6 Recommended Plastic Surgery Clinics in Gangnam — Specialties, Doctor Disclosure & Location Compared
In one line: “Gangnam plastic surgery” is a collective label for the plastic surgery clinics clustered around Gangnam, Sinnonhyeon, Sinsa, Apgujeong, and Yeoksam stations — and the specialties each clinic lists diverge into eyes, nose, lift procedures, and so on.
“Gangnam plastic surgery” is actually not one place. Gangnam Station and Apgujeong Rodeo Station are several subway stops apart, and once you include Sinsa and Yeoksam, these are not walking distances. Yet in search results they all come bundled under “Gangnam.”
The second way they diverge is in what they treat. Even among plastic surgery clinics, some center their listings on the nose, some lead with lift procedures, and some break the eye area down into fine detail. What a clinic puts at the front of its website gives you a rough idea.
This article organizes 6 clinics across Gangnam along three lines: area, listed specialties, and how much they disclose about their doctors. Narrower, procedure-by-procedure comparisons are covered in the linked articles below.
Start by dividing the areas
| Area | Clinics | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Gangnam Station area | 1mm Plastic Surgery · Secret Plastic Surgery · Zell Plastic Surgery | Along Gangnam-daero and Seocho-daero. All three within walking distance of each other |
| Sinsa–Apgujeong area | ID Hospital · Cheotbeonjjae Clinic | Along Dosan-daero and Seolleung-ro |
| Yeoksam area | Banobagi Plastic Surgery | Along Nonhyeon-ro |
The 6 clinics at a glance
| Clinic | Registered name | Location | Nearest station | Core listed specialties | Hours stated on website |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cheotbeonjjae Clinic (첫번째의원) | Cheotbeonjjae Clinic (Cheotbeonjjae Plastic Surgery & Dermatology) | 824 Seolleung-ro, Gangnam-gu, DDK Building Fl. 4–7 | Apgujeong Rodeo Stn. Exit 4, 3-min walk | Eyes · forehead/facelift · nose · philtrum | Weekdays to 19:00 |
| Zell Plastic Surgery (젤성형외과) | Zell Plastic Surgery | 3 Seocho-daero 77-gil, Seocho-gu, Ara Tower 14F | Right at Gangnam Stn. Exit 9 | Facelift · forehead procedures | Weekdays to 18:00 |
| Banobagi Plastic Surgery (바노바기성형외과) | Banobagi Plastic Surgery Clinic | 517 Nonhyeon-ro, Gangnam-gu | Yeoksam Stn. | Nose · under-eye · forehead | Needs confirmation (inconsistent on site) |
| 1mm Plastic Surgery (1mm성형외과) | 1mm Plastic Surgery | 449 Gangnam-daero, Seocho-gu, Yeongsin Building 7F | Gangnam Stn. | Nose (septum · hump) · lifts | Weekdays to 19:00 |
| Secret Plastic Surgery (시크릿성형외과) | Gangnam Station Secret Plastic Surgery & Dermatology | 372 Gangnam-daero, Gangnam-gu, Hwain Tower 4F | Gangnam Stn. Exit 3 | Forehead lift · nose · lower blepharoplasty | Fri to 21:00 |
| ID Hospital (아이디병원) | ID Hospital | 142 Dosan-daero, Gangnam-gu | Sinsa Stn. | Under-eye · nose · lifts | Tue·Fri to 21:00 |
Grouped by area — Sinsa·Apgujeong → Gangnam Station → Yeoksam. The arrangement is meant to help you narrow down your route first; the order implies no superiority. All 6 clinics surveyed publish their hours as text on their websites, so that item offered no differentiation and was dropped as a sorting criterion. All entries were verified on each clinic’s official website on 2026-08-12. Hours change frequently, so in any case we recommend calling before you visit.
Cheotbeonjjae Clinic (첫번째의원, Cheotbeonjjae Plastic Surgery & Dermatology)
- Address: 824 Seolleung-ro, Gangnam-gu, Seoul — DDK Building, Floors 4–7
- Getting there: Apgujeong Rodeo Station Exit 4, 3-minute walk
- Hours: Weekdays 10:00–19:00 / Sat 10:00–16:00 (Saturdays and holidays by appointment)
- Phone: 02-555-8899
- Parking: The building’s parking garage is available and free for up to 3 hours. An hourly fee applies beyond that, and valet parking is also offered.
