What to bring to South Korea for Plastic Surgery 101 ~ Packing tips, what clinics will provide you with ~

 

Hey everyone, I hope to update with my week 3 photo reviews soon ^^ Recently someone on PurseForum asked an interesting question which I responded to- what should we bring to Korea for plastic surgery? I thought I would compile my responses along with the suggestions of others in this blogpost.

What does the clinic provide? (You don't need to bring)

For my experience with rhinoplasty and facial contouring, this is what came in the little goodie bag:

1. Gauze

Source: gomedsource.com

Following rhinoplasty, my nose leaked quite a bit. Sometimes it was just clear discharge but sometimes it was iodine or blood. I used up a whole pack of gauze before I left the clinic from my overnight stay! Banobagi staff gave me an extra pack to take home ^^ It's really important to only use sterile gauze to clean up the discharge to prevent infection.

2. Hydrogen Peroxide Solution














There are lots of incisions to clean after rhinoplasty and facial contouring. For me I had to clean my zygoma incisions, inside my nose, my septum and behind my right ear. Sometimes up to 10 times a day! The dilute hydrogen peroxide solution keeps the wounds clean while they heal and prevent infection.

3. Cotton buds


To clean discharge inside the nose, cotton buds are essential! They're not really something you think about buying before surgery, so I'm glad that the clinic gave me a full pack of 100. If you're not sure that the clinic will provide you with some, please buy some before surgery!

4. Any ointments, painkillers or other medication

Day 1

Look at how many medications they give~ I personally checked before I took any extra medication for interactions, but if you're unsure whether your Chinese herbal remedy/random supplement will cause problems, try not to take it. Some people buy kelocote as well to treat scarring.

5. Face masks

Source: aliexpress.com

During winter, it's super easy to hide the fact that you've had surgery because everyone is wearing these masks ^^ I actually popped into various pharmacies to find these masks, but Banobagi already thought of it and gave me a few before I was discharged. One of them was the heavier winter masks shown in the picture above, but two were the paper type of masks that are easier to breathe in. It's a good disguise :)

6. V-line band

Day 6

Seeing my swollen face and bruised eyes again~ It's weird, because it looks so different from how I am now. The important thing is the face band I'm wearing! The face band helps to 'tighten' up the skin after surgery to reduce sagging. I actually brought my own but it turned out it was unnecessary.

7. Ice packs

Day 7

Ice packs are so important after surgery T_T Painkillers help with the jaw soreness, but what I found was that the ice packs are the most soothing. Banobagi provided me with 2 ice packs and 1 eye mask type of pack.

What do YOU need to pack?

1. Vitamin C tablets, effervescent if undergoing FC

Day 2

Normally we don't eat enough food containing vitamin C anyway, but after surgery it is depleted even more. Vitamin C is really important for recovery! I think it's better to buy it from your home country so that you don't have to worry about finding a pharmacy when you arrive in South Korea.

2. Bromelain tablets and arnica bruise cream

Day 2

I'm actually in love with the After Plus Oriental Ample that my mum found in the pharmacy next to Banobagi clinic. It was £££ though, about £100 for 10 days supply but I felt that the results were worth it! I actually told my mum not to buy it because it was so expensive, but that's the cheap student in me talking >< If possible, I would suggest to people to get this from their home country. It should be fairly easy to find in regular pharmacies.

Arnica cream will help to reduce bruising and swelling. Bromelain is a pineapple extract and is anti-inflammatory. Reducing inflammation after rhinoplasty is especially important, because inflammation may damage tissue around the implant. I talked more about it on my day 2 post ^^

3. Neck pillows/extra pillows request



A photo of me enjoying the reclining bed in Banobagi guesthouse lol. I would suggest emailing your guesthouse/hotel in advance requesting extra pillows if possible. Supporting your head after rhinoplasty and FC is good, as it helps any extra lymph fluid drain downwards due to gravity. On the other hand, I heard that sleeping flat on your back is good after eye surgery.

4. Moisturising lip balm

Day 3

My lips got super super dry despite the humidifier working overtime. Sometimes I was too lazy to get up and drink water. One weird thing that I didn't mention after facial contouring is that my jaw would hurt when I got up to sitting level, so I wasn't motivated to get up at all. Anyway, my lips started peeling away like crazy! Ettusais saved my life. Normally I won't recommend the cracked lip stuff that they sell in UK pharmacies because it stings. They sell very moisturising lip balm in Korean pharmacies too.

5. Loose clothing! Buttoned-up tops!

Day 5

Can you imagine tugging a tight top over your new nose with the cast still on it?? I was reading through a bunch of blogs and someone mentioned button-up tops with rhinoplasty. I'm so glad to have found that tip. My mum bought me the blue pyjama top with buttons when I was discharged ^^ I must have looked like I just came from a slumber party walking out of the clinic like that. Anyway this is possibly the most important tip.

6. Pumpkin juice



Soy milk and pumpkin juice should definitely be bought before surgery ^^ you can get a whole crate of pumpkin juice in pharmacies. It's quite difficult to go out the first few days after surgery so it's definitely better to buy it before.

I'll make a different post on skincare after surgery ^^ It caused me so much trouble, I had so much dead skin flaking off my face that makeup was impossible. I hope this helps everyone :)