Hehe, this is the result of my fifth surgery, which I had through a well-known plastic surgery app on March 26, 2020. (donor rib cartilage/ear cartilage/3.5/implant) Both photos are after photos. (2 months post-op / 2 years and 2 months post-op photos.)
Because the academy I was running became difficult during COVID, I started a small delivery-only shop, and I was working while only taking two days off a year, Lunar New Year and Chuseok, so I had no time to go in for follow-ups. Even when I happened to have time, my schedule did not match the doctor’s. When I visited in May 2022, the manager in charge had already left, and when the doctor in charge looked at my nose, he seemed very flustered and wrote down two plastic surgery clinics (A, B), telling me to go there. Even at the two clinics he told me about, reservations had at least a 2- to 3-month wait, so I paid CT fees and consultation fees and met a total of 5 doctors. Besides those two clinics, I also looked into other places on my own and went to 2 other clinics (C, D). Then in early August this year, I went back to the clinic that had operated on me, and the new manager in charge asked in detail what the two clinics I had visited had said, so I told her exactly what I had heard. Clinic A, doctor a: After seeing the number of surgeries, regular surgery is impossible / recommended the head director Clinic A, head director b: contracted nose / expected 2 surgeries with a 6-month interval after the first surgery / 12 million won Clinic B: Not a contracted nose / autologous costal cartilage / silicone / 10 million won / Clinics I personally looked into Clinic C: Not a contracted nose / autologous costal cartilage / silicone / 9 million won Clinic D: Surgery would be difficult
After that, I stated that I wanted a refund, and this is the result I was notified of.
“Hello, OO. This is OOO Plastic Surgery Clinic. First of all, after your surgery, you were almost unable to come in for follow-ups for about the first 2 years, and although this may be true for other areas as well, in the case of the nose, some degree of shape change can occur over time, so it is difficult to determine that there was a clear problem with the surgical aspect. At your follow-up one year ago, since it was a revision surgery after all, we recommended that you hear opinions from other hospitals as you had during the initial consultation; there was no other intention. Since re-correction through surgery is also possible at our clinic, we have ultimately concluded that a refund is difficult. However, this is only the clinic’s position, and if it is difficult for you to accept, although it may be inconvenient, we think it would be best for you to contact the Korea Medical Dispute Mediation and Arbitration Agency and undergo a review. We are truly sorry that we could not give you the answer you wanted.”
Even the doctor who personally performed the surgery was very surprised when he saw the 2-year follow-up during the consultation, and now they are saying there was no problem with the surgery. Problems are visible even in the 2-month follow-up photo. This is something I kept talking about with the consultation manager. Does it look like there is no problem? The starting point of the silicone beginning on the left nasal dorsum, and on the right side it is sunken diagonally like a knife mark. What about the nasal ala on one side with no contour and the asymmetrical nostril wing? Before surgery, I showed photos of the columella shape I wanted and discussed it, but they did not touch the columella at all. When I complained about the columella shape after surgery, they only said things like, “Removing the columella is not difficult!”……. “It is difficult to determine that there was a clear problem with the surgical aspect.” That is wordplay. Looking at the photos, isn’t it harder to determine that there was no problem? I paid for CT scans at both other hospitals and also paid all the consultation fees, yet they are making excuses like, “We recommended it because we thought it would be good for you to hear opinions from other hospitals.” And after doing surgery like this and handling the follow-up this way, could I really have surgery again at that clinic? The trust has already been broken. Because the manager in charge changed, all the claim history that had existed from the beginning of the surgery was deleted.
Saying that I cannot get a refund because I could not go for follow-up checks after one year is not persuasive. I am the one bearing all that damage, and while I am busy running a business, I am also the one who has to prove it to the Medical Dispute Mediation and Arbitration Agency..
Shouldn’t the clinic and doctor who decided to perform a fifth surgery have reflected the client’s needs and identified all possibilities based on CT scans and professional knowledge?
If you don’t want to end up like me, you need to judge carefully whether a clinic sees people as money or not. Or even if they do see you as money, you need to find a doctor with skill that matches that and a clinic with responsibility. Please share information from those who have had experiences like mine or who can relate.
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