Asian rhinoplasty in Korea is nose surgery shaped by three anatomical points that vary widely between people: how thick the nasal skin is, how strong the tip cartilages are, and how much cartilage the septum can spare. Those points, more than any target shape, decide the method. When the septum cannot supply enough support, surgeons turn to ear or rib cartilage.
Clinics in Korea
5 clinics for Plastic surgery in Korea
| # | Clinic | Devices & products | Area | Languages | Listed price | Google rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | ENTER Plastic Surgery | SMAS facelift · Blepharoplasty · Rhinoplasty · Fat grafting | Gangnam-daero | - | ₩1,300,000 | - |
| 2 | Rewind Plastic Surgery | Mini facelift · Blepharoplasty · Rhinoplasty · Fat grafting | Nonhyeon-ro | English · Español | ₩1,200,000 | 5.0 (54) |
| 3 | Garnet Plastic Surgery | Mini facelift · Blepharoplasty · Rhinoplasty · Fat grafting | Apgujeong Station | English | ₩2,000,000 | - |
| 4 | OPERA PLASTIC SURGERY | Mini facelift · Blepharoplasty · Rhinoplasty | Nonhyeon Station | English · 中文 | - | 4.6 (127) |
| 5 | JN Plastic Surgery | Facelift · Blepharoplasty · Rhinoplasty | Gangnam Station | 中文 | - | - |
11. ENTER Plastic Surgery
ENTER Plastic Surgery runs a plastic surgery clinic in Gangnam-daero. Plastic surgery is offered here together with thread lifts, facelift surgery and HIFU lifting. Its listed plastic surgery price starts from ₩1,300,000 + VAT.
Gangnam skin and lifting clinic with a facelift surgeon
- Skin plus surgery
- English & Japanese staff
- Station-front
- Board-certified plastic surgeons on staff
- Eyelid and facelift surgery here is planned and performed by the same surgeon, with hyperbaric oxygen and IV drips available afterwards.
- English- and Japanese-speaking staff, with WhatsApp booking before you travel.
Eyelid or facelift planning trips · Japanese-speaking visitors
- Location
- Gangnam-daero
- Listed price
- From ₩1,300,000 + VAT
22. Rewind Plastic Surgery
★ 5.054 Google reviewsRewind Plastic Surgery is a plastic surgery clinic in Nonhyeon-ro, rated 5.0 from 54 Google reviews. It offers plastic surgery alongside HIFU lifting, RF lifting and Botox. Consultations are available in English and Spanish; its listed plastic surgery price starts from ₩1,200,000 + VAT.
Apgujeong lifting surgery clinic with a skin-care side
- Surgical lifting
- Same surgeon throughout
- Calm, private floors
- Board-certified plastic surgeons on staff
- The same surgeon carries each case from first consultation to final follow-up.
- Botox, Ultherapy Prime, Thermage FLX, Rejuran and Juvelook are offered, planned separately from surgery.
Combining Botox with lifting consult · Jawline and neck concerns
- Location
- Nonhyeon-ro
- Languages
- English · Español
- Listed price
- From ₩1,200,000 + VAT
33. Garnet Plastic Surgery
Garnet Plastic Surgery is a plastic surgery clinic a 4-minute walk from Apgujeong Station. Its menu covers plastic surgery as well as facelift surgery and thread lifts. Staff consult in English; listed plastic surgery prices start at ₩2,000,000 + VAT.
Apgujeong surgeon-led clinic for eyes, nose and facelifts
- Surgeon-led care
- Eyes, nose & lifting
- Small, calm schedule
- Board-certified plastic surgeons on staff
- Planned reviews at one, three and six months, plus messenger follow-up once you are home.
- The same surgeon meets you, operates and follows up, with no counsellor hand-off or substitute doctor.
Facelift and neck contouring · Eyelid and under-eye surgery
- Location
- Apgujeong Station (Line 3), ~4 min walk (294 m)
- Languages
- English
- Listed price
- From ₩2,000,000 + VAT
44. OPERA PLASTIC SURGERY
★ 4.6127 Google reviewsOPERA PLASTIC SURGERY sits a 1-minute walk from Nonhyeon Station Exit 4, a plastic surgery clinic that holds a 4.6 Google rating across 127 reviews. Plastic surgery is offered here together with Botox and fillers. Consultations are available in English and Chinese.
