Double Eyelid Surgery in Seoul: 2026 Prices and Clinics for U.S. Patients

Eyelid surgery in Seoul: what to expect

In Seoul, eyelid surgery most often means double eyelid surgery: creating a crease in the upper lid, either with small stitches (the non-incisional method) or through a cut along the new crease, often combined with opening the inner corner of the eye (epicanthoplasty) or lifting a droopy lid (ptosis correction). Older patients come for classic blepharoplasty, removing extra skin and fat from the upper or lower lids. It is one of the shortest trips in Korean cosmetic surgery: the operation takes about 45 minutes to 2.5 hours, and most people go home the same day (NHS).

Getting to Seoul from the U.S.

Nonstop flights from Seattle, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Chicago, Dallas, New York and other U.S. hubs land at Incheon (ICN), and the airport limousine bus is the most direct way to Gangnam. Flight times, the train and bus options and visa rules are in our Seoul city guide.

Where the clinics are

All six Seoul clinics on xcuro's list are in Gangnam-gu or next-door Seocho-gu, along the strip from Sinsa and Apgujeong down to Gangnam Station: ID Plastic Surgery is by Sinsa Station, JK on Nonhyeon-ro in the Apgujeong area, SAERO by Sinnonhyeon Station and Lienjang in Gangnam Tower on Gangnam-daero. Because eyelid surgery needs no hospital night, many patients book a hotel near the clinic rather than a recovery house.

Your trip for eyelid surgery

Plan one trip of about 8 to 10 days. The thin strips or stitches that support the lids are usually removed up to a week after surgery (NHS), and ASPS suggests waiting 7 to 10 days before flying after facial procedures, including eyelid surgery (ASPS).

What can go wrong

The NHS lists blurred or double vision, uneven eyes, noticeable scarring and changed feeling in the lids; rarely, injury to the eye muscles, a lower lid that turns outward (ectropion) or bleeding behind the eye (NHS). With double eyelid surgery, agree on the crease before the day: look at before-and-after photos of eyes like yours and agree on a natural height. Ask what happens if a stitch-method crease loosens later.

Is Seoul safe for this surgery?

The U.S. State Department rates South Korea Level 1, the lowest level: “Exercise normal precautions in the Republic of Korea.” It adds that “large-scale demonstrations may occur with little notice” (State Department, May 27, 2025). Our guide Is It Safe to Get Plastic Surgery in South Korea? explains how Korean law protects foreign patients; the Seoul city guide covers visas and arrival.

How to check a clinic and surgeon in Seoul

• The clinic: find it on Medical Korea's list of registered hospitals; a clinic that treats foreign patients must register, employ at least one specialist in each department serving them and carry malpractice insurance (law, art. 6).
• The surgeon: look the name up in the member search of the Korean Society of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgeons.
• Who operates: Korean law requires the consent form to name the principal surgeon and any change to be explained in writing (Medical Service Act, art. 24-2).
• CCTV: since September 25, 2023, clinics operating under general anesthesia or sedation must have operating-room cameras and film the surgery if you ask; footage is kept at least 30 days (Ministry of Health and Welfare).

In Korea, only a doctor accredited as a specialist by the Ministry of Health and Welfare may present a specialty (Medical Service Act, art. 77), so check the surgeon's own title, not just the clinic's name. More on our list of questions to ask a plastic surgeon.

Recovery and the flight home

Bring the eye drops your surgeon prescribes, with a written prescription. Book a follow-up with a U.S. doctor in case the crease needs attention later. Costs are compared on our double eyelid surgery in Korea guide and the U.S. cost of eyelid surgery.