Frequently
Asked Questions

Yes. Real-name surgical guarantee. The surgeon you consult with via WhatsApp is the surgeon who consults with you in Seoul, performs your full operation from incision to closure, and follows up daily for the first 7 days. CCTV footage of your operation is available for in-person review within 30 days post-surgery, free of charge.

A clinical document signed by the operating surgeon describing exactly what was performed. At Etonne, you receive it in English within 7 days of surgery. It names the exact technique used (e.g., "Extended Deep Plane Facelift with Platysmaplasty") rather than vague labels.

Yes. Dr. Jung Eunjin (board-certified, MS and completed PhD coursework in Anesthesiology at SNU) is present in the operating room for every general anesthesia case. During these cases she is not assigned to multiple operating rooms simultaneously, and she is not rotating. Sleep sedation cases are managed under our standard sedation monitoring protocols with continuous vital monitoring.

We recommend a 24–48h gap as the default. By exception — when travel scheduling requires it — same-day consult-and-surgery is available with a deposit and an extended in-person consultation prior to the procedure, scheduled to allow informed decision-making.

Yes. Within 30 days of your surgery, free of charge, in person at our clinic. Korean privacy law requires in-person viewing; copies cannot be released.

At Etonne, deep plane facelift pricing is published transparently with no nationality markup. The same surgical fee applies regardless of country of origin. We do not work through third-party concierges who quote 3–5× the actual clinic fee.

Concierge platforms typically receive a wholesale clinic quote and add substantial markup before quoting the international patient. The markup is retained by the platform. Etonne does not work with Bookimed, MediGo, or any third-party concierge. Direct booking via WhatsApp is the only channel.

No, not for cosmetic procedures performed on or after January 1, 2026. The VAT refund program for aesthetic surgery was eliminated in the 2026 tax law revision.

A small deposit (~10%) confirms your booking before travel. The balance is paid at the clinic on the day of surgery via international wire transfer or credit card.

A mini facelift in Korea typically refers to a short-scar SMAS plication addressing early jowls, indicated for patients aged 35–45. At Etonne, the mini facelift fee is published transparently and applies identically to local and international patients. See Mini Facelift.

Thread lifts produce limited, temporary results (typically 6–18 months). For durable structural correction, a mini or full facelift is the appropriate intervention. See our detailed comparison.

Sleep anesthesia at Etonne is deep sedation administered under our standard sedation monitoring protocols with continuous airway and vital monitoring. It is closer to monitored anesthesia care (MAC) with deep sedation than to lighter office-based twilight sedation. General anesthesia — performed with our dedicated board-certified anesthesiologist (Dr. Jung Eunjin) on site — is also available depending on case complexity.

Etonne's signature lifting trajectory used in facelift, mid-face lift, and ponytail lift. Vertical-oblique tension along the temporal and zygomatic axes. The name evokes the precise diagonal facets of a Fabergé egg. See Ponytail Lift.

Visible swelling drops by 60–70% within 2 weeks. The crease appears settled by month 3. Final tissue softening continues to month 12.

Non-incisional creases typically last 5–7 years. Approximately 30% of patients require touch-up or conversion to partial/incisional within 10 years.

Medically indicated only when the levator muscle is genuinely weak. At Etonne, we test ptosis explicitly during the 7-element diagnostic. If you have it, your double eyelid alone won't satisfy you. If you don't, we won't recommend it.

Not always. The crease trajectory depends on the relationship between Mongolian fold tension and outer-corner geometry. The 7-element diagnostic clarifies this.

"Dolly eyes" is a K-pop-driven aesthetic — wider iris, rounded outer corner, taller fold. "Natural Korean look" emphasizes harmony with existing facial geometry rather than a celebrity reference. At Etonne, we design for harmony by default.

Anatomically distinct. At Etonne, we mark them separately during preoperative planning and preserve the aegyo sal. Only herniated fat is touched.

Fat repositioning moves your existing herniated fat into the tear trough, attached to its blood supply. Fat grafting harvests fat from another body site as free graft. Etonne prefers repositioning when anatomy allows.

Not with our approach. Hollowing is the result of fat excision. Etonne repositions fat — moving it from where it bulges into where it fills.

Yes — "non-incisional" in the lower lid context typically refers to the transconjunctival approach. The terms are used interchangeably in marketing. The procedure is identical.

No. C1-level English coordinator and surgeons are standard. Promise 5. Google Translate is not used as an intermediation tool.

Mini facelift / Ponytail lift: 7 days. Double eyelid: 7–10 days. Lower blepharoplasty: 5–7 days. Deep plane facelift: 10 days. Combined procedures: 10–14 days.

For most nationalities and stays under the visa-free window (30, 60, or 90 days), tourist entry is sufficient. Medical visas necessary only for stays exceeding the visa-free period.

Etonne refers patients to Gangnam-area recovery hotels that offer HBOT chambers and IV vitamin therapy on site. Not provided at the Etonne clinic itself.

Minor refinements (asymmetry correction, suture adjustment within 6 weeks) are typically performed at no additional cost. Major revisions, when clinically indicated, are evaluated case-by-case.