The reason I’m writing this is because I got a lot of help through this community, and because it was so hard to find cases like mine where only the nose tip was operated on, it failed, and then only the nose tip was revised... I’m posting in the hope that it helps people like me!!
I tend to talk a lot, so this got long I divided it by topic! If you only want the review and tips, scroll down and start from the part marked ***!
ㅡㅡㅡㅡㅡㅡㅡBefore revisionㅡㅡㅡㅡㅡㅡㅡㅡ Before, I had already had a closed procedure with nose-tip cartilage tying, Megaderm grafting, and laser fat removal (I didn’t touch the bridge). From the time the swelling went down, one side of the nose tip had developed a severe indentation. A small, round hollow was visible at a glance, and the nostril on that side was pinched and pulled upward. On top of that, as the Megaderm was gradually absorbed and sagged, the shape of the nose tip and columella didn’t look nice either..
Honestly, if the shape had just been bad, I probably would have lived with it (when I heard people say rhinoplasty is either once or multiple times, I really didn’t want to open it twice..) But because the indentation and pinching stood out so much, I ended up getting revision surgery six months later.
ㅡㅡㅡㅡㅡㅡㅡConsultation reviewㅡㅡㅡㅡㅡㅡㅡ The surgical plan the clinic gave me was: proceed with an open approach, remove the Megaderm, remove the stitches from the nose-tip cartilage tying >>> harvest autologous ear cartilage and postauricular dermis to fill the thinned areas (to improve the indentation and pinching and maintain height), lower the alar base, and then finish by placing an absorbable collagen membrane on top at the very end (it is usually used in implant surgery, and I was told it reinforces thinned tissue and helps regeneration). It was a no-implant surgery.
The price was completely fixed-rate, so they showed me the price list directly. They said revision surgery starts at 440 as the base, but the total estimate was 671 at the regular price / 562 at the event price / and with an additional 5% same-day booking discount, it would end up at 533. (There is a table that separates the regular price and event price for each item.)
They said the follow-up schedule would be day 1 (the day after surgery), day 7 (columella stitches and splint removal), and day 14 (behind-the-ear stitch removal).
ㅡㅡㅡㅡㅡㅡㅡPrevious experienceㅡㅡㅡㅡㅡㅡㅡ For my first surgery, it was my first time even visiting a plastic surgery clinic, and I knew nothing then.. I didn’t really understand the difference between mass-production clinics and private clinics, or surgical techniques, and I was just lured by ads saying it was a simple closed procedure that wouldn’t show much, so I went after reading reviews only on Naver cafes, the Gangnam Unni app, and Baritalk.. I didn’t know about this community at all then..
But I definitely felt something was off at that clinic several times. They explained things for a really long time, but the actual substance was missing. They operated with the same technique like a factory line, without even analyzing my nose. It was already a cheap surgery, but they piled on a huge discount and the manager pressured me to pay a deposit.. I must have instinctively thought it was a bit off, but I was stupid enough to get swayed by the price and the smooth talk and just pay..
So this time, I visited three clinics in person. Of course, before visiting them I did a ton of online research, but the list of places I researched online and the list of places I visited ended up being different for various reasons (the doctor’s technique, cost, surgery timing, etc.) I also had contouring surgery before, and while going around for revision nose consultations this time, I realized.. personally, I seem to look at the doctor’s overall impression and the general feel of the clinic.
The contouring doctor had a really kind face, spoke so gently, and didn’t just sound smooth in words; he accurately pointed out the problems I had been thinking about, and even the problems I hadn’t noticed, and showed them to me. Because of that, I decided on surgery at that clinic, and even though it has only been two months so there’s still a little swelling remaining, I’m very satisfied..
And the contouring clinic had a very bright, clear, and cheerful image overall. The staff were all kind, and the interior was simple but stylish It may sound silly to pay attention to the interior but I somehow think the doctor’s aesthetic sense and attention to small details might be reflected there too..
