Table of contents

• Key take-aways:
• What Should You Know About Double Eyelid Surgery?
• How can you tell whether double eyelid surgery suits you?
• Which double eyelid surgery methods might work best for you?
• Why might you choose Korea for your double eyelid surgery?
• What should you plan if you are traveling to Korea for your surgery?
• Which Are the Best Clinics in Korea for Double Eyelid Surgery?
• How Much Could You Pay for Double Eyelid Surgery in Korea?
• What will your double eyelid surgery process usually look like?
• What if another procedure might suit your eyes better than double eyelid surgery?
• How should you prepare yourself for double eyelid surgery in Korea?
• How should you care for yourself after your double eyelid surgery?

Considering treatment in Korea? Everything you need to know e.g. — how to avoid scams, visas, interpreters, recovery tips — in our Medical Tourism Master Guide. Plan with confidence in minutes, not weeks!

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Last updated: July 2026

Key take-aways:

• You may suit double eyelid surgery best if your health is stable, your eye surface is healthy enough, and your goals are realistic for your anatomy.
• You should pause for more evaluation if you have uncontrolled dry eye, active eyelid inflammation, thyroid eye disease, poor eyelid closure, recent eye surgery, or significant bleeding risk.
• You may be offered a buried suture method for thinner, less heavy lids, a partial-incision method for moderate adjustment, or an incisional method if your lids are thicker, puffier, hooded, or need a more durable crease.
• You should ask whether your real issue is ptosis, brow droop, or excess upper-lid skin, because your surgeon may need to add ptosis repair or recommend a different procedure instead of crease creation alone.
• You should usually plan to stay in Korea about 5 to 7 days for isolated surgery, or about 7 to 10 days if your plan includes an incisional case, ptosis correction, or canthal work.
• You can expect your cost in Korea to be about ₩1,700,000 to ₩3,000,000, or roughly $1,200 to $2,000, with your final quote depending on your surgeon, technique, and follow-up needs.
• You should expect early swelling, bruising, tearing, and temporary asymmetry, and you should seek urgent help if you develop severe pain, rapidly increasing swelling, active bleeding, fever with worsening redness, or any vision change.

What Should You Know About Double Eyelid Surgery?

You should first make sure your goal is truly about creating or improving your upper-lid crease rather than treating lower-lid bags or a different eye concern. You should expect your surgeon to evaluate your overall eye health, medical history, and eyelid anatomy instead of approving surgery based on appearance alone. You should also think through how much durability, swelling, scarring, and tissue adjustment you are willing to accept when comparing surgical methods. You should plan carefully if you are traveling to Korea, because your timing, records, language support, and follow-up arrangements can affect your safety and recovery.

How can you tell whether double eyelid surgery suits you?

How should you match your goals to your eyelids?

If you want a defined upper-lid crease or you want to correct an unstable or uneven crease, you may be looking at double eyelid surgery, also called Asian blepharoplasty. Your surgery focuses on your upper eyelid crease, not your lower-lid bags, so you should make sure your goal matches the operation you are requesting.

How should your surgeon evaluate your eye health before you proceed?

Your surgeon should assess more than your eyelid appearance. You should expect questions about your dry-eye symptoms, prior eye or refractive surgery, thyroid disease, glaucoma, diabetes, hypertension, smoking, bleeding risk, medications, supplements, and whether your main issue is actually brow droop or true eyelid ptosis rather than a missing crease. Guidance from Mayo Clinic and NCBI supports this broader evaluation.

• Your likely fit: You may fit this surgery best if your health is stable, your eye surface is healthy enough, and your goals are realistic for your anatomy.
• Your anatomy check: If your upper lids are thick, puffy, hooded, or asymmetrical, your surgeon may need to discuss more than a simple crease-creation technique.
• Your expectations: You should expect improvement, not mathematical symmetry or an instantly settled final crease.

When should you pause or seek more evaluation first?

You should be cautious if you have uncontrolled dry eye, active blepharitis or meibomian gland dysfunction, poor eyelid closure, active thyroid eye disease, proptosis, lagophthalmos, or recent eye surgery, because your surgery can worsen exposure and irritation if these issues are not addressed first.

• Your bleeding risk: If you cannot safely stop anticoagulants or antiplatelet drugs, or if you have a bleeding disorder, your periocular bleeding risk may be too high for elective surgery.
• Your medical stability: If your diabetes or blood pressure is poorly controlled, you should usually optimize those conditions before surgery.
• Your drooping-lid question: If your real problem is ptosis or brow ptosis, creating a higher crease alone may give you the wrong result unless your droop is evaluated and, when appropriate, corrected at the same time.
• Your mental readiness: If your expectations are unrealistic or your surgeon is concerned about body-image distress, you may need more counseling before you proceed.

