Preparation before surgery - Bought 3 ice packs in advance on Coupang - Bought a plastic surgery pillow for jaw surgery by searching Naver and paid nearly 200,000 won for it;;; (At first it arrived all squashed so I thought I had been scammed, but it turned out to be more stable than I expected, so I’m thinking I might just keep using it instead of selling it on Karrot) - No vitamins or anything for the full 2 weeks - Pumpkin juice, 1 tea bag of pumpkin and red bean tea - Lost weight in advance and worked hard on cardio + strength training - Sterile gauze, cotton swabs - Hand mirror (I keep wanting to look at my face even in bed) - Laser lifting procedure (my face swells a lot, so I was worried about not being able to move after surgery and gaining weight; plus I had a memory of my swelling from the first surgery not going down much, so I got laser treatment beforehand. In reality I swelled much, much less and didn’t feel stressed at all. Highly recommended if your face tends to sag badly) - Probiotics, psyllium husk (antibiotics cause constipation)
Summary and tips (1) Surgery is for self-satisfaction - I think satisfaction is highest when you only address the clearly bad parts (Example: even if silicone is noticeable, people whose own nasal bridge was too low in the first place still don’t want to go back to their original nose, so relative satisfaction is high. You really have to hate your original nose if you want high satisfaction.) - Think about whether you still want it even if function is ruined (for example, if you can’t smell food anymore, or if you end up snoring extremely loudly when you sleep? If your nose keeps running, would you still want it?)
(2) The most important thing is whether the doctor’s aesthetic sense matches my needs - Because I chose based on the design, I’m more satisfied than after the first surgery - Look at surgery reviews and consider whether the same doctor can consistently produce the same shape
(3) When you feel like it’s ruined, don’t keep searching for worse reviews; instead, make money and focus on normal social life - For about 3 weeks after surgery, don’t look up reviews, side effects, and so on. It’s all swelling anyway. To be blunt, even if it’s ruined, you can’t do anything about it right now. Even if you think it’s ruined, it’s swelling. If it really seems ruined, it’s more rational to spend that time making a list of revision/reconstruction clinics. - Other people don’t care about my face anyway.. whether it’s contracture, exposed cartilage, or crookedness. - If it seems ruined after surgery, prepare for revision with the cool mindset that in a cosmetic surgery powerhouse, there’s nothing money can’t solve. Just think of it as spending 10 million won on your nose;; if you still want it, then you should do it
Surgery history
- 2019 first nose surgery Lateral and frontal hump osteotomy, bulbous nose, medial alar reduction incision (septal cartilage was taken and placed on the tip) My bridge wasn’t originally low either, so I didn’t want silicone, but the doctor said I needed it because of my bulbous nose, so I had it placed and then had the silicone removed after only 1 week. (Got cut open twice for the first surgery;;) I felt a lot of foreign-body sensation, and I was a huge coward worried about side effects. But the shape was really just a straight line, so later I thought it was good that I removed it. - Private clinic in Apgujeong Pros) - The doctor had a serious, trustworthy style. I felt like even if he messed something up, he’d take responsibility, so I went with it. - I felt reassured because about 2 people I knew had gone there Cons) - Because I unnecessarily decided to put silicone in at first, the osteotomy wasn’t done neatly. - Too natural, straight line - Lacked aesthetic sense - For the next 2 years, I lived feeling satisfied with the hump that had disappeared and the higher bridge. I was so happy to live freely without worrying about silicone inflammation. After meeting people whose silicone showed, I’d only see the silicone, so I concluded silicone wasn’t right for me.
