From around middle school, when I was in the stage of getting more interested in makeup and grooming, I realized my chin stuck out more than other people’s, and it wasn’t any other part but the protruding chin that made my face look a bit rough, so I was very stressed about it. Every so often, I would hear comments about my chin from classmates at school, and there was a time when a boy in my class said, "You’d be fine if it were just your chin," which really upset me
My bite is called an edge-to-edge bite? My front teeth couldn’t cover my lower teeth, so it was a malocclusion, but it didn’t affect chewing. However, I still had one baby tooth left until high school, and because that caused my other teeth to erupt incorrectly, I ended up getting orthodontic treatment. At that time I was debating whether to have teeth extracted or not, but back then I thought double jaw surgery could be deadly or that it would cost something only rich people could afford, so I didn’t even consider it. If I wasn’t going to get double jaw surgery, I was told that extracting teeth could make my mouth look more sunken and emphasize my chin, so I just proceeded with braces without extractions. I finished orthodontic treatment well, with my front teeth tipped forward and my lower teeth tipped inward so that the upper front teeth cover the lower teeth in a normal bite. I looked at my before-and-after orthodontic photos, and since I had done it without extractions, my chin and facial shape were unbelievably the same, so I was really disappointed
In real life, I don’t think I had such a strong underbite-looking impression, and depending on the angle it didn’t stand out that much, so I felt stressed on and off and kept worrying about it periodically. My ideal look was not a short chin versus a long chin, but rather a wider round baby-face shape, so I tried my best not to think of my chin as a complex by doing styling that draws attention upward, like bold eye makeup or half-up hair. But I eventually felt that drawing attention upward was just an optical illusion, and even if there were periods when I felt less stressed, after about 10 years I strongly wanted to eliminate the source of this worry altogether. Once I became an adult, medical techniques had improved a lot, and when I thought about sighing every time I looked in the mirror because all I saw was my chin, I felt that I could definitely afford the cost, so I made up my mind to get double jaw surgery!
I felt that I needed to know exactly what my goal was in order to prepare, so starting last winter I looked into double jaw surgery hospitals through YouTube and cosmetic-surgery communities. I first learned about Y Oral Surgery through YouTube, and I visited several consultations with a focus on restrained aesthetics, honesty, and safety. From the consultations, I learned that based on my original mild malocclusion, I had already reached the best bite possible through orthodontic treatment, and while doing orthodontics first and then double jaw surgery might lead to a better result, the difference in outcome wouldn’t be big enough to justify the cost and pain, so I was recommended to do only double jaw surgery without additional orthodontic treatment!
Choosing the hospital was really difficult! During consultation, I said I wanted a shorter face, but they didn’t promise to make it that way; instead, they only mentioned the parts that could be improved in a somewhat conservative way. At that point I felt the director had a very firm personal standard, and while looking through the before-and-after reviews on the hospital website, I spent a lot of time thinking about whether the doctor’s standard matched my own aesthetic sense. I’m not exaggerating when I say I read the review photos more than five times It felt like I had memorized them I compared them with reviews from other hospitals, and by my standards Y Oral Surgery looked the most natural, with the fewest results that made me question them. There was basically a separate orthodontist and a separate anesthesiologist, surgery CCTV viewing was possible, and communication with the coordinator also felt smooth, so I concluded that at the very least I wouldn’t regret it if I got it done there, and chose the hospital!!
Convincing my parents was the hardest part. They saw me as a pitiful person with low appearance confidence who didn’t know how to love herself, but,, this is my life, and I’m the one who looks at my own face the most while living, so I thought that if something could be fixed, it would be better to fix it. In fact, I think it wasn’t that I didn’t love myself, but that I wanted to love myself more, which is why I decided on surgery. This was absolutely not a surgery driven by self-loathing; I decided on it with the feeling of fulfilling a dream I’d had since childhood, so I wasn’t especially nervous, and I think I’ve been handling the recovery process after surgery calmly and well! Double jaw surgery is definitely not simple, so I hope everyone can think carefully about their own feelings before deciding!!