Travel note: If you already know that your eyes are dry, sensitive, or recently treated, you should tell your Korean team before you book flights so you can avoid a rushed approval process.

Which double eyelid surgery methods might work best for you?

How does the buried suture method affect your recovery and durability?

If your eyelid skin is thinner and you do not need much skin, muscle, or fat adjustment, your surgeon may discuss a buried suture or nonincisional method. You may like this option if you want little or no visible external scar and a faster early recovery, but you should understand that your fold can loosen or disappear over time.

• Your main trade-off: You may get less swelling early on, but you may also accept a higher chance that your crease softens later.
• Your best fit: You may fit this method better if your lids are not very thick or heavy.

How does partial-incision surgery change what you can correct?

If you need more control than a buried suture can offer but you do not need a full incision, your surgeon may suggest a partial-incision or mini-incision approach. You may hear this described as a middle ground that allows limited adjustment of tissue while trying to keep your scar burden smaller than a full incisional procedure.

• Your possible benefit: You may get more shaping control than a purely nonincisional method.
• Your limitation: You should still ask how durable your crease is expected to be for your specific lid thickness and anatomy.

When might an incisional method suit your eyelids better?

If your eyelids are thicker, puffier, hooded, or if you want a stronger and usually more durable crease, your surgeon may recommend incisional double eyelid surgery. This method is more invasive, but it allows direct adjustment of your skin, muscle, and fat.

• Your possible upside: You may get better control over crease height, shape, and bulk reduction.
• Your likely downside: You should expect more swelling early on and a visible healing line that usually settles gradually over months.

When might your surgeon add another eye procedure for you?

If your upper eyelid droops because of weak lid elevation, your surgeon may recommend ptosis correction at the same time. If your inner eye corner anatomy affects your desired look, your surgeon may also discuss epicanthoplasty. These add-ons can improve alignment between your anatomy and your goal, but they also add complexity, swelling, and recovery considerations.

• Your ptosis issue: If your lid margin is low rather than your crease being absent, you should ask whether ptosis repair matters more than crease creation.
• Your combined-plan caution: If you combine procedures, you should expect a longer and sometimes less predictable recovery than with isolated crease surgery.

You can compare these choices against Korean hospital descriptions of incisional and nonincisional double eyelid surgery.

Why might you choose Korea for your double eyelid surgery?

What practical advantages might you find in Korea?

You may consider Korea because double eyelid surgery is commonly performed there, isolated cases are often outpatient, and the care pathway for early review is well established. If you want a destination where your procedure is familiar within everyday practice, Korea may feel logistically straightforward for you.

• Your outpatient convenience: You will often go home the same day for isolated surgery.
• Your planning clarity: You can usually build your trip around a short early follow-up window rather than a long hospital stay.
• Your procedure-specific familiarity: You may find that Korean teams routinely discuss crease shape, eyelid thickness, asymmetry, and whether ptosis matters for your result.

What should you still verify for yourself?

You should not assume that a common procedure is automatically the right procedure for you. You still need to verify your surgeon's training, your eye-surface evaluation, your language support, your emergency contact route, and how your aftercare will work once you leave Korea.

• Your safety check: You should confirm who will answer you if you develop severe swelling, bleeding, or vision symptoms after you return home.
• Your documentation check: You should ask whether you can receive your operative note and discharge instructions in English.
• Your recovery check: You should confirm whether your plan includes stitch removal in Korea if your method uses external sutures.

If you want official background on Korea's medical-visitor system, you can review Medical Korea's international resources and hospital support information from SNUH.

What should you plan if you are traveling to Korea for your surgery?

How long should you stay in Korea for your follow-up?

You should usually plan a minimum of about 5 to 7 days in Korea for isolated double eyelid surgery so your first postoperative review and any planned stitch removal can happen locally. If you are having an incisional case, ptosis correction, or canthal work, you should more prudently plan 7 to 10 days. This timing is a practical inference from typical follow-up schedules rather than a universal rule.

Travel note: You should avoid leaving Korea before your first postoperative review and any planned stitch removal, because your earliest swelling pattern and wound check matter for your safety.

Which records and logistics should you prepare before you fly?