- 2021 began periodically thinking about revision surgery;;
If silicone is placed in the bridge, doctors don’t really forcefully shave down the hump. Since the silicone covers it anyway and makes it look smooth. I had silicone in my first surgery and then removed it, so the hump wasn’t shaved properly. From 2 years after surgery, it became really obvious in photos and stressed me out. At first I thought it looked natural, but then I started to worry about a nose that didn’t look like it had been operated on at all. The blunt, thick tip didn’t match my personal aesthetic preferences, so I started getting consultations about 3 times a year. But no matter how many consultations I did with famous plastic surgeons, friends’ and family members’ doctors, and doctors from top universities, I never felt like they fully understood exactly what I wanted, so I just kept postponing. Since it was revision surgery, I didn’t want to fix one problem only to create another, so I kept postponing thinking I was saving money. I figured a nose wasn’t the whole of life. I decided to live as I am, and whenever thoughts of plastic surgery came flooding back, I’d get consultations and quotes from a few places, lose the desire to do it, and just decided to live my life hard.
- 2024 decided on revision surgery after 5 years Lateral and frontal hump, bulbous nose, nasolabial angle correction
I started feeling like my nose made photos look terrible. I thought that spending time worrying every time I got the urge over the 3 years was just a waste of time. While taking time off work, a chance came up to let the swelling go down, and I wanted to do it for self-satisfaction. I went to 10 consultations. Up to then I had been going around to hospitals where acquaintances had gotten surgery or where someone’s family member worked, but now I just filtered clinics on Babitalk by “places whose shape I like” and went to those. Consultations were really tiring and I kept wondering if I really had to go this far, but there are reasons I had to. - Friendly consultations and appearances that seem safe are not the only answer; what matters is whether the parts the doctor considers aesthetically important match the parts I obsess over. + Each doctor emphasizes different things - I gained a lot of miscellaneous knowledge. Since I didn’t want to fail with revision surgery, I even looked up foreign papers and asked the doctors about them. I started thinking that there are various types of donor rib cartilage, and places recommending autologous rib cartilage might be using cheaper materials.
Downside) It’s insanely confusing You have to set your own priorities and screen accordingly.
After the consultations) These days, maybe because techniques have improved, there were 2-3 places that said they could do it with “no implant, no silicone,” and I narrowed it down to 3 places just by looking at the nose shape. I decided purely based on Babitalk + surgery review photos + the doctor’s face. (Personally, maybe because I have a doctor in my family, I honestly tend to think of doctors as just an interest group. There aren’t as many people who are ethical and truly self-sacrificing as you’d think... At the very least, I tried to find someone who seemed to have enough pride to operate well and enough responsibility.)
1st choice (final decision): - An not-famous private clinic. Chosen just from the shape on Babitalk. But the doctor’s career being only about 12 years was a bit worrying. - The doctor graduated from a top-ranked medical school and, based on the career path, seemed smart and ambitious. But he was nerdy and somewhat lacking in social skills. On the first consultation day I was almost bare-faced, but he spoke informally from the start, so the first impression wasn’t great. He was clean and tidy, but not very detailed, and seemed annoyed by explanations. Forced customer service vibe. - He oddly gave the feeling that he’d be extremely particular about women’s faces -> so paradoxically it felt like he might know what looks pretty. The clinic design was pretty and clean. Even though his career was short, I looked into all the plastic surgery clinics he’d passed through to verify whether his design matched me. - Reason for choosing: the design aesthetics matched my ideal. The price quote was extremely high at first, so I negotiated with the manager later. It seems most places adjust a lot if you really show that you want the surgery. I dug through post-op reviews really hard, and the nasolabial angle obsession matched my ideal exactly. I was a little bothered that the bridge height wasn’t that different before and after surgery. In the end, I chose it because of the nasolabial angle.
2nd choice: - Lots of experience, seems like a family of doctors for generations. Long career. Active on YouTube. The modest but noticeable tip shape was paradoxically appealing. They advertised custom silicone, so I agonized over it a lot. If I’m doing it anyway and I’m older now, I thought if silicone inflames, I can just remove it. I even considered adding a little to the bridge, but decided not to. - I had already booked the surgery date. - The consultation was very clean, kind, detailed, and good at understanding my needs. He looked like he’d be flirtatious with women, but in person his character was so good and the consultation was so good that I paid 100,000 won and reserved on the same day. - After digging through surgery reviews, I liked the design aesthetics, but I worried a bit that the tip looked artificial. My final reason for rejecting him was that I obsess over the nasolabial angle, but the doctor didn’t seem to care that much about it.
