1. My face shape had always been a concern. Selfies didn’t look pretty and all my graduation photos looked awful. Still, my eyes, nose, and mouth were okay, so I comforted myself through my 20s, and finally entered my 30s, when aging began. As elasticity started to sag, my facial contour looked even more prominent (accelerated cheek hollowing). Because of my face shape, I always had limitations with hair and makeup, and I felt like I was the only one aging, so I decided to do it.
2. There were a few hospitals that passed my own preliminary round based on CCTV, recognition, side-effect cases, anesthesiologist, reviews, etc., but I chose this hospital for one reason: they said cheek hollow correction was also possible. (As a bonus, I also did facial liposuction and a lift, and if I did the lift separately I would have to get on the operating table twice, and there weren’t really any side-effect cases, so I proceeded at the same hospital.)
3. Review . Before: I bought porridge, toothbrush, Garglin mouthwash, ice packs, water flosser, neck pillow, etc. in advance. From 2 weeks before, I was so scared that I practically stopped eating and drinking. Lost 4 kg...ㄷㄷㄷ I just tried not to think about surgery and, until the day of surgery, lived day by day like a sparrow, thinking only about what was right in front of me, then got on the operating table. . Day of surgery: After entering the hospital, I kept doing mind control until just before the IV needle went into my vein. Finally, I entered the operating room, and when they tied my hands and feet, it was pure terror....ㄷㄷㄷ The anesthesiologist came (the same doctor I had seen on YouTube!!), then I fell asleep...and woke up right away (I must have been under anesthesia for about 6-7 hours, but time and consciousness disappeared instantly). I moved to the recovery room in a wheelchair and was hospitalized for one day. I had pain control attached so it didn’t hurt, but my condition was terrible. I had no strength in my whole body and kept sinking endlessly. I breathed to expel the anesthetic gas, and a few hours later I was finally able to drink water. The hospital gave me a very large syringe (with the needle removed), so I injected water with that. I had no sensation below my nose; (I wouldn’t even know if I got punched in the jaw;;;) The most painful area was the Accu on the double chin. It felt like a bruise every time I moved my head...ㅠㅠㅠ I slept with the bed raised at a 50-60 degree angle, and it was extremely uncomfortable. I repeatedly woke up and fell asleep until morning. . Day 1: In the morning, I was discharged with drains attached. When I stood up, I was so dizzy and nauseated that I got an antiemetic shot before leaving. I moved to a nearby hotel (the bed was a recliner) and recovered comfortably. My whole face throbbed (strictly speaking, it wasn’t bone pain, but pain in the muscles or skin tissue), and swelling slowly started. Because my eyes were bruised, it was hard to open them, so I kept sleeping, missed meals, and couldn’t do ice packs diligently. I basically poured medicine into an almost empty stomach, but since an antacid was included, it wasn’t too much of a burden. The inside of my mouth was so swollen that I could barely eat or drink anything. . Day 2: My face swelled so much I wondered if this was even okay. I was worried that the intraoral sutures and lift sutures might all burst. In the morning, I visited the hospital to remove the drains. They had to remove the intraoral hoses and lift hoses (behind the ears), so they did local anesthesia, 2 shots each, 8 shots total, and removed the drains. I have experience with local anesthesia, so I tend to prefer local anesthesia. I like it because if I just endure the stinging, pressing feeling, it doesn’t hurt at all afterward. But getting on that operating table again while fully conscious was so scary that I cried. (As expected, doing the lift all at once was my foresight. Unless it is absolutely something directly tied to life like cancer surgery, the operating table is not something to get on twiceㅠㅠㅠㅠ) After removing the drains, I immediately wore the compression band. Ha...it was suffocating and I felt like I’d go crazy. After the drains were removed, my mouth became freer, I could use a paper cup, and speaking became easier. From the evening of day 2, a sore throat started. I had no cough, but phlegm came up. . Day 3: Opening my eyes was easier