After getting thread lifting and tearfully experiencing that it didn't even last 4 months, I decided to get a facelift.
These days, even mini lifting cuts the retaining ligaments like a facelift, dissects the SMAS layer, and the method is all similar to a facelift. A full facelift includes the forehead and neck too, and as for the price, a full facelift is usually 2 to 3 million won more expensive than full-face mini lifting.
But for me, only around the jawline is important, and I don't really care about the neck below it or the forehead, so I decided on full-face mini lifting.
ㄷㅇㅇ and ㅇㅍㅅㅌ both have similar methods. In the past, I also went consultation shopping at ㅇㅈ and ㅅㅅㅇ, though I ended up not doing it then, and the explanations I heard then were similar too.
The reason I narrowed it down to ㄷㅇㅇ and ㅇㅍㅅㅌ this time wasn't anything special, it was because I liked the style of their review photos. ㅅㅅㅇ has a slightly natural, luxurious, pretty style, and ㄷㅇㅇ has a bit more of that BJ-on-TikTok vibe, pulled tight (someone around me had surgery there), and ㅇㅍㅅㅌ also had decent photo reviews. I don't really like looking luxurious and naturally pretty.. I want to be pulled really tight and go for the TikTok BJ style. You know the feeling, right?
First,
ㄷㅇㅇ: I went after making a reservation, but the wait time was long, there were tons of foreigners, and there were so many doctors that I wondered if this was too factory-style, but they have CCTV installed so surgical video recording is possible (upon patient request), and recording with something like a GoPro is also possible (upon patient request), and they said the patient can check it if they want, so I thought that would prevent proxy surgery, and that they resolve distrust about the factory-style setup this way.
They use an entire floor of the building. The staff were kind and all that, but every hospital is similar there, so pass.
More than that, the director consultation is important. The director graduated from Johns Hopkins medical school, and his Korean pronunciation was excellent, and I liked that his personality felt like MBTI E. (It's a small thing, but it's important to me. People around me who studied abroad all stumble over Korean, which isn't nice to listen to, but this director's voice and pronunciation were pleasant to listen to.)
Almost like an anatomy class, he explained step by step the locations of the ligaments, tissues, and muscles in my face, why my face is peanut-shaped, where and by what influence it became like this, and explained while assessing things like my skin quality and the elasticity of my fat? He looked closely and spoke in detail about how he would design it. When I asked various things I was curious about, he taught me like a professor burning with passion. He also recommended fat removal to me and explained why it was necessary, and that actually made me trust him more (because I understood it).
There was about an 800,000 won extra charge added to the event price I originally had in mind, but I had expected that, so it was okay.
I did wonder whether, with so many people, they would be able to pay enough attention to me, but I thought it was fine as long as the surgery goes well. The consultants are doing consultations for almost most of the time. So if you want to ask additional questions or call, you have to leave a text and wait a bit. Seeing all the staff work nonstop, it made sense that they use the whole building. There are many people, but the system is in place, so it didn't feel chaotic.
ㅇㅍㅅㅌ Plastic Surgery Uses the same building as SPC. The staff were calm and spoke gently, which I liked. The hospital itself has an MBTI I feeling, and I think that feeling has a charm that makes even first-time visitors feel comfortable.
The director consultation: The director is from Seoul National University College of Medicine. (I'm not the type of person who judges by academic background; I'm just saying I did my prior research before going.) Wow he's handsome. The face isn't what matters, so to talk about the consultation content:
When I was in high school, I once got tutoring from a teacher who attended Seoul National University, and it felt like that. That teacher was my benefactor who raised me, a total hopeless student, up to grade 2, and I thought of that person. He explained every single thing really well and very calmly. After looking at the design of my facial shape, he explained the entire surgical process and how he would operate. For retaining ligament dissection too, he said a retaining ligament is like a string holding the face so it can't be pulled, so you have to cut it for the face to be lifted, but retaining ligaments are also tissue necessary for the face, so you must not cut too much, and should cut only the tissue that truly must be cut, as much as appropriately needed.
He explained how the layers of facial skin are structured, and how he would lift each of the 3 layers separately in detail, as if the surgical scene were unfolding in front of my eyes, like a simulation.
Regarding fat removal and things like that, he said that after surgery, I should consider fat removal while monitoring the progress. This place really only quoted the event price, and there were no additional charges at all.
He said an anesthesiologist is always present, and the anesthesiologists are all from Seoul National University too, so they are always prepared for safety.
They said they don't schedule more than 2 surgeries a day. It seems there are about 4 doctors.
I'm still thinking about it,
and I'm planning to go to ㄷㅍㄹ (they said this is where some transgender YouTuber had plastic surgery) and ㄷㅇ today.
What I felt is that for SMAS layer dissection and cutting retaining ligaments, most of the popular(?) hospitals are similar. The incision range is almost similar too. The pulling direction is similar too.
The surgical methods are generally similar, but I think the operating doctor's aesthetic sense determines the result. So in order to differentiate, some proceed with liposuction + fat grafting together, and some specialize neatly only in facelifts and contouring.
So in the end, what differs is the doctor's aesthetic sense and hand skills, and I think it's important to see whether the doctor's aesthetic sense matches your own needs well.
Anyway, that's how I feel. If you disagree, you're completely right.
I hope everyone's surgery is a huge success.
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