It has been over a year since I had double-jaw surgery for the purpose of correcting facial asymmetry.
Because I originally liked my face, I had no desire at all to make my jaw slimmer, make my face smaller, or become prettier. I truly only wanted the asymmetry corrected, so I wanted only the amount of change necessary for asymmetry correction. The surgeon in charge also said they would do that.
Of course, the result was completely different from what we discussed during consultation. Instead, my face became exactly the kind of face I had emphasized, right up until just before surgery, that I really did not want. Double-jaw surgery involves cutting bone, and because the soft tissue also changes according to the facial angle altered through rotation, once it fails, it is an extremely difficult surgery to restore. On the face, even a 1-2 mm difference appears as a huge change.
Revision surgery for other procedures also becomes much more expensive, but revision surgery related to bone starts at an amount that easily exceeds the tens of millions of won, and aside from the cost, even if you undergo revision surgery, the chance of success is low. There are also so many side effects that can follow later. Sagging skin and nasal widening are almost basic options with double-jaw surgery, and there are also a great many people who develop the characteristic sunken mouth appearance of double-jaw surgery. In reality, after double-jaw surgery, many people undergo rhinoplasty because of nasal widening, chin liposuction because of sagging skin, and lifting procedures/surgery. Naturally, there would also be side effects from these secondary surgeries, right?
Of course, I was already aware of sagging skin and nasal widening, and I am absolutely not suffering because of those points.
Before surgery, no matter how much you request, “As little as possible, naturally, please don’t make it like this,” if there are limits to the doctor’s hand skills, it often does not turn out that way, or they create the patient’s face according to the style they have always done. Most people probably want to become naturally prettier, and the doctor would obviously know that too. Nevertheless, if the desired result does not come out, in the end it is because of “skill.”
Fortunately within misfortune, I do not have any major side effects other than the external appearance, but when I listen to stories from other people whose surgeries failed, beyond the things I have written, there are truly many major side effects beyond imagination that make daily life difficult, such as sleep apnea, sensory damage, malocclusion, stabbing pain of unknown cause, and so on. There are also people receiving psychiatric treatment because of psychological suffering such as social avoidance caused by external changes.
In fact, my changed appearance may look okay to someone who does not know what I used to look like. But when you know your original appearance, even that has no meaning. For a moment I may wonder if it is okay, but every time I suddenly look in the mirror, every time I look at old photos, I collapse under the irreversible reality. In this way, the patient has to live with a sense of loss for life. Not only the person themselves, but the family members who can only watch from beside them are hurt just the same.
As with all surgeries, of course there are people whose results turn out well. However, just as none of the people whose surgeries failed thought they would become a failed case, I really hope you never look at posts about side effects like this and think of them simply as “someone else’s problem.”
If it is double-jaw surgery for cosmetic purposes simply because you want a smaller face or want to become prettier, I would absolutely want to stop you. Even if it is a surgical case such as asymmetry or mandibular prognathism, unless daily life is impossible, I really hope you think about it a lot. There is nothing as precious as your original face. Your complex may look like that person’s unique charm to others. If you truly want double-jaw surgery, please do not look only at successful reviews. Make sure to look up many failed reviews and side-effect reviews, properly decide which hospitals to filter out, go to many consultations, and have it done at a hospital that matches the style you are pursuing.
It may look good when directors personally explain the surgery and show successful reviews on YouTube, blogs, and so on, but hospitals that are truly skilled have a great many patients visiting even without doing that kind of promotion. Patients get information from YouTube and blogs, but for them, the number one purpose is probably “promotion.”
Please do not forget that what we should evaluate is not the doctor’s ability to deliver information, but their skill. Even if you want to become prettier as soon as possible, please never rush, and I hope you choose your hospital carefully.