I visited 8 clinics. I couldn’t find one that fully satisfied me or matched my standards exactly, so before I knew it I had gone to 8 places. Originally I planned to compare about 3 clinics and then decide on surgery, and even though I meant to do it by June at the latest... I ended up having surgery in July because I just couldn’t choose a clinic.
If I liked the zygoma surgery method, I worried whether they were good at jaw surgery; if I liked the chin surgery method, I disliked it; it was like that. And more than anything, marketing is just marketing!!! It would be great if someone could guarantee that the doctor really is good at surgery, but the only people who would know that are the ones who have actually gone into the operating room together....
The reason I chose Note was that, thankfully, I liked both the surgical methods and the system during consultation, and what mattered a lot was that someone vouched that the doctor really does surgery well and that it would be fine to trust and proceed.
While getting contouring 3 and liposuction, honestly I didn’t have huge expectations. Because I’m not in my 20s or 30s, asking to be made into a celebrity-like face shape was impossible.... My facial conditions are complicated, so it’s impossible to satisfy everything, and I had to set priorities and choose.
My conditions were: 1. There must be no side effects. Function must come before aesthetics, absolutely. 2. Improvement of the side cheekbones is the top priority. 3. If it can’t be dramatic from the side, then since the face I see myself is the most important to me, I choose the front view => I would do bone shaving without advancement. 4. However, I would only have surgery with a doctor who is good at both bone shaving and T-osteotomy. (I wanted a balanced perspective.) 5. I would proceed if it could be better than before, but I would not set my expectations at the highest level.
In the end, people will keep arguing which surgical method is better and which is better, but depending on the situation there is an optimal surgery, and the most important thing is whether the doctor performs the surgery properly!!! That’s what I came to think.
At first I actually didn’t know this place, and even if I occasionally saw it in reviews, sorry, but I thought of it as unknown and never even considered going. Then in open chat, everyone kept talking about it, so I searched YouTube and mobilized all my acquaintances to check whether this doctor was actually good at surgery before deciding. The part that attracted me most was how they tried to match asymmetry as much as possible, and the consultation was honest. It felt refreshing that they clearly explained the expectations and the direction of improvement. I really hate vague speech...ㅋㅋ
After surgery.... It’s only been a few days, so I still don’t know the aesthetic result. The 45-degree cheekbone area is gone, and the side cheekbone is somewhat reduced... but there is still swelling at the temples, so I don’t know the exact line yet...ㅎㅎㅎ Under the chin, there are several layers of compression tape, so I can’t tell whether the skin is sagging or what. I think I’ll only know after at least 3 months. It will probably become clearer at 5 months.
At this point, I think only the hospital system and side effects can be evaluated.
The things that make me feel that Yuhan-saem really did the surgery well
1. No bruising or burst blood vessels except for the double chin area that was liposuctioned. -> Because of the double chin liposuction, yellow bruising does appear on the neck.
2. My sense of smell and taste are both fine. No pain in the sinus area. Especially here, they use a long-acting sustained-release formulation so that the number of times you need to take antibiotics can be reduced. You only need to take medicine in the morning and evening, but the painkiller doesn’t last a full 8 hours. Even so, I never once took an extra painkiller. It hurt less than nose surgery.
3. The sensation in my lips and all parts of my face are normal. You all know this, right? Before surgery everyone worries about sensory damage. I’m someone who thinks if function is ruined, I would regret it for the rest of my life... so side effects were my biggest concern. My eyebrows and everything else are all normal. The only slight discomfort is a faint numb feeling around the cheekbone area..? One cheekbone is a little numb, but it’s not uncomfortable.
Ah... I of course don’t have tooth pain..ㅎㅎ And my bite isn’t misaligned either.
4. The anesthesiologist here seems to be very good at anesthesia too. Contrary to the image in the photo, they speak in a Gyeongsang dialect, so I was surprised.ㅎㅎ A lot of people talk about their throat hurting. Maybe the intubation was done well? Honestly, I didn’t feel much throat pain. I had a chronic condition that meant I couldn’t use a certain medication, so I mentioned it in advance and they took care of it. During recovery, because that medication couldn’t be used, my throat and nasal mucosa swelled up a bit. It was more a feeling of tightness and something foreign than actual pain.
5. The blood drainage tube... Before surgery this part sounds really tempting. I strongly recommend clinics that place a blood drainage tube!!!! And of course for the 3-procedure case, I recommend a clinic with one-night hospitalization!!!!
Having a blood drainage tube is a bit inconvenient. Anyway, everyone knows contouring surgery itself is an inconvenient surgery. From the clinic’s perspective, both the drainage tube and hospitalization system are costs. Even if they attach a drainage tube, the nurses have to remove it periodically, so it requires manpower.
But the advantage of this blood drainage tube is... if you have it, you worry less about coughing up blood.... I never had any blood phlegm after surgery. I didn’t even get to see it. I never had a nosebleed either.
And after general anesthesia, you feel really exhausted.... nausea and vomiting and that dizziness....ㅠㅠ It’s maddening.... You have to endure time with so little energy that even drinking water feels bothersome. But then they advertise as if they themselves are some kind of surgical god and don’t even need a blood drainage tube or hospitalization, right? At first I was like wow! too. But after going through it myself, it’s all lies..ㅎㅎㅎㅎㅎ A highly calculated marketing lie for cost-cutting..ㅎㅎ
Anything works best in the standard, proper way.
They have to deal with Gangnam’s expensive rent, but they also have to maintain several inpatient rooms and run nurse night rotations, and all of that costs money. It’s realistic, but that’s how it is. I sometimes think it’s the same as clinics that need to do general anesthesia but advertise as if they’re considerate of the patient by doing it under sedation anesthesia. General anesthesia requires a specialist anesthesiologist, so that’s another added cost...ㅎㅎㅎ
Sorry, another TMI..
6. It may not seem like much, but Yuhan-saem comes to see the patients right after arriving before work, before clocking out. They get reports from the nurses. Unlike the clinic’s official hours, the doctor’s working hours were quite long....
7. Communication with the director is smooth. I had a really uncomfortable experience at another large hospital, so the difference was huge. The director here is so nice... Their voice is always bright, so when I call and bother them again or ask something, they don’t make me feel awkward.... They have the ability to make people feel comfortable..ㅎㅎ
8. They provide the kit needed after surgery. Here, the only things you seem to need to prepare separately are a lip moisturizer and something like New Care to drink. Ah... cotton pads or cut cotton would be good to have. Since you can’t wash your face, it’s good to have something to wipe with. The rest includes a tongue cleaner, 20 cc saline, a really fine-bristle toothbrush (I’ve never seen this kind of ultra-soft brush sold anywhereㅋㅋ), a heat pack, a face binder strap (the binder strap is stylishly black too..ㅋㅋㅋ), cotton swabs, and nicely printed post-op instructions packed into a pouch. It’s a clinic with attention to detail.
They also send management videos by stage to your phone.
Anyway, I didn’t really have a hard time after surgery.... I had surgery on Wednesday, and by Thursday afternoon I was feeling good enough to drive out briefly to settle things and came back, and I also worked on Saturday. On Saturday it was hard to open my mouth wide, so it was difficult to speak loudly, but I worked without any major problems. I think I’ll be able to work more comfortably starting next week. A lot of the swelling has gone down now, and my mouth can close completely and the swelling inside the mouth has also gone down a lot...ㅎㅎ Because I have a job where I have to talk a lot, I was worried about speaking, and Monday is the busiest day, but I think I don’t need to worry.
I’ll leave another review after I see the later progress.