- Augmentation
Breast Augmentation
At VG the breast is assessed on ultrasound first, and whether the plan is augmentation, reduction or a lift, we favour the approach that preserves glandular tissue and blood supply. VG Clinic holds the Korean Society of Breast and Thyroid Surgeons’ Excellent Breast and Thyroid Care Clinic certification (23 November 2024, issued to the clinic).
- Excellent Breast & Thyroid Care Clinic certification (2024)
- Breast ultrasound before surgery
- Cases
- 50
- Surgeons on this team
- 1
- Stay in Korea
- At least 7 days
WHERE TO START
Does one of these sound like you?
Pick the one closest to your situation. Each takes you to the part of this page that answers it.
- Smaller or lower after pregnancy and breastfeedingVolume has gone, the breast sits lower, or both. Which of the two matters more decides the operation.Find which procedure fits
- The two sides are clearly differentA difference in size or shape can be corrected by adding, reducing or lifting — sometimes a different approach on each side.Find which procedure fits
- Shoulder or back pain from breast sizeA reduction removes tissue and reshapes the breast in the same operation.See lift & reduction cases
- Problems with implants you already haveThe breast has become firm, the implant has moved, or you want a different size or no implants at all.Read the revision guide
- A fuller chest as a manGynecomastia is usually gland and fat together, and both are addressed.See gynecomastia cases
RESULTS BY CONCERN
Breast surgery before & after
Drag the handle on any photo to move between before and after.
Augmentation, lift, reduction and gynecomastia are all here. Each title says which one that case had.
50 cases
- Augmentation
- Lift & reduction
Breast Augmentation + Breast Lift
- Augmentation
Breast Augmentation
- Augmentation
Breast Augmentation
- Augmentation
Breast Augmentation
- Augmentation
Breast Augmentation
- Augmentation
Breast Augmentation
- Lift & reduction
Breast Reduction
- Augmentation
Breast Augmentation
- Augmentation
Breast Augmentation
- Augmentation
Breast Augmentation
- Augmentation
Breast Augmentation
12 of 50
See all breast surgery photosGet a one-to-one photo quote from a surgeon
You can learn which approach suits you, and what it costs, without flying in. Send photographs and the surgeon who would operate looks at them.
IMPLANTS
The four implants we use, side by side
Two manufacturers, four lines. Each is described with the manufacturer's own terms, so you can recognise them when you read about them elsewhere.
MOTIVA
Motiva
Motiva Implants® · Establishment Labs
- Manufacturer
- Establishment Labs · Costa Rica
- Shell surface
- SmoothSilk® — classified by the manufacturer as a smooth surface under ISO 14607:2018
- Shape & profile
- Round, and Ergonomix — described by the manufacturer as changing shape with posture
- Gel
- ProgressiveGel® — a viscoelastic gel that the manufacturer describes as responding to gravity
- Approvals
- U.S. FDA (2024, SmoothSilk Round and Round Ergonomix) · Korea MFDS
- Manufacturer warranty programme
- Yes — the manufacturer's Motiva® warranty
MENTOR
Mentor Boost
MENTOR™ MemoryGel BOOST™ · Johnson & Johnson MedTech
- Manufacturer
- Mentor (Johnson & Johnson MedTech) · USA
- Shell surface
- Smooth shell
- Shape & profile
- Round
- Gel
- Highly cohesive gel, designed by the manufacturer for form stability
- Approvals
- U.S. FDA (2022) · Korea MFDS
- Manufacturer warranty programme
- Yes — the manufacturer's MENTOR™ warranty policy
MENTOR
Mentor Xtra
MENTOR™ MemoryGel™ Xtra · Johnson & Johnson MedTech
- Manufacturer
- Mentor (Johnson & Johnson MedTech) · USA
- Shell surface
- Smooth shell
- Shape & profile
- Round — Moderate Plus, Moderate High and High profiles
- Gel
- Cohesive I™ gel at a higher fill ratio, which the manufacturer designed for more fullness and projection
- Approvals
- U.S. FDA (2017) · Korea MFDS
- Manufacturer warranty programme
- Yes — the manufacturer's MENTOR™ warranty policy
MENTOR
Mentor Smooth
MENTOR™ MemoryGel™ Smooth Round · Johnson & Johnson MedTech
- Manufacturer
- Mentor (Johnson & Johnson MedTech) · USA
- Shell surface
- Smooth shell
- Shape & profile
- Round — Moderate Classic, Moderate Plus and High profiles
- Gel
- MemoryGel™ — Mentor's classic cohesive gel
- Approvals
- U.S. FDA (2006) · Korea MFDS
- Manufacturer warranty programme
- Yes — the manufacturer's MENTOR™ warranty policy
Descriptions summarise each manufacturer's published product information and are not a comparison of results. Warranty terms are set by the manufacturer and are explained at consultation.