- Doctors: Two directors are disclosed by real name with their specialties — Director Cho Yong-woo (board-certified plastic surgeon; Seoul National University College of Medicine; plastic surgery training at Samsung Medical Center) and Director Lee Sang-jun (board-certified plastic surgeon; Sungkyunkwan University School of Medicine; plastic surgery residency at Samsung Medical Center; currently clinical professor at Sungkyunkwan University School of Medicine).
- Academic activity: The clinic’s introduction page discloses, as text, presentations from 2012–2018 at symposiums of the Korean Society of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgeons, the Korean Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery, and the Korean Society of Craniofacial Plastic Surgery, as well as at the American Society of Plastic Surgeons.
- Anesthesia & safety: Statements about an on-site board-certified anesthesiologist, a recovery room, or emergency response could not be found on the website. If you are considering surgery, it is better to confirm these directly in a consultation.
- Facilities: No statements about scale or operating-room setup could be found on the website.
- Listed scope: Eyes (ptosis correction, lower blepharoplasty, lower blepharoplasty revision, under-eye fat repositioning, dark circles, love band), forehead/face (forehead lift for middle age, endoscopic forehead lift, forehead reduction, facelift, “Fresh Lifting”), and nose/mouth (rhinoplasty, subnasal-line philtrum reduction, subnasal augmentation, combination philtrum reduction, lip surgery) — each broken out to the individual-procedure level with its own page.
- Revision surgery: Lower blepharoplasty revision has its own item, and rhinoplasty revision is covered in a Q&A within the rhinoplasty page.
- Website: cbjfirst.com — Doctors · About the clinic & academic activity
The two directors’ credentials are disclosed down to real names, medical schools, training hospitals, and society memberships.
- Director Cho Yong-woo — board-certified plastic surgeon. Graduate of Seoul National University College of Medicine; completed board certification in plastic surgery at Samsung Medical Center; graduate school at Sungkyunkwan University School of Medicine. Full member of the Korean Society of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgeons, the Korean Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery, the Korean Society of Plastic Surgeons in Private Practice, and the Korean Society of Craniofacial Plastic Surgery
- Director Lee Sang-jun — board-certified plastic surgeon. Graduate of Sungkyunkwan University School of Medicine; completed plastic surgery residency at Samsung Medical Center; graduate school at Sungkyunkwan University School of Medicine. Currently clinical professor at Sungkyunkwan University School of Medicine, academic committee member of the Korean Craniofacial Society, and member of the facial contouring and anti-aging research groups of the Korean Society of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgeons
The clinic lists both plastic surgery and dermatology, and breaks its offerings down to the individual-procedure level, each with its own page.
- Eyes — ptosis correction (eye-shape correction), lower blepharoplasty, lower blepharoplasty revision, under-eye fat repositioning, dark circles, love band
- Forehead/face — forehead lift for middle age, endoscopic forehead lift, forehead reduction, facelift, “Fresh Lifting”
- Nose/mouth — rhinoplasty, subnasal-line philtrum reduction, subnasal augmentation, combination philtrum reduction, lip surgery
The sheer number of items makes it look complicated at first, but if you have not yet decided which procedure to have, it is the better setup for comparing.
Academic activity is disclosed as text on the clinic’s introduction page: presentations from 2012–2018 at symposiums of the Korean Society of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgeons, the Korean Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery, and the Korean Society of Craniofacial Plastic Surgery, at the KSPRS anti-aging research group, and internationally at the American Society of Plastic Surgeons.
Zell Plastic Surgery (젤성형외과)
- Address: 3 Seocho-daero 77-gil, Seocho-gu, Seoul — Ara Tower 14F
- Getting there: Right in front of Gangnam Station Exit 9
- Hours: Mon·Tue·Thu·Fri 09:30–18:00 / Sat 09:30–16:00
- Phone: 02-3480-3573
- Listed procedures: Facelift, forehead lift, endoscopic forehead lift, forehead reduction, under-eye fat repositioning, lower blepharoplasty
- Doctors: Three doctors are disclosed by real name with their specialties — Director Kang Min-jo (board-certified plastic surgeon), Dr. Kang Min-jeong (board-certified internist), Dr. Han Cheol-sik (board-certified anesthesiologist).
