I only realized after turning twenty that my nose looked different from the left and right sides. From one side, the middle of the nasal bridge looked slightly raised, but from the other side it was barely visible, so for a while I thought it was because of the lighting. I was also constantly bothered by my nostrils spreading sideways when I smiled, but I did not want a dramatically higher nose.
All the photos I had saved were of actress Kim Yoo-jung’s nose. My biggest question was whether that thin, soft line could be created without an implant, so I searched mainly for places with many reviews of implant-free rhinoplasty and eventually visited High-end.
I first showed Director Lim Ji-hong the photos I had saved. He said that the nose looked pretty not because it was high, but because of the line created by the thinly gathered tip. Hearing that helped me realize that height was not what I wanted.
We decided to gather the tip with ear cartilage and adjust only its direction. He also made it clear beforehand that the two sides would not be made identical; the goal was to reduce the difference.
I expected him to suggest reducing my nostrils, but he said that supporting the tip would make the nostrils look less spread when I smiled, so I did not touch the nostrils at all.
I also mentioned that I had been taking medication every change of season. An examination showed that the inside was deviated to one side, so I added functional rhinoplasty as well.
It has been about a month and a half. The preoperative photos were taken at the clinic with bright lighting, while the current photos are just selfies, so please keep in mind that the angles differ slightly.
From the side, there used to be a shadow in the middle of my nasal bridge, but the biggest change for me is that the shadow is no longer visible. From the front, the tip is gathered toward the center, so it feels as if the width my nose occupies on my face has decreased.
I took photos while smiling, and my nostrils do not spread sideways as much as before. It was interesting to learn that this was because of the tip.
The difference between the two sides has decreased, but I think I will know properly only after all the swelling goes down. The tip is still firm, and they said the current shape is not final yet.
Before, I used to lie down while worrying about one side feeling blocked, but these days I worry about it less. Since this was a surgery that barely increased the height, I wondered if it might look flat, but once the issue that bothered me from the side disappeared, it was enough for me.
It is still early, and people keep talking about swelling, so I plan to take side-view photos again after a few more months.