Plastic Surgery in Korea How Much? What Actually Sets Your Quote

I am Im Young Min, chief director and board-certified plastic surgeon at VG Plastic Surgery in Seoul. I trained at Seoul St. Mary's Hospital, where I am an adjunct professor of plastic surgery, and I operate in our facelift, body and breast centres. Almost every message from abroad starts with the same line — plastic surgery in Korea how much — so this is how I answer it in consultation.

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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

I will not give you a figure here, and I want to explain why rather than avoid the question. We publish a pricing policy instead of a price list. What I can show you is how the number is built, so the quote you receive later makes sense line by line.

Why there is no single answer to "how much is plastic surgery in Korea"

A published price for "facelift" or "liposuction" is only true for one specific plan. Two people asking for the same operation can need a different technique, a different area, a different amount of time under anesthesia. If I quoted a number before examining you, I would have to revise it the moment you sat in front of me.

A quote that moves after you have booked a flight is worse than no quote. So the order at our clinic is fixed: photographs, the surgeon's review of them, then a written quote. That is the honest version of South Korea plastic surgery cost — a plan first, a figure second.

Both of these are called a facelift. One is a mini lift; the other is a full-face lift. The incision length, operating time and follow-up differ, so the quotes differ too — even though the patients asked me the same question.

What a surgical quote is built from

When patients ask about Korean plastic surgery cost, they usually picture one line item. In practice a quote has six parts, and each one moves for a reason you can see.

What our written quote already includes

• The surgeon's fee for the operation you agreed to
• Anesthesia, including the anesthesiologist attending your operation
• Use of the operating theatre and recovery room
• Standard post-operative visits during your stay in Korea
• Dressings, sutures and the medication dispensed on discharge
• Interpretation throughout consultation, surgery day and follow-up
• Remote follow-up for three months after you return home

What can add to it

Revision of surgery performed elsewhere takes longer, because scar tissue changes the operating time and sometimes the technique. Additional grafting material, pre-operative tests you have not had recently, and extra visits if your recovery needs them can also be added. None of these is held back: if one applies to you, it appears on the written quote before you decide.

Do foreigners pay more? The fee is the same as for Korean patients

This is the question behind most searches for plastic surgery Seoul Korea cost. At our clinic the answer is no. International patients pay the same surgical fee as Korean patients — there is no separate international price sheet and no markup because you booked from abroad.

Your fee also does not change depending on who referred you or which agency you arrived with; there is no commission built into it. We have treated patients from 53 countries under the same fee policy. The same policy is set out in our guide to plastic surgery in Korea for foreigners.

How you get your number: consultation first, written quote second

1. Send photographs — front, 45 degrees and profile, in daylight, with no filter, and tell us in your own words what bothers you.
2. Photo review by the surgeon — not by a salesperson. We reply by messenger or email with what is possible, what is not, and what I would plan. Nothing is charged for this photo quote.
3. Written quote — itemised, in your language, with what is included and what is not, and valid for a stated period.
4. In-person examination on arrival — if the examination changes the plan, we tell you before surgery, not after, and you can still decline.

A deposit confirms your surgery date and the balance is settled at the clinic. Currency and card details are confirmed in writing with your quote. If we examine you on arrival and conclude that surgery is not appropriate, your deposit is refunded; cancellation terms are stated on the quote before you pay anything.

The total cost of the trip, not only the operation

When you work out plastic surgery in Korea how much it will cost you in total, the surgical quote is one line. The others are your flights, your hotel nights and the number of days you must stay before it is safe to fly home. The stay is set by the operation, so it belongs in the plan from the start.

You can work out the day-by-day plan on our trip planner for how many days you need in Korea. We can introduce partner hotels near the clinic at partner rates, and depending on your surgery booking an airport taxi is arranged one-way or round-trip. Interpretation is available in 9 languages, and interpretation during consultation is free for international patients.

In body contouring, the quote follows the areas. Arms alone, thighs alone, or abdomen and flanks together are three different operating times and three different quotes. You can see more of our team's results in the before-and-after gallery.

What to check when a quote looks too low

I am not going to tell you that a lower number is always a warning. I will tell you what to ask of any quote, including ours, before you compare totals.

• Who operates? Ask whether the surgeon who consulted you is the surgeon who operates. We limit the number of operations scheduled in a day so that this is true.
• Who gives the anesthesia? Check whether an anesthesiologist attends the whole operation, and whether that is on the quote.
• Is the scope written down? "Facelift" is not a scope. The quote should name the method and the areas.
• What happens after surgery? Look for dressings, stitch removal, medication and follow-up visits during your stay.
• What happens after you fly home? We include three months of remote follow-up and English medical documents for your doctor at home.
• Is anything conditional? A package that only holds if you add other treatments is not the price of one operation.

If a quote cannot answer these six questions in writing, the figure is not yet comparable. Ask for the missing lines before you decide.

When I recommend spending less — or nothing

Part of an honest quote is saying when surgery is the wrong purchase. In our facelift centre, if volume loss rather than sagging is the main cause, we look at fat grafting first. With hypertrophic or keloid scarring, uncontrolled systemic illness, a bleeding disorder, or a schedule that does not allow two weeks in Korea, I advise against a facelift.

For liposuction, if weight loss is the goal and there is severe obesity, I advise losing weight first and consulting afterwards. If skin elasticity is significantly reduced, suction alone would leave sagging, and we discuss excision or a lift alongside. If your concern does not need surgery, we will say so — that answer costs you nothing.

For the wider picture of which operation fits which concern, read my overview of Korean plastic surgery; for one specific example of how methods change a plan, see the guide to the Korean nose job and its four methods. You can also read my full credentials on my profile as chief director.