What happens at the in-person consultation in Seoul?
At the in-person consultation, Dr. Min-Hee Ryu examines your face himself, confirms whether surgery is recommended and, if it is, what the plan will be. The final price is given at this consultation. It is the step that turns the online assessment into a decision. It can also end with a recommendation not to operate.
Who examines me?
Dr. Ryu, the Chief Director of RNWOOD Plastic Surgery and its only operating doctor. He personally handles both consultation and surgery, and the in-person consultation includes his own manual assessment. The clinic's English-speaking consultants and coordinators help with arrangements and communication.
What does Dr. Ryu assess?
He weighs several factors together rather than any one alone:
- the actual degree of sagging in the skin and soft tissue
- skin elasticity
- the structure of the face
- volume loss
- previous surgery and procedures, including thread lifts, fillers and energy-based lifting
- the area the patient wants to improve
- medical history
Age is not used as an absolute criterion. A younger patient with clear sagging can benefit from surgery, and an older patient whose sagging is not significant may be advised to wait.
When does he advise against surgery?
Dr. Ryu does not recommend a deep plane facelift when the face has not sagged significantly and the skin still has enough elasticity that a surgical lift is not needed. He also does not recommend surgery when the change a patient hopes for is something a facelift cannot easily improve, or when the burden of the operation would be greater than what it can achieve. If tissue from a previous operation has not recovered, he advises waiting and reassessing.
How is the neck assessed?
Separately. A deep plane facelift does not include a neck lift. A neck lift or submentoplasty is added only when the consultation identifies a need for separate neck treatment. Dr. Ryu first distinguishes whether the problem comes from skin sagging, a loosened platysma muscle, fat or other tissue.
When is the price confirmed?
At this consultation, after the assessment. The estimated price from the online stage is replaced by the final price, and the cost is explained at your consultation after Dr. Ryu's assessment.
What happens after the consultation?
If surgery is recommended, the date is confirmed and pre-operative preparation follows, including an electrocardiogram and blood tests. If it is not, the consultation ends with that advice and, where appropriate, a discussion of non-surgical options.
What should I bring?
Your written questions, an up-to-date list of medications and supplements, and any changes in your health since the online assessment. Ask what is causing the change you want to improve, what the plan addresses and what it does not, and what the risks are for your plan.
Frequently asked questions
Q1) Who examines me at the consultation?
A1) Dr. Min-Hee Ryu, who personally handles both consultation and surgery.
Q2) When is the price confirmed?
A2) At the in-person consultation, after Dr. Ryu's assessment.
Q3) Can the consultation end without surgery?
A3) Yes. If surgery is not needed, or would not achieve what you hope for, Dr. Ryu says so.
Q4) Is age the deciding factor?
A4) No. The actual sagging, skin elasticity and facial structure matter more.
Q5) Is a neck lift included automatically?
A5) No. It is added only when separate neck treatment is needed.
Q6) What if I had a facelift recently?
A6) Revision is generally assessed only after at least six months of recovery.
Q7) Do repeated non-surgical treatments replace surgery?
A7) Where sagging is clear, Dr. Ryu does not present repeated laser or lifting procedures as a replacement for surgery.
Q8) Can I ask for the risks in writing?
A8) Yes. The risks of a deep plane facelift are set out in the notice below and explained at the consultation.
About the Author
Dr. Min-Hee Ryu is the Chief Director of RNWOOD Plastic Surgery in Seoul and a plastic surgery specialist certified in Korea (2008). He has been Faculty of the Mendelson Advanced Facial Anatomy Course (MAFAC) since 2016, an Editorial Board Member of the Aesthetic Plastic Surgery Journal since 2019, and an Educational Council Member of the International Society of Aesthetic Plastic Surgery (ISAPS) since 2024.
Deep Plane Facelift — Deep plane facelift involves extensive dissection beneath facial tissues. Risks include anesthesia reactions, bleeding, hematoma, infection, seroma, delayed healing, wound separation, persistent pain, and visible scars. Swelling, bruising, tightness, and numbness can last for months, and hair loss or distortion of the hairline or ear position can occur. Poor blood supply can cause skin loss or tissue death. Nerve injury can cause temporary or permanent weakness, an altered smile, or numbness, and injury to the parotid gland or salivary duct can cause salivary leakage. A postoperative hematoma can require urgent drainage or another operation. General risks include thrombosis or embolism, and a complication can require emergency treatment or additional surgery. No result, symmetry, scar quality, or duration can be guaranteed, and sagging can recur. Necklift — Neck lift can require extensive dissection beneath neck tissues. Risks include anesthesia reactions, bleeding, hematoma, infection, seroma, delayed healing, wound separation, persistent pain, and visible scars, as well as prolonged swelling, tightness, numbness, contour irregularity, and asymmetry. Nerve injury can cause temporary or permanent weakness, including lower-lip weakness, or altered sensation, and injury to the parotid gland or salivary duct can cause salivary leakage. A large neck hematoma can obstruct the airway and require immediate emergency treatment. Platysmal bands can remain or return. General risks include thrombosis or embolism, and a complication can require emergency treatment or additional surgery. No result, symmetry, scar quality, or duration can be guaranteed, and revision surgery can become necessary. Submentoplasty — Submentoplasty can cause anesthesia reactions, bleeding, hematoma, infection, seroma, delayed healing, pain, and scarring, as well as asymmetry, dents, waviness, loose skin, discoloration, and persistent numbness. It can injure deeper structures, and platysmal bands or neck fullness can remain. Bone structure and deep-neck anatomy limit the possible change. General risks include thrombosis or embolism, and a complication can require emergency treatment or additional surgery. No result, symmetry, scar quality, or duration can be guaranteed, and revision surgery can become necessary.