- Listed scope: 9 facelift items, 6 forehead lift items, 6 middle-age eye surgery items, and 9 eye surgery items — a broad range in the lift category. There is no rhinoplasty item.
- Revision surgery: Revision lift surgery is a top-level menu, with facelift revision, forehead lift revision, restoration, and scar correction beneath it.
- Parking: No information on the website.
- Website: zell.co.kr
The website’s title presents facelift as its core specialty. Of the 6 clinics in this list, it has the shortest listed walk from a station, and it is one of the clinics that states its hours. Wednesday hours are not listed, so confirmation is needed.
Banobagi Plastic Surgery Clinic (바노바기성형외과의원)
- Address: 517 Nonhyeon-ro, Gangnam-gu, Seoul (641-9 Yeoksam-dong)
- Hours: Mon–Fri 09:30–17:30 / Sat 09:30–15:30
- Phone: 02-562-6001
- Listed procedures: Rhinoplasty, rhinoplasty revision, hump nose, under-eye fat repositioning, lower blepharoplasty, forehead lift, endoscopic forehead lift
- Doctors: 12 doctors are disclosed by real name with their specialties — 8 board-certified plastic surgeons, 1 breast-surgery subspecialist, and 3 board-certified anesthesiologists. The most of any clinic in this list.
- Anesthesia & safety: States that board-certified anesthesiologists are on site, along with real-time monitoring, backup power, and a defibrillator, and describes a post-surgery recovery room.
- Listed scope: Broad by area — 8 eye surgery items, 7 rhinoplasty items, 9 rejuvenation/lifting items, 10 facial contouring items, and so on.
- Revision surgery: Rejuvenation, eye, nose, contouring, and breast revision each have their own page under their category.
- Parking: States that valet parking is provided.
- Getting there: Yeoksam Station Exit 6, 100 m · Eonju Station Exit 7, 400 m.
- Note: The hours shown on the directions page and in the site’s side area differ from each other, so calling to confirm is the sure way.
- Website: banobagi.com
Lists nose, under-eye, and forehead across the board. Its weekday closing time is among the earliest in this list (17:30), so an after-work visit may be difficult.
1mm Plastic Surgery (1mm성형외과)
- Address: 449 Gangnam-daero, Seocho-gu, Seoul — Yeongsin Building 7F
- Phone: 02-552-1171
- Listed procedures: Rhinoplasty, nasal septum, hump nose, facelift, forehead lift, endoscopic forehead, lower blepharoplasty
- Hours: Weekdays 10:00–19:00 / Sat 10:00–16:00 (no Sunday listing)
- Doctors: Five doctors are disclosed by real name, four of them listed as board-certified plastic surgeons, with medical schools and training hospitals stated.
- Academic activity: Runs a dedicated board listing each doctor’s papers by title, journal, and year, plus conference presentations. The most academic information of any clinic in this list.
- Parking: States a partner parking lot (A-Pro Square) with its address.
- Getting there: No subway station, exit, or walking time in text form. The map is an image.
- Website: 1mmps.com
Lists nose work alongside lift procedures. The nasal septum has its own item, which suggests the clinic also covers the functional side, such as nasal obstruction.
Secret Plastic Surgery (강남역 시크릿성형외과·피부과)
- Address: 372 Gangnam-daero, Gangnam-gu, Seoul — Hwain Tower 4F
- Getting there: Gangnam Station Exit 3
- Listed procedures: Forehead lift, rhinoplasty, lower blepharoplasty
- Hours: Weekdays 10:00–19:00 / Fri 10:00–21:00 (listed on the site as “dermatology evening hours”) / Sat 10:00–16:00 / closed Sun & holidays
- Doctors: Three doctors are disclosed by real name with their specialties — Director Song Seung-wook (board-certified plastic surgeon), Director Song Seung-hyun (board-certified dermatologist), and advising physician Dr. Seo Dong-kyung (board-certified plastic surgeon, Japan).
- Listed scope: 9 eye surgery items (including under-eye fat removal and repositioning), 5 rhinoplasty items, and 5 rejuvenation items (upper and lower blepharoplasty, brow lift, forehead lift, non-incisional and incisional lifting).
