I used to get only lifting laser treatments once every 4-5 months, but I finally addressed the root cause... I was worried because of my age, wondering if my facial contour might collapse... I regretted not doing it in my 30s.
When I took selfies, there were shadows on my lower cheeks... From the side, it still looked somewhat like me, but from the front, it sagged down like bulldog cheeks.... It looked worse when I took photos in dark places,,, and whether it was sagging from gravity or not, my nasolabial folds also looked hollow and drooped downward, so it was really stressful.
I went to consultations at 7 places. Aftercare, scarring, and effectiveness were important too, but as I looked for prices, some places seemed a bit weak on post-care,,, The size of the holes made in the face, skill... more than anything, as I went around for consultations and did the legwork, beyond the cost, there was a clinic that made me think, this is the place.
People saying “try this clinic” in DMs or comments can feel kind of like paid work(?) I did put some places on my list, but there were places where I only had a KakaoTalk consultation and didn’t go. Since I was already out, I visited 2-3 places with 1-hour gaps between them, and after the consultations, I had a few more phone or KakaoTalk consultations before deciding.
Since I was already under sedation, I also got Juvelook injections into the dermis, and had fat grafting using the extracted fat + autologous blood into the hollow nasolabial areas. Since I’m in my early 40s and the fine lines around my eyes were all crinkly, I even asked them to over-inject Botox around my eyes;;; (Sad... when did I get this old...)
On the day of surgery, my husband took a day off and came with me, so I didn’t drive, and because I had fasted, I was really hungry.... (I’m the type who eats breakfast at 9 a.m.)
They checked my blood pressure, drew blood, I saw the director and had the design done... Once my face was marked up, it looked ridiculous... Please disappear... from my face. I went into the operating room and was lying down, got that injection that dries up saliva? and then,,,,,, I think I just fell asleep... When I woke up, I was in the recovery room, and they said I had walked there myself;;; I don’t remember at all.
My husband had brought a vanilla latte to the recovery room... I was like, why a vanilla latte? He said I had sent him a message asking him to buy me a vanilla latte.. but I don’t remember .. a TMI little incident.
I took selfies in the recovery room, and strangely, there was no pain at all. It was surprising because I didn’t feel any throbbing or stinging(?)... My face felt a bit cold and numb. I had on a compression band, a padded jacket hood, and a mask, but wow, the swelling was bulging out beyond the mask, so I was shocked. Maybe it was worse because I had been lying down.
I packed a hamburger and ate it in the car on the way home. My mouth wouldn’t open well because of the compression band, but with enough determination, it went in. I squashed the hamburger, shoved it into my mouth... and came home dipping fries into a milkshake.
When I got back, I applied ice packs to the surgical areas... Even after sitting for several hours, there wasn’t any painful sensation... I took my medicine..... watched movies until late, then fell asleep.
The next day, I didn’t swell much either,,,, The swelling started from day 3, and I was very swollen until day 7.
Sensation under my chin started coming back after 3 days,,, Wow. The lumps started to feel all bumpy under my chin...... They told me not to massage yet, so I only did cold compresses 3-4 times a day. After getting radiofrequency and regenerative laser treatment, the swelling gradually started going down.
In the evenings, I avoided Korean food because I was worried I’d swell, and at lunch, I ate everything I wanted...
At week 2, I said the swelling seemed to be going down a bit slowly, so after radiofrequency care, I got regenerative laser for about 40 minutes? They said the mid-level swelling and residual swelling will keep going down from next week, so I’m going to wait and see..
But there is swelling toward the front of the area where the nasolabial fat was injected, and maybe because I got Juvelook injections, the swelling and glow seem to give a slightly younger-looking effect(?) I want the swelling to go down completely,,,,,!
- The last 2 photos are before the procedure.
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