Korea Guide
Plastic Surgery in Korea: How Much Will Your Plan Cost?
If you searched "plastic surgery in korea how much", you want a number you can plan around. Here is the direct answer: a price list would give you the wrong number. The same procedure name leads to different operations. "Double eyelid surgery" can be a 30-minute procedure under local anaesthesia through five to seven micro holes, or an incisional operation that also adjusts skin, fat and muscle. "Facial contouring" can mean going home the same day after cheekbone reduction, or staying 3 nights after two-jaw surgery. So we do not publish fixed prices. You send photos, and we give you a quote built for your face and your goals.
That quote is more useful than a figure on a price list. It describes the operation you actually need, and it comes with what matters for the trip: how long to stay in Seoul, how many follow-up visits to plan, and what aftercare looks like once you fly home.
In this guide you will learn:
- why one procedure name can lead to very different plans
- the factors that change korean plastic surgery cost, shown in a table
- how to get your personalised quote, step by step
- what to check alongside a quote before you book flights
Why can't a price list tell you how much plastic surgery in Korea costs?
A price list attaches a figure to a name. Surgery is planned around a face.
| What you ask for | It can mean | How the plans differ |
|---|---|---|
| Double eyelids | Non-incisional or incisional surgery | About 30 mins under local anaesthesia, or 30 mins to 1 hr under local anaesthesia or sedation |
| A slimmer lower face | Jaw reduction or two-jaw surgery | 1 night in hospital, or about 5 hrs of surgery and 3 nights |
| A higher nose | Augmentation rhinoplasty or hump removal | Implant and cartilage added, or a hump ground down first |
| A lifted jawline | Lower face lift, V-line thread lift or Ultherapy | About 2 hrs under sedation, no incision with threads, or no incision with numbing cream |
| Correcting earlier surgery | Eyelid, nose or face contouring revision | Planned after examining what the previous surgery left behind |
The words in the first column are what most people type into a search bar. The second and third columns are what actually decides the plan. That is why we ask for photos before we talk about cost.
What changes korean plastic surgery cost?
Korean plastic surgery cost depends on the details of your plan. When we review your photos, these are the factors that shape it.
| Factor | Examples from our procedures | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|
| Technique | Non-incisional or incisional eyelid surgery; thread lift or lower face lift | Different steps, different time in theatre |
| Anaesthesia | Numbing cream for Ultherapy; local anaesthesia or sedation for eyelids; general anaesthesia for facial bone surgery | Set by the procedure, not by preference |
| Nights in hospital | Same-day discharge for rhinoplasty; 1 night for jaw reduction; 3 nights for two-jaw surgery | Longer care after surgery |
| Materials and fixation | Silicone implant and your own cartilage in the nose; Endotine B in a midface lift; Osteotrans pins in two-jaw surgery | Chosen to suit your anatomy |
| Previous surgery | Eyelid, nose or contour revision | The earlier result is analysed before a new plan is made |
| Combined procedures | Double eyelids with ptosis correction; cheekbone with jaw reduction | Planned into one session where suitable |
Combinations deserve a word. Our eye page lists double eyelids with ptosis correction as a popular pairing. On the facial contouring page, cheekbone reduction with jaw reduction is the combination listed. Combining procedures means a single anaesthesia event and one recovery period. Whether a combination suits you is decided in the consultation.
Anaesthesia is handled the same way whatever the area. The clinic employs its own team of full-time anaesthesiologists, not specialists booked per case.
How do you get a personalised quote?
A consultation quote starts online, before you commit to dates. You can settle much of the plan from home, and the steps are the same for every area.
- Take your photos. Send the front and a side profile. For facial contouring and lifting, add both sides and a 45-degree angle. Take them somewhere with enough light.
- Describe what you want to change. Use your own words, and mention any question you have not been able to get answered.
- Share your health history. Existing conditions, regular medicines, drug allergies and any previous surgery or aesthetic procedure. For facial contouring, include prior CT scans or surgical records if you have them.
- A coordinator matches your case to a surgeon. You are assigned a 1:1 coordinator, who handles language and logistics and books a time.
- Talk through options, stay length and cost range. You receive your quote and what it includes.
- Confirm the plan in person. The final surgical plan is confirmed at the in-person consultation on the day you arrive.
Our consultation page explains how an online session works, and the booking page shows what to send and how the trip is planned. An online consultation is a consultation and a plan, not a diagnosis. Anaesthesia clearance and measurements that depend on examination or imaging are confirmed in person.
What should you check alongside a quote?
A quote tells you what your plan involves. The trip around it matters just as much. Stay length is set by the procedure, not by the clinic, so check it before you book flights.
| Area | Plan to stay | What the stay covers |
|---|---|---|
| Eye surgery | At least 7-8 days | Check-ups, stitch removal and initial recovery |
| Nose surgery | At least 10 days | Check-ups, splint and stitch removal |
| Facial contouring | At least 10-14 days; at least 3 weeks for two-jaw surgery or protruding mouth correction | Hospital stay, stitch removal around day 14, follow-up checks |
| Face lifts | At least 7-10 days | Consultation, surgery, stitch removal and a final check |
Use this checklist when your quote arrives:
- Stay length. Match your leave to the table above, and do not book a return flight before the plan is confirmed.
- Follow-up visits. Eyelid procedures usually need 1 visit for stitch removal, nose procedures 2, and two-jaw surgery 3-4.