Gangnam plastic surgery clinic for contouring and breast surgery
- Facial contouring
- Full surgical range
- Gangnam-daero location
- Board-certified plastic surgeons on staff
- Offers consultations through WhatsApp and Kakao, with sites in eight languages.
- Surgical menu spans facial contouring, breast, eye, nose, body contouring and men's surgery.
Eye and nose combinations · Facial contouring packages
- Location
- Nonhyeon Station (Line 7) Exit 4, 1 min walk
- Languages
- English · 中文
55. JN Plastic Surgery
JN Plastic Surgery runs a plastic surgery clinic a 5-minute walk from Gangnam Station. It offers plastic surgery alongside HIFU lifting, RF lifting and Botox. Consultations are available in Chinese.
Eye, nose, lifting and body filler surgery in Gangnam
- Plastic surgery
- Thread lifting
- Revision care
- Board-certified plastic surgeons on staff
- Nose surgery options include implant-free rhinoplasty using the patient's own tissue, planned with 3D-CT.
- Signature 4-way thread lift is designed to pull, fill, tidy and firm by area.
Pelvic and body filler · Eye and nose surgery
- Location
- Gangnam Station (Line 2 / Sinbundang Line), about 5 minutes on foot
- Languages
- 中文
Prices
Plastic surgery cost in Korea
Prices below come from the listed clinics' own price lists, before VAT. 10% VAT is added at payment.
Non-incisional (buried) double eyelid
Price at 1 listed clinic · approx. $873₩1,200,000 + VATCompare clinicsMedial epicanthoplasty
Price at 1 listed clinic · approx. $873₩1,200,000 + VATCompare clinicsLateral/lower/upper canthoplasty
Price at 1 listed clinic · approx. $873₩1,200,000 + VATCompare clinicsEpicanthoplasty — medial or upper (each)
Price at 1 listed clinic · approx. $945₩1,300,000 + VATCompare clinicsNon-incisional (buried suture) double eyelid
Price at 1 listed clinic · approx. $1,164₩1,600,000 + VATCompare clinicsPartial-incision double eyelid
Price at 1 listed clinic · approx. $1,309₩1,800,000 + VATCompare clinicsIncisional double eyelid surgery
Price at 1 listed clinic · approx. $1,455₩2,000,000 + VATCompare clinicsDouble eyelid — buried (non-incisional)
Price at 1 listed clinic · approx. $1,455From ₩2,000,000 + VATCompare clinicsGuide
Skin thickness and what it lets a surgeon change
Nasal skin ranges from thin and tight to thick and oily, with more soft tissue beneath it. Many patients of East and Southeast Asian heritage fall toward the thicker end, but plenty do not, and the exam matters more than any label. Thick skin hides fine cartilage detail, so small refinements barely show through it.
Definition in a thick-skinned nose therefore comes from a stronger framework that pushes outward, not from cutting cartilage away. Thinning the tissue under the skin is done sparingly, since it can harm blood supply. Thick skin also holds swelling longer, so the final tip shape takes many months to appear.
Guide
Why tip support sits at the center of the plan
Smaller or softer lower lateral cartilages and a short columella are common findings. Under a heavy skin envelope, these cartilages cannot hold a raised tip by themselves. Surgeons therefore build support: a strut between the cartilages, or an extension graft fixed to the septum that sets tip height and length.
That support has to resist the skin pressing down for years. Heavy trimming of the tip cartilages, common in thin-skinned noses, often works against this goal. The aim is a tip that suits the face and stays where it was placed.
Guide
Choosing a graft source: septum, ear or rib
Raising a low bridge and supporting the tip both need material. Your own cartilage carries no foreign body, but each donor site has limits, and a small or previously operated septum often cannot do both jobs.
| Source | Amount available | Character | Common use | Donor-site note |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Septum | Modest, often small | Straight and firm | Struts and extension grafts | Inside the nose, no outer scar |
| Ear | Small | Curved and soft | Tip shaping, small fills | Scar hidden behind or in the ear |
| Rib | Large | Strong, can warp after carving | Bridge, strong tip support, revisions | Short chest scar and chest pain for a time |
Guide
How rib cartilage is taken and carved
Rajbhandari and Kao described this work step by step in a 2019 paper in Plastic and Aesthetic Research on costal cartilage grafts in Asian rhinoplasty. They covered harvesting the rib, carving the grafts and placing them, along with the difficulties that come up at each stage.
