Plastic Surgery in Korea for Foreigners: FAQ, Consultation, Cost & Safety Guide

As a general reference, AB Plastic Surgery Korea’s patient service guide recommends planning approximately one to two weeks in Korea. Your actual stay depends on the procedure, the type of anesthesia and your follow-up schedule, because post-operative checks and, where needed, stitch removal are usually completed before you leave.

More extensive surgery, such as facial contouring, lifting or combined procedures, may require the longer end of this range or more. Before booking a non-refundable return flight, confirm two things with your surgeon: the dates of your follow-up visits and when you will be fit to fly.

Booking from overseas at AB Plastic Surgery Korea follows five steps:

1. Send an inquiry: share the procedure you are considering, clear photos of the area, your medical history, current medications and allergies, and your preferred travel dates.

2. Online review: the medical team reviews your information and provides a preliminary treatment direction and estimated cost. Online consultation is free.

3. Reserve your date: a surgery date is confirmed with a deposit of 10% of the total estimated surgery cost. Booking one to two months ahead is recommended to secure your preferred date.

4. In-person consultation in Korea: after arrival, your surgeon examines you in person and pre-operative tests are completed.

5. Final plan and quote: the surgical plan and final cost are confirmed after the in-person examination and before surgery.

Because an online estimate is based on photos, the final plan may change after the in-person examination. Ask about the deposit refund and rescheduling policy before you pay.

In most cases, no. AB Plastic Surgery Korea provides medical interpretation in English, Japanese, Chinese, Thai, Indonesian, Russian, Vietnamese, Myanmar and Mongolian. Tell your coordinator your preferred language when you book so that an interpreter can be arranged for your consultation, surgery-day instructions and follow-up visits.

If your language is not on this list, ask during the online consultation whether support can be arranged before deciding whether to bring someone who can interpret for you.

It depends on your nationality and length of stay, so check Korea’s official visa and entry requirements for your passport first. For patients who need a medical visa, AB Plastic Surgery Korea was designated an Excellent Medical Tourism Attraction Institution by the Korean Ministry of Justice in 2025. According to the clinic, this designation allows eligible patients to use a simplified medical e-visa process, with issuance typically within about three days.

AB Plastic Surgery Korea accepts various payment methods, including international credit cards. Your surgery date is secured with a deposit of 10% of the total estimated surgery cost, and the balance is settled according to the schedule confirmed at consultation. Availability of other methods, such as cash, can differ by procedure and treatment conditions, so confirm the exact method and timing when you receive your quote.

Not at present. Korea’s special VAT refund for foreign tourists receiving cosmetic procedures at registered clinics ended on December 31, 2025, so procedures performed in 2026 are not eligible. Bills to reinstate the refund were introduced in the National Assembly during 2026, but as of this update the refund has not been reinstated. Plan your budget on the full procedure price; if the law changes, the current rule will be applied to your quote.

AB Plastic Surgery Korea publishes its procedure starting prices in KRW, with USD equivalents for international patients, on its official price page. In addition, the clinic offers complimentary services to international patients who decide to proceed with surgery: medical interpretation, CT imaging, a health check, swelling-relief laser treatment, airport pickup, hotel accommodation support for up to five nights, and an aftercare kit.

Which of these services apply depends on the procedure type and price range. They cannot be used to pre-select a specific surgeon, and services beyond what is included, such as hotel bookings arranged on your behalf, may involve additional cost. Your quote should list exactly what is included.

Yes, online consultation with AB Plastic Surgery Korea is free. One exception applies: consultation for facial contouring revision surgery carries a fee of KRW 100,000, because revision cases require a more detailed review of previous surgery and imaging.

Sometimes, yes. After medical evaluation, compatible procedures may be performed in the same session or during the same stay. Combining procedures increases total operating and anesthesia time, so the decision depends on your health, recovery capacity and the overall surgical plan. At AB Plastic Surgery Korea, the anesthesia plan for combined surgery is reviewed with an anesthesiologist, and procedures may be staged across separate sessions if that is safer.

Light activity may be possible depending on the procedure. After some non-surgical skin treatments, patients can often continue light sightseeing the same day. After surgery that involves swelling, dressings or drains, plan for rest during the first days and keep sightseeing short and close to your accommodation.

Until your surgeon clears you, avoid activities that can affect healing, such as saunas and hot baths, swimming, alcohol, strenuous walking tours and prolonged sun exposure. Do not schedule day trips that could make you miss a follow-up appointment.

The timing depends on the procedure, your recovery progress and your surgeon’s guidance. It helps to think of recovery in three stages:

• Light daily activity: walking, eating out and desk work are often possible earlier, once pain and swelling are manageable.

• Exercise and strenuous activity: usually resumed later, after your surgeon confirms healing at follow-up.

• Long-haul travel: a separate decision, covered in the next question.

Ask your surgeon for a written post-treatment timeline before you finalize your travel plans.

There is no single waiting period for every procedure. Flying soon after surgery raises the risk of blood clots, and the safe timing depends on the type of surgery, anesthesia and your personal risk factors. Your surgeon should confirm that you are fit to fly at your final follow-up visit in Korea.

