Key Insights
Hospital Overview
TS Plastic Surgery is a large plastic surgery clinic located in Rex Tower near Sinsa Station in Gangnam-gu, Seoul, specializing in facial contouring, eye revision surgery, and rhinoplasty.
Representative Director
Director Lee Sang-kyun is a board-certified plastic surgeon, Korea University alumnus, with a US medical license (USMLE) and MD Anderson training, emphasizing 0.2mm design and safety.
Key Procedures
Notable procedures include 'Dual Fix Zygoma Reduction', 'Sausage Eye Revision', and 'Autologous Rib Rhinoplasty', recognized for high-difficulty revision surgeries.
Reputation & Controversies
Praised for technical skill, but faces allegations of medical malpractice, ghost surgery controversies, and 'blacklist' mentions, requiring careful consumer consideration.
Representative Director Lee Sang-kyun
Founder and lead medical staff of TS Plastic Surgery, Director Lee Sang-kyun possesses a distinguished educational background and career, emphasizing "adhering to basics" and "detail" in his medical philosophy.
Education & Certification
- Graduated from Korea University College of Medicine
- Board-certified plastic surgeon (Korea University Hospital)
- US Medical License (USMLE)
Career & Fellowship
- Completed a fellowship at MD Anderson Medical Center, USA
- Regular member of Korean Society of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgeons
- Member of IPRAS (International Confederation of Plastic Reconstructive and Aesthetic Surgery) & ASAPS (American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery)
Medical Philosophy
- **Aesthetics of 0.2mm:** Emphasizes precise design down to 0.2mm for delicate surgeries.
- **Reinterpretation of Golden Ratio:** Focuses on finding a ratio that suits each patient's individuality, considering the recent trend of 1:1:0.8 ratio.
- **Psychological Approach:** Strives to provide sincere counseling by understanding the patient's psychological background.
Hospital Information
Location & Scale
TS Plastic Surgery is strategically located on the 12th and 13th floors of Rex Tower, 108 Dosan-daero, Gangnam-gu, Seoul, offering excellent accessibility near Sinsa Station Exit 1. It operates as a medium-to-large scale facility with dedicated floors for counseling, operating rooms, and recovery areas, staffed by multiple resident specialists.
"Situated in the core of Gangnam's plastic surgery cluster."
Medical Safety System
Prioritizing patient well-being, TS Plastic Surgery has implemented comprehensive safety protocols:
- CCTV Installation: Operating rooms are equipped with CCTVs, allowing guardians to monitor surgical processes to alleviate ghost surgery concerns.
- Resident Anesthesiologist: A dedicated anesthesiology and pain medicine specialist resides in the hospital to manage anesthesia safety throughout the entire surgical process.
- Advanced Infection Control: Utilizes a university-hospital-level Air Shower system to maintain a sterile surgical environment and prevent infection.
Key Clinical Fields & Procedures
TS Plastic Surgery specializes in facial contouring, eyes, and rhinoplasty, with a particular focus on high-difficulty revision surgeries.
Facial Contouring
Director Lee Sang-kyun possesses extensive surgical experience in facial contouring, focusing on overall facial harmony rather than excessive bone resection.
- Dual Fix Zygoma Reduction: Utilizes a method of firmly double-fixing the bone to prevent non-union or cheek sagging that can occur during cheekbone reduction.
- Square Jaw & Chin Surgery: Rather than excessive bone resection, surgery is performed to refine the jaw angle or slim it down while considering the overall harmony of the face.
Eye Surgery & Revision
Shows strength in correcting complex eye conditions and creating natural lines, even in revision cases with challenging skin allowances.
- Sausage Eye Revision (Double Line Tying): Specialized in correcting 'sausage eyes,' where the double eyelid line is excessively high and thick, looking unnatural. It creates natural lines even when skin allowance is insufficient through the 'double line tying' technique.
- Natural Adhesion & Canthoplasty: For first-time surgery patients, the natural adhesion method, which creates a non-unraveling yet natural double eyelid line, is combined with canthoplasty to extend the horizontal length of the eye.
