First Time in Seoul

[pnewelljr]

Hey, so I guess I’ll make the first post here. I will be in Seoul from today, March 25th. I have three appointments tomorrow at VIP, Regen and ITEM. I am hoping to get a couple procedures done to make my nose a little smaller and refined, and to get a small bump removed on the bridge. Thanks for any advice! I’ll post questions I have along the way!

[Jeet Singh]

Hi pnewlljr

Welcome, I consulted previously with all three and I would say the clinics above are component in performing the procedure, but will vary in price. VIP’s Dr. Lee is known for Rhinoplasty, and Regen also has a Dr. Lee (His English is not so great, but Regen has translators), ITEM is Dr Kim, and his English is decent and he seems pretty competent and his Clinic’s price might be the most competitive amongst the three, but he seems a little overwhelmed his clinic is new (he’s a former BK doctor) and he’s trying to keep up with the demand.

[pnewelljr]

I’m not sure where I should post this, but I thought I would keep a bit of a diary as I go to each place. First is VIP, I just arrived and am waiting for the consultation. The translator speaks great English and seems very nice. The building is very welcoming and bright and comfortable, feels like a nice, fun orthodontists office in America. They have free wifi which is nice, so far she hasn’t pushed any other procedures on me but we will see. I’ll post again after the consultation is over.

[pnewelljr]

Gave me a cup of tea, everyone is the office is very nice. I came a bit early and am having to wait. There aren’t too many customers in the office, but one of the people at the desk came to tell me that the doctor is a little busy but I am next for the consultation. I am guessing that means I will get to consult with the actual doctor as opposed to just a consultant which I am relieved about.

[pnewelljr]

Wow, I am really impressed. I had read good thinks about Dr. Lee and I know he is pretty well know for his rhinoplasty work. But it definitely comes at a price. Dr. Lee speaks pretty good English. Definitely good enough that I was comfortable that he understood everything I was saying. He was definitely knowledgeable, even about American features.

The translator was very nice and said she had had the same procedures done by dr lee herself and that he was the only one she trusted. I am planning in getting rhinoplasty (including fixing a deviated septum) as well as getting genioplasty to fix my chin. Either their prices have gone up, or they were trying to pull one over on me. I am a college student and I tried specifically to dress “poor looking” so I could get the best price (no Louis Vuitton bag with me! Haha). Apparently the office works entirely in USD and even convert TO won for Korean patients. Here is a breakdown of the price they gave me and then the final price I talked them down to:

1) Genioplasty: $6,000
2) Rhinoplasty: $6,000
-deviated septum +$1,000
-osteotomy +$1,000

=$14,000

She gave me a 20% “student” discount for having multiple surgeries, which came out to about $11,000.

Now, I should mention, this actually includes a two week stay at an apartment (5 minute walk), free driving services as well as daily care and cleaning (at their office) including washing your hair for you. That is something I believe most places here do not include, so that is definitely worth something.

I told her my budget was in the 7 to 8,000 dollar price range, but she didn’t budge. I think I may be able to get her to go a little lower, but I want to speak with the other two places first. Next is Regen!

[pnewelljr]

Getting around in taxis here is a lot harder than I thought it would be if you don’t speak Korean. Just arrived at Regen a little early. I have to wait again for the English consultant to finish with someone else. This place is very overwhelming compared to VIP. I’m not going to lie, it feels a lot more commercial. I’m trying not to base my posts the things I’ve read and make my own conclusions for these entries, but I definitely like the more personal feel of VIP better. I was greeted nicely by an English assistant though. Free wifi here. This building is huge and they own floors 3 to the top (more than ten floors). I heard they have about 15 doctors compared to VIP’s one. I saw a girl who just had an operation walking out alone with her mother, much less personal feeling. I let you know my feelings after the consultation.

[pnewelljr]

The initial consultation was not with the doctor, but I am getting an x-ray and then it looks like I will get to speak with the doctor. This is quite a bit more time consuming. Their was the consultant and then an English translator in the room with me. The consultant did not speak any English at all. The translators English was passable, but definitely not as good as the people at VIP. I didn’t feel as well “heard” here, and there were quite a few times were I had to rephrase what I was saying and I hope they fully understood me. Not as good of a feeling as my experience at VIP. Will update after I see the actual doctor.

[Jeet Singh]

I would say that VIP’s price is within their normal range given the diagnosis you described, still less on average than US prices from my understanding. I will ask another forum member who had Genioplasty and Rhinoplasty performed by Dr. Lee to contribute his thoughts. His results turned our really well.

FYI Doctor Lee typically uses a wire method to secure your chin into place (email them to double check). Typically most doctors use plate and screws nowadays to secure your chin into its new position, and wire was one of the first ways to do it. It doesn’t necessarily mean one is better than the other and many doctors still use the wire. In fact, there was a study done on which method is better and the results showed that there was no statistical difference between the two, but screws and plates are thought of as being more secure and fool proof because the plate is fixed and comes in pre-defined sizes.

Here is a link to the study if you are curious.

http://jiads.net/Archives/2011/2.pdf

[lemmiknox]

Thanks pnewelljr for the updates. Consider what VIP quoted you to be a good price. I was quoted that much for the rhinoplasty alone.

[Jeet Singh]

Be sure to post your review of VIP on here, and how the whole process.

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