Detailed personal experience of what liposuction in Korea is like

Have you been considering traveling to Korea for liposuction or for any other cosmetic surgery? Wondering if prices really are cheaper? Are the Korean doctors and surgeons really THAT good?

Honestly, it depends. Some procedures like LASIK, I can say are 100% worth traveling to Korea for. While I haven't had a rhinoplasty, the doctors here are superb and I have several friends that would vouch for that procedure. BUT, that's not why you're reading this specific article. No need to worry, I’ve done all the research on liposuction in Korea for you. Here’s my complete experience, from start to finish.

Contents

My Weightloss Background

I'm a bi-racial Asian/White woman. I was a collegiate athlete and bikini model in my early 20's. Post-college/post-athletic career, my weight started to become a frustration of mine. I love working out, but sometimes life gets in the way. For over 7 years, my weight has been fluctuating, leaving me frustrated, upset, and dealing with body issues I never had before. Naturally, I started exploring different ways to lose weight for good.

My first consultation was years ago when I was much closer to my goal weight. It took place in Los Angeles and was for CoolSculpting, a non-invasive procedure that freezes fat, which is then eliminated through your workout routine.

 
I’d recommend considering it if you're at or within 1-3kg (5-7lbs) of your goal weight. That clinic ended up prescribing me Phentermine, a prescription-strength appetite suppressant. Unfortunately, it didn’t have the desired effect and only made my weight fluctuations worse. So I took the time over the past couple of years to really dig into my options, and I settled on getting liposuction. I was a bit further from my goal weight weight ~10kg(~20lbs). I saw lipo as my springboard to seeing results and recompositioning my body for more muscle.

I ended up pre-pricing out around 10-12 different clinics before deciding which clinics to attend for an in-person consultation. I won't go over all of the clinics with you, but will cover some of my favorites and, of course, the clinic I eventually settled on. I think it's vital that you have someone that is a native to your chosen language to go with you. If you don't have someone, check out services like Shin Medical that offer native speaking English translators and specialize in patient consultation in Seoul, Korea. A great deal of my confusion, frustrations and doubts, I would link to non-native translators. 

*All prices and quotes are for the full abdomen, flanks/love handles, and bra-line/waistline. During all of my consultations, I made it clear that my main focus was on enhancing my waistline for an hourglass figure. I didn’t inquire about face, arm, or thigh liposuction, etc.

**Pro-tip: A lot of clinics in Korea will quote you some pretty insane pricing and let you know they'll provide a discount at a consultation. Go ahead and let them know some of the other quotes you already have and if they can't go ahead and give you a better quote, you'll just go elsewhere. Generally, they will give you the actual price at this point or something much closer to it.
 

Liposuction Consultations

 
Below is a detailed guide of my experiences visiting various liposuction clinics in Seoul, South Korea. This overview offers insights into each clinic’s approach, staff professionalism, and overall atmosphere to help you make informed decisions. After thorough consideration of all the clinics I visited, I ultimately chose 365mc for my procedures.
 

1. Lydian Plastic Surgery Clinic

By far the best consultation experience! Dr. An at Lydian Plastic surgery was my first liposuction consultation in Seoul and that unfortunately might have been to his detriment. He's really blunt and straight to the point, which I had a hard time feeling at ease during the moment. But in retrospect, after dealing with a lot of consultations and non-sense, I came to really appreciate that about him. I think I passed because he was the first consultation and I was still planning to have consultations at other clinics too. Here are some of the things I really liked about Lydian:

• Dr. An is the only surgeon in this office, so he will perform both your consultation and surgery. This may not happen at a lot of other clinics.
• He is fluent in English, so you don't have to worry about getting your wants and needs across. The downside, his assistant isn't, so going over pricing gets confusing.
• He doesn't beat around the bush or give you insane pricing before offering discounts.
• He specializes in lipo and 5D liposculpture. He also works with you on a plan to ensure you still preserve your BBL after 10 years.

This was my favorite facility. That might just be location or interior, but everyone and everything felt professional. You leave feeling complete confidence that they know what they're doing and you'll get great results.
  
Find more info about Lydian Liposuction Clinic on their official website or reach out to Lydian Clinic on WhatsApp with any questions you might have.  
 

2. 365mc

 
365mc is the clinic I ended up choosing as they were the best bang for your buck. They're a clinic that specializes in weight loss, so naturally they perform a lot of liposuction procedures. In fact, it's one of the best in Seoul. They also offer other weight management procedures such as LAMS, a weight loss injectable for those further from their goal weight.

Here are some of the pros:

• Specialize in weight loss, so you'll get a consultation during recovery with a nutritionist to help you maintain long-term goals. 
• All the post-care massages/treatments were included in the price. I didn't have to worry about booking and paying for additional services, it was just included in the price.
• Since they perform the most liposuction procedures in Seoul, you'll have a plethora of before and after photos to review.
• They were one of the more affordable clinics. My original quote was ~7.5M won, final price ~9M.

Find more info about 365mc Clinic on their official website. 
   

Liposuction Experience

Below is an overview of my complete experience with liposuction in Korea! From start to finish.