How your surgeon chooses
The brand is not where the decision starts. Your surgeon measures your chest, checks how much tissue will cover the implant and listens to what you want, then narrows the shape, size and implant down from there.
Your frame
Chest width and the width of the breast base set the range of sizes that fit.
Skin and tissue thickness
How much natural tissue covers the implant affects which shell and gel suit you.
The feel you want
Softer or firmer, more fullness at the top or less — this is said out loud, not assumed.
How you live
Sport, work and plans for pregnancy are part of the choice.
Breast implants are not lifetime devices and may need to be replaced or removed over time. Current FDA labelling carries a BIA-ALCL (a rare lymphoma) warning for all breast implants, and the reported risk is higher with textured surfaces. Your surgeon goes through the risks with you.
Which implant you receive is decided after examination, together with your surgeon.
FIND YOURS
Which procedure fits you
One or two questions give you a direction. The exact plan is decided with your surgeon after examination.
1 / 2
What bothers you most?
VERYGOOD BREAST
A plastic surgery clinic that also looks after the breast as a breast clinic does
Breast surgery starts with the breast itself. The checks that a breast clinic would do are done here first, in the same building.
Certified for breast care
VG Clinic holds the Korean Society of Breast and Thyroid Surgeons’ Excellent Breast and Thyroid Care Clinic certification (23 November 2024, issued to the clinic).
Ultrasound before the plan
The breast is examined on ultrasound before any cosmetic plan is made. An unexamined lump or discharge is looked at first.
Further checks in the same place
If something needs a closer look, the examination or procedure below can be done here — you are not sent elsewhere before surgery can be discussed.
Breast care at the same clinic
Examinations and minor procedures we do for the breast itself.
- Breast ultrasound
- Cyst aspiration and removal
- Fine-needle aspiration (FNA)
- Core needle biopsy
- Vacuum-assisted excision of benign lesions (Mammotome)
- Lipoma removal
Which examination is needed, if any, is decided by the doctor after seeing you.
TECHNIQUES
Breast surgery is not one operation
Several different techniques sit under the name Breast surgery. Which one applies depends on what the examination finds, and each carries its own recovery. Below are the operations we actually perform in this category.
Swelling lasts longer
Stay in Korea
At least 7 days
Breast augmentation
An implant is placed through an inframammary or axillary approach, with size and profile chosen against your chest width and tissue thickness rather than a cup-size number. We size it on you, not on a chart.
Back to daily life7–10 days
Gynecomastia surgery
The glandular tissue is excised and the surrounding fat removed by liposuction. Taking out only the fat leaves the firm disc behind — and the chest still looks the same in a shirt.
Back to daily life7–10 days
Breast lift (mastopexy)
The breast tissue and nipple are raised and the envelope tightened. Where volume has also been lost, a lift on its own can look deflated, which is why it is often paired with an implant.
Back to daily life10–14 days
Breast reduction
Tissue and skin are removed and the breast reshaped and lifted in the same operation. It relieves shoulder, neck and back load as much as it changes appearance.
Back to daily life10–14 days
Also performed
Lift with reduction
Where the breast is both large and low, tissue is removed and the breast is raised and reshaped in the same operation.
Areola reduction
The diameter of the areola is reduced. It can be done alone or together with a lift or reduction.
Inverted nipple correction
A nipple that turns inward is brought out and set so that it stays out.
Breast revision
Corrects an earlier breast operation — implant exchange, position or size change — after the current state is checked on examination and ultrasound.
Implant removal
Implants are taken out. Whether the breast also needs a lift afterwards is discussed beforehand.
Capsulectomy
The capsule of tissue the body has formed around an implant is removed, usually with capsular contracture or when implants are exchanged or removed.
