Non incisional double eyelid
No stitches to remove. About 4 days
Guide
How Long Should You Stay in Korea for Eyelid Surgery?
For most patients the answer is one week. Eyelid procedures at our clinic are day surgeries, and stitches come out in about four to seven days, so most international patients complete the consultation, the surgery and the stitch removal within a single one week stay in Busan.
The short answer
Plan for about one week in Korea
The stay is set by stitch removal, not by how long the surgery takes.
Every eyelid procedure here is a day surgery under IV sedation or local anesthesia. You go back to your hotel the same day.
What keeps you in Busan is the follow up. For any procedure with skin stitches you must come back so they can be taken out at the right time, and that single appointment is what turns a day surgery into a week long trip.
Methods that use no skin stitches allow a much shorter trip. Non incisional double eyelid surgery has no stitches to remove, and under eye fat repositioning is done through the conjunctiva on the inside of the eyelid, so there is no stitch removal afterward either.
The table below assumes you arrive the day before surgery and fly out the day after your last appointment.
Under eye fat repositioning
No stitch removal needed. About 4 days
Non incisional ptosis correction
Stitches out 3 days after surgery. About 6 days
Incisional double eyelid
Stitch removal on day 4. About 7 days
Incisional ptosis correction
Stitch removal on day 4. About 7 days
Upper blepharoplasty
Stitch removal 4 days after surgery. About 7 days
Revision eyelid surgery
Stitch removal 4 days after surgery. About 7 days
Lower blepharoplasty
Stitch removal 3 to 5 days after surgery. About 7 to 8 days
Epicanthoplasty
Stitch removal 4 to 6 days after surgery. About 8 days
Beautiful Eyes Trio
Stitch removal 4 to 6 days after surgery. About 8 to 9 days
Results vary from person to person. All surgery carries risk. This page is general information and not medical advice.
The binding constraint
Why stitch removal sets the timeline
Surgery takes under two hours. The wait for stitch removal takes days.
Incisional methods place fine stitches along the eyelid crease or in the inner corner. They hold the tissue through the earliest healing and come out once that job is done, typically 4 to 6 days after surgery.
Leaving stitches in longer than intended is not ideal on an eyelid, where the skin is thin and the scar sits in a visible place. The removal appointment is time sensitive rather than something you can push back a week to suit a flight.
If you fly home first, someone else has to do it. That means finding a doctor or nurse in your own country willing to remove stitches from surgery they did not perform, and losing the chance for Dr. Lee Haksoo to look at the eyelids himself at the point where early problems are easiest to address.
Some patients arrange this and it can work, but it adds a step you control less. Building four to seven extra days into the trip is almost always simpler.
For the full healing picture beyond the trip itself, see our eyelid surgery recovery timeline.
Trip plan
A realistic day by day plan
Based on an incisional procedure with stitch removal on day 4 to day 6.
1
Arrival day
Fly into Gimhae International Airport and settle near Seomyeon. Meet Dr. Lee Haksoo for your in person consultation, where the plan from your photo consultation is checked against your actual eyelids. Many patients have surgery on the same day or the next, though this depends on the surgical schedule, so confirm your itinerary with KORA when you book.
2
Surgery day
Double eyelid surgery takes about 30 to 40 minutes, upper blepharoplasty around 1 hour to 1 hour 30 minutes. You go back to your accommodation the same day and rest.
3
Day 1 and day 2
The cold compress period. Keep your head elevated and take the medication we prescribe. Swelling is at its most obvious now, so plan nothing beyond meals, rest and the pharmacy.
4
Day 2 to day 3
Most patients are back to ordinary daily life 2 to 3 days after surgery. You can move around the city, eat out and walk. Skip anything that raises your temperature or blood pressure.
5
Day 3 and day 4
Continue cold compresses through the first four days, then alternate cold and warm compresses to ease the swelling. Bruising looks less dramatic, though the eyelids are still clearly post surgical.
6
Day 4 to day 6, stitch removal
Return to the clinic. Stitches come out and Dr. Lee Haksoo checks how the eyelids are healing. This is the appointment your flight home should be booked around.
7
Departure day
Leave at least one full day between stitch removal and your flight, so there is room to be seen again if anything needs attention. Bring glasses, artificial tears and sunglasses.
Method matters
Non incisional is faster
The suture method removes the stitch removal visit from your itinerary.
Non incisional double eyelid surgery creates the crease with fine sutures passed through small openings rather than a continuous incision. It takes about 30 minutes, and there are no stitches to remove, so no separate visit for stitch removal is needed. Return to daily life is after 2 to 3 days.
Without a stitch removal appointment, the only fixed points in your calendar are the consultation and the surgery, so a four day trip becomes realistic.
Incisional double eyelid surgery takes about 40 minutes and lists stitch removal on day 4. Return to daily life is also after 2 to 3 days, so the extra time is not because you feel worse. It is because the follow up appointment exists.