I had also heard that contouring clinic used fixed pricing. In fact, when I compared with others who had consultations there, both my estimate and the costs were exactly the same.. And since the first clinic that ruined my nose was a mass-production clinic, I filtered out all mass-production clinics, so this time I only looked at a one-doctor clinic. They also said they only do exactly two surgeries a day..
ㅡㅡㅡㅡㅡㅡㅡReasons I chose the clinicㅡㅡㅡㅡㅡㅡㅡ This nose surgery clinic had many of the same things as the contouring clinic, so I felt I could trust it and relax. One-doctor clinic, fixed surgery time with only two surgeries a day, fixed pricing, bright lighting, neat but stylish interior, kind front desk staff and manager, etc..
And the doctor’s overall impression looked really clean.. sounds a bit ridiculous, right..? But he really seemed clear and pure, and at least gave the feeling that he wouldn’t rip people off..? I felt like he would truly do his best in surgery. Also, on the blog he runs, he always posts detailed records of his surgical methods, and among them there was a review from a case similar to mine..
Most of all, he explained things really well. I forgot to mention that during my previous surgery I had the cartilage tying, Megaderm grafting, and laser fat removal too, so I hadn’t told him about it.. (I had originally focused on the problem as the cartilage being tied incorrectly and the Megaderm being inserted crookedly, so I didn’t even think about the fat removal.) But when he touched my nose, he immediately said the tissue thickness on the indented side seemed thinner, and that he wasn’t sure whether they had cut away more of that side’s tissue when suturing the inside during the previous surgery, but that might be why the indentation and pinching got worse... No other consultation doctor caught that, not a single one..? But he was the only one...
Then, holding cotton swabs in both hands, he put the tips into my nostrils, pulled the nose tip straight out, and asked me to touch both sides and feel the difference. And yes, that side really was thinner in fat... unbelievable... That’s when I felt a huge sense of trust. Just like the doctor who did my contouring surgery, this doctor seemed very meticulous and truly serious about surgery..
In the end, I decided to go ahead with surgery here, and now it’s day 2!! This intro got way too long Anyway, here’s the real surgery review!
*****************Surgery review***************** (Day 0_The day of surgery) Because they only do two surgeries a day, including the time patients come early and prepare, surgery reservations were only possible for 9:15 a.m. or 12:30 p.m.. So I booked the 9:15 slot.
Since you have to fast for 6 hours before surgery, I slept for 5 hours, woke up, and went straight to the clinic after washing up (I don’t live in the Seoul area, so it was a bit far). I got my pre-op photos taken, changed clothes, washed my face, had one more consultation with the manager and listened carefully to all the precautions, and finally had a consultation and design with the doctor.. I was so nervous up to that point, but the manager comforted me
Then came the moment of entering the operating room~! They put a cap on my head, wrapped my head again with a towel, tied down my arms and legs, inserted the IV needle, and sprayed some super spicy disinfectant-anesthetic thing into my nose and mouth.. A little later, I fell asleep.. (They also tested an anesthetic on my foot, since I might have an allergy to sedation anesthesia! They seemed safety-oriented..)
And near the end of the surgery, I started hearing a voice calling me. At first I thought I was dreaming, but it turned out they were waking me up in the operating room So I was helped to the recovery room and went back to sleep..
When I woke up, the manager gave me water and told me to rest a little more. About 30 minutes later, they came back, explained a few more things, and said I could go home once I had rested enough and fully recovered.
I had gotten my period a few days before surgery, so I was a little off, but I recovered from the woozy feeling fairly quickly, rested a bit more, and went straight home! But I drank so much water seriously I drank about 3 large cups right after surgery, and even after getting home.. I think I drank almost 4 liters in a day..
Starting on the way home, my nose gradually started hurting. I’m someone who usually tolerates pain well, so even after contouring surgery I didn’t hurt much, but because I was fasting and hadn’t taken any medication yet, it hurt quite a bit.. But as soon as I got home, ate, and took the medicine, it didn’t hurt at all So they really don’t give it for nothing..
