If you are reading this guide, you are probably already thinking about having buccal fat removal done in Korea.
For that reason, we will cover everything you need to know before you head out to Korea for your buccal fat removal procedure.
To help you make this decision, we will go over the cost of buccal fat removal in Korea, why Korea is the best choice for buccal fat removal, and help you find the best buccal fat removal clinics in Korea.
It’s a big decision to make, and hopefully, our guide will help you decide and help you on your journey to buccal fat removal in Korea.
Let’s quickly go over what buccal fat and buccal fat removal is:
Buccal fats are a rounded mass in the middle of your cheeks. It is located under your cheekbones and helps shape your face.
Buccal fat plays an essential role in shaping your face.
Everyone has buccal fat. Some people just have more of it.
For some, buccal fat makes them look younger, and for some, it makes their face chubbier. It all depends on how much buccal fat you have.
If you are unhappy with how your cheeks look, buccal fat removal is the procedure to make them look better.
What Is Buccal Fat Removal
Buccal fat removal, sometimes called ‘’Cheek Reduction’’, is a cosmetic surgery that removes the buccal fat under your cheekbones.
Everyone has a buccal fat pad in their cheeks and buccal fat removal targets that pad.
It can highlight your cheeks, especially in the area of your cheekbones and the area between your cheeks and jawline.
If you have a naturally more narrow face, buccal fat removal might not be the best choice, or if you are over a certain age since buccal fat diminishes over time.
You should always consult with your doctor before undergoing buccal fat removal.
What To Expect After Buccal Fat Removal
Fat buccal removal is a short procedure. It typically lasts about 30 minutes to an hour.
After the procedure, you can go home immediately since there is no hospitalization.
You should expect some swelling and bruising for a week or two. You can return to work immediately. However, it’s wise to take a few extra days of rest.
You can expect full results to be visible in three to six months after buccal fat removal.
Cheek Liposuction Vs. Buccal Fat Removal
In cheek liposuction, the far is vacuumed from your cheek using a narrow tube and a suction device.
Buccal fat removal is a surgical procedure that involves an incision to remove a fat pad below your cheekbone.
Cheek liposuction can only provide a generalized reduction of facial fat while buccal fat removal provides for a selective reduction of specific fat pads.
Buccal Fat Removal Cost In Korea
On average you can expect to pay from 2,000,000 KRW (=1,500$) to 5,400,000 KRW (=4,000$) for buccal fat removal in Korea.
Prices in Korea are very budget-friendly.
There are a lot of clinics in Seoul and a lot of competition between them. This is what makes the prices very affordable and competitive.
However, there are still a lot of factors that influence the price, like:
- Clinic reputation: more reputable clinics tend to charge more. It does not mean that you will get the best results! Higher prices don’t always mean better results.
- Other treatments: if you decide to combine different procedures, the clinic may give a discount on all or even offer one free of charge
- Promotions, deals: clinics run promotions and offer deals every month that will lower the cost of your surgery
Cost Compared To Other Countries
Buccal fat removal is more affordable in Korea than in Western countries.
You can expect to pay at least 10% to 20% more for buccal fat removal in Western countries.
For example, the procedure costs an average of 6,500,000 KRW (=4,800$) in the UK. That is already 20% more than some of the most expensive clinics in Korea.
Expect to pay an average of 5,700,000 KRW (=4,200$) for buccal fat removal in the US. However, prices in the US do not include tax, which is added before paying.
In Korea, tax is already calculated into almost every price, but you can always inquire about that.
The above prices are only ballpark figures, as the exact price is always calculated when you consult for the desired procedure.
At this point, we would like to point out that, as opposed to other countries, Korean prices are ”all-inclusive,” meaning that they include everything from anesthesia and surgery costs to tax and other extra fees.
We also, by researching and contacting former patients, found some of the best ways to save even more money on buccal fat removal in Korea.
Lower The Cost Of Buccal Fat Removal With These Tips
As we already went over in the ”Buccal Fat Removal Cost In Korea” section of this guide, Korea is fairly inexpensive for buccal fat removal compared to other countries.
That being said, you can lower your final cost even more and make your trip even more worthwhile.
We’ll go over some of the best ways to do it that former patients at Korean clinics told us about.
Participate In Before And After Showcases
Clinics like to showcase their before and after results and if you are comfortable enough, you can save a lot of money this way.
If you are willing to let them use your photos and are a good candidate, you may score pretty good discounts on the final price.
You should always check with the clinic about this or even volunteer to model for them.
Paying In Full
If you pay for buccal fat removal in full instead of monthly installments, clinics are usually happy to offer you a discount.
Full-price discounts typically go up to 10 %, more if you are lucky.
Make sure to ask the clinic for a discount when paying in full.
Additional Procedures
A great way to save money in Korea on plastic surgery is to have multiple procedures done simultaneously. Clinics save money this way, so you can secure a nice discount on the final cost.
Many patients choose to get procedures like genioplasty, jaw reduction, or a neck lift. We recommend you check those out as well.
Another good option is liposuction around your face (neck liposuction, etc.), as it can give you a way better facial structure.
Tax Refund
If you are a foreigner, you are eligible for a VAT refund when leaving Korea.
The only requirement is that you are not a Korean citizen, so save all your receipts and look out for tax refund machines at airports.
You can find special tax refund machines and booths at various train stations and airports across Korea.
Expected Stay In Korea After Buccal Fat Removal
Because buccal fat removal is not a major plastic surgery, there is no recovery that you can expect with other fat removal procedures like liposuction.
You will, however, need a few stitches after the procedure, so we recommend you stay in Korea at least until you have those removed.
