Going to Seoul for Eye Surgery & Fat Graft at DAPRS Clinic - South Korea

Hello~! My name is Grace and I'm a 20 year old who's going to South Korea in this winter for plastic surgery. I want to record and share my experience here, both as a kind of diary for me and as a reference for other people interested in traveling to South Korea for their cosmetic procedures :)
Although 20 years old is quite young for surgery, I have several features of my face that I've wanted to "fix" for several years, and I thought, why not do the surgery while I am young and can enjoy my new face for many years rather than wait and be unhappy with it? Although my parents and many of my friends have a negative opinion of plastic surgery, I think that if it can improve your confidence and make you more satisfied with yourself, it's the right choice.

I've been a big fan of Korean popular culture since I was in high school and always marveled at their flawless skin and seemingly perfect facial features. Although I'm from the US, I think my standards of beauty are better aligned to Korea's, rather than the Kardashian look that is popular here. I was interested in making my eyes seem larger (like a kpop star's!) and filling in some sunken areas with fat graft. I consulted with some notable plastic surgeons here, but none of them were willing to do the kinds of procedures I was interested in and only recommended fillers. So I started to research Korean clinics and traveling to Seoul.

First, the sheer number of clinics in Seoul is astounding. I remember reading somewhere that Gingham alone has more than 500 plastic surgery and skin clinics. I did online consultations at around 30 clinics (which still isn't that many) and compiled a spreadsheet of the recommended procedures and price information. Nearly every clinic recommended that I do fat grafting to my under-eye and cheek. Some others recommended that I do full facial bone contouring (V line surgery), which I may try to do someday but it is not my primary concern. I was cautious against choosing big hospitals geared towards foreigners, because their prices are inflated, they don't care about the patients, and local Koreans do not consider them as good as others.

Out of all the clinics I've preliminarily chosen DA, because they seem to create natural-looking but noticeable results. From my online consult with them, I also feel like they best understanded the changes I want to make. It's a mid-size clinic: not a huge factory-style hospital, but still with a full medical staff and nice facilities. None of the before and after photos look like gangnam unnis or plastic surgery monsters - the surgeries really just enhanced the facial features they had before. The consultant I have been contacting through kakao, Ava, is completely fluent in English (she told me she is from California) and always responds to the tons of questions I have. :)
As a Plan B, I may also consult with a few other clinics to get a second opinion and in case I don't like DA in person.

When I go in December, I've decided to do ptosis correction (to fix my droopy eyelids), lateral hotz (to lower the corners of my eyes to make them seem wider), and fat graft on my cheeks, under eyes, nasolabial fold, and forehead. I'm also hoping to do some dermatology treatments for acne scars, blemishes, and some sun spots. I'm really hoping that my surgeries will make me a prettier, younger-looking version of myself :)

I will post more information about my trip and consultations when I fly to Seoul in less than 2 months. I'm so nervous to travel abroad! This will be my first solo trip out of the country, and I can't speak much Korean either. It's both scary and exciting at the same time. If you have any travel trips for Seoul, please let me know :)

Hi everyone,
Sorry for not posting until now, but I've decided to cancel my reservation at DA and not undergo plastic surgery in South Korea. I will be saving my money and seeing an oculoplastic surgeon in Beverly Hills later in next year.
From my limited online interaction with DA, I can't recommend booking your surgery with them. They offer incentives such as discounts and free skincare treatments in exchange for posting reviews on online forums such as this, which is why you might find many positive reviews here and on other forums like purseforum. However, when I asked for a refund of my deposit (which was $1000), the translator at the time ( who no longer works there) gave me a difficult time and told me that only a partial refund was possible. After they processed the refund, I sent them a message saying that they sent me less than the correct amount, and they never responded to me. If they handle routine matters like cancellations in this way, why would I trust them to slice open my face?
Many people also in my plastic surgery group chat thought the DA staff and consultant were unprofessional and pushy in person.
I will be trying fillers under my eyes and in the cheek instead :)