Flying all the way for plastic surgery to Korea is no longer an unattainable dream. South Korea, widely known as “the capital of plastic surgery”, has been making headlines all over the world for having the highest plastic rate surgery rate per capita. According to an article by Business Insider, South Korea sees about 20 procedures per 1000 people, followed by the United States at 13 procedures per 1000 people.
These figures come with little surprise. South Korea boasts plastic surgeons with the expertise to promise natural-looking results, prompting more than 300,000 foreigners to visit the country every year for this purpose. Jivaka Care breaks down how much you’ll need to fork out if you’re considering plastic surgery options in South Korea.
Cost of Plastic Surgery in Korea
The cost of plastic surgery in Korea varies with procedures and clinic. In general, it is lot more affordable compared to their international counterparts. A surgery of a smaller scale, for example double-eyelid surgery, would cost anywhere between KRW 1,000,000 (USD 955) to KRW 2,520,000 (USD 2,302). As a comparison, a similar procedure in the USA would from USD 3,200. This is even before factoring considerations including anaesthesia and surgeon’s fee.
Clinics also offer competitive pricing for more extensive surgeries. Nasal augmentation surgeries, commonly known as nose jobs, may range from KRW 3,200,000 (USD 3,048) to KRW 4,800,000 (USD 4,571). Facial contouring surgery for a V-shaped face will cost around USD 9,600,000 (USD 9,143) to KRW 14,400,000 (USD 13,714). Facial contouring is a more difficult surgery requiring a longer recuperation time. Prices can go up to figures ranging from KRW 24,000,000 to KRW 62,000,000 (USD 20,000 – 55,000). To provide the best value to patients, many clinics also offer a complete surgery package. It allows you to get your eyes, nose, and lips done at the same time. These packages come at a more affordable price, and also has the added value of promising more harmonized results. Doctors can tweak each feature to simultaneously to best fit the patient’s face.
Patients may be subjected to higher expenditure in the event of revision surgeries, which is why choosing a trustworthy surgeon and clinic that gets it right on the get-go is essential.
The Process
Foreigners usually undergo consultations with the surgeons to determine the procedures and cost, before deciding on the surgery date. Approximately, you will need to stay in Korea at least a week for smaller scale surgeries. For more complicated ones, it could be up to two months.
We know that flying in to get surgery for the first time can be bother intimidating and confusing. Stories of plastic surgery botch jobs circulating on the internet, and expected language barrier with the clinic staff makes it even more challenging.
Here’s where we come in – we identify licensed and reputable clinics with English-speaking doctors and staff. We deploy designated Care Planner responsible for taking care of you and your surgery process from start to end. With Jivaka Care, foreigners can look forward to a seamless and worry-free plastic surgery experience.
If you need any guidance or advice to do plastic surgery safely in Korea, you can message us on Kakaotalk and website, or access our Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram!
Annisa Pratamasari contributed to this post.