So on the day of surgery, except for the gauze under my nose getting soaked with blood and feeling unpleasantly damp, I had a very uneventful day! They didn’t harvest septal cartilage, and there wasn’t much bleeding during surgery, so they didn’t even put cotton in my nose. So breathing wasn’t uncomfortable either
(Day 1_The next day) The day before, I had gotten a few nosebleeds that would suddenly dribble out once in a while, but when I woke up in the morning, the gauze under my nose came off completely dry! After that, I didn’t get another nosebleed at all
I visited the clinic for a follow-up, had the bandage they’d put on my ear removed, and also had the cotton-like material they had placed inside my ear taken out.. Since they had harvested both cartilage and dermis by only making an incision behind the ear, there was no wound at all in the ear canal, only a faint bruise, but it seemed like they had placed cotton there for just one day in case the ear shape collapsed after the cartilage was removed! So they changed my ear dressing from a bandage to waterproof tape, and said I could wash my hair starting today as long as no water got into my nose. Yay~
They cleaned inside my nose with sterile cotton swabs! On the day of surgery, I had a nosebleed only once from the right nostril, and several times from the left nostril, and there was a lot of dried blood in the left nostril, so they removed the scabs with tweezers too, which hurt a little.. But after they took them off, it felt so refreshing
Then I got an antibiotic shot and a swelling shot, but I’m not sure about the pain from the injection they mentioned(I’m not very sensitive to pain...) It felt kind of like a tingling in my butt.. And at the end, I did swelling laser for about 30 minutes? and left!
They said light exercise was okay, so when I got home I did 30 minutes on the stepper.. The doctor said I’m someone who swells very little, and that he was really looking forward to after the splint comes off, and I didn’t have any bruising around my nose at all.. Only a faint bruise on my ear, but it doesn’t hurt!
After they removed the gauze under my nose, I could clearly see that the nostrils were symmetrical, which made me the happiest.. After my previous surgery, one side looked like a kidney bean and the other like a round pig nose, so the asymmetry was really severe.. And from the side view, the drooping columella seems to have improved a lot too! Of course, I’ll know more accurately after the splint comes off I’m already excited~~
☆Tips☆ 1) Drink lots of water! : Especially on the day of surgery, my throat hurt quite a bit But after I drank a lot of water, all the pain was gone by the afternoon and my voice fully came back! And everyone knows water helps with swelling too, right~?
2) Be sure to use ice compresses on the day of surgery! : Ice compresses help reduce swelling, but they also constrict blood vessels, so they help with stopping bleeding too!
3) Buy a heated eye mask! : You know that after the ice-compress period ends, the warm-compress period begins? If you buy one heated eye mask, you can keep using it for that
4) Ointment order > From after the nasal packing is removed until before stitch removal : Antibiotic ointment such as Fucidin > For one week after stitch removal, 2-3 times a day (Reason: prevent inflammation and prevent dryness) : Mild steroid ointment 2-3 times a day (Available at pharmacies: Oramedy) > From 2 weeks after surgery : Scar ointment such as Noscarna, 2-3 times a day
I didn’t get a separate ointment prescription from the clinic. This is information I found by searching around on YouTube and other places for ways to prevent scarring after nose surgery!
5) If swelling is severe, sleep with your upper body elevated & if possible, take light walks or exercise
6) Search for and buy a shower cap for washing your hair!!! : If you want to wash your hair without getting water in your nose, you can just use a shower cap and tilt your head back while washing! I didn’t know this when I had my nasal surgery before, so my mom kept washing my hair for me. But it hurt my mom’s arms and was hard for me too.. So when I had my first nose surgery, I found this! With just this, you can wash your hair every day~~ ㅡㅡㅡㅡㅡㅡㅡㅡㅡㅡㅡㅡㅡㅡㅡㅡㅡㅡㅡㅡㅡㅡㅡ I’ll come back with another review after stitches are removed and the splint comes off at one week! I hope this helps everyone