HONEST FIRST
Who this suits — and who it does not
Hiding the cases we turn away in a footnote is not honesty, it is a disclaimer. If the right-hand column describes you, we will say so in the consultation.
This usually helps if
The conditions we most often confirm during consultation.
- Volume loss that affects how clothes sit or how balanced the two sides lookSee 41 cases with this concern
- Sagging together with volume loss after pregnancy and breastfeedingSee 6 cases with this concern
- A clear difference in size or shape between the two sides
- Shoulder or back pain from breast size, and you are considering reductionSee 3 cases with this concern
We do not recommend surgery if
Cases where we postpone surgery or suggest another route first.
- An unexamined lump or nipple discharge — breast imaging comes first
- You are breastfeeding, or planning pregnancy within six months
- You cannot stop smoking around the operation
- An uncontrolled cardiovascular or bleeding disorder
REVISION
If you already have implants
Most people who come for revision fall into one of four situations. Open the one closest to yours.
- What is happening
- The body forms a capsule of tissue around every implant. When that capsule tightens and thickens, it squeezes the implant.
- How it is approached
- The degree is assessed on examination. Where surgery is needed, the capsule is removed and the implant is replaced, with the plan made around your tissue as it is now.
Procedures involvedCapsulectomyBreast revision
- What is happening
- Over time the pocket that holds the implant can stretch, and the breast changes with weight, pregnancy and age.
- How it is approached
- The pocket is corrected so the implant sits where it should, and the implant is exchanged if needed.
Procedures involvedBreast revision
- What is happening
- What you want can change, and so can your body.
- How it is approached
- The implant is exchanged for a different size or profile, chosen against your current frame and tissue thickness.
Procedures involvedBreast revision
- What is happening
- Some people simply no longer want implants; others have had them for many years and want them out.
- How it is approached
- The implants are removed, with the capsule if needed. Whether the breast needs a lift afterwards is discussed before surgery.
Procedures involvedImplant removalCapsulectomy
Send photos of how your breasts look now. If you have your implant card or records from the first operation — brand, model, size — send those too.
Send photos and askSURGERY INFO
What the operation involves
General ranges. They shift with the specific procedure and your own anatomy.
- Operating time
- 1–3 hours
- Anesthesia
- General anesthesia
- Hospital stay
- 1 day advised
- Stitch removal
- 7–10 days after surgery
- Washing & showering
- Showering after 5–7 days
- Recovery
- 10–14 days
RECOVERY
How many days off, and when to fly
The number international patients need before anything else. From the day swelling peaks to the final result — nothing left out.
Recommended stay in Korea
At least 7 days
Enough time to have your stitches removed and your first follow-up before you fly home.
Breast augmentation
Day 0Day 3Week 1Month 1Month 3Month 6
- Swelling peaks5–7 days
- Stitches out7–10 days
- Back to daily life2 weeks
- Starts to look natural3 months
- Final result6 months
MINIMUM STAY
How many days you need in Korea
For patients travelling from abroad, we ask you to plan for the minimum stay below so that we can check your recovery before you fly home.
Minimum recommended stay for this surgery
At least 7 daysBreast augmentation
| Surgery | Minimum recommended stay |
|---|---|
| Face & neck lift | At least 14 days |
| Eye surgery | At least 7 days |
| Nose surgery | At least 7 or 14 days14 days when osteotomy is involved or for revision surgery; 7 days otherwise. |
| Facial contouring | At least 14 days |
| Body contouring (liposuction) | At least 10 days |
| Fat grafting | At least 7 days |
The length of stay can change with how your recovery goes. We set the exact dates together during your consultation.
FOR INTERNATIONAL PATIENTS
What we arrange for patients flying in
These benefits are for international patients residing outside Korea.
Free interpretation for your consultation
Interpretation during consultation is provided free of charge for international patients.
Languages
- English
- Indonesian
- Japanese
- Chinese
- Mongolian
- Vietnamese
- Thai
- Russian
- Cambodian
Airport pickup
We arrange a taxi from the airport for patients travelling from abroad. Depending on your surgery booking you can use it one-way or round-trip, between the airport and your hotel or the clinic.
Airport pickup Type Eligible from One-way Surgery booking of KRW 20,000,000 Round-trip Surgery booking of KRW 30,000,000 Offered to patients who have completed a surgery booking. Requests are taken on WhatsApp, with no deadline.