You should schedule at least one appointment with the clinic so they can remove your stitches and check the progress. On average, stitches after buccal fat will be removed after 7 days.
But don’t worry because you do not have to rest during those days. While you may experience some bruising, you are free to sightsee and explore Seoul. Here are some ”must-see” places in Seoul, Korea.
If your surgeon clears you before removing stitches, you can leave sooner, but we recommend you stay until you have stitches removed. It is up to you in the end.
Should You Go To Korea For Buccal Fat Removal
Seoul is famous worldwide as the ”plastic surgery capital of the world”. There are more than 500 plastic surgery clinics there.
However, is that enough reason to go to Korea for buccal fat removal?
We’ll go over what makes Korea stand out as one of the best places for buccal fat removal in the world.
Experienced Surgeons
Surgeons in Korea perform over 1,000,000 (1 million) plastic surgeries every year.
Korean surgeons are one of the most experienced in the world for buccal fat removal.
Surgeons use methods that minimize scarring after buccal fat removal.
Korean surgeons found a way to prevent visible scars after stitch removal by using auto-disposal stitches. These stitches are disposed of by itself by a melting thread.
Most importantly, Korean surgeons are specialized. Surgeons performing buccal fat removal perform only the same kind of procedures. In Western clinics, it’s common for surgeons to perform different surgeries.
Because Korean surgeons are specialized, they are some of the world’s best for buccal fat removal.
Success Rate
Korean clinics have one of the highest patient satisfaction rates in buccal fat removal globally.
This means that patients in Korea are more likely to be satisfied with buccal fat removal in Korea than in other countries.
A lot of people who had buccal fat removal surgery in other countries go to Korea to enhance or fix their results because they weren’t satisfied with their initial results.
Cost
As we already covered this topic in the ‘’cost’’ section of this guide, buccal fat removal in Korea is more affordable than in other countries.
You can save up to 20% on buccal fat removal in Korea compared to getting the same procedure in other countries.
We also compiled a few most popular ways to save money on plastic surgery in Korea. You can read more about them in the ”Lower The Cost Of Buccal Fat Removal With These Tips” section of this guide.
Pair that with experienced surgeons and satisfaction rates, and Korea becomes an obvious choice for buccal fat removal.
Best Buccal Fat Removal Clinics In Seoul
Picking the right clinic for buccal fat removal is an important decision. There are more than 500 plastic surgery clinics in Seoul, which makes your decision on a clinic even more stressful.
To make it easier, we’ve done some of the work for you. We already reviewed some of the more popular clinics in Seoul and picked the best for facial contouring procedures, including buccal fat removal.
We will provide tips for researching clinics in Seoul to help sift through a large pool of options.
We verified the clinics from the list, visited their facilities, interviewed their patients, went over their customer reviews, and checked their staff.
Here are the three main factors we look at:
Clinic Specialization
When looking for the best clinics, we like to focus on the specialization of the clinic.
You should look only at clinics specializing in facial contouring procedures or other fat removal procedures like liposuction or even fat grafts.
If you want to find out which clinic specializes in facial contouring procedures, like buccal fat removal, research their track record with those.
Clinics specializing in facial contouring or fat removal procedures are a good choice for buccal fat removal.
For buccal fat removal, we recommend you look at either FacePlus Plastic Surgery or BATANG Plastic Surgery. They both specialize in facial contouring procedures.
And remember, clinics with surgeons specializing in facial contouring or fat removal procedures are the best for buccal fat removal.
Real Customer Reviews
Another thing we consider important when researching clinics is customer reviews.
The best thing to do is to go over reviews about a procedure or type of procedure you want. In this case, that would be facial contouring or buccal fat removal.
If a clinic has good reviews about facial contouring and offers buccal fat removal, then that clinic is a safe choice.
However, you have to be careful about fake reviews. These are becoming more popular as clinics do everything to attract customers.
When researching clinics, we like to focus on Google reviews and on contacting former patients to get their personal experience with the clinic.
Clinic And Surgeon Credentials
The second important factor is the credentials of the clinic and its surgeons.
You should always look if the clinic has the correct certifications and if it’s a member of the medical board. Those clinics are the most trustworthy.
For surgeons, always check if they are board-certified. Some plastic surgeons are not board-certified and do plastic surgery for the money, which is not a good sign.
If a clinic is certified, a member of the medical board and its surgeons are board-certified, it will put your mind at ease when making a decision.
Conclusion
In conclusion, getting buccal fat removal in Korea is a great choice for many reasons.
Korea has one of the highest satisfaction rates in the world and is also very budget-friendly as It’s up to 20% cheaper than in Western clinics. More importantly, Korean surgeons are more experienced in buccal fat removal than surgeons outside Korea.
Clinics in Korea always compete with each other so prices get more competitive and affordable every year.
Now that you’ve read our guide you know everything about getting buccal fat removal in Korea.
It’s important to pick the right clinic for buccal fat removal. Check our list of recommended buccal fat removal clinics in Seoul and select the best one!
If you have any questions, feel free to contact us.
FAQ
What is the cost of buccal fat removal in Korea?
On average, you can expect to pay from 2,000,000 KRW (=1,500$) to 5,400,000 KRW (=4,000$) for buccal fat removal in Korea.
However, this is just a ballpark figure that depends on different factors. Demand a quote from the clinic for buccal fat removal and get the full price.
What is the recovery time after buccal fat removal?
Recovery can last from a few days to a week. You can return to work when you feel well enough.
There is no hospitalization required after buccal fat removal in Korea. Surgeons even use self-dissolving stitches so you don’t have to get your stitches removed.
You should expect some swelling after the procedure. Full results will be visible 3 to 6 months after buccal fat removal.