Korean Lower Blepharoplasty: How Long to Stay? Cost

Worried that Korean lower blepharoplasty will leave you bruised on the flight home, or back at your desk before the swelling has gone down?

Read this before you fix your return date.

You'll know what each stage of recovery usually looks like, how the methods differ, what reviews get right and what decides the cost. Then you can choose a trip length that suits your eyes and your budget.

Hello, I'm Dr. Kang Kyoungjin, Representative Director at Pascal Clinic in Seoul and a former professor of anatomy.

Lower blepharoplasty and under-eye fat repositioning are among the treatments on my page, and I'm President of the Korean Society for Oculoplastic Research. Pascal's price lists are published in Korean won, and our academic board lists blepharoplasty workshops, including upper and lower lid sessions.

I'm writing this because people tend to plan around the day the stitches come out, and being ready to be seen usually comes later.

Here is the short answer. Plan to be in Seoul until the stitches are out, which ASPS puts within one week, and allow 10-14 days before you expect to look presentable.

If your return date is the worry, send clear front and side photos on WhatsApp with the dates you have in mind, and ask which approach might fit your lower lids.

Korean lower blepharoplasty recovery, stage by stage

The figures below are general eyelid surgery guidance from the UK's NHS and the American Society of Plastic Surgeons. They aren't Pascal's own schedule, so use them to frame your questions.

The gap between week one and week two surprises people most. By the time the stitches are out, a Korean lower blepharoplasty often still shows. The NHS says bruises and redness may take several weeks to fade, and most people take about 2 weeks off work.

How long should you stay in Seoul?

A Korea lower blepharoplasty trip has one fixed point: the stitch-removal visit. Everything else moves around it. We're open Monday to Friday 10:00-19:00 and Saturday 10:00-17:00, and closed on Sundays and public holidays. Count forward from your surgery date and see where that visit lands before you book.

Flying is the question sources answer least directly. The US CDC advises delaying air travel for 10-14 days after major surgeries, but it doesn't name eyelid surgery, and the NHS page doesn't cover flying. So I would raise it directly with your surgeon, and I would leave a spare day between stitch removal and your flight.

Say you have soft bags, firm lower lids, a desk job and nine days in total. Surgery early in the trip leaves room for the stitch-removal visit. You'd probably fly home still bruised, though, so working from home for a few days would help more than one extra day in Seoul.

Now say your lower lid sits loosely and you need to face clients on day ten. I'd want a longer margin. A lid with laxity may need more work, and the schedule has less room for slow healing. If you're adding other work on the same trip, our cheekbone surgery travel guide shows how a larger operation changes the planning.

Which method changes the recovery?

Lower blepharoplasty treats under-eye bags, hollows and lower-lid laxity, and the approach follows which of those you have. Our lower blepharoplasty page covers the treatment itself. ASPS describes two main routes:

• Inside the lid (transconjunctival). The incision is on the inner surface of the lower lid. It generally suits bags without much loose skin.
• Just below the lash line. This route allows skin to be addressed too, and it leaves a fine external scar that may be visible for a few months.

Fat repositioning moves fat into a hollow under the bag, so the groove and the bulge are treated together. Removing fat alone can leave a hollow look if the groove was already deep. If you also have upper-lid concerns, the buried-suture method for double eyelids is a separate decision with its own recovery.

When you ask any lower blepharoplasty Korea clinic about recovery, ask which route they'd use for your lids. The answer changes what you can expect on your face in week two.

Risks and side effects to know

Swelling, bruising, irritation, dry eyes and discomfort are common at first and usually ease over the first weeks.

The ASPS risk list names problems specific to the lower lid: ectropion, where the lid rolls outward, and lid lag, where it pulls down and which may be temporary. It also lists bleeding, infection, unfavorable scarring and the possible need for revision. Vision change is on the list too, with a very rare chance of blindness. Individual results vary.

Talk it through first, and perhaps wait, if you have severe dry eye, thyroid eye disease, a recent eye operation, an infection around the eye, or if you're pregnant or on blood thinners.

If something changes after you fly home, sudden vision loss, severe pain or swelling that keeps growing needs urgent local care. The CDC's medical tourism page advises getting copies of your records before you leave and making sure follow-up care is available at home, so set up both before a Korean lower blepharoplasty.

Doctor's note

I began in anatomy, and it shapes how I read a lower lid. Three layers can produce one shadow: fat pushing forward, a groove pulling in and a lid losing its support. If you look only at the bag, you may treat the wrong one. Results start from an exact understanding of that structure, so I would study your lid before I'd talk about your calendar.

For a closer look at your lower lids, take a daylight photo looking straight ahead and one looking up, and send them on WhatsApp with your question about bruising or flights.

What reviews get right and wrong about the bruising

Threads about Korean lower blepharoplasty repeat a few claims. Here's how they hold up in general.

"You'll be back at work in a few days." Possible for some with remote jobs, but the NHS figure is about 2 weeks off for most people.

"The inside approach leaves no outer scar." Largely true of the skin surface, since that incision is inside the lid. It doesn't mean no swelling or bruising.

"One eye looks different, so something went wrong." Often too early to tell. Early swelling is commonly uneven, though sudden change or pain needs checking.

What decides the cost

For a Korean lower blepharoplasty, these factors move the figure most:

• the route, inside the lid or below the lash line
• whether fat is repositioned, removed or both
• whether loose skin or lid support needs work
• first operation or revision
• the anesthesia used
• your days in Seoul, which affect your own travel costs

Our list prices are in Korean won, before 10% VAT, and the final quote follows your exam. If you're combining treatments on one trip, such as Mira Dry for underarm sweat, include that as well. To get a figure for your case, ask on WhatsApp what it would cost, and ask for the matching price-list lines.

Before you book the flight

Ask on WhatsApp the question you most want settled about your stay. When you come to us, a short walk from Sinsa Station Exit 8, your surgeon examines your lower lids and recommends the Korean lower blepharoplasty approach that fits them.

Frequently asked questions

This article is general information, not medical advice. Individual results vary, and surgery carries risks such as bleeding, infection and inflammation. Your surgeon confirms suitability at an in-person exam. Read the medical disclaimer.

Dr. Kang Kyoungjin

Representative Director · MD, PhD in Anatomy

Eyelid surgery · Fat grafting · Lifting · Fillers · Skin