You should bring any prior eye records in English or Korean, especially if you have had LASIK, other eye surgery, dry-eye treatment, thyroid eye disease evaluation, or previous eyelid surgery. You should also ask in advance whether your institution can issue English-language documentation and help you coordinate follow-up questions after departure.

• Your records: You should carry prior eye exam notes, operative notes, medication lists, and allergy information if you have them.
• Your consent process: You should confirm whether your informed-consent documents will be available in a language you fully understand.
• Your departure plan: You should schedule your flight home after your local review rather than the day after surgery.

Do you need a visa for your stay?

If you will stay under 90 days, you may need to review Korea's C-3(M) medical visa pathway for simple procedures, including cosmetic plastic surgery. You should check the current rules for your passport and itinerary through Medical Korea's visa guidance.

• Your visa timing: You should check requirements early, because your documents may take longer than your surgical scheduling.
• Your support question: You should ask whether your chosen institution can help you with invitation letters or appointment proof if you need them.

Which Are the Best Clinics in Korea for Double Eyelid Surgery?

Listed below are some of the best clinics in Korea for double eyelid surgery.

1. THEPLUS Plastic Surgery

If you are considering double eyelid surgery here, you can expect a personalized plan aimed at creating a natural-looking eyelid crease that fits your existing features rather than an overly dramatic change. The clinic presents eye surgery as part of a broader facial-balance approach, with double eyelid surgery designed to open and refine the eyes and options such as ptosis correction or blepharoplasty when heaviness, drooping, or excess tissue also need to be addressed.

• URL: THEPLUS Plastic Surgery Website
• Location: Gangnam-gu, Seoul
• Procedure details:
  • Double eyelid surgery is described as creating a defined upper eyelid crease for a more open and refined eye shape.
  • The stated goal is a natural-looking eyelid line that matches your facial features.
  • Ptosis correction is available for drooping upper eyelids by correcting the muscles that open the eyes.
  • Blepharoplasty is offered to remove or adjust excess skin and tissue around the eyelids when needed.
• Medical team:
  • The clinic highlights board-certified plastic surgeons with active involvement in Korean and international plastic surgery societies.
  • Its overall approach emphasizes personalized aesthetic care, research, and specialized surgical expertise.
  • The broader surgical philosophy described in the clinic context focuses on facial harmony and balancing function with appearance.
• Additional notes:
  • The clinic is based in Sinsa’s Garosu-gil area of Gangnam.
  • Eye procedures are part of a wider practice that also includes rhinoplasty, facial contouring, lifting procedures, breast surgery, body contouring, and stem cell-based regenerative care.

2. Made Young Plastic Surgery

If you want double eyelid surgery with a strong eye-surgery focus, this clinic emphasizes customized crease design under Dr. Park Byung-Chan, who has 15 years of experience dedicated exclusively to eye surgery. You can expect planning that adjusts the incision line, crease height, eyelid thickness, and overall image to create a natural-looking eye shape, with both non-incisional and incisional methods available depending on your needs.

• URL: Made Young Plastic Surgery Website
• Location: Seocho-gu, Seoul
• Lead surgeon:
  • Dr. Park Byung-Chan is described as having 15 years of dedicated experience exclusively in eye surgery.
  • The clinic says he is known for natural-looking eye results, including on the day of surgery.
  • His approach is presented as genuine and patient-centered from consultation through surgery.
• Procedure details:
  • The clinic offers both non-incisional and incisional double eyelid surgery.
  • Customization may include the incision line, double eyelid height, eyelid thickness, and the overall impression of your eyes.
  • Related eye procedures listed in the clinic context include ptosis correction, upper blepharoplasty, lower blepharoplasty, canthoplasty, and dark circle treatment.
• Safety and aftercare:
  • Full-time board-certified anesthesiologists are on site.
  • A 1:1 monitoring system assigns one anesthesiologist to continuously monitor one person during procedures.
  • A cross-check system is in place for emergency response by multiple anesthesiologists.
  • Procedures are covered by CCTV for transparency.
  • The clinic operates a separate dedicated aftercare center for systematic post-procedure care.

3. RINE Plastic Surgery Clinic

If you are looking for double eyelid surgery with direct surgeon involvement from start to finish, this clinic centers its care on the head director personally handling your consultation, surgery, treatment, and recovery. You can expect a 1:1 customized eye-line design based on facial proportions, skin condition, and your preferred look, backed by more than 10,000 eye surgeries performed by the director and a stated focus on natural, harmonious lines rather than an artificial result.

