First, to explain my face shape: from the front, it is not that bad. It is not a perfect egg shape like celebrities have, but I do not have especially prominent cheekbones or a prognathic jaw, so I did not have major complaints.
My complex, though, was that from the side my face looked too flat and broad. Having a defined square jaw angle is fine, but in my case the angle of the square jaw feels almost vertical? so the side profile area looks wide.. and it is asymmetrical tooㅠㅠ Also, my chin has a bit of volume, so it kind of looks like a slightly protruding chin? This is only from the side!
So until now I absolutely could not wear my hair tied up and have stuck to long layered cuts. But I want to be able to confidently wear my hair up tooㅠㅠ
So after spending years worrying only about contouring surgery, I decided at least to get consultations, and started visiting clinics. I went to ㅇㅇ near Hakdong Station, ㅇㅊ near Apgujeong Station, and ㅁㅇㄷㅇ near Gangnam Station, and I also have an appointment booked at ㄴㅈㅎ next month. I will write reviews in the order I had consultations, and after I visit ㄴㅈㅎ I will leave another review!
1. ㅇㅇ near Hakdong Station (consultation with the director -> manager)
Price: contouring type 1 (square jaw + cortical bone + liposuction) 5.94 million won (no event discount) Consultation fee: 10,000 won Surgery time: 1 hour Method: sedation anesthesia, incision behind the ear Hospitalization: No After-service: They said they would handle anything if requested Aftercare: Laser or injections and such did not seem to be as well established as at other hospitals. But after surgery, once the stitches are removed, it seems good that you return every 3 months to see the director for follow-up.
While I was spending a long time researching contouring clinics online, I became interested after seeing a review from someone who had the surgery quite a while ago, so I booked a consultation. It felt like they were almost a pioneer of the behind-the-ear square jaw method? Since I heard swelling is less than with an intraoral incision and recovery is faster, I was tempted, but as I kept researching online I started seeing some reviews about side effectsㅠ So instead of thinking, ‘I absolutely have to get surgery here!’ I just chose it as a kind of warm-up? first consultation.
The clinic was not very large, and the interior had a slightly time-worn feel. It gave the impression of a place that has been operating in one spot for a long time. There was almost no waiting, which was nice. The staff at the front desk and the consultation manager were very kind, and everyone seemed to be a bit older. I was told they have worked with the director for a long time. Especially the consultation manager said she had been there since opening, and that part seemed reassuring. If the director were someone who made working with them hard on a human level, it would be difficult to stay together for so many years, and if you get surgery from someone like that, how well would they really treat patients? That was my thought.
The director seemed very confident in his own surgical method. He said square jaw + cortical bone removal + liposuction would be enough, and that the front chin was not prognathic at all, so I should absolutely not touch it. He said why remove existing volume when people even create nonexistent volume with implants. After surgery, they apparently let you see the removed bone and cortical bone with your own eyes, which also seemed good to me. But when shaping the jawline, he showed me with something like a ruler what the line would look like if he shaved it that way, and it felt like he had a very fixed facial line that he preferred. I wanted a natural look, so that was fine for me, but if that is not your taste, it would probably be better to find a clinic that adjusts to what you want.
The price was 5.94 million won for square jaw + cortical bone removal + liposuction, and because it is a behind-the-ear incision, he said sedation anesthesia is enough and hospitalization is not needed.
2. ㅇㅊ near Apgujeong Station (manager -> director -> manager)
Price: contouring type 1 (square jaw + chin + cortical bone + liposuction) event price 6.7 million won Consultation fee: 30,000 won Surgery time: 2.5 hours Pre-op tests: Yes (blood, ECG, etc.) Method: general anesthesia, intraoral incision, only shaving for the chin Hospitalization: 1 day After-service: unlimited Aftercare: swelling injections, laser, etc. + follow-up visits 10 days, 6 weeks, and 6 months after stitch removal
The first thing I felt as soon as I walked into this clinic was that the interior was so prettyㅋㅋㅋㅋ I felt like I had come to some aesthetic cafe. It was not only pretty, but also clean, which I liked. Here too, the front desk staff and consultation manager were all kind. The director reportedly only does two surgeries a day, one in the morning and one in the afternoon.
I already knew the director was young, but he looked so tall and handsome, with a youthful appearance, that I was surprisedㅋㅋ While talking in the consultation, I felt this director seemed to try to match the direction the patient wants as much as possible. People with a very clear preferred style would probably fit well with this clinic! Here too, he recommended a long-curve square jaw + cortical bone removal + liposuction, and said the chin would probably only need shaving. He said the asymmetry could be corrected by adjusting the amount of shaving differently.