My pre-op test results showed low hemoglobin, so I got three iron injections and had two more blood tests, and my money was gone in a flash Please take care of your numbers
At the consultation at Y, they said I wasn’t someone with no cheekbones, so after double jaw surgery the cheekbones could stand out more, and they recommended cheekbone contouring surgery. But since I’m still in my early 20s, they said I didn’t need to worry too much about sagging skin. Still, after doing a lot of research on my own, I heard that cheekbone surgery has the highest risk of sagging skin, so I had never really been stressed about my cheekbones before, and I didn’t want to take the risk of sagging, so I decided not to do cheekbones and to only get double jaw surgery (two contouring procedures, including the chin and square jaw)~!
Day of surgery (9/12) I was told surgery was at 10, and to arrive by 9:30, so I got there a little after 9, but no one had come to work yet^^ I had failed to consider the actual working hours,,,, I sat dazed in the lobby, and from 9:30 I was shown to my room, took off everything including my underwear, and changed into a patient gown? surgery gown? Since I knew I wouldn’t be able to wash for at least two days, I showered in the morning before going. I could wash my face because there was a sink in the room, so I was able to go after applying lotion! What they had in the hospital were a donut cushion (quite large), a patient gown, slippers worn inside the hospital, a sink, tissues for drying hands (like kitchen towels), regular boxed tissues, a humidifier (Oa), and a board about tablet size for communication. There was also a large cabinet where I could store my belongings (it looked like a carry-on suitcase would fit), and a sofa where a guardian could sit (fairly wide, enough to bend your legs and lie down?)
After changing into the patient gown, they explained the surgery process, cost, and possible side effects again and got my consent forms. That part took the longest. I listened to a brief surgical plan with the director while looking at a model of my face to see how many millimeters my chin would be moved, then had my blood pressure checked, a quick verbal pre-op condition check, and after washing my face and gargling, I went into the operating room a little after 10.
Oh, and my period started that morning of surgery, but they said it was fine to just wear a pad and have the surgery! So I don’t think you need to worry too much about your cycle~
According to my mom, surgery ended around 1 to 1:30, and my memory starts from around 2 to 2:30. When I first started remembering, I was so busy adjusting to my condition that I didn’t actually feel discomfort or pain. I couldn’t speak at all, and the only facial movement I could make was my eyebrows and eyes, so communication with my mom was difficult, but we communicated by writing on something like a whiteboard!
Originally my mom wasn’t going to come, so I thought, I’ll be fine having surgery alone, right? But if possible, it seems better to have a guardian there on the day of surgery, even if it’s only for about three hours after surgery,, After I came out from surgery, I couldn’t move at all, and I felt bad about asking the nurses to do things like placing a cushion behind my back, putting socks on me, or setting up the tablet so I could look at it after I had regained some composure
There was no pain after surgery, just numbness and a strange feeling because something was inserted in my nose and various tubes were also in my mouth, so breathing and swallowing saliva were uncomfortable and difficult. I already had fairly bad rhinitis, and because of phlegm or nasal discharge? I kept coughing and had trouble breathing, so I think I tried to find a way to breathe without disturbing the phlegm as much as possible. Until 6 o’clock I was overwhelmed by sleepiness, and that was the hardest part. My mom kept talking to me and waking me up, but I’m already someone who sleeps a lot and is really bad at waking up, so I was truly so sleepy I almost lost my mind Then around 6, a nurse came to put medicine into the IV? and said the antibiotic could cause vomiting in some people. But when the medication went in, I kept gagging, coughing, and blood came out, it was a mess, but the nurse immediately held tissues to me, told me to breathe slowly, and responded calmly, which reassured me, and I got better quickly.
