open rhinoplasty) and then led me to the operation room. As I laid on the table, I pointed out the cartilage bump and Dr. Lee told the consultant he was going to remove it from the OUTSIDE - so they shaved all my nose hairs for no reason? His bedside manner is so different when I came for my revision. He was just mumbling and wasn't friendly. After the shock of realizing he was cutting it out from the outside, I told him that I wanted to fix the tip and the wide nostrils because it was bulbous and I thought that he agreed he could fix it then. But APPARENTLY this was not the case, he said NO and that I had to wait even longer and that the swelling was still going down. Keep in mind, I'm literally on the table as he is saying this. I was getting frustrated but I couldn't really do anything. He removed the cartilage from the outside and I was awake - but I didn't feel pain. I could feel him scraping away on the right side taking out the extra piece of cartilage. I realized after the swelling subsided that he also shaved parts of the right side down as well. Now my bridge width was shaved down on the right side, but still wide on the left! I was so frustrated! He just made my nose even MORE uneven.
I reached out again to the international clients consultant about this issue to have her ask him when I would get the tip revision and fix this NEW problem he created. She told me that she "asked the doctor but he YELLED at her for asking and that I can't touch my nose anymore". At first, I felt bad that she got yelled at but then I realized, hey I spent A LOT of money on this surgery, why should I feel sorry when I'm unhappy with my nose??? He told her that because it was rib cartilage surgery and that I can't touch my nose anymore - but I said, hey you MADE this new problem AND I waited patiently for the swelling to go down and it still hasn't. Overall, I was not happy with my nose. She then proceeded to call me, and at this point I was crying on the phone. She asked me, why are you crying?? I told her I was upset because of all the miscommunication, and the fact that he is basically refusing to do a revision when he said earlier he would. Not to mention he made a new problem when he took too much out of the right side removing the extra cartilage. She then had the nerve to tell me: "Dr. Lee has so many patients, he probably doesn't remember you!" and "You can come to the clinic and BEG for him to do your revision!" I WAS SHOCKED. Are you kidding me? I stopped communication with VIP after this. What a horrible way to treat your client who paid $12k USD for this procedure. Overall, I was disappointed because initially I was treated so well, but the moment you ask about revisions, you get treated like crap.
In summary, I was upset with how I was treated at the end. Some of the staff was incredibly kind and I had no issues with them, even going to lengths of driving me and buying me food, which I was extremely grateful for. I was just frustrated with the fact that my nose was not what I had wanted and the moment I asked for a revision, it's like you don't matter to them anymore. As you can see in the photos, my face is asymmetric so while my nose was crooked I understand it can't be completely straight. I was more upset with how after 2 years (see photos) my nose was still stiff, wide and bulbous with no tip definition, not to mention the mid-face augmentation that supposedly happened was not apparent. I think 2 years is more than enough time to see if swelling had gone down. I was treated poorly and I want other people considering VIP to hear my story so that they are aware if they do decide to pursue a revision - they may encounter issues like I did. Again, I realize that this was a very complex surgery and so I tried to be very understanding about the swelling and final results. But in the end, I was sorely disappointed. I ended up choosing another clinic to correct the issues caused by VIP and so far I am MUCH happier with the bedside manner and overall treatment by staff. Please think twice before you choose VIP Clinic in Seoul - it was a huge investment for me for pay to fly to Korea and pay for this surgery - I expected to be treated better.
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