Before <before surgery> Before <before surgery> Before <before surgery> Before <after surgery> Before <after surgery> Before <after surgery> I had been concerned for a long time about my face shape, which had severe unevenness in the cheekbones. I kept putting it off because of fear of facial contouring surgery and worries about postoperative side effects, but I decided to have surgery because I no longer wanted to keep worrying about it.
When choosing a hospital, I considered many factors, such as the safety system, surgical experience, confirmation that the doctor was a board-certified plastic surgeon, the operating surgeon’s mindset and attitude toward patients, response in emergency situations, and the type of facial line the hospital pursues. In the end, I decided on Soda Plastic Surgery because it matched my checklist best, and I had the surgery there. During the consultation, Director Kwon Jae-hyun recommended only the parts that were truly necessary for my face shape, and he spoke from the perspective of a patient who considers safety the most important, so I trusted him.
Recovery process: Immediately after surgery, there was almost no swelling, I was able to drink water 5 hours after surgery, and I did cold compresses while eating thin rice gruel. Swelling peaked on days 3-4 after surgery, and even then I repeatedly did cold compresses while eating about thin rice gruel. At 2 weeks after surgery, there was still tight, full swelling, and I was able to eat porridge or noodles instead of thin rice gruel. At that time, I had finished cold compresses and was doing warm compresses. Until week 2, honestly, my throat hurt more than the surgical site because of the endotracheal intubation for general anesthesia, but from around 2 weeks it gradually got better (individual differences apply). At 1 month after surgery, I could see the major swelling going down, and except for foods that were restricted in the precautions, I ate, but carefully. Bloody sputum came out occasionally, but there were no unusual issues, and it disappeared over time. (If the sputum is yellow and smells bad, inflammation may be suspected, so you should tell the hospital.) These days, 3 months after surgery, I eat well (I try to avoid tough foods such as squid as much as possible), have no problem at all with daily life, and am able to do strength training.
These days, while going about daily life, such as looking in the mirror, washing my face, and putting on makeup, I feel amazed and grateful when I see my changed face shape compared with before. My cheekbones were reduced naturally, so I am very satisfied. Currently, I do not have major discomfort in daily life, I can open my mouth well, and I am eating well. There is still some discomfort below the cheekbones when I smile, but I feel it has been improving as time passes since the surgery, so I think this is still a normal part of recovery. Also, I was told that minor swelling will continue to go down even 6 months and 1 year after facial contouring surgery, so I am curious and looking forward to how I will look then. Thank you again to all the medical staff at Soda Plastic Surgery for thinking from the patient’s perspective and taking such careful care of me.