Key Findings
Convergence Treatment Model
Apgujeong Be&Me Clinic adopts a hybrid model combining plastic surgery and dermatology treatments with a semi-permanent makeup center, securing unique competitiveness in the domestic beauty market.
Expertise of Director Lee Jung-min
Director Lee Jung-min is active in breast and cosmetic surgery fields based on his sub-specialist experience at the National Cancer Center's Breast Center, and has conducted marketing emphasizing the medical safety of semi-permanent makeup.
Public Awareness & Reputation
The clinic holds high recognition in the fields of 'dimple surgery' and 'semi-permanent eyebrow tattoos,' recording numerous reviews and high ratings on major medical beauty apps. However, some negative feedback regarding wait times and a factory-style system also coexists.
Safety Controversies
While the clinic has conducted 'accident-free' marketing, suspicions regarding medical accidents (necrosis, death, etc.) have been raised through media reports and search results in recent years, requiring a critical review of the gap between the marketing image and actual clinical safety.
Representative Director Profile: Dr. Lee Jung-min
Profile & Background
As the Representative Director of Apgujeong Be&Me Clinic, Dr. Lee Jung-min oversees the general operation of the hospital and performs major surgeries. His background is summarized by the combination of surgical expertise and aesthetic medicine.
Major Career
- Representative Director, Apgujeong Be&Me Clinic
- Sub-specialist, Breast Center, National Cancer Center (NCC)
- Outpatient Professor, Inje University Ilsan Paik Hospital
- Harvest Jet II Breast Fat Graft Key Doctor
Academic Activities
- Regular Member, Korean Society of Aesthetic Surgery (KSAS)
- Lifetime Member, Korean Academy of Aesthetic Surgery & Medicine (KAAS)
- Regular Member, Korean Academy of Obesity & Aesthetic Treatment
- Regular Member, Korean Breast Cancer Society
- Analysis: Considering that his activities are mainly in the 'Korean Society of Aesthetic Surgery' rather than the 'Korean Society of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgeons,' it is presumed that he entered the beauty field as a specialist from another department (such as General Surgery) rather than as a Board-Certified Plastic Surgeon.
Academic and Research Activities
Director Lee Jung-min participates in academic research beyond simple clinical practice.
Filler Safety Research
In 2024, he participated in an observational study verifying the long-term safety of LG Chem's hyaluronic acid filler 'Y-Solution' in cooperation with the dermatology research team at Chung-Ang University Hospital. This study was published in an SCI-level international journal, which is interpreted as an effort to contribute to data accumulation in the clinical field and proof of safety.
Other Medical Staff
Director Kim Tae-young: A director at Apgujeong Be&Me Clinic, active as a Regular Member of the Korean Society of Aesthetic Surgery and an appointed instructor for Dual Line Lifting.
Clinic Information & Philosophy
Basic Information & History
Apgujeong Be&Me Clinic is located near Apgujeong Rodeo Station in Gangnam-gu, Seoul, and is a medical institution that integrates plastic surgery, dermatology, and a semi-permanent makeup center.
- Establishment: It is understood to have been established around 2007 (based on job postings), and the Semi-permanent Center promotes a history dating back to 1996 with the introduction of the European Contour Makeup System.
- Location: 2nd Floor, Rodeo Star Building B, 5-10 Apgujeong-ro 46-gil, Gangnam-gu, Seoul.
- Scale: Classified as a Small and Medium-sized Enterprise (SME), with approximately 30 employees.
Clinical Philosophy & Brand Identity
“ Be&Me is interpreted as a combination of 'Beauty' and 'Me', and its core value is to provide "confidence where even the bare face is beautiful" through not only plastic surgery but also semi-permanent makeup. It particularly advocates 'Medical Semi-permanent Makeup' directly inspected and designed by medical staff, emphasizing differentiation from illegal parlors. ”
Operation System
- Office Hours: It operates night clinics on weekdays (until 9 PM on Tue, Thu, Fri) to improve accessibility for office workers, and also runs Saturday clinics.
- Global Response: It operates multilingual websites in Chinese, Japanese, etc., and is active in attracting foreign patients.
Key Procedures
Apgujeong Be&Me Clinic operates the plastic surgery area and the semi-permanent makeup area distinctly yet complementarily.
Medical Semi-permanent Makeup
This is the clinic's biggest differentiation point and a sector that accounts for a significant portion of revenue.
- Eyebrow Semi-permanent: Uses various techniques such as Embo, Gradation, and Combo, emphasizing a 1:1 design tailored to the individual's face shape and skeletal structure. Uses 'highest number of procedures in Korea' as a marketing point.
- Other Areas: Performs eyeliner, lips (tint lips), hairline, and scalp micropigmentation (SMP).
- Features: Emphasizes hygiene and safety by using natural pigments and disposable needles, and absorbs the demand for correction (re-procedure) of incorrect tattoos in conjunction with laser tattoo removal procedures.
Plastic Surgery & Petit Procedures
- Dimple Surgery: Analysis of review data reveals high demand and satisfaction for dimple surgery, to the extent of being nicknamed a "Dimple Restaurant" (a hot spot for dimples). Quick dimple procedures using threads without incisions are predominant.
- Eye Surgery: Mainly performs non-incisional eye surgeries such as the burial method, natural adhesion, and canthoplasty.
