Facial surgery in Korea usually falls into five groups: eyelid operations, nose reshaping, reduction of the cheekbones or jaw, face and neck lifting, and fat grafting to restore volume. Each carries its own risks, from expected swelling and bruising to rarer problems such as nerve numbness, bone healing issues, infection or lumps of hardened fat. Shorter operations are often done under local anesthesia with sedation, while bone work and lifts typically need general anesthesia. This page sets out what each group involves, the complications surgeons discuss at consultation, what research reports about fat grafting, and which warning signs after surgery need prompt attention.
Guide
The main groups of facial operations
Most face plastic surgery in Korea is planned around one region at a time, and many surgeons concentrate on a single area. Knowing which group a procedure belongs to helps you judge how invasive it is and how long healing takes.
Some visitors combine two regions, for example eyelids with fat grafting. Others keep each operation separate to limit time under anesthesia. Both approaches are common, and the choice depends on health, goals and the length of the trip.
- Eyelids: suture or incisional crease creation, upper lid skin removal, lower lid fat repositioning.
- Nose: reshaping the bridge and tip with cartilage, implants or both.
- Bone reduction: cutting and repositioning the cheekbone, jaw angle or chin.
- Lifting: facelift and neck lift that reposition deeper tissue and remove excess skin.
- Fat grafting: harvesting fat by liposuction and injecting it into hollow areas.
Guide
Risks of each operation, stated plainly
Every operation on the face has expected effects that pass, and less common complications that may need treatment or a second operation. A thorough consultation for facial plastic surgery in Korea should cover both columns below, not only the first.
| Operation | Expected and common | Less common but serious |
|---|---|---|
| Eyelid surgery | Swelling, bruising, tight or dry eyes for weeks | Asymmetry, crease loss, difficulty closing the eye, rare bleeding behind the eye |
| Nose reshaping | Swelling, blocked feeling, bruising under the eyes | Infection, implant shifting or exposure, breathing changes, shape needing revision |
| Cheekbone or jaw reduction | Marked swelling, limited mouth opening, temporary numbness | Nerve injury with long-lasting numbness, poor bone healing, cheek sagging, heavy bleeding |
| Facelift or neck lift | Tightness, swelling, numb skin near incisions | Blood collection under the skin, facial nerve weakness, wide scars, hair loss near incisions |
| Fat grafting | Swelling, partial loss of grafted fat | Lumps or oil cysts, uneven contour, very rare blocked blood vessels affecting vision |
Guide
Fat grafting to the face: what the research reports
Fat grafting is often presented as a natural filler, but it is still surgery. In a 2026 systematic review in Aesthetic Plastic Surgery, Jerliu and colleagues pooled 18 studies on fat necrosis, oil cysts and lipogranuloma after facial fat grafting. The area around the eyes was affected most often, frequently after injections to the forehead or between the brows. Lesions usually appeared as firm nodules or cysts weeks to months later.
The same review linked frozen, stored fat and repeated grafting sessions to these problems. Steroid treatment, by mouth or injected into the lump, was the most frequently successful approach, small lumps without symptoms were often simply observed, and surgery was kept for stubborn cases. The authors noted that the evidence came from case reports and small series.
A different technique, nanofat, was described by Tonnard and colleagues in Clinics in Plastic Surgery in 2020. It is a finely processed fat suspension rich in progenitor cells but without living fat cells, used mainly to improve skin quality rather than to add volume.
Guide
Combining several facial operations in one session
Joining procedures can mean one recovery period instead of two. The trade-offs are a longer time under anesthesia, more swelling at once and less clarity about which operation caused a problem if one occurs. Ask the surgeon how long the combined session would take, who manages anesthesia and monitoring throughout, and whether any part could safely wait for a later trip. Clinics offering gangnam face plastic surgery to visitors on short trips often discuss this trade-off at the first consultation.
Guide
Warning signs that need prompt care
Most discomfort after surgery fades steadily. Some symptoms should not wait for the next scheduled check, either in Seoul or after returning home. Keep the clinic's contact details and your operation record with you when you travel.
- Rapidly growing swelling or firm pain on one side of the face.
- Any change in vision, eye pain or a bulging eye.
- Skin turning pale, dark or blotchy near a grafted area.
- Fever, spreading redness or discharge from an incision.
- Difficulty breathing or swallowing after jaw surgery.
Evidence
Research behind this page
- Fat Necrosis After Facial Autologous Fat Grafting: A Systematic Review of Reported Complications and Management StrategiesAesthetic Plastic Surgery · 2026 · doi:10.1007/s00266-026-06047-z
Across 18 studies, fat necrosis after facial fat grafting most often affected the periorbital area and usually responded to corticosteroid treatment.
- Fat Grafting for Facial Rejuvenation with Nanofat GraftsClinics in Plastic Surgery · 2020 · doi:10.1016/j.cps.2019.08.006
Describes nanofat, a mechanically processed fat suspension of progenitor cells without viable adipocytes, used to improve skin quality.
FAQ
Questions about Plastic surgery in Gangnam
Is general anesthesia needed for most facial operations?
It depends on the operation: eyelid work and small nose procedures are often done under local anesthesia with sedation, while bone reduction and facelifts usually need general anesthesia. The choice also reflects your health and the length of the session. Ask who will give and monitor the anesthesia and what tests are required beforehand. Bring a list of your medicines and past reactions to anesthesia to the consultation.
Can numbness after cheekbone or jaw surgery last a long time?
Temporary numbness of the cheek, lip or chin is common after bone reduction and usually improves over weeks to months. Nerves that supply feeling run close to the cut bone, so stretching or bruising them during surgery is expected. In a smaller number of people, some numbness can last much longer. Ask the surgeon how they protect these nerves and how recovery of feeling is followed up.
Will facelift scars be visible afterward?
Facelift incisions are usually placed in front of and behind the ear and into the hairline, so scars are hidden in most lighting once healed. They tend to look pink for several months before fading. Smoking, tension on the skin and poor healing can widen them. Ask to see where the incisions would run on your face and how hair can be styled while the scars mature.
Can grafted fat in the face move or form lumps?
Grafted fat does not move once it has survived, but some of it is absorbed and small portions can harden into lumps or oil cysts. A 2026 review by Jerliu and colleagues in Aesthetic Plastic Surgery found these were seen most often around the eyes. Many respond to steroid treatment. Report any firm lump to your surgeon rather than massaging it yourself.
Does facial surgery change how the face moves when smiling?
Most operations aim to keep natural movement, but expressions can feel stiff for weeks while swelling settles. Facelifts carry a small risk of temporary weakness in the facial nerve, which usually recovers over time. After bone work, lip and cheek movement often feels unusual until swelling and numbness fade. Ask the surgeon how they protect expression nerves and what follow-up they offer if weakness appears.