The director also came by, said the surgery went well, explained that I would sleep 30 minutes and wake up repeatedly, and told me today would be the hardest day before leaving. Because I was waking up from gagging, my mom set up the tablet, and since guardians could only stay until 7, my mom went back home~ All that was left was to endure until the next day I was told I could sleep starting at 8, so I tried to hold on by watching Sixth Sense, and as soon as it hit 8, I think I closed my eyes and tried to sleep. Unlike what I had been told about not being able to sleep, I’m someone who sleeps a lot and can sleep anywhere, so I kept sleeping for an hour to an hour and a half and then waking up. There was a night nurse, and every hour she came in to change the ice pack, check my blood pressure and temperature, give me medicine, refill the humidifier water, and help reset the cushion. She also encouraged me a lot, saying I was doing well!!
Day 2 (9/13) At 8:30 they removed the tube from one nostril and the urinary catheter, and at 10 when the director came, they removed the remaining tube from the nose and the blood drain? tube. I was more scared of the urinary catheter than the surgery I had no memory of it going in because I was anesthetized, but taking it out hurt a bit, maybe because the angle was awkward while I had a pad on, or maybe that’s just how it is It felt scraping Then I had to go to the bathroom to check whether I could urinate properly, and it hurt like when I had cystitis,, but from about the third time I peed, it didn’t hurt anymore.
Once all the things attached to me were removed, I felt so comfortable and good. The freedom to walk around by myself was truly happy Around this time I think I started binge-watching dramas, so I’d watch one hour of drama and then walk back and forth in the room for 10 minutes, repeating that. I could walk in the hallway too, but it felt a little embarrassing to run into people, so I just moved around inside the room I was drinking Newcare, and it really was possible to sip only tiny amounts little by little. Even though I kept drinking a bit at a time, I think I could only drink about 100 ml in the whole day. Still, I was glad I wasn’t hungry. I also slept in two- to three-hour stretches. On the second night the nurse didn’t come in every hour, but when the ice pack was melting she came and kept replacing it. One time I slept so well that I didn’t even notice her coming in.
As other reviews said, once you get through the first day, the second day at least feels a bit more human,,,,,,,,, though still hard At dawn, a nurse came in holding a paper with the precautions written on it, read through everything one by one, and answered questions!! I was really grateful
Day 3 (9/14) My dad said he would pick me up, but he was a bit late because of work, so I told them in advance and was discharged around 2! Normally discharge is at 10, they said. By then my butt hurt so much it felt like my tailbone was going to burst. Even if I tried to lie back a little, I could feel pressure on my face so I couldn’t do it,, When I was discharged I got my prescription, stopped by the pharmacy, and picked up my medicine. It cost just under 100,000 won. I still couldn’t speak at all, and the swelling had reached under my eyes, so I looked kind of like I’d had under-eye fat repositioning My chin was numb, my lips wouldn’t close, my nose kept running and bleeding, and I alternated breathing through my nose and mouth.
The home bed was definitely softer, so at least my butt hurt a bit less, and being at home made me feel mentally more at ease. I have a triangular cushion at home, so I stacked that and a pillow together and leaned against the corner of the bed, which was perfect! I think I dozed off while watching a drama, but in the evening I suddenly got chills and a fever, and I worried I might be getting inflammation It was the start of the Chuseok holiday, but when I contacted the coordinator, they replied quickly. They said I’d be fine if I took a fever reducer, so my dad bought one and I took it, and I felt better! After that I don’t think I had a fever again.
Food was still Newcare! My mom blended sweet potato and milk for me, and I put that into a sauce bottle and drank it well too. Still, I ate better than on the second day, and in total I think I drank about 3 packs worth of Newcare.
After surgery my nose kept bleeding, so I kept stuffing tissue in my nose. If I just sat still, a mix of mucus and blood kept running all day long. I even slept with tissue stuffed in my nose It was hard to fall asleep normally, so I think I watched YouTube until I hit my limit, then collapsed asleep from exhaustion, slept for three or four hours, woke up briefly, and fell asleep again.