- Who operates. Under the surgeon real-name system, the surgeon you consult is recorded as the surgeon who operates.
- Stay and transport. Accommodation and transportation can be arranged for international patients.
- Aftercare at home. Your coordinator collects photos at weeks 1-2, month 1 and month 3 and passes them to your surgeon.
- Registration. Only clinics registered with the Ministry of Health and Welfare may treat international patients, and the register is publicly searchable.
Recovery times describe typical healing. Swelling, bruising and the pace of recovery differ between individuals.
Price list or personalised quote: what is the difference?
Some patients hold a figure from a price list next to our quote. We cannot speak for how other clinics set their prices. What we can offer is a set of questions that work for any figure you are comparing.
| Question to ask | Figure on a price list | Personalised quote at Banobagi |
|---|---|---|
| What is it based on? | A procedure name | Your photos, your goals and the plan they need |
| Does it reflect the technique you need? | Varies by clinic | Yes, the technique is chosen before the quote |
| Does it cover previous surgery? | Varies by clinic | Revision is planned around the earlier result |
| Is the stay length shown? | Varies by clinic | Stay length is discussed with the quote |
| Who operates? | Varies by clinic | Recorded under the surgeon real-name system |
| What happens after you fly? | Varies by clinic | Photo check-ins through your coordinator |
A figure is only helpful when you know which operation it describes. That is the whole reason we quote from photos.
If you are planning a nose operation, our guide to how much a nose job in Korea costs goes into the rhinoplasty factors in detail. For the wider trip, read plastic surgery in Korea for foreigners.
There is one way of choosing we do not recommend: picking a clinic by the advertised figure alone. A fixed price answers for a procedure name, not for what your face needs, so compare what the quote includes, how many days you stay, and who follows you up after you fly.
Summary
- A price list cannot tell you how much plastic surgery in Korea costs, because one procedure name can lead to very different operations.
- Your quote depends on technique, anaesthesia, nights in hospital, materials, previous surgery and combined procedures.
- Start with a front photo and a side profile; add both sides and a 45-degree angle for contouring and lifting.
- Check stay length, follow-up visits and aftercare alongside the quote.
- The final surgical plan is confirmed at the in-person consultation in Seoul.
To begin, send a front photo and a side-profile photo on WhatsApp and tell us which area you want to change. We reply with the procedures that fit and a personalised quote. Results and recovery differ between individuals, so your plan is confirmed after we examine you in person.
Frequently asked questions
Is plastic surgery expensive in Korea?
We cannot answer that with a single figure, and we do not compare our costs with other countries. What we can do is quote your own plan. Send photos, and compare any quotes you collect by what they include: the operation, anaesthesia, nights in hospital, follow-up visits and aftercare.
Can foreigners get free plastic surgery in Korea?
At Banobagi, every patient receives a personalised quote after the team reviews their photos. If you are checking clinics, one thing you can verify yourself is registration. Under Korean law, only clinics registered with the Ministry of Health and Welfare may treat international patients, and that register is publicly searchable.
Can I get a quote for more than one area at once?
Yes. Tell us every area you are thinking about when you send photos. Some combinations share one session, and your coordinator can explain how a combined plan changes your stay length as well as the quote.
Why do I need to send photos before I get a quote?
Because the same procedure name can lead to different operations. Your photos show which technique, anaesthesia and materials your plan is likely to need, and those decide the quote. The final plan is confirmed at the in-person consultation.
Can a quote change after I arrive in Seoul?
The final surgical plan is confirmed in person. Measurements that depend on examination or imaging, and whether previous surgery changes the approach, cannot be settled online. Tell us about any earlier operations when you send photos so the online plan is as complete as possible.
How long do I need to stay in Korea for plastic surgery?
It depends on the area. Eye surgery usually needs at least 7 to 8 days in Seoul, nose surgery at least 10 days, cheekbone, jaw or chin surgery at least 10 to 14 days, and two-jaw surgery at least 3 weeks. Your surgeon confirms the actual dates.
Sources
- Banobagi: Eye Surgery
- Banobagi: Nose Surgery
- Banobagi: Facial Contouring
- Banobagi: Anti-Aging
- Banobagi: Non-Incisional Double Eyelid Surgery
- Banobagi: Incisional Double Eyelid Surgery
- Banobagi: Jaw (Mandible) Reduction
- Banobagi: Two Jaw Surgery
- Banobagi: Lower Face Lift
- Banobagi: V-Line Thread Lift
- Banobagi: Ultherapy
- Medical Korea (KHIDI): hospitals registered for international patients
Results and recovery differ from person to person. This article is general information, not a diagnosis — your surgeon confirms what suits you at consultation.
Keep reading
How to Check a Medical Tourism Clinic Licence in KoreaHow to check a medical tourism clinic licence in Korea, verify a board-certified plastic surgeon, and what to ask. Send two photos on WhatsApp.
Korean Plastic Surgery Before and After: How to Read the Photos ProperlyHow to read korean plastic surgery before and after photos: angle, lighting, swelling stage and rhinoplasty timelines. Send two photos on WhatsApp.
Plastic Surgery in Korea for Foreigners: Steps, Stay and AftercarePlastic surgery in Korea for foreigners: how consultation, safety checks, stay length in Seoul and aftercare work. Send two photos on WhatsApp for a plan.