Seoul plastic surgery means operations on the eyelids, nose, jaw, face and body done in the capital's private surgical clinics, many of which see patients from abroad daily. Eyelid operations often take about an hour under local anesthesia with sedation, while a facelift or jaw reduction runs several hours under general anesthesia. Stitches usually come out around day five to seven, and many visitors fly home after one to two weeks once the surgeon clears them. Early shape shows within weeks, yet swelling keeps settling for three to twelve months. Fees are quoted per operation package before VAT. This page compares plastic surgery clinics in Seoul and lists their current fees.
Is it for you?
Who Plastic surgery in Korea suits, and who should wait
Surgery in Seoul fits adults in stable health who want a structural change that skin treatments cannot make: removing excess eyelid skin or fat, reshaping the nose, lifting a sagging lower face or narrowing the jaw. A good candidate has a specific concern and accepts that healing takes months.
It is a poor fit for someone who wants a different face rather than a refined one, who cannot pause smoking or blood thinning medicines, or who has only a few days in the city. Surgery also will not fix skin texture, pigment or fine lines; those respond to lasers, peels or injectables.
Usually a good fit
- Heavy upper lids or puffy lower lids
- A nose shape concern with healthy breathing
- Lower-face sagging beyond what lasers can lift
- Can stay in Seoul one to two weeks
May be better to wait
- Pregnancy or breastfeeding
- Active infection or skin disease on the area
- Old implants or filler in the zone not yet assessed
- Uncontrolled diabetes, heart disease or bleeding problems
Clinics in Korea
6 clinics for Plastic surgery in Korea
Short answer: for Plastic surgery in Korea, the 6 clinics compared on this page are ENTER Plastic Surgery, Rewind Plastic Surgery, Garnet Plastic Surgery, OPERA PLASTIC SURGERY, JN Plastic Surgery and Girin Plastic Surgery. Their published Plastic surgery prices start at ₩1,200,000 before VAT.
11. ENTER Plastic Surgery
Gangnam skin and lifting clinic with a facelift surgeon
- Skin plus surgery
- English & Japanese staff
- Station-front
Two floors (9F–10F) on Gangnam-daero, with hyperbaric oxygen, LED and IV drip recovery care in the same building. At ENTER Plastic Surgery in Gangnam-daero, Plastic surgery sits with thread lifts, facelift surgery and HIFU lifting among the treatments it focuses on. Its listed Plastic surgery price starts at ₩1,300,000 before VAT.
- Board-certified plastic surgeons on staff
- Botox, skin boosters and device lifting sit alongside eyelid and facelift surgery in one clinic.
- English- and Japanese-speaking staff, with WhatsApp booking before you travel.
- One minute from Nonhyeon Station Exit 4 on the Sinbundang Line, on Gangnam-daero.
- On-site hyperbaric oxygen, LED and IV drip care are available during recovery visits.
- Botox with a surgical option nearby
- Japanese-speaking visitors
- Eyelid or facelift planning trips
- Eyelid surgery
- SMAS facelift
- Botox
- Skinvive
- Onda
- MINT thread lift
- IV drip
- Location
- Gangnam-daero
- Plastic surgery
- Main treatment
- Listed price
- From ₩1,300,000 + VAT
22. Rewind Plastic Surgery
★ 5.054 Google reviewsApgujeong lifting surgery clinic with a skin-care side
- Surgical lifting
- Same surgeon throughout
- Calm, private floors
Two appointment-only floors above Nonhyeon-ro, laid out for calm and privacy, with a waiting lounge, consultation rooms and private rest rooms. At Rewind Plastic Surgery in Nonhyeon-ro, Plastic surgery sits with HIFU lifting, RF lifting and Botox among the treatments it focuses on. Staff communicate in English and Español. Its listed Plastic surgery price starts at ₩1,200,000 before VAT.
- Board-certified plastic surgeons on staff
- Menu centres on facelift, neck lift, double-chin liposuction and eyelid surgery.
- 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.
- Interpreter-assisted consultations via WhatsApp or Instagram, with English-subtitled doctor explainer videos.
- Visitors weighing surgical vs device lifting
- Jawline and neck concerns
- Combining Botox with lifting consult
- Facelift
- Neck lift
- Double-chin liposuction
- Eyelid surgery
- Ultherapy Prime
- Thermage FLX
- Botox
- Location
- Nonhyeon-ro
- Languages
- English · Español
- Plastic surgery
- Main treatment
- Listed price
- From ₩1,200,000 + VAT
33. Garnet Plastic Surgery
Apgujeong surgeon-led clinic for eyes, nose and facelifts
- Surgeon-led care
- Eyes, nose & lifting
- Small, calm schedule
A fifth-floor clinic in Apgujeong's ISA Building, five minutes from Apgujeong Station, kept unhurried by a deliberately small daily surgery schedule. Garnet Plastic Surgery is a plastic surgery clinic near Apgujeong Station. Plastic surgery is one of its main treatments, alongside facelift surgery and thread lifts. Staff communicate in English. Its listed Plastic surgery price starts at ₩2,000,000 before VAT.