Rhinoplasty
Emphasizes balance and uses advanced techniques for both primary and complex revision rhinoplasty cases.
- Autologous Rib Rhinoplasty: Uses autologous rib cartilage instead of artificial implants to minimize side effects and strengthen the support of the nose tip. This is mainly applied to high-difficulty cases such as contracture nose revision.
- Balance Rhinoplasty: Focuses on balancing the line extending from the forehead to the chin tip, rather than simply raising the nose.
Reputation Analysis
An overview of patient experiences and public perception regarding TS Plastic Surgery.
Positive Reviews
- Expertise in Revision Surgery: Analyzing reviews from plastic surgery communities like 'Sungyesa' and 'Babitalk', there are numerous reviews about successfully restoring failed eye/nose surgeries from other hospitals. Many opinions express satisfaction with choosing it as their "last revision surgery hospital."
- Quality of Counseling: The prevailing evaluation is that Director Lee Sang-kyun's counseling is specific and professional. He gains trust by precisely analyzing the patient's eye condition or skeletal structure and suggesting achievable results rather than unreasonable surgeries.
- Natural Results: Many evaluate that he aims for natural results that suit the patient's features rather than an excessively flashy style.
Negative Reviews & Limitations
- Wait Times & Cost: There are points made about long waiting times for counseling and surgery due to fame, and opinions that surgical costs are set relatively high when designating the representative director.
- Post-operative Care: Some reviews mention that waiting times are long during swelling management or progress checks after surgery, or that staff response is lacking.
Controversies & Issues
As a critical part of this investigation, controversies related to TS Plastic Surgery must be treated seriously in terms of the consumer's right to know. Major issues raised through online communities and media reports are as follows.
- Medical Accidents & Media Reports (MBC Newsdesk, 2022): In April 2022, MBC reported cases where a patient died or suffered serious side effects (nose necrosis, etc.) at a famous plastic surgery clinic in Gangnam that promoted "13 years accident-free." The report covered a death due to excessive bleeding during facial contouring surgery and a necrosis incident occurring after being recommended nose surgery during consultation for eye correction.
- Allegations of Substitute Surgery (Ghost Surgery) & Nurse Suturing: According to the aforementioned media reports and police investigation details, allegations were raised that nurses, not doctors, sutured surgical sites at the hospital, or that anesthesiologists handled multiple operating rooms simultaneously. These issues became the main reason the hospital is mentioned on the so-called 'plastic surgery blacklist.'
- 'Blacklist' Inclusion & Consumer Caution: A 'blacklist' summarizing hospitals with medical accidents, unfriendliness, excessive marketing, or ghost surgery allegations is shared among plastic surgery community users. TS Plastic Surgery has been mentioned in some lists due to the events mentioned above, or has become a subject of inquiries by consumers asking if it is a "hospital to avoid."
- Hospital Response: The hospital is strengthening marketing to restore trust by officially emphasizing the CCTV observation system and introducing a real-name system regarding these controversies. Also, it appears they are managing false facts or slanderous posts on platforms like Sungyesa.
Conclusion
TS Plastic Surgery and Representative Director Lee Sang-kyun simultaneously hold two conflicting images: 'high-difficulty revision surgery technical prowess' and 'past safety-related controversies'.
Technical Prowess
Director Lee Sang-kyun is recognized for excellent skills in facial contouring and eye revision surgery, based on his impressive credentials and extensive clinical experience. Many patients express satisfaction with his aesthetic sense and surgical results.
Risk Awareness
Allegations of medical accidents and ghost surgery controversies reported in the media in the past are risk factors that must be considered when choosing a hospital. Consumers need to be aware of this past history and approach with caution.
Informed Decision
Patients considering this hospital are recommended to undergo active safety verification procedures, such as confirming the surgical plan through direct consultation with the representative director, and re-confirming the availability of operating room CCTV observation and the presence of a resident anesthesiologist.