3rd choice: - A place with a very high, flashy, obviously noticeable nose. The price quote was the highest. He graduated from a SKY medical school, which made me trust him. If he took the plastic surgery specialist track there, he must be extremely good at studying. - The consultation was very detailed, but it felt a bit like we were arguing. I got the impression that the doctor’s own ideal was a flashy nose, so he didn’t understand why I didn’t want silicone. The detail was good though. - I originally ruled it out because of the cost, but some surgery reviews repeatedly showed a stable nasolabial angle shape, and it was a high-name-value clinic that was fully booked, so because this would be my last surgery, I seriously debated at the end whether to go for a noticeable result. - But in the end I couldn’t do it because I thought the bridge/tip would be too high at first and it would be embarrassing for a year (“this is a surgically altered nose!”), because I don’t actually prefer a face where only the nose stands out, because the cost was 2 million won higher, and because the available surgery schedule was too slow and didn’t fit my return date.
Day of surgery - I was so scared. Because it was revision surgery, I was terrified. When filling out the consent form, I really felt like I was staking my life on the doctor and kept imagining, as a very N-type person, what if things go terribly wrong and I just say I can’t do this and storm out. - But I also thought that if money can solve anything, I can just have surgery again, and that reassured me - While taking pre-op photos, the camera broke too, and because it felt like a small one-person clinic and a new place lacking systems, I kept wondering thousands of times if I was doing the right thing here - While facing the doctor for the final design, I couldn’t really show photos or emphasize the design I wanted again because I was already right in front of the operating table (I had told the manager, but it didn’t feel like that got through). I said I wanted the hump and bulbous nose corrected, and then lying there shaking at the end, I timidly said, “Please make it pretty..” - At first they said the surgery would take 3 hours, but it changed to 5 hours.. I got to the hospital by 10, went into the operating room around 11, and woke up after 4 - I woke up from anesthesia in the recovery room after surgery. I think I was woken up in the operating room and shown a mirror the first time, but this time I woke up in the recovery room. My autologous rib cartilage was really, really painful. And my eyes felt painful because they were so cold, but that was because the ice pack had been left on too long - Because of the ribs, every position was uncomfortable, but there was a cushion in the guardian’s car, so I leaned on that on the way home - Since it was revision surgery, I tried to think positively, but the tip shape and nasolabial angle already looked pretty much exactly the way I chose that doctor for, so I already liked it - I did cold compresses like crazy - I worried a little because the tip didn’t seem as high as I expected.. I was already worried that if it was too normal in height, it might drop later - As soon as I got home I lay down in bed, but breathing through my mouth because of the gauze in my nose was so hard - Since I couldn’t take vitamins for a while, I’m prone to mouth ulcers, and my throat started getting sore - But they said not to take vitamins until day 7, and in my experience I think starting after day 5 is when things have stabilized after hemostasis - I was suffocating from the gauze and felt like I was going crazy, but because I couldn’t move due to my ribs, I drank a lot of Gatorade and Pocari Sweat - Small mist bottle for cosmetics decanting** This is essential. Spraying it around the air near your face and into your mouth with bottled water makes you feel a little fresher and able to breathe - I really respect people who get jaw surgery. I honestly thought I could never do it even if I died and came back to life... At this point cosmetic surgery is so hard that I can’t keep doing it; I braced myself and endured, hoping this would be my last surgery - My ribs hurt so much I couldn’t bend my waist. It might be good to prepare a chair beside the bed in advance and put needed things on it: charger, eye mask, earplugs, mist, humidifier, tissues, Tylenol, medicine, water bottle, hand mirror, sterile gauze - Time really wouldn’t pass, so I kept sleeping - I still couldn’t open my mouth, so I only ate porridge with a small spoon - At night I could barely sleep because I felt suffocated, and I think I dozed off in 3-4 hour chunks. I watched a ton of movies, but even that didn’t help me focus because it was so hard to breathe Sleeping was the best option
