u/whatinthetarnation68

i just got back from a 2-week trip to seoul and wanted to share my experience with smile surgery because i know how overwhelming it is to pick a clinic when you're not from korea.

i originally planned my trip mostly for skin treatments like rejuran and some laser stuff, but i’ve been wanting to ditch my glasses for years. since i was already going to be in gangnam, i started doing deep dives into clinics. my biggest fear was ending up at one of those "factory" clinics where you’re just a number and the surgeon barely looks at your eyes for more than 2 minutes.

after weeks of lurking on reddit and naver, i decided on eos eye center. the main reason was their reputation for being "conservative." in the eye surgery world, that’s a good thing, it means they don’t just push surgery on everyone for profit.

the consultation was intense. they ran so many tests i lost count. what really sold me was when the doctor sat down and explained my corneal thickness and why certain options were better for my specific eye shape. they actually told me what they *wouldn't* do, which made me trust them so much more than the places that just say "everything is fine, pay here."

the actual surgery was so fast (maybe 10-15 mins?) and the staff was super patient with my nervous questions in english. recovery was surprisingly easy. i had some dry eyes for a few days, but by the next morning, i could see the street signs from my hotel window clearly. it felt like magic.

if you're heading to korea for beauty/medical tourism, i’d definitely recommend checking them out, but please do your own research too. avoid the massive tourist traps that spend all their money on influencers and look for the places that focus on medical integrity instead.

if anyone has questions about the cost or the recovery process, feel free to ask! just so happy to finally be free from my glasses.

Quick update. I'm currently on day 8 post-op from my 4,000 graft session at modi hairplant in seoul.

First off, Sleeping upright for the first few days was absolute hell, but I’ve finally gotten used to it. The scabs are fully formed now and starting to flake off a bit when I do the gentle cup-washes. The donor area is still a bit itchy and red, but healing surprisingly fast.

I realized in my baseline post last week, I left out a massive piece of context. This is actually my SECOND hair transplant.

I had my hairline/front done a few years ago at a different clinic. That’s exactly why I was so paranoid about choosing the right place for the crown this time around. Since my donor area had already been harvested once, my remaining donor supply was limited. I literally had no room for error.

I couldn't risk going to a high-volume hair mill where technicians speed-run the extractions and overharvest the back of your head. That’s the main reason I went with modi, I needed a doctor who handles the extractions personally to protect what little donor hair I had left, and who could strategically place 4,000 grafts to cover that massive bald spot on my crown.

Right now, the density looks amazing, but I know the dreaded shedding phase is right around the corner. I’m trying to mentally prepare for all these transplanted hairs to fall out in the next couple of weeks.

I'll post some photos once all the scabs are completely off. Pray for me as I enter the ugly duckling phase, guys!