• URL: RINE Plastic Surgery Clinic Website
• Location: Seocho-gu, Seoul
• Procedure details:
  • Non-incisional double eyelid surgery is offered as a suture-based method to create an eyelid crease without incisions.
  • The non-incisional approach is described as better suited to thinner eyelids with adequate muscle tone.
  • Ptosis correction can be combined with double eyelid surgery to address droopy eyelids by strengthening the lifting muscle.
  • Revision double eyelid surgery is available for issues such as asymmetry, loosened or faded lines, multiple folds, scarring, or overly thick creases.
• Lead surgeon:
  • The clinic states that the director has personally performed over 10,000 eye surgeries.
  • The head director personally manages consultation, surgery, and recovery instead of separating care across different staff.
  • The clinic describes more than 15 years of experience focused on eye surgery and anti-aging procedures.
• Technology and recovery:
  • The clinic is equipped with Stryker’s full HD endoscope.
  • It uses FDA-approved genuine Endotine.
  • It also uses WhiteLite bipolar equipment, which the clinic associates with faster recovery.
  • Private recovery is available in a 1-person recovery room.
• Additional notes:
  • The clinic reports over 2,000 domestic plastic surgery reviews on platforms such as Gangnam unni and Babitalk.
  • Its care model emphasizes continuous aftercare rather than only immediate postoperative treatment.
  • The clinic highlights infection control, surgical safety protocols, and emergency preparedness.

How Much Could You Pay for Double Eyelid Surgery in Korea?

You can expect your Double Eyelid Surgery cost to range from about ₩1,700,000 to ₩3,000,000, or about $1,200 to $2,000. Your individual quote can vary based on your surgeon, your clinic, your surgical plan, and your aftercare needs.

Procedure Price	Korean Won (₩)	USD ($)
Low Price	₩1,700,000	$1,200
High Price	₩3,000,000	$2,000

Exchange rate as of 2026-07-24: 1 KRW = 0.000678 USD.

What Could Affect Your Price?

• Price factor: Your surgeon’s experience and reputation can affect your price.
• Price factor: Your clinic’s location, facilities, and service level can change your total cost.
• Price factor: Your surgical plan, including your technique and complexity, can raise or lower your quote.
• Price factor: Your anesthesia, operating room, medications, and follow-up care can add to your final price.
• Price factor: Your need for pre-operative testing or additional aftercare can change what you pay.

Ask for an itemized quote: You should ask for an itemized quote so you can check whether your price includes your consultation, your facility and anesthesia fees, your medications, and your follow-up visits.

Currency note: Your USD estimate is approximate, based on an exchange rate of 0.000678 on 2026-07-24, so your final cost in your currency may change.

What will your double eyelid surgery process usually look like?

What usually happens before your surgery starts?

On your surgery day, you should expect your surgeon to review your markings, your desired crease height and shape, and whether your plan includes only crease creation or also tissue reduction or ptosis correction. Because symmetry can look different when you are sitting versus lying down, you may notice repeated checking and marking before your procedure begins.

What anesthesia or sedation might you receive?

For isolated cases in Korea, you will often have your surgery as an outpatient under local anesthesia, sometimes with an anxiolytic or sedation depending on your plan and your comfort level. You should ask exactly what you will receive, because your ride home and fasting instructions may depend on it.

• Your setting: You will usually go home the same day unless your plan is unusually complex.
• Your comfort plan: You should ask whether you will be awake but numb, lightly sedated, or managed another way.

What happens during your chosen method?

If you have a buried suture method, your surgeon creates your crease through small entry points and internal fixation. If you have an incisional method, your surgeon opens the planned crease line so skin, muscle, and sometimes fat can be adjusted more directly. If your lid droop is part of your problem, your surgeon may add ptosis correction rather than relying on a higher crease alone.

What should you expect right after your surgery?

Right after surgery, you should expect swelling, tightness, tearing, mild blurry vision from ointment, and some bruising. You should also expect detailed instructions about lubrication, cold compresses, head elevation, and activity limits. If your plan used external sutures, you should expect a review in the next few days, with stitch removal often around day 3 to 4 for incisional cases in Korean practice.

• Your early appearance: You should expect your eyelids to look uneven or puffier than you hoped at first.
• Your normal early symptoms: You may notice numbness, watering, or temporary difficulty closing your eyes fully while swelling is present.
• Your urgent warning signs: You should treat severe pain, rapidly increasing swelling, active bleeding, or any vision change as urgent because rare periocular bleeding can threaten your sight, as noted in this blepharoplasty practice parameter.