Day 1 after surgery - I felt like I was just going to die.. I kept thinking a million times about when time would pass - The autologous rib cartilage hurt less than on the day of surgery. But it still hurt. Every position was uncomfortable. - I thought cosmetic surgery would be the last one in my life. It wastes too much time. Since I can’t breathe, I can’t do even one efficient activity. I can’t read books either. I just watched YouTube, watched movies, and slept.. - My mouth was so dry - I slept better than on day 1 anyway, with 3 pillows + the plastic surgery pillow on top - Whenever I woke up because my breathing suddenly got blocked while sleeping, I sprayed mist and did cold compresses like crazy - I rotated 3-4 ice packs and was really diligent - Pumpkin juice and pumpkin tea, diligently
Day 2 after surgery, the day swelling starts - Finally the gauze came out!!! So happy. - Gauze removal + autologous rib cartilage disinfection + swelling laser - There was no doctor check at all - My mouth is less dry now - The autologous rib cartilage started hurting clearly less - As the swelling came down, I did cold compresses even more diligently - I think being serious about swelling management from the beginning is really important *** - Pumpkin juice and pumpkin tea, diligently - After eating, I tried to just walk around the house and stand for 1 hour
Day 3 after surgery, peak swelling - My face looks terribly ugly - I did Han Hye-jin massage diligently. Put my fingers in my mouth and kneaded my cheeks - Lymphatic circulation massage - Still, normal life is becoming a little more possible - Bought a bed desk so I could work on my laptop more - But my concentration is only about 1 hour...
Day 4 - Day 5 after surgery - My face looks terribly ugly - I really like walking, but because it was revision surgery and I was conscious of it, I just walked around at home - For one hour after meals, I just kept walking in the living room or stood there watching TV - Since it’s summer, I thought sweating might be bad - Massage every day and pumpkin tea diligently - Continued cold compresses morning and evening - Ate 3 meals regularly while fasting for 4 hours each time (still gained weight..) - The tip already seems low, so I’m a little worried;; (Should I have gone with silicone?)
1 week after surgery - Bruising around the eyes is faint and yellow, and there’s less than after the first surgery (probably because I did cold compresses well) - The chipmunk-type swelling in the cheeks, like I’ve stuffed food in them, is still a lot - Finally removed the splint and stitches - First post-op appointment with the doctor - Happiness increased - I prayed pleasepleaseplease that it would go well, and I liked that the shape under the splint looked lower. I prefer a low starting point. - I prayed pleasepleaseplease that I would feel a natural curve, and I was glad I could feel the forehead-to-bridge curve - Once the splint came off, I was satisfied because the tip looked higher than the bridge. I was worried the tip would be too low, but now I like that it stands out a bit. The tip will keep getting lower anyway - They said they would put in artificial dermis or ear cartilage if needed for the bridge, but they didn’t, and I found out the bridge is autologous rib cartilage + the tip is also autologous rib cartilage
7-12 days after surgery: - Walk for 1 hour three times a day: fasting in the morning, after lunch, after dinner - Warm compresses morning and evening (super effective, highly recommended**) - Starting on day 12, the swelling suddenly went down (unbelievable.. I’m someone who normally swells easily, but all the careful management after this surgery really paid off) - I wonder if it’s a little.. natural? But even if I’m not happy with it now, reopening it is impossible anyway. I think it’s better to cleanly give up - If I still want another surgery a year later, then I’ll do it;; what else can I do? That’s the mindset!! - One day my nose looks so pretty, and the next day it looks ugly; my appearance keeps going back and forth.