Hello~ This is an 8-day post-op rhinoplasty review.
From the early stage after surgery until now, carrying so many worries and concerns from countless cases, I took off the splint yesterday, checked my nose shape, and now that things have settled down a bit, I thought I could write a recommendation and an objective review, so I’m writing now.
I got a lot of help from reading reviews and searching around, so I’m writing this in the hope that it helps someone else too. ( I promised to write a review before surgery, but I haven’t said anything about that yet, and this is a review written on my own initiative for everyone here.)
Below is about what conditions I was in, what kind of improvement I wanted, and what criteria I used to choose the hospital, so you can use it as reference or skip it if you want. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
I am male. I do not have a guardian and live alone. From what I studied, men often have thicker skin, so in cases like mine, where the nose is small and bulbous, I think surgery to make the tip height and line look pretty is more difficult.
For the line I wanted, I wanted the bridge line from the T-zone glabella to taper at a natural angle, while still feeling like it stretches upward toward the tip, with as much glamour as possible based on a natural look. My wannabe reference was a photo of Park Bo-gum. (I also brought a photo of a line with a high glabella that I did not like and asked about it.)
After doing a truly huge amount of studying and gathering information, spending time searching online, I looked up reviews and review photos, went to consult with places known for pretty, glamorous average lines, and visited about 7 places in person [2 ENT clinics, 5 plastic surgery clinics]. I kept revising my own plan while recording the consultation notes and listening back repeatedly, and after narrowing down the options through my impressions of the director’s trustworthiness and aesthetic sense during the consultations, I additionally checked the hospital website and review photos from the community and app, and finally decided after a lot of deliberation. (At this stage it was a two-pick situation, but... I canceled another hospital reservation once and chose the current hospital..) (Just for the consultation process alone, including transportation and consultation fees... I think I lost nearly 100,000 won..) (I got one more re-consultation, and later finalized the surgical plan while also asking with photos of Hyun Bin, Kim Yo-han, and Cha Eun-woo.)
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Functional nose surgery x2 [deviated septum, inferior turbinate resection] + bulbous nose [including tip lengthening and nasolabial angle correction] Since my original nose was [small and bulbous], I wanted it as glamorous as possible based on a natural look. Because I had a small septal cartilage supply and thick skin at the tip, I used [donor costal cartilage] + [septal cartilage, ear cartilage], and inserted a [silicone implant] within 3 mm.
* Day of surgery to immediately after I had to fast for 8 hours and not drink water, and the procedure was done under full sleep anesthesia. When I went into the operating room and lay down, they first trimmed my nose hair and did various things like that. After that, they said they would anesthetize me while I was asleep, and that I might wake up once in the middle and then go back under, but my memory is a bit fuzzy. I woke up once or twice, saw the director, and talked a lot with the operating room staff and said a lot of nonsense
After the surgery, it doesn’t hurt.. but my nose is completely blocked.. and it feels like my nose is not mine anymore, plus a stinging sensation. If I stay still, it’s okay, but I went home alone without a guardian.. and there were a lot of people on the subway.. I was overwhelmed by worries and anxiety like, what if I bump into people... and my body and mind felt weak..
!!Tip. (It is possible to go home alone, but if possible, I recommend going home comfortably with a guardian accompanying you. It will help a lot psychologically.)
* Day 1 to Day 2, until the cotton removal Up to about Day 1 is the hardest period.. my nose was really completely blocked so it was hard to breathe.. it stung in my nose.. and my body and mind were weak.. I was anxious and had all kinds of thoughts.. because the nosebleed kept flowing, I wondered if I had developed inflammation.. The shape on top of the splint looks strange.. what if something went wrong? Why did I have to touch a perfectly fine nose and suffer needlessly? I kept searching this community.. my face was all swollen so I had all kinds of negative and anxious thoughts. Of course, I tried to think positively that the harder it is, the prettier I’ll become~ ^ㅁ^
But after one day had passed and it was around Day 2, by the time I went to have the cotton removed, aside from the discomfort of the blocked nose, I was okay. I had been thinking, how am I supposed to go back to the hospital in this weak mental and physical state.. it feels like the way there will be so anxiety-inducing.. what should I do.. but then I just went to the hospital, and they quickly removed it~ I had seen a lot of people say this was extremely painful, but for me it was just a slight sting and not very painful. It felt so refreshing, and they cleaned inside my nose, which made me happy~ I got swelling laser and an IV drip and went home happily~
!!Tip. (Rather than lying down, it’s better to sit or stand with your back straight, as long as it does not strain your nose. Use ice compresses, and if possible, take walks too. It is uncomfortable and hard, that is true, but this is above all the time when you feel the most psychological anxiety. The harder it is, the prettier you become~ Think positively a lot!)