1. Preparation and Pre-Surgery

Now that I was finally booked for surgery, there was a lot of preparation to take care of! Liposuction takes around 4-6 weeks to start seeing results, so it is best to be prepared. It is highly recommended to get all the items you'll need before the day of your surgery. These are things you will need to prepare:

• 2 or more sets of compression garments or Fajas: You live in these garments now. You can't even take them off other than to shower. If you're like me and would like to smell nice, you will want to grab a minimum of 2 sets of full-body fajas.
• Foam boards: Find a set that includes pieces for the front, lower back/lumbar support, and flanks. These will enhance compression during the first few weeks of recovery.
• Rolling pin or foam roller: If you had fat from your back removed, this will make reaching those areas for lymphatic massages much easier.
• Waterproof and regular band-aids: I was told I could shower 72 hours after surgery as long as I wore waterproof band-aids. After each shower, I had to disinfect and re-cover the stitches. This routine continued until my stitches were removed. With 11 incision points, I went through a lot of band-aids!
• Painkillers: There are specific painkillers you can and cannot use, so be sure to ask your doctor.
• Pillows: Grab a couple extra or one firm one to keep yourself elevated while you sleep. It will help you heal faster.
• T-shirt dresses or other loose non-elastic clothing: Yes, I KNOW everything online says sweatpants, but you can't wear elastic bands for a couple of months (length of time varies by doctor). The elastic can cause deformities in your new body shape. Grab some cute recovery clothes to live in on top of your garments.

In addition to this list of items to pick up, I watched how to perform lymphatic massages at home to educate and prepare myself for how uncomfortable I was about to get.

Note: here are a few other pre-surgery items. 

• Do not drink or smoke at least one week before surgery. This can mess with your anesthesia.
• Stop taking all non-prescribed medication a month prior. Check with your doctor about prescribed meds.
• Fast 8 hours prior to surgery.

 

2. Day of Surgery

I arrived at the liposuction clinic ready to go! A translator was available to assist me right up until the surgery. I changed into a gown and handed my underwear and socks to a nurse, who would help dress me after the procedure. Once I was ready, I met with the two surgeons who would be operating—one for my arms and another for my midsection.

The surgeon for my arms was very straightforward and set expectations well. She let me know where and how much she would remove. Additionally, she informed me about what they saw as my goal weight. I mentioned that I was close to my goal weight but wanted to gain more muscle. She reassured me that gaining muscle would still align with my target weight. After that, she marked my arms, and I was ready to go.

Next, we discussed my midsection. The surgeon and I went back and forth on my desired look, and I emphasized focusing on my waistline. I found out the bra-line/waistline wasn’t included in my package, so I added it for an extra cost since I felt removing my love handles but leaving the bra-line would make me look more top-heavy. After paying, the surgeon marked my body, and I was sent for final preparations.

The nurse, translator, anesthesiologist, and I made our way down to the surgery room. Since my arms were one of my target areas, they inserted an IV into my foot. They then bathed me in iodine. I didn’t realize how strong iodine smells, but in large amounts, it’s really noticeable! As I was having a large amount of my body worked on, I was put to sleep. It was my first time, so I wasn’t sure what to expect. I asked if it would feel like gently drifting off to sleep, but before they could answer, the anesthesia hit me like the rush of a great time at a music festival, and that was it!

Groggy and feeling like I’d been hit by a train—or dealing with the worst hangover of my 30s—I woke up in my assigned recovery room already wearing my compression garments.

The recovery nurses told me to take my time and let them know when I was ready for a light meal. Once I felt ready, I pressed the button on my bed, and a nurse brought me rice porridge. After I finished eating, the nurse let me know we’d be heading to the bathroom in 5 minutes. I told her I didn’t need to go, but she used her phone to translate that I had to pee in order to wake up properly. She handed me a bottle of water, which I quickly chugged, and then helped me down the hall to the bathroom. I'm thankful for her because there is no way I would've been able to reclose my compression garment without her. Not too long after, I took a taxi home.

3. First Week of Recovery

At the time of writing this blog, it's been a week since my liposuction surgery. It is vital that you follow instructions post-surgery to prevent complications and see the best results. Daily, I have been walking a minimum of 2-hours. My meals consist mostly of lean proteins, veggies, and rice. There is some bread, but I'm definitely cautious to not overdo it. I wear my compression garments 24/7, except for showers, and was back to my regular work routine the next day.

Over the course of the first 4-5 days, my body continued to swell and bruise. From this, I actually gained some weight and was weighing more than my pre-surgery weight. The garments pushed the swelling to non-surgical areas, so my lady-bits, feet, and hands were very swollen. My bruising reached all the way down to my hands and further to my knees. After day 5, the swelling started to go down and by day 8, I could sit normally on a toilet. My bruising is still wide-spread, but it's starting to change to yellow, so it's healing.

4. Can I See A Difference? 

On day 8, I'm down about 3kg (5lbs) from my pre-surgery weight and down about an inch (cm and half) in all the targeted areas. 100% in my arms, yes!! I would 10 out of 10 recommend getting your arms done. I love the new line and shape of my arms. For my abdomen, the verdict is still out. Currently, the swelling is starting to go down, but my stomach is still hard and lumpy (totally normal BTW). But don't worry, you can follow along on my Instagram (@thetadaaah) where I'm posting a food diary and all the updates and will be updating here as well! 
 

Conclusion and FAQ

Here are some things I would have payed more attention to in advance: 

• What surgeon(s) will be performing my procedure(s)?
• How many of these specific procedure(s) have he/she/they performed?
• May I see X surgeons before and after photos?
• Is X surgeon accepting and open to performing procedures for beauty standards that differ from their own?
• What is your specific post-operative care? What is included in pricing?

These items are just some questions I think you should ask and be firm that they answer prior to your surgery if you're considering lipo. Have them break down what exactly is being priced and that they understand what you want done on your body. Have them show you on your body and not just tell you.

Be extra firm! At the end of the day, it's your body and these are permanent changes. They need to meet your needs.

Please let us know any questions or comments below and we'll be happy to answer everything we can! Thank you so much for reading. Until next time!