Pre-op <Please look at the right cheekbone line> Post-op <Please look at the right cheekbone line>* Why I chose Samsunga-ro
While I was going around getting consultations for cheekbone reduction surgery, I happened to speak with the consultation director at another plastic surgery clinic, not S.S.Y, and I was advised that if I was not going to choose that hospital, it would be better to go consult at S.S.Y than at other clinics. I figured there must be a reason another plastic surgery consultation director would recommend it, so I booked a consultation at S.S.Y. During the consultation, the director's detailed explanations and the way they carefully addressed each of my questions made cheekbone reduction surgery, which had felt vague before, seem much more concrete. Also, the consultation director showed me before-and-after photos of another person whose condition was very similar to mine, so I could roughly picture the outcome in my head, and I reserved a surgery date right away without hesitation.
* Area operated on and reason I had lateral cheekbone reduction and 45-degree cheekbone reduction. Since childhood, because of a slightly misaligned body posture, both cheekbones gradually became asymmetric, and especially the right cheekbone developed much more than the left. So I always covered the right side of my face with my hair, and when taking photos I would force a smile or tense my cheeks to hide the sunken look, so in my pictures an unnatural expression was always noticeable. On top of that, as I got older and my skin elasticity decreased, I saw the cheekbone area becoming even more prominent, and that is when I decided to have surgery.
* Changes after surgery, reactions from people around me Thanks to the surgeon doing a great job, I was not very swollen from the start. So from the third day after surgery, I went to work wearing a mask, and no one noticed. Then, after four weeks, I started going out without a mask, and people only asked whether I had perhaps gotten a dermatology procedure because I looked a little puffy, but still no one has figured it out. Only my family, who know I had surgery, say my facial line looks prettier without being obvious and that it turned out naturally well. I also like my face shape so much that I deliberately stand in front of a vanity light that casts shadows well on my face and stare into the mirror for a long time.
* Current satisfaction Right up until just before surgery, I was anxious and worried that my image might change too much or that it might turn out worse than not having done it at all, but now that it is done, I wonder why I worried so much. If anything, I wish I had done it earlier, even just a year younger; I do not know why I did not think of getting cheekbone reduction surgery sooner.
* Recovery in daily life, etc. (from right after surgery to now) When the surgery ended and I woke up from anesthesia, I briefly felt pain as if my teeth were falling out. So I asked the nurse for pain medication, received it through an IV, and not long after the pain subsided, I shuffled out of the recovery room. When I read reviews of cheekbone reduction surgery, I saw that some people used a fixed mesh like packaging wrap, so I deliberately brought a large bucket hat with a wide brim and an oversized mask, and they were very useful when I went to the pharmacy after surgery. Thanks to the painkillers I did not feel pain, but I was scared by the fact that I had undergone bone surgery itself, so after the operation I went to the pharmacy alone and then took a taxi home, feeling uneasy the whole way. Still, I got home safely without any problems, leaned two large pillows against the wall, fixed my head in place with a travel pillow so it would not move, and sat up to try to sleep. I woke up a few times from occasional pain and sudden nosebleeds, but it was not very uncomfortable.
From day 1 after surgery for one week, I ate strictly only rice gruel / high-nutrition drinks / steamed egg, and I slept sitting up like on the first day. The pain was truly almost nonexistent, but because I could not eat properly, I had no energy. So I shortened the gap between meals, drinking rice gruel or beverages every 2 to 3 hours, and I took vitamins and other supplements almost as if I were pouring them down, which helped a lot. However, I could not take time off work, so I returned to work from day 3 after surgery, and because my job requires a lot of talking, I had a hard time speaking without opening my mouth, almost like doing ventriloquism, in order not to strain the bones. Cheekbone reduction surgery is not a very painful procedure, but since eating and speaking can be severely restricted like this, I felt it would be best to schedule about a week of rest time before having the surgery. Also, because I had a habit of grinding my teeth and was anxious, around day 5 I suddenly realized while sleeping that I was clenching my teeth tightly and woke up startled. So on the seventh day I visited the clinic and told the surgeon about it (actually my regular follow-up with the surgeon was scheduled for week 2, but they made time to see me in week 1 on purpose), and they said it would probably be better to get Botox, so I got masseter Botox. If you have a habit of grinding your teeth, I think it would be good to tell the surgeon before the operation so you do not have to panic like I did haha.
From week 2 onward, the occasional nosebleeds stopped and the swelling began to go down steadily. In particular, as the swelling in the upper part of my face gradually moved downward, my mouth line started to look so bad that I finally began diligently doing cold compresses, which I had been too lazy to do before, and that helped a lot. I still continued eating rice gruel, nutritional drinks, and supplements, but at that time my stamina had dropped so much that I often felt dizzy and suddenly extremely sleepy, so whenever I had a chance I would sleep even for a short while and then wake up to recover my energy.
By week 3, the major swelling had subsided a lot. From week 3, I mainly ate porridge with bits in it. From then on, I often felt numbness and throbbing like muscle soreness, and especially temple pain would sometimes shoot through sharply. But all of it was temporary pain, and it usually got better quickly, so I did not worry about it too much. I looked it up all over the internet, and people said these were normal symptoms during recovery. Also, S.S.Y provided swelling care, and after receiving it the swelling definitely went down a lot, and especially the incision area had been bunched up and puffy, but I felt that part loosen up a lot.
By week 4, as I was eating porridge with a little bit of solid food or well-boiled spaghetti, my energy had recovered a lot, and the surgical area had healed a great deal, so I felt stable enough to sleep with a pillow again. Until the previous week, sleeping completely flat felt uneasy, so I had been sleeping half-lying and half-sitting. By week 4, compared with my face before surgery, there was only swelling at the level of a dermatology procedure, and the incision area also felt much thinner, so the foreign-body sensation near the gums had mostly disappeared. I mostly ate noodles, and I gradually became able to go around crowded shopping malls and take the subway without hesitation. Until the previous week, I had hardly gone out because I was worried someone might accidentally bump into my face while passing by. I also met a friend and ate together, and no one recognized me haha.
I am now in week 7, and the occasional throbbing has almost disappeared, so I am living just like before surgery. I was told that as the remaining swelling goes down my face shape will become even prettier, and I am already very satisfied now, so hearing that it will improve even more makes me look forward to every day. It was a cheekbone reduction surgery I decided on suddenly, but I am extremely satisfied.