(This is long because of my personal regrets...) After going through all kinds of trouble at my first clinic.. while struggling through it, I fully realized that I need to completely let go of any lingering attachment to a clinic where I already failed once, so I started consulting again with a fresh mindset. But the more I look back, the more regretful and upset I feel, and I’m so torn. Even though this is a surgery to lower it, every method is different, so my head hurts.
Even for my first surgery, I wanted something natural. But looking back, the clinic I ultimately chose because it felt most trustworthy at the time was completely different from my aesthetic preference. Back then, I thought that even at a clinic like that, if I asked to keep it natural, it would turn out that way. I really believed that up until I got follow-up surgery there... Since then I’ve spent almost 3 years obsessing over my nose and living with this crazy fixation. Now I want it to look even more natural than before the first surgery, and I’ve gotten to the point where, front view or whatever else, I want it to be completely unnoticeable (the side view, the 45-degree Pinocchio look ㅈㅂ..). I’ve even reached the point where a slightly droopy nose looks pretty to me..
A nose shape that looks just a little droopy like actress Kim Ji-won’s looks the most natural and pretty to me. My original nose was a high but clearly droopy nose with a bulbous tip, a hump, and a hooked shape, and because that was a complex for me, during my first surgery I kept thinking the nose must never droop again. While going around for consultations, I heard that supporting it with ear cartilage and septal cartilage can still lead to drooping, so I gradually started choosing clinics that used donated rib cartilage. In the end, I had surgery like this: donated rib cartilage extension, septal fixation, and ear cartilage cover-up.. I had no idea I’d end up needing follow-up surgery because it was made too high^^ If I could go back, I would never have this surgery done again.
Of course, it may be possible to make it natural with donated rib cartilage extension, but I think the clinic was also part of the problem, and the method just didn’t suit my aesthetic preference or my nose.. I went to consultations at ㅇㄷㅇㅇㅇ / ㄱㅇㅅ / ㅅㅅㅇ / ㅍㄹㅁ / ㅈㅅ, and I had decided on ㅍㄹㅁ. But after reading posts here, I started worrying again and wondering if I should keep looking around.. I need to have surgery as soon as possible and I don’t think I’ll have time to consult any more..
If I go by the clinics I visited most recently: ㅍㄹㅁ, ㅈㅅ (they said to preserve the pillar and not touch the donated rib cartilage extension), ㅈㅅ (to be honest, while consulting here, I was already so overwhelmed by regret over my past choices that I’ve been living in a total mental mess..)
The director was so kind, and after hearing about my previous surgery process and even the follow-up surgery story, he was getting angry while saying he wasn’t angry at me.. But from the previous clinic, I had definitely been told it was whole donated rib cartilage, right? I told him it had been used as a whole piece, and he said if it was used whole, there should still be material left over, so why did they remove the septum and fix it again? He said if it wasn’t whole and they used cartilage that had been cut and stored, then maybe it was lacking for that reason.. He also said the less septum they remove, the better, and asked whether he would have done that if I were his daughter..
I think I also asked during the first surgery whether it had to be fixed with the septum? I think they explained back then that it had to be done that way.. I didn’t really know, so I don’t think I dug deeper into that part..
I asked about the price of donated rib cartilage, and when I said I had paid around 1 million won, the doctor showed me the receipts and photos for donated rib cartilage that he personally purchases, saying it’s in the 1.6 to 1.8 million won range.. He said, why would he run a business at a loss?
Of course, it’s also possible they didn’t use cut pieces.. I don’t know the truth, so I can’t just assume the doctor is right. Fortunately, I didn’t have inflammation, so the bigger issue was something else rather than exactly what material was used, but when I hear the doctor speaking right in front of me, it does sound right.. and thinking about how much I suffered because of my nose made me feel wronged and angry. (Everyone, please be sure to check these things carefully before going to consultations.)
I also asked why, when doing follow-up surgery to lower it, they removed the ear cartilage again.. But even now, while going around for consultations, some doctors say the ear may need to be taken out again, so I still don’t really know.. He said there was no need to touch the extension part if possible, and that they probably put in several layers of ear cartilage, so the plan would be to organize it into just one layer and do a “removal” surgery to lower or reposition the extension. But because the nose shows through, he said dermis would need to be used at the tip.
Since he also does cartilage repositioning surgery, I was about to show him my pre-op nose photos, and he said if my nose could be treated with cartilage repositioning, it would probably hurt too much to have suffered for 3 years.. But as soon as he looked, he said it was a nose that could be treated, so I was crushed for the second time.. He showed me examples of cartilage repositioning surgery cases, and they looked so natural and pretty, and hearing that they were all made from my own cartilage and that the nose could still even do a pig-nose motion really... I had also visited one older-looking clinic that did cartilage repositioning back during my first surgery, and I still wonder why I couldn’t make that choice then. It’s my fault for not researching properly, but it’s the choice I regret most in my life. I kept saying to the doctor that it was in the past and there was nothing I could do about it, but... if I had chosen differently, I think I would have lived a much happier life than the years I spent suffering, and that made me feel awful.
