I’m writing this because I got bored during some free time at work,, hahaha
★Before getting to the main point
Still, since it’s a major surgery, I hope everyone thinks it through carefully. I recommend doing it only when you feel that the complex is really eating away at you and making you depressed.
I heard that especially major surgeries like two-jaw surgery are really for when it interferes so much that you can’t chew food ㅜㅠ The risks are big too, so I hope everyone researches well and decides carefully!
I chose this because my side-profile complex was really, really severe due to Class II malocclusion (retruded chin). Because of that, I always felt self-loathing when I looked in the mirror, so I eventually went ahead with it!
I have a retruded chin and severe protrusive mouth, so I’m currently also undergoing orthodontic treatment ㅠㅠ The dental director said there are limits to what orthodontics can do for a retruded chin,,, so I started looking into facial contouring.
First of all, my side line was honestly awful. My retruded chin was such a huge complex for me, and since I didn’t really have a chin, my upper lip naturally looked even more protrusive. On top of that, I had super chubby cheeks haha;;;
At first, since I was already doing orthodontics, I considered switching to surgical orthodontics and then doing two-jaw surgery, but the risks seemed too big, so I decided on facial contouring.
As you can see in the pre-op photos, there honestly wasn’t a big problem from the front. Just that my cheekbones stood out a bit and my chin tip was slightly asymmetric? But the moment it went to the side or past 45 degrees ㅠㅠ the moment my side line showed, I really hated it so much.
Plus, I really hated photos where my face came out like a rice-cake bun, so for various reasons I spent a month going around to clinics, and I decided to have surgery at a clinic where the kind director and staff caught my eye! (I went around to clinics with my foreign husband, and we both chose this place. My husband got his nose done!) -> They had an interpreter too. Honestly, the interpreter there was such an angel that my husband said he had already decided on this place because of her lol
★-------------------------------------------(Surgery review)
Same day - I didn’t even have a drain, and I woke up right away from anesthesia without aftereffects, so I was just watching TV and waiting until I could drink water (you can’t drink water right after anesthesia ends ㅠㅠ). My face wasn’t severely swollen either, and if there was anything really uncomfortable, it was that my throat hurt like it was burning because of the anesthesia. Like a really bad sore throat.
So once I could drink water, I kept drinking constantly so my throat wouldn’t get dry.
Days 2~3 - They say swelling peaks then, but honestly I don’t think I swelled that much. This is when the real reality-check time starts. First, since you can’t eat rice and have to mainly eat drinkable patient meals/rice gruel/porridge, it was so hellish that I honestly thought being tortured might be better ㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠ seriously. I just kept watching mukbangs,,,, and I think I got through each day watching YouTuber Rona. I walked my dog, kept wearing the facial compression band, and did compresses whenever I had time @ㅡ@
Days 4~7 - From day 4, honestly there’s not much. It’s the same daily routine: drinking, going for walks, wearing the compression band,,,, doing compresses. And on day 7, I got the stitches in my cheekbones removed! (Oh, they put tape under the chin, but I thought it would hurt too much if the nurse removed it, so I removed it myself at home before going,,,,)
From after day 7, you can eat soft regular food! The first thing I ate was rice boiled into kimchi stew ㅠㅠㅠㅠ It was seriously insanely delicious.... I remember it being so delicious that I almost teared up ㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠ
And from day 7, I didn’t wear the compression band anymore except briefly when sleeping or when my face felt tight/lumpy! Also from then on, I alternated warm compresses and cold compresses!
★For warm compresses, 15 seconds on the front side in the microwave, 15 seconds on the back side!
Oh, and because I’m in orthodontic treatment, my gums were seriously pure hell.... Of course they still are. My teeth really hurt so ㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠ much ㅠㅠㅠㅠ The facial contouring surgery itself doesn’t hurt, but people doing it together with orthodontics... let’s hang in there... When I brush my teeth, I seriously want to rip all my braces off with my hands lol ㅜ;;
And I had nosebleeds and bloody sputum, and breathing was so hard because of that. The clinic told me not to blow my nose, but I guess I have no tolerance for discomfort, so I just blew it really hard and my cheekbones felt kind of numb and sore,,, If you get this done, please be careful,,, You definitely have to spit out the phlegm !!!!
And in week 2, I finally got the intraoral stitches removed, but because my gums were very weak from orthodontics, getting the stitches removed was a bit hellish;; Also, they told me not to drink or smoke... but I smoked,, Then the nurse removing my stitches caught me and scolded me ㅠ
But honestly, I don’t know yet whether smoking has bad effects because I haven’t experienced anything, but it’s really better not to use a straw if possible,,, In my experience the thin ones didn’t feel like much, but I sucked a smoothie through a big straw and my cheekbones hurt so much I almost died ㅡㅡ;
Anyway, after getting the stitches removed, the swelling went down a lot, and now I look like the photos! There’s still a lot more that needs to go down, and the chin area is still pretty firm and swollen, but I think the major swelling will all be gone in a month, so I’m really, really looking forward to it ㅠㅠㅠㅠ haha
For now, I’m super swollen in the morning and it goes way down by evening, so I hope it goes down enough soon that the evening look can stay ㅠㅠ
★ Oh, and after surgery, I didn’t lose that much sensation. Only my lower left lip had no sensation, and now I think about 50% has come back.
What is this recovery speed lol
Anyway, I hope this was a helpful review! Everyone, wrap up your day well!