Opting Out: Dermatology Clinic in Seoul for Foreigners

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Yes. A consultation is a service of its own, and ending it without treatment is a normal outcome rather than a breach of etiquette. Many visitors feel they owe the clinic a procedure because they travelled far.

Doing nothing is also a legitimate option. If the doctor proposes a laser for a mark you barely notice, ask what happens if you leave it alone. Ask in advance whether a consultation fee applies when no treatment follows, so money at the desk does not shape the decision.

The hardest moment to refuse is lying down, numbing cream on, when staff mention that a booster or extra area could be added today. A short answer works: finish what was agreed and think about the rest later.

A new item deserves its own explanation and its own signature. In a 2015 ethics article in the Journal of Cutaneous and Aesthetic Surgery, Kapoor argued that cosmetic practices should use a separate, procedure-specific consent form for toxin, laser treatments and chemical peels instead of one general form. Seen that way, an add-on slipped in under the first form has skipped a step, and asking for its own sheet is a reasonable request.

• Ask the product or device name and the area it covers.
• Ask what it adds that the agreed plan does not.
• Ask to see its line on the written plan first.

You can withdraw agreement at any point, including halfway through a laser pass or between injection points. Agree a hand signal with the treating doctor before the device switches on.

Stopping early has consequences that differ by procedure. A half-finished laser pass may leave the two cheeks looking different for a while, and a partial toxin plan can leave one muscle stronger than its pair. Ask where the least disruptive stopping point is, then decide.

Kapoor also stressed that a refusal of consent should be documented, not only an agreement. For a visitor this is practical: a note such as declined filler, toxin only, protects you if a later bill or follow-up assumes something you never agreed to.

The same article warned that a bare signature on a preprinted sheet is not informed consent, and that blanks should be filled before signing. Ask staff to complete or strike through empty boxes, and photograph the signed page.

Kapoor noted that courts have sided with patients who signed forms they could not understand, and recommended that consent documents be offered in the languages patients use. In Seoul, forms often come in Korean with a short English summary. If only Korean is offered, ask staff to read the risk lines aloud through a translation app and write the key words beside them before you sign.

A form you have not understood is not one you need to sign today.