Hello everyone. My very first cosmetic surgery was an endoscopic forehead lift. Just a month ago, I wasn’t interested in cosmetic surgery at all, but as I somehow ended up with more free time, the things that had been bothering me started to stand out. I guess when you’re resting, all you can think about is how to spend money..
Since I also had time during recovery and got a lot of help from this community while worrying about and preparing for surgery, I wanted to share a bit of my experience. Honestly, I thought each person would choose their own hospital based on subjective factors like price and feeling, so I kept the hospital private. I chose mine based purely on instinct too. What I’m going to talk about is the period from right before surgery through the recovery period after it. I hope it helps even a little for anyone who’s anxious. It’s a pretty long read, so just read it comfortably.
Anyway, my eyes had fairly thick upper lids, so if I wanted to open them in a brighter way, I had to lift my forehead with force. And I had a completely monolid look. There wasn’t even a line to be found. You get the idea, right?? The upper lids were insanely thick, and I had monolids. So when I had no expression, I felt like I looked a bit fierce. It wasn’t the kind of vibe that says charisma, just like I was a kid full of complaints. Anyway, I hadn’t realized my upper lids had drooped that much, but as the years went by, I could feel how uncomfortable it was. I first went to a clinic because of functional issues rather than the double eyelid itself. Honestly, the only eye-related procedures I knew among cosmetic surgeries were double eyelid surgery and ptosis correction During the consultation, I explained what I wanted and we proceeded, but no matter how pretty a line the doctor drew for me, it felt so wrong. Of course, the fat in my upper lids probably contributed too, but it just felt truly off. A line on my eyes...! I was scared that once I had my eyes cut into for double eyelid surgery or ptosis correction (I definitely would have needed incision), there would be no turning back. I’m usually pretty timid too, so I spend a lot of time agonizing over things No matter what line they drew for me, I stayed lukewarm about it, so they recommended an endoscopic forehead lift. Then they held my forehead and lifted it, and wow! My eyes, exactly the way I wanted them! I found my eyes!!!!! Honestly I couldn’t show it, but I was kind of excited. But when I heard the price, I hesitated for a moment. It was almost twice as much.. Even though I had come prepared mentally, I hesitated a lot. And the first clinic I consulted at seemed to be somewhat famous for double eyelid surgery, so I said I’d think about it and come back. But since I had already found the eyes I’d been searching for, I think I had actually decided on the endoscopic forehead lift then.
After that, I did a lot of research myself, watched YouTube and searched Naver a lot, and went to more consultations. Honestly, I didn’t go to many consultations. I guess I just got hooked and decided pretty quickly. I went with a clinic that doesn’t use Endotine. From what I heard, Endotine itself holds things really firmly, but I was a little worried it might be felt like those...horns... or something. Lately it already seems like I’m losing a lot of hair, so if it felt like even more hair was falling out because of an expensive little thing, I’d be sad Before going to the consultation, I binge-watched that clinic’s YouTube channel carefully, and that filled in almost everything I was curious about. At the consultation, I only asked additional questions and left. Still, I spent about two weeks worrying about things like puncturing the skin, sensory changes, and so on. Whether I should have the surgery or not. I seriously agonized over it. But I don’t regret it now. Not yet.
After doing a ton of yes-or-no-sure-you-decide stuff on the people around me, I set the surgery date. I wanted to do it as soon as possible, and then someone happened to change their schedule that week so a slot opened up, so I grabbed it right away. I wasn’t taking any medication at the time, and I had no plans for perms or dyeing, so I could schedule it immediately. It may differ by hospital, but they also told me not to take any vitamins I was already taking starting one week before. Once I set the date, I felt relieved. As they say, starting is half the battle. Three days before surgery, I drank heavily one last time, and after that I didn’t drink. They said no alcohol for a month, so I drank like I was finishing it off for good. I still really want to drink now. And I didn’t have a hat, so I bought a ball cap. But for anyone getting surgery, buy a bucket hat... definitely a bucket hat... My head is on the larger side, but on that day they wrapped the bandages thicker than I expected. I left the hospital with the hat basically perched on top. Please bring a roomy!!!! ridiculously roomy hat... I probably looked really strange.
The big day before surgery! I was incredibly nervous. I had never had surgery in my life. I took off all my rings and earrings and prepared for the next day. When you go for surgery, wear something as comfortable as possible. Not something you have to pull off over your head, but something that opens with buttons. And definitely a bucket hat....
On the day of surgery, I arrived by 11 a.m. The surgery was at 12, but there was more to do than I expected. As soon as I got there, I finished payment and showed my ID. Wow, the medication costs are huge. They prepare the meds for you, and I was shocked when I saw the price After checking in, I think I changed clothes right away. Store all your belongings in a locker and change into the surgical gown. Then they wash your face and have you gargle. After that, they take photos. Not just the usual front, 45-degree, and 90-degree shots, but also your scalp condition? hair condition? They took them very carefully. It looked like they’d use them later for comparison. They spent quite a while taking photos. Then the counselor explained things like precautions and had me sign various consent forms. Those are things you have to sign on paper anyway, but you know everyone should still read everything carefully before signing. And the counselor will mention swelling medicine. It’s a bit pricey. If you swell easily and need to get back to daily life quickly, taking it doesn’t seem like a bad idea. I have time right now, so I thought it was a waste of money and didn’t do it. But I do regret it a tiny bit Turns out I swell more than I expected. I’m not sure whether the counselor was first or what, but then I met the doctor. They casually and confidently drew all over my forehead with a marker. I was a little jealous. I’ve never even drawn on my own face with a permanent marker...!! Black, blue, red, all sorts of flashy drawings. Honestly, it was hard to hold in my laughter while looking in the mirror While the doctor was drawing, I asked my last questions (like whether they could lift the area behind the brow more), and the final consultation ended. While I was still clear-headed, I got a brief explanation about the medication, and they said they’d give me the meds when I went home. There was one medicine they gave me right after surgery.