Day 4 (9/15) After my first walk, I was even hungrier. One nostril would open and close intermittently, my face was swelling even more, and when I used the face strap, it felt like the stitches inside my mouth were going to burst, or rather, my face felt compressed and the area around my mouth hurt like everything was going to tear open. So I think I was taking it off quite often I was worried about a double chin, but at that point I was so focused on my mouth feeling like it would tear open and on having no strength because I couldn’t eat that I didn’t want to think about anything else,,, Even the soft bed seemed to have its limits, because my tailbone was gradually losing sensation and I felt sore every time I walked, and I just wanted to lie down so badly. By then, because I’d been moving around, I started feeling hungry and wanted fried chicken
Around both sides of my mouth? my cheeks? it felt stinging, or itchy, or like a muscle spasm? I thought it was the process of the nerves coming back, and somehow I was drooling more, so I had to walk while wiping my saliva
Day 5 (9/16) Because of my rhinitis, my nose discharge was already really sticky, and the mucus felt trapped inside so breathing was hard. They said not to blow my nose, but when I woke up at dawn I tried not to put too much pressure on it by holding tissue just in front of my nose and exhaling more strongly through my nose to get the mucus out. The discharge came out bright red, almost like blood was flowing from my nose
Rather than the double-chin area, both sides of my cheeks near the mouth and my lips were so swollen that it was hard. My whole face throbbed, saliva kept dripping, and I kept feeling like my face was itchy? stinging? as the nerves came back. I was also very worried because I had to go to work on day 14 and didn’t know if I could do it. Even among my face, my lips were swollen to the point of bursting, and the pressure on the stitches and the dry inner mouth skin from not being able to close my mouth felt like it might tear, which was the hardest part
I didn’t expect to swell more in the morning, but I really swelled to the absolute limit. The pressure in my face was so intense that I felt anxious and couldn’t even walk, and I couldn’t eat, but I had to eat somehow. Since I couldn’t close my mouth, saliva kept pouring out. Now blood was also flowing out of my mouth, and I was very anxious about whether I was really healing, but when I looked at other reviews, everyone said days 4 to 6 were very swollen and difficult, and that things got better around day 7, so I tried to put my anxiety aside and focus only on getting through the time. In the afternoon it seemed to go down a little, then swell again, repeating like that.
I tilted my head sideways and tried gargling all the way into the corners, but suddenly I heard the sound of water going down below my ear and felt like something had gotten in there;; It was a little scary, but it didn’t hurt and there was no blood, so I just endured it thinking it would be okay once the tissue settled. After that, even when drinking Newcare, I felt anxious because when swallowing, it felt like it was going into the wounds at both sides of my mouth and hurting, and like Newcare was going down below my ear too. The weather was getting extremely hot, and my face was also so swollen that I was scared of bumping into something, so I was afraid to go for walks Going down stairs was uncomfortable because I couldn’t see the ground, so I mostly went out for walks at dawn. I think I walked while always worrying about bumping into people or objects. After the walk, the swelling seemed to go down just a little, but it wasn’t noticeably different. My lips were swollen so my chin looked very short, which worried me a little, but I had decided to wait until one month in before worrying about the result, so I tried to put all those thoughts aside!
It felt like the swelling on the right side went down first, and because my mouth was open, the skin inside got dry and flaky. It was so ragged that I peeled it all off once, but then it seemed to irritate the tissue again, so I didn’t remove any more.
Day 6 (9/17) I started warm compresses, and my nose kept running, and maybe the wafer was squeezing too tightly because I got a toothache. The area beside the jaw? cheek area has gone down a little, but the front cheek, jaw, and lips have no intention of going down.