- Board-certified plastic surgeons on staff
- The same surgeon meets you, operates and follows up, with no counsellor hand-off or substitute doctor.
- Known for registered technique names such as Quad Plus lower blepharoplasty and the Deep mini facelift.
- An English-speaking coordinator reviews your photos by WhatsApp, LINE or email before you book flights.
- Planned reviews at one, three and six months, plus messenger follow-up once you are home.
- Eyelid and under-eye surgery
- Revision or implant-free rhinoplasty
- Facelift and neck contouring
- Lower blepharoplasty
- Ptosis correction
- Rhinoplasty
- Revision rhinoplasty
- Deep mini facelift
- Forehead reduction
- Fixpoint Thread Lift
- Location
- Apgujeong Station (Line 3), ~4 min walk (294 m)
- Languages
- English
- Plastic surgery
- Main treatment
- Listed price
- From ₩2,000,000 + VAT
44. OPERA PLASTIC SURGERY
★ 4.6127 Google reviewsGangnam plastic surgery clinic for contouring and breast surgery
- Facial contouring
- Full surgical range
- Gangnam-daero location
On the 7th floor of the Brand Building on Gangnam-daero; the site has an 'Inside Opera' photo tour of the facility. OPERA PLASTIC SURGERY is a plastic surgery clinic near Nonhyeon Station. Plastic surgery is one of its main treatments, alongside Botox and fillers. Staff communicate in English and 中文.
- Board-certified plastic surgeons on staff
- Surgical menu spans facial contouring, breast, eye, nose, body contouring and men's surgery.
- Runs a dedicated anaesthesia system and post-operative aftercare programme.
- Offers consultations through WhatsApp and Kakao, with sites in eight languages.
- Facial contouring packages
- Breast surgery
- Eye and nose combinations
- Facial contouring 3 packages
- V-line surgery
- Breast augmentation
- 3N double eyelid
- Soft rhinoplasty
- OV lifting
- Location
- Nonhyeon Station (Line 7) Exit 4, 1 min walk
- Languages
- English · 中文
- Plastic surgery
- Main treatment
55. JN Plastic Surgery
Eye, nose, lifting and body filler surgery in Gangnam
- Plastic surgery
- Thread lifting
- Revision care
A 3rd-floor clinic on Gangnam-daero in Yeoksam-dong; the site shows interior photos but describes little of the space. At JN Plastic Surgery near Gangnam Station, Plastic surgery sits with HIFU lifting, RF lifting and Botox among the treatments it focuses on. Staff communicate in 中文.
- Board-certified plastic surgeons on staff
- Signature 4-way thread lift is designed to pull, fill, tidy and firm by area.
- Separate centers for first-time surgery, revision surgery and anti-aging facelifts.
- Nose surgery options include implant-free rhinoplasty using the patient's own tissue, planned with 3D-CT.
- Thread lifting and jawline
- Eye and nose surgery
- Pelvic and body filler
- 4-way thread lift
- Double chin lifting
- Semi-out double eyelid
- Implant-free rhinoplasty
- Facial contouring
- Pelvic filler
- Location
- Gangnam Station (Line 2 / Sinbundang Line), about 5 minutes on foot
- Languages
- 中文
- Plastic surgery
- Main treatment
66. Girin Plastic Surgery
★ 4.92,932 Google reviewsFull-scope plastic surgery with international recovery support
- Full-scope surgery
- Recovery program
- Two-floor setup
Occupies Seocho W Tower, with the surgical center on the 7th floor and a separate counseling center on the 8th floor. Girin Plastic Surgery is a plastic surgery clinic near Sinnonhyeon Station. Plastic surgery is one of its main treatments, alongside HIFU lifting, RF lifting and Botox. Staff communicate in English, 中文, 日本語 and ไทย.
- Covers eye, nose, facial contouring, breast and body surgery alongside dermatology.
- Recovery program adds post-surgery IV therapy and hyperbaric oxygen sessions for international patients.
- Language consultants assist international patients 24 hours a day.
