IDHOSPITAL

Introduction – How plastic surgery works differently from the East vs the West

Entering through the door of the operating theatre, knowing you will go to sleep and then not look the same when you wake up, is a disorientating experience to many. For the staff all around you, it is a normal day at work. But for you, it’s a significant life event.

These days, many people are looking to go abroad for cosmetic surgery, and South Korea is a particularly popular destination. This is due to Korea’s major advantages in several key aspects patient’s look for; High quality medical education for practitioners, lower costs, advanced medical technology and Korea’s reputation for being a world leader in beauty.

The combination of these factors brings ever more visitors to the country. However, the process of researching, booking, travelling, paying and finally going to sleep on the overeating table might throw up some unexpected cultural differences. This is a comprehensive guide to the entire process of travelling to Korea for plastic surgery that will highlight as many cultural nuances as possible so that you can be more confident on your journey.

The streets of Seoul have very many cosmetic medicine businesses. You will see not only the famous street in Apgujeong where every building will contain at least one plastic surgery provider, but also very many cosmetic dermatologists, skincare shops, beauty parlours, and cosmetic dentists. This level of competition in the market has been excellent not only for driving prices down, but also for encouraging innovation and building reputations for safety and good results.

TIP:  If you have a hospital you are considering getting surgery at, ask a consultant about current discounts and promotions. If you want to keep up to date with id Hospital’s latest promotions, follow us on Instagram

Competition for admission into medical school in Korea is also fierce. Top Korean universities are considered among the world’s best higher education institutions, and out of those who take Korea’s national university entrance exam, even the top 1% of test takers are not guaranteed a place. Many plastic surgeons working at high-profile clinics and hospitals also have experience of studying or working in other countries that have high levels of academic quality.

However, Korea, and especially Seoul, has a strong culture of speed and convenience. Some international patients can feel disorientated or hurried by this culture, especially if they come from places where many medical appointments start with a decent amount of small talk. Finished your blood draw? Now it’s time for your photographs. Done with that? Now you can go in for your x-ray, and your CT after that, and your EKG after that. In reality, not only does this culture of maximum time efficiency not only helps keep the hospital on schedule, but also a thorough yet fast service is a respect to your time. In Korea many people work long hours and treasure their limited free time, so in large hospitals such as id Hospital the ability to get many different kinds of tests done quickly and conveniently in one location is considered part of the service.

Choosing Your Hospital

Researching Procedures:

What kind of surgery you want has a big impact on your choice of hospital. If you only want surgery on one area, you may gravitate to clinics or hospital departments that specialise in that specific kind of surgery. However, if you are looking to have multiple procedures such as a facelift and breast reduction or facial feminization surgeries, then a larger institution which can coordinate across different surgical departments will likely be a better fit.

Checking Surgeon Background and Education:

Regardless of whether you wish to be treated by a specific doctor (requesting breast surgery from a female doctor for example), or you want to know more about the doctor who has been recommended to you by your online consultant, you should be able to access relevant information about your surgeon’s education and experience through the hospital website or at-request from your consultant. You should check that the surgeon performing your procedure is not only a licensed medical doctor (M.D.), but also a board certified plastic surgeon. Your provider should be able to provide copies of the surgeon’s medical licence and their certificate of specialisation in plastic surgery, This is often translated into English as a Certificate of Specialization or Certificate of Expertise.

You can view the medical licences, certifications and work history of id Hospital surgeons and doctors on About Us > Medical Staff

Understanding Prices, Tax Refunds and VAT:

For the sake of clarity, Korean plastic surgery prices are displayed in Korean won (KRW). VAT (value added tax) is included in prices in South Korea. If there is a case where VAT is not included you will be told about this before payment. We have been asked before if Koreans and non-Koreans pay different prices for the same procedure. While prices can fluctuate based on the complexity of a case, this can often be due to the fact that non-Koreans require a medical translator to act as an intermediary. This extra service requires an extra fee. However, non-Koreans travelling to Korea for cosmetic surgery are eligible for a tax refund upon departing Korea. As well as this tax refund, at id Hospital, we offer discounts exclusively available to overseas travellers based on what procedures are popular among people from their region.