- Revision surgery: Eye revision, epicanthoplasty reversal, and rhinoplasty revision each have their own page.
- Parking: No information on the website.
- Website: secretps.com
A clinic that lists both plastic surgery and dermatology — the only one of the 6 in this list to carry both departments. Its phone number is not shown as text on the website, so booking requires going through an online inquiry first.
ID Hospital (아이디병원)
- Address: 142 Dosan-daero, Gangnam-gu, Seoul
- Phone: 02-547-0050
- Listed procedures: Under-eye fat repositioning, lower blepharoplasty, rhinoplasty, rhinoplasty revision, facelift, forehead lift, forehead lifting
- Hours: Weekdays 10:00–19:00 / Tue·Fri 10:00–21:00 evening hours / Sat 10:00–16:00 / closed Sun & holidays
- Doctors: Four doctors are disclosed by real name — Hospital Director Park Sang-hoon and Deputy Director Kwon Ju-yong (board-certified plastic surgeons), Center Director Lee Yang-gu (board-certified orthodontist), and Dr. Oh Han-jin (board-certified family medicine physician).
- Facilities & safety: Describes a surgery center on floors 9–11 with a hospital-grade emergency system, and states that nurses staff the inpatient wards on floors 7–8 around the clock.
- Revision surgery: Eye, middle-age eye, nose (including rib-cartilage and contracted-nose reconstruction), contouring, and breast revision each have their own page.
- Parking: No information on the website.
- Getting there: Line 3 Sinsa Station Exit 1, 3-minute walk.
- Website: idhospital.com
The only one of the 6 in this list designated a hospital rather than a clinic. That is a legal classification meaning 30 or more beds — a difference in scale, not an indicator directly tied to surgical quality.
Which fits which situation
| If you… | Consider |
|---|---|
| Want to check hours in advance | Zell Plastic Surgery · Banobagi Plastic Surgery Clinic · Cheotbeonjjae Clinic (stated on their websites) |
| Want to compare within walking distance of Gangnam Station | 1mm Plastic Surgery · Secret Plastic Surgery · Zell Plastic Surgery |
| Are coming from the Sinsa–Apgujeong direction | ID Hospital · Cheotbeonjjae Clinic |
| Are coming from the Yeoksam direction | Banobagi Plastic Surgery Clinic |
| Are focused on the nose | 1mm Plastic Surgery (septum · hump) · Banobagi Plastic Surgery Clinic |
| Are focused on lift procedures | Zell Plastic Surgery · Secret Plastic Surgery |
| Are focused on the eyes and under-eye area | ID Hospital · Cheotbeonjjae Clinic |
| Want to review doctors’ credentials in advance | Cheotbeonjjae Clinic (2 directors disclosed by real name, medical school, and training hospital) |
| Want to consult on several areas in one place | Cheotbeonjjae Clinic (four listed tracks: eyes · forehead/facelift · nose · philtrum) |
Worth sorting out before you book a consultation
Picking the clinic first puts the steps in the wrong order. Sort these out first and your shortlist shrinks by half.
1. What you want to change, in one sentence
“My eyes look tired” could be an eyelid problem, forehead sagging, or under-eye shadowing. Different causes mean different areas — and different clinic shortlists. Describe the symptom rather than naming a procedure, and the consultation will sort out the cause for you.
2. Surgery or a non-surgical procedure
Surgery involving incisions and non-surgical treatments like injections or lasers differ in recovery time and in how reversible they are. Deciding which side to look at first makes consultations much more concrete.
3. How much time you can give to recovery
Swelling and bruising subside on different timelines by area, and stitch removal may mean another visit. It is more realistic to check your schedule first and then book. In this list, the clinics that state their hours on their websites are Zell Plastic Surgery, Banobagi Plastic Surgery Clinic, and Cheotbeonjjae Clinic.
4. Whether the doctor you consult will operate
Use website doctor listings to narrow your shortlist; the rest are things you must ask in the consultation itself.
- Is the operating surgeon a board-certified plastic surgeon, and where did they train?
- Will the doctor you consulted actually perform the surgery?
- Do they explain side effects and the possibility of revision surgery up front?