Entered the operating room!! Wow, I was so nervous that it felt like my heart was about to jump out of my mouth. When I lay on the operating table, the nurse tied my hair very tightly, matching the incision design the doctor had drawn. Seriously tight. So I later asked them to untie it gently when it was time to take it off Another staff member secured my arms and inserted the IV needle. They also checked the final things with me. I think I waited about 5 minutes? The doctor came in, said they were starting anesthesia, and I lost almost all memory after that.
When I opened my eyes again, everything had already been done and they were doing the final clean-up. I was a little high from the medication and kept talking to the nurses Thankfully they were all kind and listened to everything. I felt bad... Right after coming out, I was quite dizzy. A bit nauseous and pressured? And I felt very cold, so the doctor turned on a heating pad. The chills lasted about 30 minutes? and then I was fine. They gave me one pill right after I came out, and told me to keep fasting for 2.5 hours after surgery ended because if I vomited, it could put pressure on my head, so I followed that exactly. I thought I was going to starve. I lay down for about an hour, and they gave me a bruise injection because I had bruising around my eyes. While lying down I felt a bit queasy, but when I stood up I felt better than expected, so I went home. The bandage was wrapped around my head and also around my chin. It wasn’t very uncomfortable, but I felt a little embarrassed going out into the street.
Once I got home and looked carefully, I had no sensation from the eye area up to the top of my head. Like when your leg loses circulation and goes numb before it starts tingling. That kind of feeling. And maybe because my forehead was being pulled tight, I had some double vision; my eyes couldn’t focus properly. At the time of writing this, it’s day 3, and it’s still a bit uncomfortable. Luckily I didn’t feel dizzy or nauseous. Maybe just in the taxi home? I ate really well and took my medicine properly too. I thought that since I wouldn’t be able to drink because my stomach felt bad, I might as well start dieting too, but no chance. On the first day, I mostly lay down, did cold compresses, and lay without a pillow. Since the upper lids had no sensation, it definitely didn’t seem good to do cold compresses for too long. That day I used cleansing tissues to wash my face. Since the bandage went down to my chin, washing with water was impossible.
The very next day I went in for dressing changes. There they removed the bandages and washed my hair. After that, they taught me how to apply medicine to the suture area and did a swelling laser and a scalp laser? something like that. The doctor checked my progress. If you have anything unusual, that’s probably the time to ask. They took care of some swelling around the crown, and despite how scared I was, it didn’t hurt at all I probably looked ridiculous, big as a mountain and acting like a baby. Oh, they also took photos. They took shots of my face from multiple angles and of the suture area. My forehead was more swollen than I expected, so the photos must look really funny. That day, I was glad I brought the hat I had prepared. When I got home and looked, the area above my eyes was really swollen. Maybe because it felt like it wasn’t my own forehead and was puffy? Compared to the pre-op photos, my forehead wasn’t actually wider, but it looked a bit strange. Even so, I like my eyes. Instead of buying the swelling medicine, I ordered pumpkin juice. I ordered 20 packs, so I hope it works a little. Oh, the bruising around my eyes got worse and worse, and it looked like I had applied purple paint Once I start warm compresses, it should fade, right? Until day 2, I couldn’t feel anything in my forehead or crown. If I gently touched the front of my eyebrow, it felt like a thread leading into my forehead. Not something I could actually feel by touch, but like a sensation traveling along the nerves? It felt like I had a piano string worth almost 800,000 won on one line! That day too, I did cold compresses and lay down without a pillow. I was a bit restless.
Morning of day 3: oh, the swelling seems to have gone down a little. It probably just feels that way to me, but let’s say it did. I kept doing cold compresses often, and I still had double vision? trouble focusing my eyes, so anyone who drives should be careful. Actually, I hadn’t had any discomfort after the surgery. But today I got one new issue. Washing my hair is a bit inconvenient. I said I had no sensation from above the upper lids to the crown, right? That makes it a little hard to control hand pressure and be careful around the stitches at the hairline. And I have to wash with lukewarm water too. I want to scrub my hair really hard, but I can’t, so it’s a bit inconvenient. I tried to wash it as well as I could, but I’m not sure if I did it properly. Oh, and they said I shouldn’t bend over while washing. So I washed standing up. Today I had some sensation in my forehead. An itchy feeling, a tingling feeling. It’s weird because I can’t tell exactly where it itches, and even if I scratch it I don’t really feel much, but for now it’s bearable. My forehead is still puffy and feels like it isn’t my own. And because my forehead is so swollen, my eyebrows look kind of strange It feels like they’ve been pulled to the max. The swelling in the upper lids has gone down quite a bit now, and the area above the brows is still swollen. It’ll go down gradually, right?? I’m taking my medicine faithfully and applying the ointment too.
I wrote up my progress from the day before surgery through day 3. Since I wrote it like a diary, it got a bit long. My eyes are weird right now, so there might be some typos, please understand I’ll think about sharing progress photos once there’s a more dramatic change. Thanks for reading such a long post, and I’ll put up the story again once there’s enough for after day 4.
There are probably a lot of things to worry about, but I hope everyone finds the right surgery method for themselves, thinks it through carefully, and becomes beautiful.