A segment of a lower rib is removed through a short chest incision. Carving then takes time. Cartilage bends when its outer layers are cut unevenly, so grafts are cut in balanced slices and often rested before use, letting any bend show first. For a smooth bridge, some surgeons dice the cartilage and shape it as a mass instead of one solid strip.
Guide
Rib graft complications and how they are reduced
Won and Jin reviewed these problems in a 2020 paper in Facial Plastic Surgery. They noted that rib cartilage use in Asian rhinoplasty has grown because it is plentiful, well tolerated and versatile, but that it brings its own complications, many of which can be lowered by following recommended techniques. Their list includes:
- Warping: a carved graft bends after surgery and tilts the bridge
- Infection around the graft
- Displacement: a graft shifts from where it was fixed
- At the chest: pneumothorax, pain and a visible scar
Evidence
Research behind this page
- Complications of Costal Cartilage Asian Rhinoplasty and Their ManagementFacial Plastic Surgery · 2020 · doi:10.1055/s-0040-1717146
Review of warping, infection, displacement and donor-site problems such as pneumothorax, pain and chest scars in costal cartilage Asian rhinoplasty, with techniques for preventing and managing them.
- Costal cartilage graft in Asian rhinoplasty: surgical techniquesPlastic and Aesthetic Research · 2019 · doi:10.20517/2347-9264.2018.86
Describes autologous grafts for Asian rhinoplasty and the techniques and difficulties of harvesting, carving and placing rib cartilage grafts.
FAQ
Questions about Plastic surgery in Korea
Which clinics offer Plastic surgery in Korea?
Clinics offering Plastic surgery in Korea include ENTER Plastic Surgery (Gangnam-daero), Rewind Plastic Surgery (Nonhyeon-ro), Garnet Plastic Surgery (Apgujeong Station), OPERA PLASTIC SURGERY (Nonhyeon Station) and JN Plastic Surgery (Gangnam Station). Each lists Plastic surgery on its own menu; message the clinic directly to confirm the doctor, product and current price.
Can thick nasal skin be thinned during asian rhinoplasty in Korea?
Only a little, and surgeons do it cautiously. Some soft tissue under the tip skin can be trimmed, but taking too much risks the skin's blood supply and can leave it fragile or scarred. Most of the visible change in a thick-skinned nose comes from a firmer cartilage framework beneath it. Expect the tip to look fuller for months while swelling settles, and ask how the surgeon manages that stage.
Is this kind of nose surgery usually done with an open or a closed approach?
Structural work is usually done open, through a small cut across the columella. That view lets the surgeon fix struts and extension grafts precisely, which matters when the tip must resist heavy skin. A closed approach, with all cuts inside the nose, can suit smaller changes. The columella scar is usually faint once healed; ask to see where it will sit.
What does warping mean for a rib cartilage graft?
Warping is a slow bend in a carved rib graft after it is placed. It happens because cartilage holds internal tension, and cutting one side more than the other releases it unevenly. A warped bridge graft can tilt the nose to one side. Surgeons lower the risk with balanced carving, resting grafts before use, or using diced cartilage, and a noticeable bend may need a revision.
Can rib cartilage still be used once it has started to harden with age?
Often yes, but it becomes harder to work with. Rib cartilage tends to calcify with age, turning stiff and brittle in places, so it is harder to carve into thin, even pieces. Some surgeons check this with imaging before surgery and adjust the plan, for example by dicing more of the cartilage. Ask how your age and any imaging findings change the method.
How serious is the chest risk when a rib segment is removed?
The main chest risk is pneumothorax, air entering the space around the lung if its lining is torn during harvest. Won and Jin listed it with pain and chest scars as donor-site problems in their 2020 review, and surgeons check for a tear before closing. Chest soreness for some days after surgery is usual. Shortness of breath or sharp chest pain needs prompt review.
Why would a surgeon choose ear cartilage over rib?
Ear cartilage suits small, curved jobs, and taking it is a minor step with a hidden scar. It works well for tip shaping or a small fill, but it is too soft and curved to hold up a long bridge or a heavily projected tip. Rib is chosen when strength and volume are needed. Many plans combine sources, using septum or ear for the tip and rib or an implant for the bridge.
Does a cartilage-built bridge feel different from an implant?
It can feel firmer and slightly less smooth to the touch, and it is part of your own tissue. An implant is uniform and quick to place but remains a foreign body that can move, show through thin skin or become infected years later. A rib or diced cartilage bridge avoids that, at the cost of a donor site and a longer operation. The right choice depends on your skin, height goal and any earlier surgery.