- Facial contouring and rhinoplasty
- Solo international travelers
- Combined surgery and skin care
- Rhinoplasty
- Double eyelid surgery
- Double jaw surgery
- Breast augmentation
- Liposuction
- Stem cell therapy
- Ultherapy Prime
- Location
- Sinnonhyeon Station Exit 7, 2 min walk (Gangnam Station Exit 10, 5 min walk)
- Languages
- English · 中文 · 日本語 · ไทย
- Plastic surgery
- Main treatment
How it works
How a Plastic surgery session runs
Most operations in Seoul fall into two groups: eyelid and nose work done under local anesthesia with intravenous sedation, and lifting or bone operations done under general anesthesia. For the upper eyelid, a 2025 systematic review by Jin and colleagues in Aesthetic Plastic Surgery broke incisional double-fold surgery in Asian patients into three steps: thinning the lid tissue, adjusting the muscle that raises the lid, and joining skin to the deeper layer to form the fold. Surgeons still debate how to balance fold stability with natural movement.
Lower eyelid bags are often treated from inside the lid, leaving no outer scar. In a 2025 retrospective study by Liu and colleagues in the same journal, 208 lower lid operations were compared, and grafting minced orbital fat into the tear trough gave better hollow correction than moving the fat in place, with no significant difference in complications. For the lower face, a 2025 meta-analysis by Khoury and colleagues pooled 21 studies with 2,896 patients and found satisfaction of 94.4% after deep plane facelifts and 87.8% after SMAS facelifts, while overall complication rates were 17.2% and 10.3%.
Fees in the city are set per operation, so the consultation plan, including cartilage or fat source, anesthesia type and the number of areas, shapes the quote more than the address.
Remote pre-consultation
Weeks ahead, you send front and side photos, medical history and medicines, and get a provisional plan and operating dates.
In-person consultation and tests
On arrival, the surgeon examines and marks the plan; blood tests, an ECG and sometimes a CT scan follow. Sign consent only once every question is answered.
Anesthesia and operation
After fasting, sedation or general anesthesia is given and monitored. Eyelid work lasts about one to two hours; a facelift or jaw reduction can take four hours or more.
Recovery room and first night
You rest for one to several hours while nurses check bleeding and pain; longer operations may include a night's stay.
Follow-up and clearance
Stitches come out around day five to seven, and a final check confirms you can fly with written aftercare and the operative record.
Plastic surgery compared with other options
| Incisional upper eyelid | Lower lid from inside | SMAS facelift | Deep plane facelift | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Incision | Crease line on the upper lid | Inside the lower lid | In front of and behind the ear | In front of and behind the ear |
| Layer worked on | Skin, muscle, fat, lifting muscle | Orbital fat, tear trough | Fibrous layer under the skin | Below the fibrous layer, released and moved as one unit |
| Main effect | Defined fold, less hooding | Smoother lid to cheek line | Lifts jawline and jowls | Lifts jowls and midface |
| Usual anesthesia | Local with sedation | Local with sedation | General or deep sedation | General |
| Visible downtime | About one to two weeks | About one to two weeks | About two to three weeks | About two to three weeks |
At a glance
Plastic surgery facts
| Procedure type | Incisional surgery, plus suture-based eyelid methods |
|---|---|
| Common operations | Eyelid surgery, rhinoplasty, facelift, jaw contouring |
| Anesthesia | Local with sedation for lids; general for lifts and bone work |
| Operation length | About one hour for lids to four hours or more for a facelift |
| Stitch removal | Usually days five to seven |
| Main swelling | One to three weeks |
| Earliest flight home | After stitch removal and a final check, often 7 to 14 days |
| Settled result | Three to twelve months, depending on the area |
| Fee unit | Per operation package, before VAT |
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 clinicsRecovery
What the days after look like
Pressure, tightness and oozing at the incisions are normal. Keep your head raised and use cold packs.
Swelling and bruising peak. Short walks help circulation; skip alcohol and hot showers.
Stitches or splints come out and most bruising turns yellow. Many people can go outside with sunglasses or a mask.
Visible swelling eases enough for daily life, though the area still feels stiff or numb.
Scars fade and fine swelling settles; the nose and jaw take longest. The final shape is judged at this stage.
Safety
Plastic surgery risks and limits
- Swelling, bruising, tightness and temporary numbness are expected
- Bleeding under the skin, infection or slow wound healing may need treatment
- Asymmetry, visible scars or an uneven eyelid fold can need revision
- Facelift and jaw surgery can injure nerves, causing lasting weakness or numbness
- General anesthesia plus an early long flight raises clot risk
- Surgery reshapes structure but does not stop aging or fix skin quality
Evidence
Research behind this page
- Minced Orbital Fat Grafting Versus Orbital Fat Repositioning in TCLB for a Young Chinese Population with Eyelid Bags and Tear Trough DeformitiesAesthetic Plastic Surgery · 2025 · Liu J, Huang J, Zhang J, Chen X, Wen K, Wang J · doi:10.1007/s00266-025-05289-7
In 208 lower blepharoplasties from inside the lid, minced orbital fat grafting gave greater tear trough correction than fat repositioning, with similar complication rates.
