Planning6 min read
How to prepare your medical history for a Korean clinic consultation
The documents, lists and photographs that make a consultation in Seoul faster and safer: medications, allergies, previous surgery, implants, chronic conditions, and how to share them without oversharing.
Korean clinics ask the same questions every international clinic asks, but often faster and through an interpreter. Arriving with a prepared, honest summary changes the quality of the consultation: the doctor spends the time on your case rather than on reconstructing your history.
What to bring in writing
- Current medications with generic names, doses and the reason you take them, including contraceptives and hormone therapy.
- Supplements and herbal products. Clinics ask because some affect bleeding or anaesthesia.
- Allergies and past reactions, especially to anaesthesia, antibiotics, latex or adhesives.
- Previous surgeries and procedures with dates and, for the same area, the operating clinic's report if you can obtain it.
- Chronic conditions and recent results that relate to them: blood pressure, diabetes, thyroid, clotting or heart conditions.
- Implant or device cards: breast implants, pacemakers, dental implants, metal plates.
- Your blood type if you know it, and an emergency contact.
Photographs that actually help
For aesthetic consultations, clinics work from standardized photographs. Before a remote consultation, take pictures in even daylight without make-up or filters: front, both profiles and a three-quarter view for the face; the relevant area from several angles for the body. Add one or two reference images of results you like, but describe what you like about them rather than asking for a copy. The doctor will say what is realistic for your anatomy.
Being honest about the sensitive parts
Smoking, alcohol, recreational drugs, weight changes, mental-health history and previous cosmetic procedures all affect surgical planning and safety. Clinics ask because the answers change anaesthesia, timing and sometimes the recommendation itself. Interpreters and concierge staff handle this information under the privacy terms you agreed to. Withholding it does not protect you; it removes the doctor's ability to protect you.
Language and translation
English summaries are enough for clinics that regularly treat international patients. Formal translation is rarely required for a consultation, but bring original documents for anything the doctor may want to see, such as an operative report or a recent lab result. If your records are in Russian, Japanese, Chinese or another language, tell the clinic in advance so that an interpreter with medical vocabulary attends.
How to share records safely
Use the channel the clinic or concierge names for medical information rather than an open chat thread, keep copies of everything you send, and ask how long the clinic retains records and photographs. Beautinery's privacy notice explains what we collect and how it is used; intake information stays within the agreed channel and goes only to the clinics you have chosen to consult.
Key takeaways
- Bring a written list of medications, supplements, allergies, previous procedures, conditions and implants. Generic drug names travel better than brand names.
- Standardized photographs in daylight, without filters, do more for a remote consultation than any description.
- Disclose the sensitive history. It changes anaesthesia and timing decisions that protect you.
- Share records through the agreed channel and ask how long they are kept.
Questions patients ask
Coordination guidance, not medical advice. Confirm anything clinical with the treating clinic.
Do I need to stop medications or supplements before travelling?
Only on the instruction of your doctor or the treating clinic. Never stop prescribed medicine on your own; tell the clinic what you take and follow its written pre-operative instructions.
Will the clinic run its own tests?
For surgery under sedation or general anaesthesia, Korean clinics run their own pre-operative blood tests and often an ECG or chest X-ray, usually a day or two before the procedure. Bring recent results anyway; they help the doctor plan.
What if I have no records of a previous procedure?
Tell the doctor what you remember: the year, the clinic, the technique if you know it, and what you were told afterwards. Photographs from before and after that procedure help more than most people expect.