Double eyelid surgery is one of the most popular plastic procedures in Korea. It’s not only popular among Koreans but foreign patients as well.
Did you know that over 80,000 people fly to Korea every year to get plastic surgery done there? If you are one of those and want to get double eyelid surgery done in Korea, this is the guide for you.
We will go through:
- Why choose Korea for double eyelid surgery
- Cost of double eyelid surgery in Korea
- How to find the best clinic in Seoul
- Best double eyelid surgery clinics in Seoul
- Much, much more
This guide will give you all the essential information about getting double eyelid surgery done in Korea.
Let’s jump right in by first going over what the double eyelid surgery actually is and what results you can expect from it.
Double eyelid surgery, or ‘’Asian blepharoplasty’’ is a cosmetic procedure that creates an eyelid crease. The results are more symmetric, larger, and almond-shaped eyes.
You can get eyelid surgery on either the upper, lower, or both eyelids. On top of that, there are different ways of performing surgery.
Upper Eyelid Surgery
Upper eyelid surgery is suited for patients dealing with sagging or bagging of the upper eyelid.
As this can cause vision impairment, you can usually get this procedure covered by your health insurance.
If your vision is impaired because of the upper eyelid, you should maybe look into ptosis correction surgery. This surgery more or less aims to fix functional problems of your eyelids.
Lower Eyelid Surgery
Similar to upper eyelid surgery, lower eyelid surgery deals with eyelid sagging problems. It can also help with wrinkles on lower eyelids.
This procedure can effectively deal with the appearance of aging and exhaustion in the eyes.
However, as it does not typically cause vision impairment, it’s not covered by your health insurance.
Double Eyelid Surgery
This procedure typically includes both of the previously mentioned types.
It’s the most popular among all patients. You can address all problems with just one procedure.
Methods For Double Eyelid Surgery
There are three methods that surgeons typically use for double eyelid surgery. Those are non-incision, partial incision, and incision.
Non-incisional
Surgeons use non-incisional double eyelid surgery to create natural-looking eyelids without an incision. They do this by creating smaller knots with sutures above the eyes to create folds.
This method will give you similar results but without an incision. However, the results of this procedure are usually temporary.
You can choose this method if you do not want an incision made into your skin or prefer a more natural way.
Partial Incision
The partial incision method will give you permanent results with little scarring.
Surgeons do this by making 3-4 smaller incisions and then stitching the upper part of the skin to the dermis layer.
Even though the incision is really small, this method will leave a small but barely visible scar.
Full Incision
The full incision method or Korean double eyelid surgery will give you permanent and natural-looking results. It’s the most popular method for double eyelid surgery.
A surgeon will create an incision along the whole eyelid to create a crease. During surgery, they remove excess fat and tissue. The crease is then sutured so it creates a double eyelid.
With this method, you will get a more defined and permanent look. Scarring is still minimal, and the newly created crease looks very natural.
Recovery After Double Eyelid Surgery
Recovery from double eyelid surgery typically lasts from 1 to 2 weeks.
However, this recovery time may vary depending on the method you choose:
- 3-5 days to resume daily activities after the non-incisional method
- About 7 days to resume daily activities after the partially incisional method
- 7-14 days to resume daily activities after the full-incisional method
If you had the incisional double eyelid surgery, you should expect to have stitches removed after a week.
Full results typically become visible at least 3 months after surgery, but it can take up to 6 months, depending on the recovery process and healing.
Before and After Pictures
Double Eyelid Surgery Cost In Korea
The Average cost of double eyelid surgery in Korea ranges from 2,000,000 KRW (= 1,500$) to 3,350,000 KRW (= 2,500$).
The price usually includes all surgery costs. Some clinics want you to pay a small consultation fee, typically not more than 20,000 KRW (=15$).
However, this price depends on a lot of factors:
- Method of surgery: Full incision double eyelid surgery costs more than non-incisional and partial incision double eyelid surgery.
- Clinic: Many clinics, especially more reputable ones, often charge more. This, however, does not mean better results. We have some of the best double eyelid surgery clinics listed later in this guide.
- Additional procedures: If you are getting any additional or complementary procedures with double eyelid surgery, you can get a discount on your final price.
Although prices for double eyelid surgery vary across Korea, you will still find that it’s cheaper and more affordable than in Western countries.