than yesterday. I watched TV all day. I only swelled until day 2, and from day 3 it started to go down. I’m from outside Seoul, so I stayed at a hotel for 5 nights, but I didn’t go for even one walk. I only watched TV while icing. Mammamil (porridge pouches for 9-month-old babies) comes in tube form, so I used that for meals. It was very soft and annoyingly low-sodium, so it helped a lot with swelling. Brushing my teeth was hard, so I couldn’t eat powders and couldn’t even take protein shakes. I lost weight like crazy. (I’ve lost an additional 4 kg so far. Total 8 kg.) . Day 5: I stopped by the hospital for a follow-up, met the doctors, and received swelling laser treatment and a shampoo service. I couldn’t wash my hair, so it was greasy and a mess, and I felt so sorryㅠㅠㅠ They washed it very carefully. At this hospital, the compression band is worn 24 hours a day only until day 5, and after that it’s sayonara adios lol Since the bone surgery is already over, they said wearing the compression band more interferes with blood circulation and makes swelling go down more slowly. They said the expected benefit from wearing it longer is minimal, so after that, don’t wear it and just throw it away lololol Oh yeah~ And I ended hotel life and finally came back home. . Day 7: After coming home, doing housework and this and that, it seemed like I didn’t need to take separate walks. Making facial expressions is still too much (a faint smile is possible), and speaking has become much freer. I almost burst out laughing while watching Comedy Big League, and it put pressure on my cheekbones, so I stopped watching comedy and variety shows for a while lololol The sore throat and phlegm disappeared. I swell the most in the morning, swelling goes down during the day, and right before sleeping is when swelling is the most reduced. I sleep with 2 pillows stacked high. (Worried about getting neck wrinklesㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠ) . Day 11: I visited the hospital and had the intraoral sutures and lift sutures removed. Both were done without anesthesia. The lift sutures were over quickly. The doctor did it very delicately (but because it was around the ears, the sound was too vividㅠㅠㅠㅠ), so it finished fast. The intraoral sutures were...the upper part near the cheekbones had almost no pain, the molar area hurt a little when the thread was cut...and the hell section was the line of the lower front teeth near the front chin...it was bearable. But it hurtㅠㅠㅠㅠ Not enough to cry, but enough for tears to well upㅠㅠㅠㅠ . Day 12: Returned to work. Pronunciations that gather the lips (ㅁㅂㅍㅗㅛㅜㅠ) feel a bit leaky. Sensation below the lower lip is dull. Compared to the beginning, it feels like sensation has returned. I couldn’t eat at the company cafeteria (ate alone separatelyㅠㅠㅠ). I can fit one upright finger in my mouth. I was scared to try chewing and only ate porridge-type foods that I could swallow. . Week 3: It seems the major swelling is all gone. There is still swelling around the jaw, and sensation is dull along the jawline including the chin tip. Also, because I had Accu and a lift, sensation is reduced in the anterior cheeks, double chin, and cheeks. The lift area has more numbness than the facial contouring area. My mouth can fit about one and a half fingers, and brushing teeth has become much easier. Chewing is possible to some extent, but only up and down; moving the jaw left and right is still difficult. I mumbled over a small piece of stir-fried pork and swallowed it. I think boiled pork slices would be possible. For meat, fish or chicken is possible, and pork or beef is also possible if it is in boiled-slice form or very thin meat, but if it is fried or stir-fried like chicken, it is hard to chew.
4. Thoughts: If I had done it in my 20s, I would have only done facial contouring...but doing it in my mid-30s, looking toward 40 in a few years, sagging was such a concern that I did everything together at once, and in the end I’m extremely satisfied. I wish I had done it earlier when I was younger, but back then I had neither the money nor the guts (and surgical methods have evolved more now). Having full bangs was my wish, and I was sick of my awful arched eyebrows, but now even a short cut is no problem. There is still minor swelling, so I’m really looking forward to 2 months, 6 months, and 1 year later.
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