On the flight, choose an aisle seat if possible, stay hydrated, walk and move your legs regularly, and wear compression garments or stockings if your surgeon advises them. Carry your aftercare instructions and medications in your hand luggage.

During your stay, aftercare is provided in the clinic according to your recovery progress. Immediately after surgery, recovery is monitored by the anesthesia team, and before discharge your condition is checked again by the medical team. Follow-up visits for wound checks, dressing changes and, where needed, stitch removal are scheduled before you leave Korea. Depending on the procedure and price range, swelling-relief laser treatment and an aftercare kit may be included.

Before your departure, ask for written aftercare instructions, a list of prescribed medications and a summary of your procedure. These records are useful if you later need to see a doctor in your home country.

For non-urgent questions or discomfort, contact AB Plastic Surgery Korea through the online consultation channel you used when booking. To get useful guidance faster, include:

• Your name, procedure and surgery date

• When the symptom started and whether it is getting better or worse

• Clear photos of the area in good lighting

• Any medications you are currently taking

Clinic hours are Monday to Thursday 10:00–19:00, Friday 10:00–21:00 and Saturday 10:00–17:00 (Korea Standard Time), and the clinic is closed on Sundays and public holidays.

Seek local emergency care immediately if you experience difficulty breathing, chest pain, bleeding that does not stop with pressure, a high fever with spreading redness or discharge, sudden painful swelling in one leg, or sudden severe swelling or vision changes after eye or facial surgery. Tell the local doctors about your surgery in Korea, show them your records, and inform the clinic once you are safe.

International patients have limited time in Korea, and some recovery steps take place after they fly home. A clinic with structured in-clinic aftercare, a clear post-return contact channel and written records helps patients manage questions consistently and gives local doctors the information they need if further care is required. For this reason, aftercare is part of treatment quality itself.

Yes. AB Plastic Surgery Korea offers an airport pickup service for international patients. For patients who are unfamiliar with Korea or concerned about getting to the clinic or their accommodation after arrival, this support can make the start of the trip more manageable. Share your flight number and arrival time with your coordinator in advance so the pickup can be arranged.

Many international patients travel to Korea alone, but whether you can safely spend the recovery period alone depends on your procedure, the type of anesthesia and how you feel after surgery. After general anesthesia or sedation, you may need someone with you for the first night, and you should not go back to your accommodation alone until the medical team confirms you are ready for discharge.

Ask during consultation whether a companion is recommended for your procedure and what the discharge criteria are. Support such as multilingual coordination, airport pickup and accommodation assistance can reduce practical burdens, but it does not replace the medical guidance on companions and discharge.

For first-time patients, the most useful support covers transportation, language and scheduling. At AB Plastic Surgery Korea, this can include medical interpretation, airport pickup, hotel accommodation support for up to five nights and a coordinator who organizes your consultation, surgery and follow-up appointments. Eligibility for complimentary services depends on the procedure type and price range, so confirm what applies to you before you book flights and accommodation.

Use a short checklist when comparing clinics:

• Accreditation: KAHF, Korea’s accreditation for medical institutions treating international patients, is granted by the Ministry of Health and Welfare after evaluating patient safety, infection control, emergency response and international patient services. Check that the accreditation period is current.

• Anesthesia: ask whether a board-certified anesthesiologist is on-site during your surgery and recovery.

• Transparency: ask whether operating rooms have CCTV and how the operating surgeon is confirmed.

• Emergency readiness: ask about emergency equipment, blood availability and hospital transfer arrangements.

Reviewing official clinic information and real case materials in advance also helps you evaluate reliability more carefully.

Start with the clinic’s official doctor introduction page, which lists each surgeon’s profile and areas of specialization. In Korea, a board-certified plastic surgeon holds a specialist certification issued by the Ministry of Health and Welfare after residency training, so ask your surgeon to confirm this certification. Membership in professional bodies such as the Korean Society of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgeons and the Korean Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery, together with lectures at recognized academic meetings, provides further evidence of experience in a specific procedure.

In most cases, no. Standard travel insurance usually excludes elective cosmetic surgery, and many policies also exclude complications that result from cosmetic procedures, even when emergency treatment is needed. Before traveling, ask your insurer in writing whether your planned procedure and its possible complications are covered, and whether specialist medical-travel or complication insurance is available.

According to the clinic, AB Plastic Surgery Korea’s safety system covers every stage of surgery:

• Before surgery: pre-operative screening in the clinic’s own testing center with an on-site clinical pathologist, including blood tests, chest X-ray, ECG and 3D-CT imaging where relevant.

• Anesthesia: board-certified anesthesiologists are on-site and monitor patients in real time from the start of surgery through recovery. The clinic states that anesthesiologists make up 47.1% of its medical staff, about twice the 23.1% figure it cites for hospital-level institutions.

• Transparency: CCTV in operating rooms and a surgeon name-verification system so that patients can confirm who performs their surgery.

• Emergency readiness: in-house blood crossmatching with results in about two hours, university hospital-level emergency equipment (including a defibrillator, ventilator and backup generator) and a 24-hour emergency call line for post-operative patients.

The clinic states that it has had no reported medical accident cases since opening in September 2020.