I do have some nasal bridge height itself, but my complex is a bulbous nose with almost no glabellar nasal bridge, a thick nasal tip, and wide alar bases, so from July 22 until today, I went to consultations at a total of 6 places. I had eye surgery in the middle on August 3, so I stayed home for a week, and this includes the 2 places I went to today! I’m debating which choice would be better between the side effects of implants and the disadvantages of no implant, and I’m also not sure whether septal cartilage + ear cartilage, autologous costal cartilage, or donated costal cartilage would be more suitable for me.. I’ll post my consultation review.
First, what all 6 places said in common was, “Because the nose is on the short side, we need to pull the nasal tip downward while raising it so that it also creates an alar reduction effect (bulbous nose correction + short nose correction), and because the glabellar nasal bridge is low, the bridge also needs work.” Nasal tip fat removal was included too.
1. ㅂㄹㅋ Clinic After getting a CT scan, I first consulted with the consultant and then met the director. They recommended ear cartilage + septal cartilage + correction of a hump nose (they said I had a slight hump), and when I asked about no implant, they mentioned autologous dermis. Nasal tip fat removal would be done together too. The director edited my photo in Photoshop in real time, saying this is what my nose would look like, but after visiting other hospitals and learning more about the side effect of autologous dermis (absorption), I felt that long-term, it would not be suitable from an aesthetic standpoint. Alar reduction was presented as an option after nasal tip surgery, and they said it was not essential. They said the most suitable method would be ear cartilage. They quoted 3 million KRW on the assumption that actual-loss medical insurance would apply. If alar reduction is added, there would be a separate cost!
2. Director ㄱㅈㅇ at ㅇㅇㅂ Plastic Surgery They told me in advance that because my nose is short and my skin is tough, raising the nasal tip without an implant may have less effect. The rest was the same as above, but the difference was that they quoted a total of 3 million KRW including alar reduction, and when I said I felt a bit hesitant about an implant, they recommended getting filler separately in the glabellar nasal bridge after surgery. But when I looked into it separately, I heard that if you keep getting this filler, it can become spread out and broad-looking later. The director recommended silicone from the beginning.
3. ㅂㅌㅇ Plastic Surgery This was the first place that presented everything in detail from the consultation to postoperative care. I had a CT scan and consulted with the director, and after looking at my nasal structure, they said septal cartilage would work and mentioned septal cartilage + nasal tip fat removal + silicone + alar reduction. They also explained in detail stitch removal + dissolvable suture removal + scar care, etc. The cost was 3.19 million KRW including VAT with an event discount, and if I did alar reduction together, they quoted 3.74 million KRW.
4. ㅁㅈ Clinic I went because I heard it was famous by word of mouth alone, and from start to finish they emphasized autologous costal cartilage. They said septal cartilage can be weak if it is thin, and ear cartilage can be short, so they use costal cartilage from the start. Maybe because of that, the price was definitely expensive at 6.3 million KRW. The director confidently said they would consider facial harmony and proportions and make my nose length extension + nasal tip heightening + silicone nasal bridge pretty and natural. They seemed confident they would make it so there would be no revision surgery.
5. Director ㅇㄱㅁ at ㅇㅂㅈ Honestly, in other communities and apps, there were so many comments saying that for men’s noses, Director ㅇㄱㅁ is the one, so I went with the highest expectations and half-thinking, “Still, I think I should do it here..” Because I arrived about two hours early, I was able to have the consultation an hour earlier than my original reservation time. The director first asked which parts I wanted surgery on, and I was a bit surprised when they said a nose like mine is one that can get good results. When I asked whether raising the bridge too much could make my eyes look close together because of my epicanthoplasty, they recommended 3 mm and mentioned correcting the short nose with basic septal cartilage plus ear cartilage. They also listened well to my opinion that I wanted a natural nose that suits me rather than a flashy nose. When I asked if I didn’t need to get a CT scan, they said CT cannot fully determine the thickness of the septal cartilage and ultimately it is only 100% confirmed after opening it during surgery. The director did not recommend donated costal cartilage from the beginning, and said autologous costal cartilage is expensive, so they just recommended basic septal cartilage + ear cartilage. Afterward, the consultant said that because of major swelling right after surgery, my eyes could look close together for about 2-3 weeks, and that they would not use nasal packing after surgery because of concerns about breathing-related side effects. The price was quoted at 3.3 million KRW assuming a review event, and I paid a 100,000 KRW deposit before leaving! ++Even after I got home, I asked the consultant a few times by phone, and they said it would be done without osteotomy, that whether to do it without an implant or with an implant can be finalized after consulting with the director on the day of surgery, and that A/S within 1 year is free.
6. ㅇㅈ Plastic Surgery In the end, this was the place where I received the most detailed consultation. The director edited my nose in Photoshop, and similarly mentioned 3 mm because of the eyes looking close together, but also mentioned 2 mm if I could accept that it would barely show. And because I still couldn’t let go of the idea of no implant, I brought up autologous dermis, and they said that over time it usually shrinks by about 50%.. Also, regarding silicone, this was the first of the 6 places to objectively explain side effects. They said side effects occur in about 1 out of 100 people, and that free A/S for implant-related side effects is available within 3 years. They recommended ear cartilage, talked about a natural nose, and said the alar reduction effect might not be large because the nose would not be raised a lot.. I had been almost set on ㅇㅂㅈ, but the consultation at ㅇㅈ Plastic Surgery was more satisfying than expected, so suddenly I started worrying a lot.. They quoted 3.8 million KRW. Alar reduction is optional, and if I add it, it would be an extra 800,000 KRW, but they said a discount would apply here too.