He showed me a 3D simulation and said it could be done without being noticeable, so everything was good, but I’m torn because of the use of dermis and the cost. I also used dermis for a different area during follow-up surgery.. and now I really never want anything inserted again. Of course, he said it’s possible to do it without using it, but then I’d have to accept the visibility.
The cost, including VAT, was the second highest
ㅍㄹㅁ (this was the clinic I leaned toward the most, but after seeing the reviews here, it’s become a clinic I’m conflicted about) The surgical method here was similar to ㅈㅅ. It felt a bit more flexible, like they were trying to tailor it more to the direction of surgery I wanted..? They said to leave the pillar as it is, remove some ear cartilage, and if I wanted, they could also use the columellar support method. This doctor also seemed to do cartilage repositioning surgery.
At first I was reluctant, but the biggest merit, I think, is being woken up in the middle to check the nose shape.. Of course, I also wonder whether I’d be able to judge properly while awake, but the manager said it’s the last surgery, so I should check it myself and finish it, and I think that made me feel more reassured and drawn to it. They also do scar laser, and there were many good points about aftercare, but there are no before-and-after photos.. and after reading the reviews here, it seems there are cases where it wasn’t like that either..
This is a bit cautious to say, but when I read comments on another cafe, it really looked like brokers at first, so I was suspicious.. but when I actually went there, it was fine...? The price was also the second cheapest.
ㅅㅅㅇ When I went there, I was even considering removal, but they strongly advised against it.. They said a support structure is necessary, and unless you can’t tolerate something firm, don’t remove it. They said donated rib cartilage should be removed anyway to avoid future side effects, and that even the ear cartilage placed on top should all be removed because of visibility. They said to use as much of the septum inside as possible to build the support, but if the inside is in bad condition, they might need to remove ear cartilage again for reinforcement of the support.
When I told the manager I wanted it to be unnoticeable, she said that could also become stressful in its own way, and these days people can spot everything, so she couldn’t firmly promise, “We’ll definitely make it unnoticeable!”
The cost was also relatively affordable, and I liked it here too, but after hearing from the last two clinics I visited that I should leave the extension as is, I don’t know which method is right... Here, they don’t even place ear cartilage on top either..
ㄱㅇㅅ They checked first whether the septum had collapsed, since it seemed they had also reinforced it through septal resection surgery. They said, why did you cut away so much of the septum... As I had heard, the doctor really gave a strong “doctor” vibe, but when I was actually in consultation, he didn’t explain the surgery method first and instead asked whether I had any questions, which threw me off.
I wrote all my concerns and questions on the questionnaire, but he didn’t really answer them well, and he didn’t like it when I mentioned things I’d heard elsewhere. It wasn’t a clear “we will do this method,” but rather, since it’s a revision surgery, “we need to open it and decide according to the situation.” I got flustered and asked all sorts of things, and the doctor gradually started sounding impatient But now I’m starting to understand what he meant, and the reviews here also seem good, so I’m debating it.. But I’ve never seen before-and-after photos
He said he could also remove the ear cartilage again after checking the internal condition, and the cost would change depending on that!
ㅇㄷㅇㅇㅇ The doctor was kind, so this was the longest consultation. Here, the method was definitely the columellar support method, and they said they would use ear cartilage again. They also showed before-and-after photos, and since this was my first consultation for revision surgery, I talked about all sorts of things, and they listened to everything and basically gave me a counseling session too The doctor’s aesthetic preference matched mine perfectly, but the price was just too high... They said it’s under sedation, but because of the risk, they wake you up in the middle and operate.
Now I regret it so much, but what I’ve realized too late is that you absolutely should not be stingy about consultation fees. I don’t know whether consultation fees were recently introduced or whether those clinics always had them, but the clinics I visited that focus on natural results all had consultation fees. During my first surgery, almost none of the clinics charged consultation fees. But the clinics that do charge a consultation fee definitely feel like they are spending the doctor’s time to consult you, like they’re seeing you from a doctor’s perspective.
If you try to save on consultation fees, you may end up spending much more later..
And in the same vein, clinics that obsess over reviews are a huge no from me.. The clinics I visited this time aren’t even listed on places like ㄱㄴㅇㄴ or ㅂㅂㅌ. I also originally found them through those places and went.. but things like giving a discount if you write a review.. for me, even if it’s a one-doctor clinic now, it still feels like a factory-like system and I’m put off by it. If someone has a different aesthetic preference from mine, that’s fine, but for people like me who want something natural and unnoticeable, I think it’s better to avoid clinics that require review writing.
If anyone has actually had surgery at the clinics I visited, or knows of a clinic recommended for this kind of natural result, please let me know My head really hurts...