Why Is Korea Cheaper Than Western Countries
For better comparison, let’s first break down the prices for double eyelid surgery in some popular destinations for Western plastic surgery:
- US: 5,640,000 KRW (=4,100$)
- UK: 6,600,000 KRW (=4,900$)
- Australia: 6,000,000 KRW (=4500$)
As you can see, double eyelid surgery is way more affordable in Korea compared to Western countries. If we look at the cost of it in the US, it’s at least two times more expensive than in Korea.
This is largely because double eyelid surgery is one of the most popular plastic surgeries in Korea.
Because of its popularity, there is a lot of competition between Korean clinics that, to attract customers, offer extremely affordable and competitive prices.
On top of that, prices in Korea are more or less all-inclusive. Yes, you have to look out for some hidden costs (usually small), but consultation, anaesthesia fees and staff costs are typically included in the price.
However, in Western countries, you will most likely have to pay extra for your anaesthesia, consultation and sometimes even for certain staff fees or operating room costs.
Nevertheless, you should always demand a full-price quote at the consultation in any Korean clinic. This way, you can truly see everything you would be paying for.
How To Save Even More Money In Korea
As we already mentioned, the cost of double eyelid surgery in Korea is lower compared to popular Western countries.
But you can still save a lot of money in Korea by simply following our tips below:
Paying in Full
Korean clinics tend to prefer if you pay for your surgery in full.
If you pay in full instead of in monthly instalments, clinics will happily offer you a small discount of up to 10%. Always check before paying!
Package Deals
A great way to save money is to find package deals for your desired surgery.
These usually include different advantages like transportation from and to the airport, a translator, and even accommodation.
A lot of these packages are especially for foreign patients, so thoroughly research clinics’ websites and social media. You might get lucky!
Additional Procedures
Another great way to save money on double eyelid surgery in Korea is to have another procedure done simultaneously.
This way, clinics save a lot of money on different clinic-related costs, so they might give you a nice discount. You can also ask about it during your consultation.
Together with double eyelid surgery, we suggest you look at our archives of anti-aging, facial and body contouring procedures.
Tax Refund
As a foreigner, you might be eligible for a VAT refund when leaving Korea.
It’s an easy way to save money because the only requirement is that you are not a Korean citizen. Keep your receipt and check with your clinic if you qualify for it.
You can get a refund at Korean airports, so keep an eye out for tax refund machines there.
Why Choose Korea For Double Eyelid Surgery
You might have noticed that Korea is often referred to as the ”plastic surgery capital of the world”.
Every year, over 80,000 patients fly to Korea to have plastic surgery done. Korean plastic surgery is one of the best in the world, producing top-notch results and therefore has high satisfaction rates.
In the next few paragraphs, we will go over why people opt for Korea when getting double eyelid surgery and what are some stronger points in Korean plastic surgery.
Korean Eyelid Surgery
Korean double eyelid surgery is not the same as your standard eyelid surgery in Western countries.
You can thank Korean surgeons for that because they have innovated and perfected a special suture technique used only for Korean double eyelid surgery.
This method helps surgeons in Korea achieve the best results with minimal to zero scarring. To accomplish that, they use a specially designed surgical stitch that gives a very natural look if used correctly.
This is just one of the reasons why double eyelid surgery in Korea beats the one done in Western countries.
Experienced Surgeons
Experience is a very important factor when deciding which surgeon will perform your surgery.
Korea has some of the most experienced plastic surgeons in the world. They perform over 1,000,000 surgeries every year.
The number of surgeries they perform is just one of the things why Korean surgeons are at the top. Besides that, they have developed new techniques that minimise scarring yet still get the best results.
One example of their unique techniques is the method of suturing they use for double eyelid surgery, which gives it that natural look with minimal scarring.
On top of the mountain of experience, Korean surgeons are also specialized. Surgeons only perform those surgeries that they specialise in.
Clinic Specialization
There are a lot of plastic surgery clinics in Seoul that specialize in different procedures.
A lot of clinics specialize in exactly double eyelid surgery. High demand for the procedure means that clinics always try to be the best.
Clinics that employ specialists for double eyelid surgery and have great track records are the ones we consider specialized.
Cost
Another thing in which Korean clinics top Western clinics is the cost of surgery, in this case, double eyelid surgery.
As we already mentioned in the ”Double Eyelid Surgery Cost In Korea”, double eyelid surgery is at least two times cheaper in Korea than in Western countries.
You’ll find a lot of plastic surgery clinics in Seoul, which means that the competition in Korea is very high. For that reason, clinics offer very competitive and affordable prices to attract customers.
We know that cost most likely plays a significant role in many decisions. However, in this case, you should never consider cost as your number one reason for choosing Korea.
