I had double-jaw surgery and facial contouring surgery together! It has already been a month haha. I had surgery with Dr. Jong-yoon Kim at Iyoo Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery. When I was younger, my facial asymmetry, underbite, and protruding mouth were not that severe, but as I got older, the asymmetry in my face gradually became noticeably worse T_T. Since middle school, my dentist had told me that I was a case needing double-jaw surgery rather than orthodontic treatment, so I think I lived thinking to myself from then on that I was destined to have double-jaw surgery someday.
Still, because double-jaw surgery itself is a major operation, I could not decide easily, and my parents opposed it, so at first I looked into whether it could be resolved with orthodontic treatment T_T. However, the orthodontic clinic also told me that while they could align my dental bite, skeletal changes such as the facial asymmetry, underbite, and protruding mouth I wanted would be difficult with orthodontics alone. In the end, I persuaded my parents and decided on double-jaw surgery!
After I became interested in double-jaw surgery, I searched for a great deal of information on YouTube, Google, and Naver, and I also joined group chats related to double-jaw surgery and contouring to keep looking for reviews and information. As I learned one by one about the surgical process and precautions, what I thought was important was that the aesthetic sense the surgeon pursues and the direction I wanted needed to align to some degree.
Since it was a major surgery, I looked through double-jaw surgery reviews for a very long time and in great number. Among them, I felt that Dr. Jong-yoon Kim’s surgical review cases at Iyoo Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery matched the direction I wanted well, so I went for a consultation! I also remember that he personally handed me his business card. Afterwards, I kept looking for videos in which Dr. Kim explained double-jaw surgery on YouTube. At first I started watching to get information, but they gradually became interesting, so I watched almost every video repeatedly lol. As I watched, the explanations and direction for surgery matched what I had in mind well, so I became certain that I should have surgery with this doctor and scheduled the operation.
By week 2, I was much more comfortable compared with week 1. The biggest change I felt was having my stitches removed and being able to brush my teeth. Before then, I constantly felt the stitches in my mouth, which was uncomfortable, but after their removal, it truly felt like my quality of life had changed haha. I had seen many reviews saying stitch removal was very painful, so I was worried, but I think it really varies by person. For me, it was not painful at all, even less than I expected, which was a relief. I also liked that they handled even this so carefully!
From this point, I also had to put on the elastics myself, and at first it was harder than I expected T_T. Still, they removed the screw on the lower gum side to make attaching the elastics easier, so I could manage it somewhat more easily. I also consistently followed mouth-opening exercises while watching the doctor’s videos.
Compared with week 1, much of the major swelling had subsided, so my face felt much lighter. Still, hoping it would go down faster, I walked diligently. The runny nose, phlegm, and sore throat symptoms that had been difficult through week 1 had almost disappeared by week 2, and much of the discomfort I had felt immediately after double-jaw surgery had decreased. The foods I could eat gradually increased too; I could soak soft foods such as rice in soup and swallow them. Daily life was definitely more comfortable than during week 1.
From week 3, I gradually felt as though I was returning to everyday life. Rather than the swelling visibly dropping quickly as it had in week 2, the residual swelling seemed to be subsiding little by little. From then on, I began going without a mask and making plans to go out! I also tried pork bone soup, and the meat broke apart softly in my mouth, so it was quite good to eat at this stage haha.
I was also able to lie comfortably in bed and sleep. However, every morning I could feel my face becoming very swollen, with the swelling subsiding again by evening. My overall physical condition improved a lot compared with week 2, and I hardly woke up during the night anymore. Apart from foods that still felt burdensome, such as meat, I was able to eat a fairly varied range of soft regular meals. I was not yet at the stage of eating comfortably, so I adjusted by soaking food in soup and swallowing it.
I was still not used to using my facial muscles, so making expressions or smiling felt a little awkward, but by around one month, I definitely felt that I was returning to daily life compared with immediately after surgery. The hardest part was actually resisting the foods I wanted to eat lol. I really love pork belly, but I was told it was not yet the time to eat it without strain, so I am taking it easy!!
Now that it has been one month since my double-jaw plus contouring surgery, I will slowly watch as the residual swelling goes down further and everything settles naturally, and I will come back from time to time to leave reviews!