- Breast Surgery: Shows strength in autologous fat breast surgery using Harvest Jet based on Director Lee Jung-min's career at the Breast Center.
- Lifting & Anti-aging: Offers non-surgical anti-aging procedures such as thread lifting, Ulthera, and Titanium lifting.
Pricing Policy & Marketing
- Event-Centric: Conducts aggressive price discount events through medical beauty platforms such as Gangnam Unni and Yeoshin Ticket. For example, they promote price competitiveness with eyebrow semi-permanent makeup in the 90,000 KRW range and dimple surgery in the 100,000 KRW range.
- Package Products: Uses a strategy to increase the average transaction value per customer through package products combining semi-permanent makeup and petit procedures (Botox, etc.).
Reputation Analysis
Positive Evaluations
- Satisfaction with Results: There are numerous reviews stating "It looks natural" and "I like the design," especially for dimple surgery and semi-permanent eyebrow procedures.
- Accessibility and Facilities: There are positive evaluations regarding the convenient location near Apgujeong Rodeo Station and the pleasant waiting area.
- Cost-effectiveness: The ability to receive procedures at a reasonable price compared to other clinics in the Gangnam area when applying event prices is cited as an advantage.
Negative Evaluations & Complaints
- Wait Times & Factory-style System: Complaints about long waiting times even after making a reservation are constantly raised due to accommodating a large number of patients. There are typical complaints of a 'factory-style hospital' where the proportion of consultation with the counseling manager is high and the face-to-face time with the doctor is short.
- Staff Response: Reviews regarding staff are mixed, with some saying they are kind and others saying they are unkind or mechanical.
- Corporate Reviews (Employee Perspective): The JobPlanet rating is 2.8, with internal employee evaluations stating "Lack of system" and "High work intensity," suggesting the possibility of frequent staff turnover.
Controversies & Safety Issues
Note: This section is written based on media reports and related materials appearing in search results and includes sensitive matters requiring fact-checking.
Suspicion of Medical Accidents & Media Reports
Apgujeong Be&Me Clinic has promoted itself as an 'accident-free' hospital in the past, but controversies related to medical accidents have been identified in search results and related news clips in recent years.
Chinese Patient Death Case (Reported 2023-2024)
A Chinese woman in her 20s who underwent liposuction surgery at a plastic surgery clinic in Gangnam, Seoul (exposed in connection with Apgujeong Be&Me Clinic in search result contexts), died of necrotizing fasciitis and sepsis after complaining of pain following surgery.
- Issues: The bereaved family sued for professional negligence resulting in death, claiming the hospital neglected the patient without appropriate measures, while the hospital reportedly took the position that they provided appropriate treatment but the patient did not cooperate.
- Connection: Although the hospital name was anonymized in the news report itself ("A plastic surgery clinic in Gangnam"), search engine results and posts in related communities link this incident to Apgujeong Be&Me Clinic. Additionally, circumstances such as being active in attracting Chinese patients at the time are mentioned.
Nose Surgery Side Effects & Necrosis Controversy (Reported 2022)
Major media outlets such as MBC Newsdesk reported that a victim suffered serious side effects, such as necrosis of the nasal tip nerves, after nose surgery at a famous plastic surgery clinic in Gangnam that promoted itself as 'accident-free'. This report also appears strongly associated with Apgujeong Be&Me Clinic in search results, and victims criticized the hospital's insufficient post-incident handling and pressure to settle.
Response to Safety Issues
Amidst these controversies, Director Lee Jung-min shows academic moves to prove medical safety, such as participating in a filler safety research paper in 2024. This can be interpreted as a strategic move to restore the hospital's credibility and emphasize expertise.
The hospital continues to promote "safe and delicate hand skills" and "side effect prevention systems" through its website and other channels.
Comprehensive Analysis & Conclusion
Feature Summary
Apgujeong Be&Me Clinic is a hospital that has grown by leading the 'institutional medicalization of semi-permanent makeup.' Representative Director Lee Jung-min expanded the scope of aesthetic procedures by utilizing his background as a surgeon, and established a unique brand power, especially in the fields of dimple surgery and semi-permanent makeup.
SWOT Analysis
- Strengths: Unique positioning combining semi-permanent makeup and plastic surgery, high brand awareness, price competitiveness, expertise in specific procedures (dimples, eyebrows).
- Weaknesses: Deterioration of customer experience due to factory-style system (wait times, etc.), low internal employee satisfaction.
- Opportunities: Increase in foreign patient inflow after the endemic, expansion of the men's beauty market (Men's eyebrows, etc.).
- Threats: Controversies and media reports related to serious medical accidents (death, necrosis). This can be a fatal risk factor for medical consumers who value 'safety'.
Suggestions
Apgujeong Be&Me Clinic has achieved popular success, but issues related to medical accidents continuously exposed in search results act as a major anxiety factor for potential customers. It is judged that transparent clarification regarding the raised safety issues, the definite establishment of a recurrence prevention system, and the restoration of trust through this are urgent tasks for the hospital, in addition to attracting customers through marketing.
From the patient's perspective, before deciding on a procedure, it is necessary to carefully approach by distinguishing the risks between the hospital's specialized fields (semi-permanent, dimples, etc.) and high-difficulty surgeries (surgeries requiring general anesthesia, etc.).