* Until Day 7, splint and stitch removal Honestly, this part wasn’t very hard. About a day after removing the cotton, the nosebleed had almost stopped, and the discomfort was mainly that I couldn’t open my mouth wide, my nose tip felt a little stingy when I moved my face or leaned forward slightly, and it was annoying that I couldn’t wash properly? I did ice compresses from time to time, went for walks a few times, and as the days passed, the swelling and stinging sensation decreased.
At this time I worried that my nostrils looked too much like 11s and that the line on top of the splint looked too ugly, and that the bridge looked higher than I expected above the splint. But even then I kept taking videos, looking, searching this community, and worrying, though honestly up to that point there is no point in judging the shape.
Around Day 5, the stinging sensation had decreased and I felt a lot more comfortable, and when I went to the hospital again and they removed the splint, cleaned the outside and inside of my nose, and gave me swelling laser treatment~ When I looked in the mirror, it was so amazing~ The swelling around the bridge was severe, but the tip was higher than expected and the line came out so beautifully that I was surprised. It looked completely different from how it looked through the splint.. it was really amazing and good.
I do wonder whether the tip looks pointed and lifted, but I think it will gradually become rounder, and that I’ll be satisfied later only if there is this high, pointed feeling now (if you want something glamorous), because I had seen so many people say that if you’re satisfied at this stage, later you may think it became too natural and too low.. I think the same way. My bridge swelling still seems severe, and even the gums under the philtrum are swollen, so it’s hard to judge the nasolabial angle. The director also said the same thing. But even taking that into account, I really love it~ If I had wanted a feminine, androgynous, straight-to-slightly-curved line like a half-moon shape, I would already be very satisfied with the current state~ right now it feels a bit like Noze’s nose? [I am male, so I designed and had surgery for a straight line.] Anyway, it seems to stretch out nicely toward the tip and looks pretty, so I’m happy~
!!Tip. (The tip is that there probably won’t be anything especially hard~ Don’t jump to conclusions about the shape or worry, and don’t just think negative thoughts~ Just take your medicine on time, rinse with saline frequently, and keep it moist with eye ointment.)
* Current Day 8. There isn’t anything particularly uncomfortable~ I’m so restless because I want to exercise~ Except for the bruising and swelling marks that went down toward the chin, and the bruises around the bridge, the other facial swelling has almost gone down, so I think I could go eat at a restaurant. It’s just that now that there’s no discomfort I can feel in my body, I need to be even more conscious and careful to follow the precautions well? I think it’ll be a continuous process like that~ I’m going back next week for a follow-up too~
+Edit!! Additional note. Prepare a humidifier, and if you don’t have one, hang up even a wet towel, especially so that it doesn’t get dry when you sleep~ I think this is really important~ Yesterday I slept without doing that once, and my nose and throat hurt so much.
Also, regarding the ear pain, there was a time around Day 2 when I wondered if it hurt, but after that, I personally had almost no pain except for a little stinging. When sleeping or in situations like that, I think it doesn’t hurt as long as you are careful not to touch it directly. The scar is small, and already it’s at the level where you can barely tell unless you look closely.
!!Personally, the overall advice I want to give about choosing surgery and going through the process is this. What I felt while searching this community is that many people have too many negative thoughts..
I think psychological factors make up more than 80% of the desire for cosmetic surgery.. If you have decided to do it, I hope you think positively a lot. The hardest part even after surgery is the psychological part. Don’t worry too much or think anxious thoughts, and let’s think positively~!
And in the end, there are parts determined by luck, so some people say cosmetic surgery is ultimately a matter of luck, but that’s just how life is. Nothing is fair or equal. Luck plays a role in everything. Within that kind of life, we do it because we want to feel even a little bit of positive change and happiness, right? Then I think it’s also important to spend time and effort searching online and visiting clinics in person to increase the odds a little.
What I often wrote in comments under posts from people saying they were upset was that the more pain you endure, the prettier and happier you will become.. If you’ve decided to go through with it, I hope you move forward with positive thoughts~
Since everyone is going through the pain of spending a lot of money and effort to undergo surgery and change themselves.. I hope this helps, even a little, toward positive change~