- The Deep Plane versus SMAS Facelift: A Systematic Review and Meta-AnalysisAesthetic Plastic Surgery · 2025 · Khoury S, Almubarak Z, Khan H, Boldt G, Villemure-Poliquin N, Nichols A · doi:10.1007/s00266-025-05118-x
Pooled 21 studies with 2,896 patients; both techniques gave high, lasting satisfaction, with higher satisfaction and a higher overall complication rate for the deep plane facelift.
- Surgical Decision Making in Incisional Blepharoplasty in AsiansAesthetic Plastic Surgery · 2025 · Jin S, Zhong F, del Hernandez A, Zhu S, Zang M, Li S, et al. · doi:10.1007/s00266-025-05427-1
Reviewed incisional double-fold techniques in Asian patients and described the core steps of tissue debulking, lid-lifting adjustment and fold fixation, noting no consensus on the ideal balance.
FAQ
Questions about Plastic surgery in Korea
How many days should I stay in Seoul after an operation?
Plan for at least seven days after eyelid or nose surgery and about two weeks after a facelift or jaw reduction. Those windows cover stitch removal, dressing changes and the final check the surgeon wants before clearing you to fly. If your schedule is tight, choose an operation with a shorter recovery rather than cutting the stay short. Booking a few spare days also helps.
Will the surgeon who consults me be the one who operates?
Ask this directly and get the answer written into the consent form. Most clinics in the city name the operating surgeon at consultation, but larger teams sometimes split consultations and operations between doctors. Knowing who will operate lets you ask about their own experience with your exact procedure and how they handle complications. Get the name in writing before any deposit.
Is general anesthesia used for every operation?
No, eyelid surgery and many nose operations are done under local anesthesia with intravenous sedation, so you breathe on your own and wake quickly. Facelifts, jaw reduction and body operations usually need general anesthesia with a breathing tube. Ask who gives the anesthesia, how you are monitored and what fasting is required the night before. Mention any past reaction to anesthesia.
Can I fly home with stitches still in place?
It is generally discouraged because swelling increases with cabin pressure, and stitch problems are hard to fix mid-trip. Most surgeons remove stitches around day five to seven and want one more look before you board. After general anesthesia, walk in the aisle, drink water and wear compression stockings to lower blood clot risk. Short regional flights carry the same advice.
How should I choose a plastic surgery clinic in Seoul?
Start with the operation you need and look for a team that does it often, then compare how clearly each consultation explains risk. A careful plastic surgery clinic in Seoul shows the incision plan, names the operating surgeon, lists the materials it will use and explains its transfer arrangement with a hospital. Treat any pressure to decide on the same day as a warning sign.
Will language be a problem at a plastic surgery clinic in Seoul?
Usually not, since many clinics in the city run consultations in English and often in Chinese or Japanese too. Ask whether an interpreter sits with the surgeon during the consultation itself, not only at reception, and request consent forms and aftercare instructions in a language you read well. Misunderstanding the plan is a common cause of disappointment after surgery. Bring a written list of goals.
Is a deep plane facelift riskier than an SMAS facelift?
Pooled data suggest slightly more complications with the deep plane method, though both are well established. In the 2025 meta-analysis by Khoury and colleagues in Aesthetic Plastic Surgery, overall complications were reported more often after deep plane facelifts, while satisfaction was high with both. The surgeon's own experience with a technique often matters more than the label. Ask how many of each the surgeon performs.
Can two operations be done in one session?
Yes, eyelid and nose work or a facelift with eyelid surgery are often combined, which means one anesthesia and one recovery period. The trade-off is a longer operation, more swelling and a higher chance of complications. Ask whether the combined time stays within safe limits for you and how the stay in the city changes. Some surgeons prefer to stage them on separate trips.
What signs after surgery need urgent attention?
Seek help at once for swelling that grows quickly on one side, bleeding that soaks the dressing, fever, spreading redness, sudden vision change after eyelid surgery, or chest pain and shortness of breath. Call the clinic first if you are still in the city. If you are already home, go to a local emergency department and bring your operative record.
How does follow-up work after I leave Seoul?
Most clinics ask for photos at set points, often at one, three and six months, and reply through messages or video calls. Get the operative note, implant or material details and a medicine list in English before you go. Agree in writing how revisions are handled and who pays if you need to travel back. Keep copies on your phone as well.