What if another procedure might suit your eyes better than double eyelid surgery?

When might your main problem be eyelid droop rather than crease absence?

If your upper lid margin sits low and your eye opening looks small because of true droop, you should ask whether ptosis correction fits you better than isolated crease creation. You may still have a crease made at the same time, but your surgeon should first decide whether your lid position is the more important problem.

When might excess upper-lid skin matter more for you?

If your main concern is heavy or excess upper-lid skin rather than a missing crease, you should ask whether upper blepharoplasty is the more direct operation for your goal. You may need skin reduction more than crease formation, or you may need both.

When might your brow position be the bigger issue for you?

If your brow has descended and that descent is pushing skin onto your eyelid, you should ask whether a subbrow lift or an eyebrow lift would better address your heaviness. A brow-driven problem can make a crease procedure look under-corrected if your brow position is never addressed.

• Your key question: You should ask which structure is actually causing your heaviness: your crease, your skin, your brow, or your lid-opening muscle.
• Your combined-procedure caution: If you combine operations, you may gain a better anatomical match for your goal, but you should also expect more swelling and a more involved recovery.

How should you prepare yourself for double eyelid surgery in Korea?

Which medical steps should you take before your procedure?

You should give your surgical team a full list of your medications, supplements, allergies, prior surgeries, and eye conditions. If you take aspirin, NSAIDs, anticoagulants, antiplatelet drugs, or other products that increase bleeding, you should stop them only under clinician guidance when it is medically safe to do so.

• Your eye-surface preparation: If you have dry eye or blepharitis, you should ask whether your surface disease needs treatment before surgery.
• Your chronic-condition preparation: If your blood pressure or diabetes is not well controlled, you should optimize it before you proceed.
• Your smoking preparation: If you smoke, you should ask for a stop-or-reduction plan because smoking can impair your healing.

Which practical items should you organize for your surgery day?

You should arrange transportation after surgery, bring sunglasses for the trip back, and avoid planning important social events during your earliest swelling period. If you wear contact lenses, you should ask when you need to stop wearing them before surgery and when you can safely restart them afterward.

• Your document pack: You should bring your passport, medication list, prior eye records, and contact information for your home doctor if relevant.
• Your language plan: You should ask for written aftercare instructions in a language you understand fully.
• Your follow-up plan: You should book your first review before your departure date, not after it.

Travel note: You should keep a small recovery kit with sunglasses, clean gauze if advised, your prescribed ointment or drops, and lubricating tears if your surgeon recommends them.

How should you care for yourself after your double eyelid surgery?

What should you do in the first 48 hours to 3 days?

You should keep your head elevated, use cold compresses as instructed for the first 48 hours to 3 days, and use your prescribed ointment, drops, or lubrication exactly as directed. You should avoid rubbing your eyes, smoking, strenuous exercise, heavy bending or straining, swimming, and anything that increases irritation or bleeding risk.

• Your first-days expectation: You should expect early swelling and bruising for several days.
• Your eye comfort: You may need frequent lubrication if your eyes feel dry, watery, or mildly scratchy.
• Your contact lenses: You should not restart them until your surgeon says your lids and surface are ready.

What should you expect during your first 1 to 2 weeks?

If your method used external sutures, your stitch removal is often around day 3 to 4 for incisional surgery in Korean practice. Many people return to ordinary daily life in about 1 week, although your bruising and visible swelling often continue improving over 10 to 14 days.

• Your social timeline: You may feel presentable sooner than your eyelids feel settled.
• Your asymmetry concern: You should expect temporary asymmetry early on, because each side of your swelling can resolve at a different pace.

How long will your final crease take to settle?

You should expect your crease and scar to keep softening and settling over about 2 to 3 months. During that period, your lids may still look puffy, slightly numb, or less natural than you want. You should judge your result cautiously until your tissues have had time to stabilize.

• Your durability question: If you had a buried suture method, you should remember that your fold can loosen over time.
• Your scar question: If you had an incisional method, you should expect a longer visible healing phase before your crease line looks quieter.

Which problems mean you should seek urgent help?

You should seek urgent review if you develop severe pain, rapidly increasing swelling, active bleeding, fever with worsening redness, or any vision change. These symptoms are not routine healing signs for you, and rare orbital hemorrhage or corneal problems need prompt attention.

Travel note: If you notice urgent symptoms after you leave Korea, you should contact both your Korean surgical team and a local eye or emergency service immediately rather than waiting for your next routine follow-up.