3. ㅁㅇㄷㅇ near Gangnam Station (manager -> director -> manager)
Price: contouring type 1 (square jaw + cortical bone + liposuction) event price 6.05 million won Consultation fee: No Surgery time: 1 hour Pre-op tests: Yes (blood, ECG, etc.) Method: general anesthesia, intraoral incision Hospitalization: 1 day After-service: within 1 year Aftercare: unlimited swelling laser, care 3 times (I honestly do not remember exactly what it wasㅠㅠ)
I heard they had just moved recently, and it was really spacious and shinyㅋㅋㅋㅋ It definitely looked like a new clinic. They played an interview video of the director, and I liked that he seemed to have thought a lot about the patient movement flow during surgery, ventilation, and the hygiene system. It gave a trustworthy feeling.
The staff here were also all kind, and maybe because it was a weekday, the wait was not long. They took photos with a camera as well as CT scans, and I liked that they photographed from all kinds of angles. But during the consultation, seeing the close-up shots did feel like getting a final confirmation..ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ
I have not visited that many clinics, but among the directors I met, he seemed the most energetic and the most pleasant in personality. His way of speaking was brisk and clear, and he was humorous. As expected, he recommended square jaw + cortical bone removal + liposuction, and said my square jaw shape is a little tricky, so it is a jaw that can easily develop a secondary angle. So it needs to be shaved more carefully. Still, he said confidently that he could make it pretty. But this was the first time someone said that to me, so I liked it even more. This is just my personal taste, but someone who is overly confident and says this is not a difficult surgery! does not really appeal to me.
He said there was no need to touch the chin. It is not severely prognathic, and although there is a slight asymmetry in the chin as well as the square jaw, my chin muscles are well developed, and that is compensating for the asymmetry. So there would not be much benefit in making a large incision inside the mouth and dissecting the chin as well. He also said the reason I feel my chin protrudes so much is because my lips are thin and lack volume. This was also the first time a director mentioned my lips, so that was interesting. My lips really are very thin from the side compared with the front. Volume is really a relative thing visually. When I used to go to the orthodontic clinic, the doctor there told me I had a protruding chin and that braces would not help, so I needed jaw surgery. That gave me a serious complex, but it seems I really do not need to take what non-experts say to heart^^ The fact that a general orthodontist, not even a contouring specialist, commented on my chin was so frustrating. I was under that stress for over 20 yearsㅠㅠ
Anyway, since I told him I did not want a perfectly different face, and that it would be enough if only my side profile complex improved, it seems the director also said there was no need to do unnecessary things. From other consultation reviews, I saw some comments saying the director seems to have a preferred face shape, but I did not really get that impression. Maybe that is because I was not trying to fix everything here and there?
At the end, he gave an analogy that was so apt it made me laugh. He said that no one goes into a Chanel store and comes out after buying only one key ring, but we should not get greedy and just buy the key ring and leaveㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ For now, this place is the one I like the most. Of course, after I have consultations at other clinics next month, my mind might change again..
Anyway, I had been worrying about contouring for a very long time and finally started visiting clinics just to hear what they would say in consultation, and I think it was a good idea to go. Before the consultations, I felt like I needed to fix this and that, and that everything here and there had to be corrected, but what all three said was somewhat similar, so in fact my greed seems to have decreased.
For everyone stressed out about contouring, if you just go for a consultation, there will be at least something that becomes clearer, so instead of suffering only by worrying, I cautiously recommend at least going around to consult..! Of course, the decision about surgery is something you should think through for a very long time and very seriously. For me too, the real stress was that I genuinely liked my front view. Of course, there are imperfect parts and it is not a perfect face, but I kept wondering whether I really needed such a major surgery as contouring. I was afraid the downsides would outweigh the benefits..
But then again, not doing it felt too stressful because my side profile is sooooo stressful that even in my prime years I cannot comfortably try the hairstyles I want or wear a headband because of my complex, and when the wind blows my bangs get ruined and I end up becoming 94837289202 times uglier, and every time I take a photo or look in the mirror, my self-esteem hits rock bottom. So I thought that even if I regretted it, I should do it and then regret it.
People also say that if you only do the square jaw, there is no sagging, and clinics all say the same, but honestly sagging seems too case-by-case and person-by-person, and if the bone that was there is removed, how could the skin not sag? So I just assume it will sag no matter what, and I am prepared to accept lifelong maintenance. Anyway, my facial fat tends to accumulate a bit on both sides of the jaw like bulldog jowls, so I was already planning to start managing it with InMode and thread lifting, so I feel like it is basically the same thing. Of course, the speed of sagging may differ..
Thank you for reading this long post, and I hope it helps even a tiny bit for everyone who is struggling with contouring like I am. Let us all be happyㅠㅠ