My mouth was so dry that skin kept peeling, and from this day on I started sleeping with a higher pillow, stacking a neck pillow and other plushies! If I can close my mouth a bit more, eating would probably be easier especially swallowing pills Since the only thing I’m eating is Newcare, if meal time is delayed even a little I feel like I’m going to die of hunger. It’s not even the feeling of being hungry, it’s more like feeling I’m about to starve? I feel like if I don’t eat right now, I’ll die!! I blended castella and ate it, and it was so delicious. Everything tastes new, stimulating, and thrilling.
Day 8 (9/19) I went to my 1-week follow-up! I had no energy and it was so hard to move, so I got an IV there On the subway ride back, since it overlapped with rush hour, just seeing the crowded people made my breathing get short. So I just took the bus home,,
The swelling had started to go down a bit, so I wasn’t too worried. Now the only thing I’m worried about is food I was able to eat without the wafer, so as a little celebration I made sundubu jjigae, but even though I deliberately simmered it thoroughly and chopped everything up with scissors, I absolutely could not chew the onion or scallions,,, I even sliced cheongyang chili peppers to make broth, but it was so spicy I had to add a bucket of water and boil it again,,, Don’t forget that every food feels new,,,,,,,,,,
Because I had no energy, I also had no appetite, so I just wanted to finish eating quickly and feel a little stronger. I couldn’t clean, and all I could do all day was lie down. I really felt like a patient And because I took the wafer out and a little bit of food got stuck near the stitches and then came out, maybe it irritated the area a bit, I felt like the lower cheeks were a little heavier. But maybe that’s also because sensation is returning, I’m not sure I want to have the stitches removed soon and be able to move my mouth freely. I can communicate to some extent, but my mouth still doesn’t close properly and pronunciation is not correct because of the wafer. Sometimes the other person seems to say, “Huh?”
Day 10 (9/21) There hasn’t been much change in the recovery, and I’m focusing on killing time! I should go for walks, but it’s too hot during the day and too sleepy at night It feels like I’m doing it every other day. Hehe~ Swelling goes down naturally with time anyway^^ That’s my complacent thought,,
I suddenly felt like I’d lost a bit of weight, so I bought a scale and weighed myself, and I’d lost 4 kg. I wanted to lose a little more, but if I had lost more, I probably would have really collapsed My orthostatic hypotension got so bad that now if I stand up after sitting in a chair, I can’t see in front of me. I realized how important eating is
Day 12 (9/23) Since I can remove the wafer, I’ve become more confident about eating and am trying all kinds of things. As for sensation, there is none in the gums, right front cheek, center of the philtrum, chin, and left side of the chin. Thinking about going back to work in two days makes me so, so depressed My condition feels like it’s all back now, and aside from the worsened orthostatic hypotension and the overall drop in stamina, I don’t think there will be any problem working.
Now it feels like I’m just waiting for the swelling to go down, so I’m not very impatient anymore and I’m just waiting for time to pass~ My nose is naturally low, but since my face is so swollen it looks kind of like a pig nose, so I wondered if my nose had widened. I think it will go back to normal once the swelling goes down, though of course I’ll have to see as time passes. If I don’t put in effort, I still can’t close my mouth and my philtrum is swollen, so I look a little pig-like But even looking pig-like, I think it’s better than when my chin was protruding before
Day 14 (9/25) The swelling still seems to be going down little by little, so I’m not sure. Since time will solve it anyway, I’m not paying it much attention. The nose widening still seems ambiguous. As expected, I think I’ll have to wait until the one-month mark.
When I wear the wafer, it feels like when I first started orthodontics? Like it’s squeezing too tightly and causing a toothache, and it hurts. I’m eating sundubu, porridge (blended in a mixer), soy milk and blended morning bread, castella, or soft bread soaked in milk. Honestly, just eating bread makes me feel like I’m getting fat,,
I have no sensation in the roof of my mouth, but sometimes I feel like even the palate is a bit sore? So it hurts a little. It feels similar to a toothache, so I don’t know how else to describe it. It bothers me that I can’t properly take care of my skin, and when I move my mouth the stitches pull and hurt. I want the stitches out quickly. I think that’s when the swelling will go down more.
