In November two years ago, I underwent orthognathic surgery and facial contouring surgery for cosmetic purposes, and because I was not satisfied with the results, after a long period of deliberation, I am now about to undergo revision surgery. Because revision orthognathic surgery has a higher possibility of complications and, above all, a lower chance of success, I plan to receive it from a surgeon who uses a program called Faceguide. If you want to know about Faceguide, you can search for it on YouTube.
Through Faceguide, virtual surgery can be performed, making surgery possible with results that almost match the outcome in the operating room. However, the downside is that the pins from the first surgery must be removed for revision surgery.
If I were to have pin removal for revision surgery, that would mean 3 incisions (4 incisions if including pin removal for the revision surgery), so I had a lot of concerns, but I proceeded with pin removal for a safe and successful revision surgery.
Since I am about to undergo revision orthognathic surgery, I did not want the pin removal, at least, to be done under general anesthesia. Therefore, I had the pin removal done at The Face Dental Clinic, where pin removal is possible under sedation anesthesia.
Additionally, I had my mandibular wisdom teeth extracted at the same time. Because the wisdom teeth were located close to the nerve line, they informed me in advance about the possibility of sensory damage, but the doctor extracted them well, so I am recovering without damage (the surgery cost mentioned above is the cost for pin removal alone, and a separate fee was charged for wisdom tooth extraction).
A private hospital room was prepared, and because it was sedation anesthesia, the surgery proceeded right away without complicated procedures. When I woke up from anesthesia, I did not have any particular pain or discomfort. In a situation where I had no choice but to remove the pins for revision surgery, if the only option had been general anesthesia, it would have been 2-3 times harder, so I felt extremely fortunate that I was able to have pin removal under sedation anesthesia.
After surgery, the nurses recommended that I lie in the hospital bed a little longer, but since I did not have any particular discomfort, not long after the surgery ended I was discharged right away using public transportation.
After surgery, I confirmed the removed pins on X-ray, received a medication prescription, and went home. At the current point, one week later, a little swelling remains, but compared with the first 3-4 days, the pain, swelling, and discomfort have decreased greatly, and now I have no problems at all with daily life.
I am praying that, following the successful pin removal surgery, the revision orthognathic surgery will also be carried out successfully.
If anyone is considering pin removal after facial contouring or orthognathic surgery, I strongly recommend proceeding under sedation anesthesia.