It has already been one month since my double-jaw surgery. At first, each day felt incredibly long, but looking back, the month seems to have passed quickly haha. I still have swelling around the philtrum, cheeks, and jawline, so it does not feel like my final facial contour has fully emerged yet. But compared with photos from last week, I can see that it is gradually going down. From the front, my face still looks somewhat puffy, so I look in the mirror every day wondering when it will go down further lol.
Still, compared with before surgery, the apparent facial length and jaw area definitely seem different. People around me say my face looks smaller or that my impression has changed, but because I am still swollen, I think I will need to wait a little longer to fully feel it.
These days I eat small amounts of mainly soft foods. Soft-cooked pasta, bread soaked in milk, steamed egg, and porridge are much easier to eat than before, and I have also been consistently doing the mouth-opening exercises as instructed. I am not yet at the point where I can comfortably eat anything as usual, but compared with the early period when I only consumed nutritional drinks and water through a syringe, it feels like I have made real progress haha.
I first decided on double-jaw surgery because I wanted to improve the malocclusion I had had since childhood, and because I strongly wanted to try work where I speak in front of people, such as live commerce or being a YouTuber. As I also began paying attention to my outward image, I thought this would be an opportunity to improve both the treatment-related aspects and the things that had concerned me!
I consulted at several places while researching clinics, but what I remember most was how thoroughly Dr. Kim explained my condition. He clearly identified, without exaggeration, the degree of treatment needed, which gave me confidence. I also watched nearly all of the oral and maxillofacial surgery clinic’s YouTube videos. Rather than merely showing before-and-after photos, many videos explained the things I had been wondering about, and I think that helped me make my decision.
It is only one month, so swelling remains and I am still recovering, but it is fun to wait because I can see gradual changes haha. I am curious how much more the swelling will have gone down next month.