Now I just lie down and sleep well. I have no sensation near the right nostril, and maybe because it’s coming back, I keep feeling itchy and scratching it. My chin feels the same way, like the muscles are pulling? or spasming? and that keeps bothering me. Only my chin and the cheek beside my nose are still swollen, and the areas right next to my mouth seem to have gone down, so when I open my mouth for brushing my teeth, the area around my mouth looks sunken like a skull, which worries me. I guess that’s because of the swelling?? Since the wafer makes my s-sounds come out wrong, my pronunciation is slurred, and no matter how much I brush, tartar on my teeth won’t go away Once I can open my mouth properly, I’m going to get scaling first.
Starting tomorrow I go back to work, and suddenly the orthostatic hypotension is still severe, but other than that I seem okay. Since I do office work, I don’t think my body will be under too much strain, so I’m not too worried about my reduced stamina. I’m worried because when I get sleepy at work I’ll need to eat something, but I can’t do that. And for some reason my nose feels blocked and my h-sounds don’t come out right, like it’s blocked upward. Whether it’s because of double jaw surgery or rhinitis, the way my speech is blocked feels different from the usual nasal congestion from rhinitis. I think I need to keep watching. I have bruises around the corners of my mouth, but they still haven’t gone away. It looks like it’ll take a month After resting for two weeks, not wanting to go back to work has become the biggest issue in recovery
Day 20 (10/1) As soon as I returned to work, I worked overtime, but there were no major problems. Since there was a lot of work piling up while I was absent, I didn’t have time to write a status update
If I take out the wafer, my pronunciation is fine, but since I have to wear it all day, I don’t think I can make work phone calls. Talking with coworkers is understood by everyone, so it’s only a little embarrassing for me
I went for my two-week follow-up on the 27th, and getting the stitches removed really hurt so much I cried,, If you get unlucky with the dental hygienist during scaling, that was about the level of pain it was. Especially when they worked on the lower teeth, it hurt so badly my head went blank Still, once it was out, moving my mouth while eating felt much less irritating. I told them the wafer felt too tight, and maybe they adjusted it, because the toothache got much better. I was told to exercise my mouth, so whenever I remember I practice a-e-i-o-u, and I can eat soft bread soaked in milk by chewing it!
They said the swelling was still not bad for two weeks, which was nice, but it looked like I had been neglecting the face strap, because I seemed to have some double chin Now I wear it almost all the time when I’m at home, and even if I wake up a little while sleeping, I put the strap back on and go back to sleep The right side is going down much faster, so even when I do mouth exercises, only the right side moves well. Compared with week 1, it’s gone down a lot, and I keep thinking maybe it’s almost all gone, but when I touch my still-pig-like face I can feel a softness I never felt before,, so I think I just have to ignore the swelling and wait.
I ordered porridge, and the beef side dish? that came with it didn’t break down at all, but it was so delicious that I fooled my brain by pretending to chew appropriately and swallowed it^^ I made soy sauce noodles and was able to eat them after chopping them up with scissors. The more the noodles got soft, the easier they were to eat!
The orthostatic hypotension is still there, but I’m not like before, with no energy or desire~ If I’m late to work and run, I get dizzy, so I’ve been forced to become a diligent person,, I think I’ve gained back 1 to 2 kg, so my weight seems almost back That’s a pity
If the fun of recovery is that I can gradually eat more things, then I guess that is a kind of joy. And even at the one-month mark I think I’ll still look pig-like,, so I’m planning to wait patiently until three months~
From day 10 onward, once things got better, time seemed to fly by! I hope this review helps with the things you were curious about. Since time is the best medicine, I hope everyone can get through it well!!
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This review is a surgery review pursuing natural beauty.