Request on WhatsAppPartner hotels
We can introduce partner hotels near the clinic at partner rates. We help with the booking during your consultation.
See partner hotels
PARTNER HOTELS
Partner hotels
Hotels near the clinic. The partner rates below are listed exactly as the hotels gave them to us.
3-star
Toyoko Inn Seoul Gangnam
서울특별시 서초구 강남대로 323Open in mapsPartner rateFrom ₩80,000
Toyoko Inn Seoul Gangnam Room Partner rate Single ₩80,000–₩100,000 Double ₩100,000–₩130,000 Twin ₩110,000–₩140,000 Triple ₩160,000–₩180,000 
3-star
Urban Place Gangnam
서울특별시 서초구 효령로77길 30Open in mapsPartner rateFrom ₩99,000
Urban Place Gangnam Room Partner rate Standard Twin ₩99,000 Standard Double ₩99,000 Superior Double ₩110,000 Deluxe Double ₩121,000 
1-star
Jerry's Planet Hotel
서울시 강남구 강남대로92길 13Open in mapsPartner rateFrom ₩100,000
Jerry's Planet Hotel Room Partner rate Standard Double ₩100,000 
3-star
Hotel Seine
서울 강남구 논현로 533Open in mapsPartner rateFrom ₩110,000
All rooms have one queen-size double bed.
Hotel Seine Room Weekday (Sun–Thu) Weekend (Fri–Sat) Classic Double ₩110,000 ₩140,000 Premium Double ₩140,000 ₩170,000 Junior Suite ₩160,000 ₩190,000 Executive Suite ₩220,000 ₩250,000 
2-star
Hotel The Designers LYJ Gangnam Premier
서울특별시 강남구 봉은사로 113Open in mapsPartner rateFrom ₩110,000
Hotel The Designers LYJ Gangnam Premier Room Weekday (Sun–Thu) Weekend (Fri–Sat) Superior Twin ₩110,000 ₩150,000 Superior Family Twin ₩120,000 ₩160,000 Deluxe Double ₩130,000 ₩170,000 Deluxe Family Twin ₩140,000 ₩180,000 Designers Suite Double ₩160,000 ₩200,000 Designers Suite Triple ₩180,000 ₩220,000 LYJ Suite ₩260,000 ₩300,000 
4-star
Ocloud Hotel
서울특별시 서초구 사평대로58길 12Open in mapsPartner rateFrom ₩180,000
Rates need to be confirmed before booking each month.
Ocloud Hotel Room Weekday (Sun–Thu) Weekend (Fri–Sat) Standard Double ₩180,000 ₩180,000 Deluxe Double / King ₩190,000 ₩190,000 Family Twin ₩210,000 ₩210,000 Family Suite ₩300,000 ₩300,000 
5-star
Novotel Ambassador Seoul Gangnam
서울시 강남구 봉은사로 130Open in mapsPartner rateFrom ₩250,000
Novotel Ambassador Seoul Gangnam Room Weekday (Sun–Thu) Weekend (Fri–Sat) Superior ₩250,000 ₩250,000 Deluxe ₩280,000 ₩280,000 Executive ₩330,000 ₩330,000 
5-star
Josun Palace
서울특별시 강남구 테헤란로 231Open in mapsPartner rateFrom ₩280,000
Josun Palace Room Weekday (Sun–Thu) Weekend (Fri–Sat) King Classic ₩280,000 ₩280,000 King Junior Suite ₩370,000 ₩370,000 State Room ₩400,000 ₩500,000 Masters Room ₩450,000 ₩550,000 Grand Masters Room ₩600,000 ₩700,000 Grand Masters Bay Room ₩650,000 ₩750,000 Masters Junior Suite ₩800,000 ₩900,000
These are partner rates and may change depending on when you book. We help with the booking during your consultation.
YOUR CARE TEAM
The surgeons who handle this procedure
We do not publish who operated on each individual case. What we do publish is every surgeon who handles this procedure. Open a profile for their credentials and the cases they were part of.
Im Young MinChief Director
Centres
- Eyes
- Nose
- Anti-Aging
- Body & Breast
- Facial Contouring
Board-certified in Plastic Surgery
Eyes, nose, facial contouring, body and breast, anti-aging — five of the clinic’s eight centres, the widest remit of anyone here.