Difference between a hospital and a clinic

In Korea, there are two main types of medical institutions: clinics and hospitals. Many plastic surgeons abroad will operate only from their own private clinics where only they, or a couple surgeons practise. But outside of Korea, there are not many places that can sustain a hospital-sized institution entirely dedicated to cosmetic surgeries and procedures. In English, words like “clinic”, “hospital”, “practice” and “doctor’s surgery” can sometimes be confused with each other. But in Korea there are specific legal standards which separate a clinic from a hospital. Clinics (의원:ui-won) are similar to the small plastic surgery practices abroad where between one and few surgeons will conduct their surgeries. Some of the upsides of Korean plastic surgery clinics are that they can often be cheaper than hospitals, and some people wish to go to clinics so that they can guarantee service from one specific doctor. However, Korean plastic surgery hospitals (병원 : byeong-won) can employ dozens of surgeons, each of whom can focus on becoming extremely skilled in one area of cosmetic surgery such as breast, body contouring or facial bone surgery. Hospitals also need to achieve and maintain certain levels of technological capability and safety monitoring, and they are more likely to have translators for less common languages. However, because of these factors, costs of surgery at a hospital-level institution can be higher than those of a clinic.

Safety Tips and Considerations

• You should feel comfortable asking any question you want about safety procedures, preoperative testing, medication side effects, anaesthesia, aftercare, scarring, surgery techniques and questions about medical staff (as long as they are relevant).
  You should be asked well in advance whether you are on a prescription for any medications. Tell them everything you take, including the medication’s name and how frequently you take it.
• TIP:  When it comes to your health, it’s always better to over-explain rather than under-explain.
• While not necessary, it can be reassuring to ask about aftercare in advance of the operation. This way, you can have a general idea of what kind of things you can eat, when you can shower and what you can do to encourage better healing.
• TIP:  You should be given a paper copy with your aftercare instructions when you are being discharged from the hospital. However, especially if you are having multiple procedures, writing down the instructions yourself on a notepad or calendar can prevent yourself from getting confused.
• If you want to guard yourself against improper practices, choose a clinic or hospital where CCTV cameras are installed in the operating theatre and request your operation be recorded. Furthermore, make sure your provider has the ability to administer appropriate treatment and provide patient transport in the event of an emergency.
  The ultimate thing patients must consider is that plastic surgery is still surgery. Complications are rare, and serious complications are exceedingly rare as medical regulation, training and technology have improved dramatically. But the chance of adverse outcomes is never 0%. A responsible cosmetic surgery provider will give you a full list of the possible adverse outcomes and allow you to read and understand it fully. Then you sign the document to confirm that you have read the contents and you wish to proceed. This is a very important step in the surgery process.

Korean Plastic Surgery: Step-by-Step:

Step 1: Online Consultation

For patients outside of Seoul or Korea, your first step will be the online consultation. You can have a consultation through email or other messaging services. At id Hospital we use email, WhatsApp, KakaoTalk, Line and WeChat among others. Even if you speak Korean fairly well, it’s advisable to get your consultation in your native language if it is available. This is because it’s extremely important that you understand the advice a consultant is giving you.
You will be required to give photos of the area of your body where you are considering getting surgery, a description of how you want to change it and any relevant medical history. For many types of procedures, costs can vary depending on how your body/face currently looks in comparison to your surgery goals. Online consultants can assess whether you are a suitable candidate for surgery, and what kind of surgery would be best to achieve your desired look. As well as giving guidance about travelling and finding accomodation in Korea. However, they are not medical doctors.
At id Hospital, online consultations are free and available in Korean, English, Chinese, Japanese, Arabic, Russian, Indonesian, Mongolian, Thai, Cambodian and Vietnamese.

Step 2: Book Face-to-Face Consultation and Prospective Surgery Dates

Once you have had your online consultation, it’s time for the big decision. There are so many factors that contribute to whether or not a person decides to commit to plastic surgery that they would fill an article in of themselves. However, to quickly cover the basics, it’s important to consider financing, time off work, health, travel, accommodation, recovery time, packing and preparing.
You will be asked your preferred date for your in-person consultation with your surgeon, and your surgery will be scheduled any time between the next day or a few days after. This can depend on your preference as well as surgeon availability.

