Epicanthoplasty Korea: How Many Days Before You Fly Home? Cost, Reviews and Methods

Hello, I'm Dr. Im Young Min, Chief Director and board-certified plastic surgeon at VG Plastic Surgery in Seoul.

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Im Young Min

Chief Director · Board-certified in Plastic Surgery

• — Ph.D. in Medicine
• — Internship and residency, Seoul St. Mary's Hospital
• — Board-certified plastic surgeon, Seoul St. Mary's Hospital

Epicanthoplasty sits on our eye surgery menu with double eyelid and ptosis work, and we check lid thickness, fat and lifting strength before deciding whether to cut at all. An anesthesiologist on staff is dedicated to every operation, and an interpreter is included.

I'm writing this because people tend to plan around the stitches and forget the scar, which runs on a much slower clock.

The pink line often takes months to settle, and that's what to plan work and photos around.

If you're unsure the fold is really what bothers you, send one straight-on daylight photo without eye makeup on WhatsApp, and ask: “Is it my inner corner or my upper lid?”

What does epicanthoplasty actually change?

In short, it releases or repositions the small crescent of skin that covers the inner corner of the eye.

The usual reason to change it is shape. A prominent fold can stop the upper lid crease from taking the form you want, and that's when surgeons consider adding epicanthoplasty, or when someone wants an open, outfold crease. A fuller look at inner, outer and lower corner surgery and how far to open is in a separate post, so I'll stay with your calendar here.

How many days does epicanthoplasty Korea take?

Plan around stitch removal, then add a margin. EyeWiki's guidance for Asian eyelid surgery puts suture removal at 5 to 7 days and a look at preliminary results around two weeks. Inner corner stitches usually keep to a similar timetable, though your surgeon sets the date.

The table shows general patterns, and they vary from person to person. It isn't a clinic schedule, so confirm your own dates when you book.

Those first days are mostly about wound care. EyeWiki recommends daily care with antibiotic ointment, no strenuous activity, and keeping the wound out of water. The American Society of Plastic Surgeons expects some swelling, bruising, irritation, dry eyes and discomfort early on, and asks for strict sun protection and darkly tinted sunglasses until healing is complete. A week of outdoor sightseeing in midsummer works against that.

Epicanthoplasty alone is a far smaller operation, so the stitch visit usually sets your date. Add breast or body surgery and the longer advice comes into play. Add a nose, and how thick skin affects the tip is worth reading, since the nose would then shape your schedule.

Say you're 46, with hooded upper lids and a fold, and you can take ten days off. I would ask first whether the hooding is what makes your eyes look tired, because that may be the operation you need and the fold may be optional. If you do both, landing a day before surgery and flying home after stitch removal could fit. Going back to work on Monday with a visible pink line is the part I'd want you to accept in advance.

Before you pay for flights, send your outbound and return dates on WhatsApp and ask whether stitch removal fits inside them. You can also start from the VG Plastic Surgery home page, where consultations are booked.

Will the scar show when you're back at work?

Probably, for a while, at close range. EyeWiki names a visible scar in the inner corner area as the known concern after epicanthoplasty. This spot sits close to the nose, where makeup creases and where people look when they talk to you.

Many people find the line fades well by the end of the first year. Some keep a thicker or paler line, and your own healing tendency plays a large part. If you've formed raised scars elsewhere, tell your surgeon at the start.

Epicanthoplasty Korea methods: how they differ

The methods fall into two broad groups. Flap techniques, such as Z-plasty variants and V-Y designs, rearrange small triangles of skin to release tension in the fold.

Here is the question to ask any surgeon: which method for my fold, where will the line sit, and how much will the gap between my corners change? A fold that runs into the lower lid may call for a different design than a slight fold over the corner. Compare the plan, because a method's name tells you little about where your scar will land.

Risks and side effects to know

Common temporary effects are swelling, bruising, dry or irritated eyes and tightness, usually easing over the first weeks.

Less common problems include:

• A thick, raised or pale scar
• Uneven corners, or a fold that returns in part
• Over-correction that makes the eyes look close-set or the corner sharp
• Infection or bleeding

Reversal is possible in some cases, but it means another operation and more scar in the same small area.

As a general guide, you should wait or skip it if your inner corner gap is already narrow, you have an active eye or skin infection, your eyes or lids are under treatment, you're pregnant or breastfeeding, or you take blood thinners that haven't been reviewed by your prescribing doctor. Smoking slows wound healing too.

The CDC advises confirming before you leave that you can get follow-up care at home, and carrying copies of your medical records. Ask for your operative details in writing before you fly. If you develop worsening pain, spreading redness, discharge or any change in vision at home, see a local doctor the same day and show them those records.

Epicanthoplasty Korea cost: what decides it

Foreigners pay the same surgical fee as Koreans here, and the quote comes in writing. For your case, these factors move it:

• What's combined. Epicanthoplasty alone differs from epicanthoplasty and blepharoplasty together, or with ptosis correction.
• First surgery or revision. Earlier scars change the plan.
• Method and how much the fold needs.
• Anesthesia. Local alone or with sedation.
• Your days in Seoul. Hotel nights up to stitch removal are part of your real budget.

To get a figure, ask on WhatsApp what it would cost for your case, with your photo and whether you're also considering upper lid surgery.

What do epicanthoplasty Korea reviews and Reddit threads get right?

They're right about a few things and loose about others. These are the claims people commonly repeat, checked against the medicine.

“The scar is the whole risk.” Largely true, and worth taking seriously, though close-set or uneven corners deserve equal attention.

“It heals in a week.” Half true. Stitches may be out in a week, but the line is still young for months, so one-week photos say little. If you're comparing clinic galleries, this guide on how to read the dates and angles in surgery photos helps.

“It makes you look Western.” Not in itself. The change is at a small corner, and how far it goes is a planning decision.

“You can always undo it.” Too optimistic. Revision exists, but tissue that has been cut doesn't return to where it was, so opening less at the start leaves you more room.

Your last step before booking flights

WhatsApp is the easy place to start, and you can ask before booking anything. One photo is enough, along with the question you most want answered, such as what it would cost if you add your upper lids. When you come to Seoul, your doctor examines your eyes and recommends what fits, and that can include leaving the fold alone.

Related pages:

• Eyes surgery at VG Plastic Surgery