Finding The Best Double Eyelid Surgery Clinic
Picking the best clinic for your plastic surgery is a struggle for many, especially in Korea. Did you know that there are over 500 plastic surgery clinics in Seoul?
That’s why we want to help you with this step on your journey to double eyelid surgery in Korea. You will get our tips on what to look for in clinics and our recommendations.
You’ll find a lot of clinics in Seoul, so it’s crucial to know which clinic is the best for the surgery you want.
Clinics from our list are verified, and we checked out their reviews, checked employed surgeons and other staff, and visited their facilities. We also contacted former patients who had double eyelid surgery at these clinics to learn about their experience with the clinic.
These clinics satisfy our criteria and are a good and safe choice for double eyelid surgery!
However, if you want to learn a bit about how we research clinics, we’ll now introduce some factors to consider:
Real, Verified Non-Fake Reviews
The first thing many people check is Google reviews. That is what we do and is what you should do as well.
For double eyelid surgery, you should only focus on reviews about either eyelid surgery in general or specifically for double eyelid. This way, you’ll find reviews relating to your desired procedure.
If you find that one clinic has only reviews, for example, about breast augmentation and none about eyelid surgery, then you should probably consider another clinic.
Check everything from reviews about their surgeons, staff, facilities and, of course, final results of surgeries. Check reviews for other types of surgery as well because it can give you a better insight into the clinic.
Lastly, be cautious of fake reviews, as they are becoming more popular. Clinics will do everything to attract customers, even write fake reviews and post them on their websites. Google reviews are harder to manipulate, so focus on those.
Clinic Specialization
Another thing we recommend focusing on is the specialization of the clinic.
The best thing to do is to only look at clinics specializing in eye surgery or, even better, eyelid surgery.
If we look at JK Plastic Surgery as an example, we’ll see that they are one of the larger clinics in Seoul. However, when we look deeper (reviews, surgeons, etc.), we can tell they are the best at eye surgery.
As for figuring out the specialization of the clinic, we suggest going over their staff and reviews. If they have surgeons specializing in eye surgery and great reviews about it, it can be considered their specialization.
Sometimes, smaller clinics may be better for niche procedures, such as double eyelid surgery. One of the smaller clinics we recommend for this surgery is FacePlus Plastic Surgery.
Surgeon Credentials
We also recommend you go over the credentials of the surgeons employed at the clinics you are looking at.
Check if they are board-certified, look for membership in the medical board, and verify any certification they might have. You can do this with a simple Google search, so don’t worry.
This way, it’s easier to determine if the clinic specializes in the procedure you are looking at. For double eyelid surgery, look for surgeons specializing in eye surgery.
Conclusion
In conclusion, Korea is a great choice for double eyelid surgery.
You will save more money in Korea compared to Western countries and get better results. Korea is at least 50% cheaper than popular Western plastic surgery destinations.
Not only that, but their surgeons are among the most experienced in the world, with tons of surgeries behind them. Besides that, Korean healthcare, including private clinics, is one of the most advanced in the world.
There is no doubt that Korean plastic surgery will give you the best results while still being budget-friendly and affordable.
Now that you read this guide, you know everything you need about double eyelid surgery in Korea. Use our list of recommended double eyelid surgery clinics in Seoul to find the best one and get the best results.
If you have any questions about how we find the best clinics for double eyelid surgery or any general questions, contact us. We will try our best to help you!
FAQ
What is the average cost of a double eyelid surgery in Seoul?
The average cost of double eyelid surgery in Korea ranges from 2,000,000 KRW (= 1,500$) to 3,350,000 KRW (= 2,500$).
However, cost varies based on a lot of factors. It’s always best to demand a complete cost breakdown from your selected clinic.
At what age can you get double eyelid surgery in Korea?
Most Koreans get the surgery in their 30s.
However, there is no legal definition of when you can get plastic surgery in Korea.
It’s always best to consult with your doctor before undergoing double eyelid surgery.
Who is a good candidate for double eyelid surgery in Korea?
If you lack a natural crease in your upper eyelid and want one, then you may be a good candidate for Korean double eyelid surgery.
People seeking a more defined and open look of their eyes are usually deciding for this procedure.
What is the recovery time for double eyelid surgery?
Recovery time depends on your selected method of surgery.
The longest recovery time is for incision double eyelid surgery. Most people who get incision double eyelid surgery feel ready to go out and work in about 1 to 2 weeks after surgery.