Twenty years ago, I had my first nose surgery using the septum. I wasn't happy with it, so 10 years ago I had a second nose surgery at a large factory-style hospital. For the third one, seven years ago, I had nose surgery at a private clinic that had only recently opened, using autologous costal cartilage, ear cartilage, and septum cartilage.
Unlike the first time, after several months my nose contracted and became an upturned nose. That was seven years ago, so I got used to the upturned nostrils, and I was tired and gave up on it for a while.
But then I imagined myself aging into an old lady with upturned nostrils, and it made me laugh. I consulted with large hospitals and with hospitals that are popular these days, and since I thought this would be my last nose surgery, I wanted to be careful, so I finally went to Image Plastic Surgery for a consultation after a recommendation from someone I know.
There was almost no commercial feel, and I trusted the doctor's attitude, which felt authoritative without being overbearing. On the day of surgery, the doctor personally sterilized the operating room for more than two hours, and was extremely thorough about infection prevention.
Because this was a revision surgery and took a long time, it was done under general anesthesia, and the female anesthesiologist gave me careful guidance in a voice that felt experienced and reassuring. The director operated only on my nose that day, and when they opened the inside of my nose, they said the septum had been broken and everything was a mess from repeated surgeries.
Because my nose was so low and short, it had to be tied and untied several times, and it took eight hours to finish. The doctor couldn't even eat all day, and only after almost 10 p.m. did they tell me to rest well and head home. I stayed in the ward for one day, and a nurse was on duty for more than 24 hours, continuously watching over me and giving me pain-relief IV fluids.
The next morning, the director came to check my condition, and I finished the porridge they had prepared for me. I listened to the nurse's detailed explanation from start to finish (the nurse was also very kind, and I was grateful that she treated me so comfortably). I left in the afternoon carrying the medicine, gauze, cotton swabs, and tote bag they had prepared.
I took the swelling medication, pain medicine, and antibiotics as instructed, so by the second day there was almost no swelling and I didn't feel any pain. They removed the thin silicone from the nose that had contracted and become damaged inside, and used a slightly wider, natural-looking silicone, donor rib cartilage, and AlloDerm. They built up the support column and smoothed out all the scar tissue, so it was a nose revision that was close to reconstruction.
And my family genes are a bit like an Australopithecus type with a slightly prominent upper gum, but the doctor also set my long philtrum at a nice angle, so it now looks shorter and became very pretty. My columella was basically nonexistent because my nose was so weak, but they brought the columella down and made it fuller.
I went to the hospital often to check the progress of disinfection and stitch removal. Because they paid so much attention to aftercare, the manager carefully handled the necessary calls and follow-up checks.
Since I was little, my mom used to say, "Our kid's nostrils are staring straight at people. In our kid's childhood photos, there are only two nostrils on the face." (She is indeed the beloved biological daughter she gave birth to in pain. She still calls me baby or princess and dotes on me so much... But because my mom is from Gyeongsang-do and speaks very directly, I ended up with a strong mindset that enjoys looks-based teasing.)
Now that caveman-style nostrils are completely covered and brought down. I'm not the type to go around visiting places for consultations, but since I thought this was the last time, I got consultations at three hospitals. I really think choosing the hospital is important.
Please visit as many places as possible if you can, compare them, and choose the hospital that suits you best. I left this review hoping that people with contracted noses like mine won't give up and will keep some hope.
The consultation manager had worked as a nurse at Seoul National University Hospital and had been with Image Plastic Surgery for a long time, and she assisted with my surgery in the operating room. Both she and the nurse had been working at the same hospital for more than 10 years.
The director is also a professor at Seoul National University and has been a specialist for 30 years, so they seemed to have tremendous experience, and their skill and concentration were outstanding. Credentials are impressive, of course, but the surgeon's expertise and skill are what really matter. The doctor seemed like someone who pursues perfection. They are also very famous in the fields of facelift surgery and breast surgery.
Not long ago, they went to Sweden to attend an academic conference, and they said that in the future, breast augmentation surgery may be introduced domestically as a procedure possible under 30 minutes of sedation anesthesia. It felt like good news that plastic surgery is becoming more advanced and evolving. A chest that is no different from my back is so faithful to the laws of gravity... I think I might go back in a few years for breast surgery.
The hospital did not advertise at all, and it was a place known through recommendations from acquaintances. I could feel that the three of them were quietly doing their best in their own positions. It gave me a feeling like a late-night diner of the plastic surgery world.
I think I have now completed my life-changing nose. The short nose that had been my lifelong complex has completely changed. Should I say I succeeded in escaping my complex, which is one of the positive functions of plastic surgery? Thank you for reading my long and boring post.
I will attach before-and-after photos. And the estimate was the lowest among the hospitals I consulted. (It was more than 2 million won cheaper.) The card price seems the same as the cash price.