The right method is a clinical decision, not a scheduling one. Eyelid thickness, skin laxity, fat volume and whether ptosis correction is needed all decide which approach suits you. If both are genuinely reasonable, the shorter stay is a fair point to raise. If only one is right, the trip has to follow the surgery.
Honest expectations
Planning around swelling, not just stitches
Stitches out does not mean camera ready.
This is the part patients most often get wrong. Stitch removal is a wound care milestone. It says the incision has held well enough that the stitches have finished their job. It does not say your eyelids look finished.
When you fly home the eyelids are usually still visibly swollen, the crease sits higher and looks deeper than it eventually will, and there may be residual bruising. That is normal healing. Being fit to travel and looking fully settled are two different milestones, weeks apart.
What our procedure pages state about the weeks after surgery: apply cold compresses for the first four days, then alternate cold and warm compresses to ease the swelling. Eye makeup and contact lenses are fine from two weeks after surgery. Avoid baths, saunas, exercise and swimming pools for three weeks after surgery, and avoid alcohol and smoking for one month.
Beyond that, eyelid results refine gradually as the tissue softens, and the final appearance is a matter of months rather than weeks. As a general guide, most of that refinement is done by around three months, with the last subtle changes continuing for up to six. If you have an event you want to look your best for, count backward generously.
Short trips
If you can only stay a short time
Say so early, before anything is booked.
- Raise your dates during the photo consultation, before you buy flights. Send clear photos of your eyes to KORA on WhatsApp with the window you can actually be in Korea, and wait for the answer before paying for anything.
- Ask whether a method without skin stitches is appropriate for you. Non incisional double eyelid surgery and under eye fat repositioning both avoid a stitch removal visit, but suitability depends on your eyelids, not on your calendar.
- Book changeable flights and accommodation where possible. Healing varies from person to person, and a flexible ticket costs far less than a forced decision.
- Never let a travel deadline choose the surgery. If the only way to fit a procedure into your dates is a method that is not right for your eyelids, the correct answer is to move the trip. Revision surgery is harder than the first operation.
If your situation is unusual, read our guide for international patients first and then message KORA with the specifics.
Air travel
Flying after surgery
General guidance, plus what only your surgeon can tell you.
No single rule applies to every patient and every flight. The widely shared position among eyelid surgeons is that air travel is best deferred until the wounds are stable and the stitches have been removed, which is exactly what a one week stay in Korea achieves.
How many days you personally should wait is a clinical judgement based on your procedure and your healing, so ask at your stitch removal appointment rather than assuming. As a general starting point, many clinics avoid clearing a long haul flight until at least a week after surgery, once early swelling has eased. Treat this as a starting point for the conversation, not a substitute for your own surgeon's assessment.
Cabin air is very dry, which is uncomfortable for eyes that are already dry and swollen. Surgeons commonly suggest preservative free artificial tears, glasses rather than contact lenses, sunglasses for light and air vents, and no heavy lifting with your carry on bag.
Contact lenses are fine from two weeks after surgery, so for a one week trip that means glasses on the plane. If you develop severe pain, sudden bleeding or any change in vision before or during travel, seek medical care immediately.
FAQ
Frequently asked questions
Can I have my stitches removed in my own country?
It is possible, but not what we recommend. You would need a local doctor or nurse willing to take the stitches out on the right day, and that person will not have seen your surgery. Staying until stitch removal means Dr. Lee Haksoo checks the healing himself at the same visit.
When can I wear eye makeup after eyelid surgery?
Eye makeup is fine from two weeks after surgery, across our eyelid procedures including epicanthoplasty and upper blepharoplasty. For most international patients that means you will fly home before you can use eye makeup again.
When can I wear contact lenses again?
Contact lenses are fine from two weeks after surgery. Bring glasses for the trip, because you will need them for the whole stay and for the flight home.
Can I sightsee while I recover in Korea?
Gentle walking is usually reasonable once you are back to daily life, which is after 2 to 3 days. Avoid baths, saunas, exercise and swimming pools for three weeks after surgery, and avoid alcohol and smoking for one month. Plan a quiet trip rather than a packed itinerary.
What if I need to stay in Korea longer than planned?
Book changeable flights and accommodation if you can. Healing varies from person to person, and Dr. Lee Haksoo may want to see you again before you travel. Message KORA on WhatsApp as soon as you think your dates may need to move. KORA can advise on accommodation in Seomyeon, so ask them directly what support they offer if your dates need to move.
Do I need someone to travel with me?
It is not a requirement, and many patients travel alone without difficulty. A companion does help on surgery day and the first day or two, when vision is blurry from ointment and swelling. It is standard practice for a companion to be with you on surgery day itself if you have IV sedation, since the medication can affect coordination and judgement for several hours even once you feel alert. Discuss the arrangements with KORA when you book.
Results vary from person to person. All surgery carries risk. This page is general information and not medical advice.