I'm leaving a review in hopes that it will help even a little for those considering revision rhinoplasty,,,! I know how hard revision surgery can be emotionally and mentally, so let's all hang in there!
[Preoperative nose condition] I had 3 surgeries at the same hospital. Even though I had a hump nose, during the first surgery they didn't shave down the hump and did 4 mm silicone plus nasal tip surgery. The silicone was inserted crookedly, blood collected, and it looked like an Avatar nose,,, So I had surgery to remove the silicone, but the hump was still there and my nose gradually started to turn upward. Then I had another surgery, and I really wish I could stop myself back then,,, They shaved down the hump too much, and suggested using Megaderm (artificial dermis) instead of silicone on the nasal bridge + nasal tip, so I went ahead with it, but the bridge didn't absorb and the nasal tip did absorb, so it sank in deeply and it was truly devastating,,, I don't know if it was because of the repeated surgeries or because the surgery went wrong, but breathing was also extremely uncomfortable.
[Consultation] I wanted this to be my final nose surgery, so I went around consulting at famous revision rhinoplasty clinics in Gangnam. Two plastic surgery clinics famous enough that you would know their names refused to operate at all. It seemed like they avoided cases where the hump had been shaved down too much and Megaderm (artificial dermis) had to be removed. At a hospital that is currently popular for revision surgery, they quoted over 10 million won, and when they said it was on the difficult side, it was just one despair after another. Lastly, I had a consultation with Director Lee Kyung-mook at Objet Plastic Surgery. Director Lee Kyung-mook had already been famous from the large hospital he worked at before, and a YouTuber who had revision rhinoplasty in exactly the nose shape I wanted had also had surgery with Director Lee Kyung-mook. I consulted with the director for almost an hour, and it seemed like he would reflect my opinions as much as possible, and it almost completely matched the surgical direction I wanted. Since I was quite firm about the shape I wanted, I had an additional consultation on the weekend before surgery, and he said it would probably be better to use autologous costal cartilage instead of donated rib cartilage, so with the mindset of finishing it in one go, I trusted the director and decided to proceed with surgery using autologous costal cartilage.
[Day of surgery] When surgery is done with autologous costal cartilage, it is performed under general anesthesia, so I had an electrocardiogram in the morning. Before surgery, I finished the final design with the director and went into the operating room. It was my first general anesthesia so I was nervous, but the anesthesiology director was so kind, and the manager in charge stayed by my side until right before the anesthetic went in, so I was grateful,,, The surgery took about 5 hours and 30 minutes. I had heard that your throat hurts right after general anesthesia, but my throat didn't hurt at all and I didn't feel pain from the autologous costal cartilage either, so it was surprising.
[Day 3 after surgery] In my previous surgeries, they didn't put cotton in my nose, but this was my first time having cotton placed in my nose, and it was seriously so stuffy and hard. On day 3 after surgery, they removed the cotton, and it didn't hurt as much as I expected, and I felt like I could finally live again, so it was great. Also, I barely had swelling, and it was surprising that I didn't bruise around my eyes. I watched a YouTube video, and the director said he keeps working until hemostasis is achieved, so I think that's why.
[Week 1 and Week 2 after surgery] At week 1 after surgery, the external stitches and splint are removed. I was nervous that stitch removal would hurt, but thankfully it was really just a stinging level. After the splint was removed, I looked at my nose line, and the straight-with-slight-curve line I wanted came out, so I was so happy. At week 2, the remaining stitches were removed.
I know there are many hospitals where it is hard to see the director after surgery, but all 3 follow-ups were checked by the director himself. Also, I liked that if I requested additionally, I could see the director at any time.
[Surgical result] The director said removing the Megaderm could be difficult, so he would remove as much as possible, but he removed it all cleanly. He said he built a strong support column with 2 mm silicone on the nasal bridge and autologous costal cartilage at the nasal tip. Since the skin at my nasal tip is on the thin side, he placed a very slight layer of AlloDerm in case the cartilage might show through. Also, since my nose was on the wide side, osteotomy was performed as well. Even though I'm male, I wanted a flashy straight-with-slight-curve line, and he made it exactly like the nose photo I brought, so this is a surgery I'm highly satisfied with. Also, what I'm truly grateful for is that after surgery, breathing became really comfortable.
[Director Lee Kyung-mook] I tend to worry a lot, and despite my nose being an extreme case and despite having many requests, he performed the surgery entirely in the direction I had asked for before surgery. I didn't even have functional surgery, but he made it comfortable for me to breathe, so I only feel grateful.
[Manager Jang Su-jin] This was my first time meeting a manager who handled aftercare this thoroughly. Before surgery, she replied to everything even until dawn, and after surgery she took such good care of me that I was touched. But I heard she has currently resigned,,,
I was in despair because mine was an extreme nose that several hospitals had refused, but I think meeting Director Lee Kyung-mook was the decisive move!
If you want a flashy straight-with-slight-curve nose line, I truly recommend Director Lee Kyung-mook!
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