Step 3: Arrive in Korea

Like any regular trip, you’ll need to plan how you’ll get from the airport to your accommodation. id Hospital offers an airport shuttle service as well as advice about hotels nearby. It’s also a good idea to familiarise yourself with how to call a taxi in Korea because patients who have just been discharged are strongly advised to not attempt to drive themselves or take public transport.
If you want to take advantage of the opportunity to explore Seoul or Korea, definitely do this before having surgery. Some people can underestimate how much energy your body needs while recovering, and this can leave you exhausted. Although this will range between people and between procedures.

Read our Article about the Ultimate Korea Travel Checklist

Read our Article about Planning Your Plastic Surgery Trip to Korea

Step 4: Have your In-Person Consultation

When you first arrive at the hospital, it will be the day of your in-person consultation. If you require a translator, they will collect you from the lobby and go with you to register your information. If you are a Korean-speaker, the receptionist will guide you to where you need to go.
The standard schedule at id Hospital is registering patient information using identity documents (usually a passport), taking medical photos, changing into hospital attire, preoperative testing such as blood tests and x-rays, sitting with a professional consultant to confirm medical information and fill out paperwork and then meeting your surgeon who will professionally assess the surgical area, ask you about your desired changes and explain what kind of results you can expect.
After that, your consultant will come back and discuss payment and answer any additional questions you would like to ask.
In Korea, it is common to pay for your surgical procedure separately from your post-surgical medications. So ask your consultant or translator about the medication costs and factor them into your budget.

Step 5: Have your Surgery

You will go to sleep. This is often the number one worry among patients going into surgery. However, best medical practice, which is followed at our hospital, is to have a dedicated anaesthesiologist monitoring the patient throughout the surgery who will be able to keep the patient in a state of relaxing sleep.
What is important to think about are the pre-surgery safety precautions you will be advised of:

• Do not eat or drink anything for a designated amount of time before your surgery, this includes water. Consuming any food or liquids during the fasting period can create a choking hazard during surgery.
• Do not smoke or drink alcohol on your surgery day or the day before your surgery. 
• Completely and thoroughly wash before your surgery. However, do not apply any lotions, perfumes etc. You will also be asked to wash your face and rinse your mouth after you arrive at the hospital.
• For sanitary reasons, you will be asked to remove any nail polish, manicure, pedicure, contact lenses, jewellery, hair pins or piercings and to tie your hair with a non-fabric elastic band.
• Only take your regular medications according to the schedule your plastic surgery hospital has provided.

On your surgery day, you will be taken by your translator to the ward where you can put your belongings in a locker and change into hospital attire. You will have a second consultation with your surgeon where they will confirm your surgical plan. A nurse will take your blood pressure and you will be asked questions to confirm your identity and health condition both when you arrive and at the door to the operating theatre. You will walk into theatre under your own power and be asked to lie down on the operating table. If you have a translator, they will come in with you and help translate between you and the medical staff. Once you have been put to sleep, they will leave. And your consulting surgeon, anaesthesiologist, and surgical nursing staff will begin the procedure.
After the surgery is over, you will be taken to a recovery room where staff can make sure you are safely coming round from anaesthesia. In a state of semi-consciousness, you will be brought back to your bed on the ward. Slowly, your conscious thought will come back, either while you are in the ward bed or on the way there.

Step 6: Recovery and Aftercare

People often think the surgery is the hard part, as the environment of operating theatres and preoperative processes are unusual for most people. In fact, the hard part will be the recovery. The surgical team have done their part of the work, and now it’s over to you. As mentioned earlier, the medication schedule and disinfection procedures can be a bit confusing when you’ve just come around from anaesthesia. So it could be a good idea to write everything down in your own words.
Spicy foods can contribute to increased swelling, and some procedures require inter-oral stitches, so eating something healthy easy to digest such as soup, shakes or Korean rice porridge (죽 : juk) is a good idea while you recover. Furthermore, gentle exercise such as walking will help to reduce swelling and will make you more comfortable.
Some patients see their swollen face and stitches and become very worried about how their results will look. But this stress might disrupt your healing in unexpected ways, such as preventing you from sleeping. Aftercare, soft foods, light exercise, rest and attending all of your follow up appointments are the only things you need to consider.

Keeping in Touch with Your Hospital and Consultant

After returning home, your online consultant is the first point of access between you and the hospital. If at any point you have questions or concerns, you can contact them via the same channels where you made your initial inquiry. Don’t feel embarrassed to ask about something regarding healing, swelling, scaring etc because it is the consultant’s job to help you, and they know that if you are happy positive word-of-mouth will spread.