- Full member, American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery (ASAPS)
- Board-certified plastic surgeon, Seoul St. Mary's Hospital
- Adjunct professor of plastic surgery, Seoul St. Mary's Hospital
426cases their centres handle
1 international credential
SAFETY
What we have in place
The further you travel, the heavier this question gets. If something goes wrong you cannot simply come back the next day, and there may be no one beside you who speaks your language.
Analysis before surgery
We analyse the face before surgery to decide what to address and how far to go.
The doctor who consults, operates
One doctor handles the consultation, the diagnosis, the surgery and the follow-up. Your surgeon does not change partway.
Emergency readiness
Medical equipment and response procedures are in place for emergencies during surgery.
Anaesthesiologists on site
Board-certified anaesthesiology specialists are on site, and we publish who administers your anaesthesia.
Follow-up after surgery
We schedule your visits for suture removal and healing checks together with you.
Sterilisation
Instruments and the operating room follow disinfection and sterilisation procedures to prevent infection.
AFTER YOU FLY HOME
We keep watching after you leave
Remote follow-up runs for three months after you fly home. At set points we review photographs, and the surgeon who operated answers in writing; when photographs are not enough, we look by video.
Before you fly
At your last follow-up your surgeon confirms you are fit to fly and tells you what to send, and when.
Week 1
Swelling, the incision and the shape, reviewed by photograph.
Month 1
The breast is still settling. What you see now is not the final result.
Month 3
Remote follow-up runs to here. If needed we look by video.
From year 1
Korea's Ministry of Food and Drug Safety recommends a check-up once a year from one year after implant placement.
Tell us right away if
- Sudden swelling or a size change on one side
- Pain that keeps getting worse
- Fever or chills
- Redness or warmth that is spreading
- Discharge or an odour from the incision
- Bleeding that will not stop
These are signs not to wait on. Send us a photo through messenger straight away — and if you feel unwell, see a doctor where you are as well.
Message usFAQ
Questions we get most
Breast implants are not lifetime devices — the U.S. FDA labels every breast implant this way. There is no fixed date for replacement; implants are exchanged or removed when there is a reason, such as capsular contracture, a change in position or a rupture. Korea's Ministry of Food and Drug Safety recommends a check-up once a year from one year after placement.
We do not operate while you are breastfeeding or if you plan to become pregnant within six months. When we plan, we favour approaches that preserve the glandular tissue and its blood supply. How a particular plan relates to future breastfeeding depends on the incision and where the implant sits — raise it at consultation so it is part of the decision.
The body forms a capsule of tissue around every implant. When it tightens and thickens, the breast can feel firm or change shape. It is assessed in person, and depending on the degree it is treated with revision surgery, which can include removing the capsule (capsulectomy) and replacing the implant.
Plan to stay in Korea for at least 7 days after breast augmentation. Stitches come out 7–10 days after surgery, and your surgeon confirms you are fit to fly at your last follow-up. For a lift or reduction, the length of stay is set at consultation. Do not book your flight for the day of your last appointment — appointments can move.
Because an implant or a reshaping operation should go into a breast that has been checked first. If ultrasound shows a lump or a cyst, it is looked at before any cosmetic plan is made, and further examinations such as a needle biopsy can be done at the same clinic. An unexamined lump or nipple discharge is a reason to wait, not to operate.
Yes. Implant exchange, removal and capsulectomy are part of the revision surgery we do. Bring any records from your first operation — the implant card with brand, model and size helps most. Manufacturer warranty programmes have their own conditions, so we check them with you.
Related guides
- Considering Fat Transfer Breast Augmentation Korea? Price, Recovery and Trip Days
- Worried About Korean Breast Implants? Cost Factors, Tissue Limits and Long-Term Checks
- Gynecomastia Surgery Cost Korea: How the Fee Is Set and Your Stay
- Breast Lift in Korea: Sagging, Volume and the Trip, From the Surgeon
- Breast Reduction in Korea: Who It Suits, Recovery and Your Stay
- Breast Augmentation Korea: Ultrasound First, Recovery, Trip and Fee
- Korean Plastic Surgeon: How to Check Who Will Actually Operate on You