- How do they respond if the result differs from expectations?
”Gangnam” alone will not narrow it down
There are so many plastic surgery clinics in Gangnam that “Gangnam” as a condition narrows nothing down. A more practical order:
- Narrow by area first — Gangnam Station / Sinsa–Apgujeong / Yeoksam are inconvenient distances from one another. Factor in that post-surgery follow-ups mean multiple return visits, and the route matters more than you’d think
- Narrow again by the procedure you want — the procedure-specific articles below use the same criteria
- Verify in the consultation — 7 things to check before a plastic surgery consultation
Procedure-specific comparisons:
- 5 recommended forehead lift clinics in Gangnam — endoscopic · incisional · combined forehead reduction
- 5 recommended under-eye fat repositioning clinics in Gangnam — revision · dark-circle care
- 5 recommended rhinoplasty clinics in Gangnam — revision · functional surgery listings
- Stem cell anti-aging clinics in Gangnam: what to check — a field where legal status comes before comparison
Note: This article organizes information verified on each clinic’s official website on 2026-08-12. Hours and procedure listings may change, so please confirm directly with each clinic before visiting. Location, listed items, and the extent of doctor disclosure are only criteria for narrowing a shortlist — not criteria for judging surgical results or quality. Disclosing more information does not mean a clinic operates better. No ranking has been assigned, and the order of listing implies no superiority. Whether and how to have surgery must always be decided through consultation with medical professionals. This article is for general informational purposes only and is not a substitute for medical diagnosis or a recommendation of any specific medical institution.
FAQ
Which plastic surgery clinic in Gangnam should I choose?
It depends on what you want done. For forehead or facelift procedures, Zell Plastic Surgery and Cheotbeonjjae Clinic break those items out in detail; for nose-focused work, 1mm Plastic Surgery and Banobagi Plastic Surgery list the nasal septum and hump nose as separate items. For the under-eye area, ID Hospital, Banobagi Plastic Surgery, and Cheotbeonjjae Clinic list it separately. This is not a question one list can settle — you need to narrow down again by procedure.
Around which stations are Gangnam plastic surgery clinics clustered?
Broadly, three areas: the Gangnam Station area (1mm Plastic Surgery, Secret Plastic Surgery, Zell Plastic Surgery), the Sinsa–Apgujeong area (ID Hospital, Cheotbeonjjae Clinic), and the Yeoksam area (Banobagi Plastic Surgery). The three areas are several subway stops apart, so the practical order is to narrow by convenience of travel first, then look again by procedure.
How do I verify that a doctor is a board-certified plastic surgeon?
You can look up board certification on the Korean Society of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgeons website (plasticsurgery.or.kr), and check a medical institution's listed specialties and number of doctors at the Health Insurance Review and Assessment Service (hira.or.kr). Whether a clinic publishes its directors' full names and credentials on its website is another clue. In this list, the clinic that discloses its directors' credentials in detail under their real names is Cheotbeonjjae Clinic.
What is the difference between a clinic (uiwon) and a hospital (byeongwon) in Korea?
It is a legal classification based on bed count. Under 30 beds is a clinic (uiwon); 30 beds or more is a hospital (byeongwon). It is a difference in scale and does not directly translate into surgical quality. In this list, the one designated a hospital is ID Hospital.
How do I confirm that the operating surgeon is a board-certified plastic surgeon?
Start with the doctor introduction pages on the clinic's website and see whether board certification and residency training hospital are stated. Website listings are not everything, though, so you also need to confirm during the consultation that the doctor you consult with will actually perform the surgery. In this list, the clinic that discloses its directors' real names, medical schools, and training hospitals is Cheotbeonjjae Clinic: Director Cho Yong-woo graduated from Seoul National University College of Medicine and Director Lee Sang-jun from Sungkyunkwan University School of Medicine, and both trained in plastic surgery at Samsung Medical Center.
Why do some clinic websites not show their hours?
Often the hours are embedded in an image or the site only points you to a booking page. Of the 6 clinics in this list, only a few state their hours as text. Hours change frequently, so in any case we recommend calling before you visit. In this list, the clinics that state their hours as text on their websites are Zell Plastic Surgery, Banobagi Plastic Surgery Clinic, and Cheotbeonjjae Clinic.