::A Geek in Korea::

I had a wart on my hand that had grown to be a nuisance over the past few months. Directly on my palm, it was just waiting to get burned off with a laser. The last place I went for outpatient laser surgery was really very expensive for the amount of time and the care provided. For the same basic treatment, I had to pay 50,000 won(~50.00 USD). This is all entirely relative. It’s probably nothing compared to what I would pay in the United States, but in Korea, there are excessive numbers of doctors willing to burn off things with lasers, and it tends to keep the prices down.

The wife and I went to another office, without an appointment, at lunch, and showed our medical card to them. We filled out one small slip of paper, told them I didn’t have any complications from any previous surgery, and waited for the doctor to see us. Total paperwork time: 5 minutes. We waited for the doctor for another ten minutes, then went in to get examined. The doctor spoke no English, but basically said, "Laser it off! No problem. It’s even covered by your health care." Instead of 50,000 won, this surgery cost me 10,000 won, after check ups it’d probably half the cost. The reason the covered the surgery was because the wart happened to be on the hand, meaning it was a work related impairment.

We got to wait some more, then got into the laser procedure room.The doctor came in, put on his surgical gloves, then went around the room looking for something he had forgotten. Whatever it was, he went around touching several objects, returned to his office, then came back. This made us wonder why he bothered putting on the gloves in the first place.  I was told to lie on a table, then they jabbed two needles, with no real warning, directly into my palm. This wasn’t exactly pleasant to experience. I think I know what a fish on a hook must feel like.

After the anesthetic was working, they set to work burning off the skin. They took a good five minutes or so, and the room was smelling like "long pork". It was rather nasty. After the laser was finished, the doctor went to a cabinet to look for something else, but couldn’t find whatever it was he was searching for. A nurse was called over, and then a second nurse, which was the entire staff of this clinic.

It seems I went to the only hospital in the city that was out of gauze. They dabbed some sterilizing goo, then slapped some sort of adhesive over it. I got my prescription and I was out the door. I have to go the entire recovery time without getting my hand wet, which seems like it’s going to be very difficult to do. I have a check up I have to somehow fit into my schedule tomorrow as well. While this place might have been cheaper, and closer to my house, I’m starting to think that money spent on laser surgery might be money well spent.