I went through life without knowing I had facial asymmetry. That’s because until then, I hadn’t been interested in photos or how I looked. When I went to get an ID photo in my second year of high school, I was shocked when I saw myself in the camera. It was so different from the way I clearly saw myself in the mirror. It was a shock... After that, I realized I had facial asymmetry and kept living with it. As time passed, I started thinking about double jaw surgery to treat the facial asymmetry that had been my complex. I was 25, in December. I searched everywhere on Naver and on ㄱㄴㅇㄴ. I carefully looked up reviews, prices, side effects, and more! Among them, YG Oral Surgery caught my eye by chance, and I thought, this is it, so I, who was living in the provinces, went there without hesitation to get a consultation. During the first consultation, they took photos at the clinic, and the director and manager looked at my face and said it was a case for double jaw surgery. I told them about my concerns, and they listened carefully. Telling someone about my complex made me feel strangely relieved The director spoke realistically, and somehow I came to believe I wanted to leave everything to him. I had heard he had a lot of experience and many surgeries under his belt, so that gave me even more confidence. I left after the consultation feeling relieved.
<Before surgery> I had pre-orthodontic treatment for 1 year, then double jaw surgery, square jaw surgery, chin surgery, and cheekbone surgery! I wanted to have the surgery quickly, but they said I needed orthodontic treatment first, so I diligently underwent orthodontic treatment for a year! About one month before surgery, I had the wafer made and went through blood tests and an internal medicine exam! The manager also gave me clear guidance on the precautions before surgery and what I needed to prepare, so I got everything ready without any problems before surgery I prepared mainly the things I really needed, like pumpkin juice, New Care, a baby toothbrush, sauce containers, and so on.
Day of surgery (1/2) My appointment was at 10:00, but I arrived a bit early at 9:40. With the staff’s guidance, I changed into a hospital gown in the inpatient room, unpacked my things, and before going into surgery, I briefly received an explanation from the director and then went in. I came alone for surgery without a guardian, so I was a little scared, but they said the staff would take good care of me, which reassured me! I went into the operating room, lay down, and as the anesthetic injection went in, I fell asleep before I even knew it. Once I regained consciousness, it was quite painful! The director had also said the first day is very hard, but when I was really in that situation, it was difficult! I didn’t have pain like facial pain, but there were hose-like tubes in my nose and mouth, so it was really hard to breathe The director also came in midway and said the surgery had gone well, which comforted me. I remember them saying I hadn’t bled much either The first day really passed in a daze, with my head pounding, no strength in my body, and even when I wanted to sleep, I couldn’t.
Second day (1/3) At 8 a.m., they removed my urinary catheter. It felt a bit uncomfortable, but once it was out, I felt much better And 30 minutes later, they removed the tube from my nose too, and breathing felt so good~ After that I got swelling care and saw the director, then they removed the drain from inside my mouth! It felt refreshing as one thing after another came out. Then I went back to the inpatient room and had my first meal in two days, with New Care.. I had no appetite because my body was weak, but I still ate with the thought that I needed to eat to recover faster. One bottle was 200 ml, and drinking even one was really hard and took a long time My throat was swollen, so I couldn’t swallow a large amount, which probably made it take even longer. Still, I forced it down, gargled, and rested. Maybe because I hadn’t slept the day before, I felt sleepy. But I had to sleep sitting up, so I couldn’t sleep deeply; I would sleep for an hour, wake up, and repeat that over and over! Time really did not pass I had been sitting for so long that my butt hurt a bit, but I walked around the hospital from time to time to ease it. On the second day too, I couldn’t sleep deeply and only slept in fragments, watching YouTube in between and holding on with the thought that I’d be discharged tomorrow.
Third day (discharge 1/4) Even though time really didn’t pass, that day finally came. Around 8 o’clock, a staff member explained the discharge process and precautions in detail! After hearing the explanation and resting a bit, at 9 they removed the IV needle that had been in like a drip and gave me swelling care! Once everything was done, I finally changed into my own clothes and packed my things to get ready to go. I couldn’t see the director because it seemed they had surgery that day, but after hearing the staff’s explanation, I went downstairs, got my prescription, and was finally discharged^^ When I got home, I took my first shower, and it felt so refreshing. I hadn’t washed for 3 days I also tilted my head back carefully when washing my hair. They said if I bent forward, I’d get a nosebleed, so I washed carefully. Even so, I still ended up getting a nosebleed... Once I washed and lay down, I felt drowsy. But for about 3 or 4 days after surgery, I had to sleep sitting up. My lower back hurt a lot. Still, home was the best They said I had to do cold compresses through days 3 and 4, so I kept doing them often. I also kept wearing the compression band. For all three meals, I only had New Care.. There was no choice since I could only eat liquids anyway I also had to take my medicine, so I kept up with all three meals.
Day 5 (1/6) That day was the peak of swelling.. I was surprised, thinking, so my face can swell this much too. It was funny too.. Since it was winter and cold, I couldn’t go for many walks, but I made sure to walk for 30 minutes once a day! I also kept doing hot compresses. It was easy since I just put it in the microwave and used it. From that day on, the yellow bruising became clearly visible. They said bruises would go away naturally anyway, so I wasn’t too worried
Day 7 (1/9) It was one week after surgery and my first follow-up visit after the operation! Since I also had cheekbone surgery, they removed the sutures from my sideburn area at the one-week visit. I felt no pain at all, and I only slightly felt the sutures coming out, but since they worked quickly, it ended before I even realized it hurt. They also disinfected my mouth and gave me swelling care before I left!!
Week 2 (1/16) The swelling had definitely gone down compared with week 1! That day was for removing the sutures inside my mouth. I went in at 10 a.m.! From the reviews too, people said removing the sutures inside the mouth hurt a bit. I was nervous, but I braced myself hard and endured it, and it did sting a little.. But the director handled it quickly and smoothly, so the pain didn’t last long.. After the sutures inside my mouth were removed, I started eating noodles and porridge! After two weeks of only liquids, being able to eat soft food made me so happy. From then on, the director told me to practice lip exercises and opening my mouth, so I practiced whenever I had time.
Week 3 (1/23) By week 3, the swelling had gone down a lot compared with the beginning, but it was still a long way to go. Still, I think I was getting through it by watching my appearance change day by day! Since my asymmetry was quite severe, the swelling seemed to go down unevenly. It was fascinating that the center lines of my upper and lower teeth matched. The swelling on my cheeks is still a little uneven, but since swelling after double jaw surgery can keep going down for 6 months to a year, I’m going to wait and see with time! Right now, it doesn’t interfere with daily life at all, and I’m doing well. I walk for more than 30 minutes once a day, and I’m diligently drinking pumpkin juice morning and evening too. It will take time, but I’m curious how things will change from here
Week 4 (2/1) It had been one month since the surgery. Finally, goodbye to the wafer I went in, first got an X-ray and CT, then checked my condition with the director. They said about 40 to 50% of the swelling had gone down and there were no other problems. I threw away the wafer and started orthodontic treatment again! I thought opening my mouth would hurt, but since I didn’t open it very wide, it didn’t hurt. Still, they told me to keep practicing opening my mouth! All that’s left is to manage the remaining swelling well and wait for a great result to emerge. Thank you for reading this long post.
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This review is a post-op review pursuing a natural look.