Before <Before surgery (ear cartilage at the nasal tip, septal support graft): only the nasal tip is unnaturally high. This is not a full side view, but a slightly turned angle where the unnatural angle is somewhat visible>Before <Side view before surgery>After <After removal (removal of ear cartilage from the nasal tip, removal of septal support graft, cartilage repositioning): side view (there are still stitches, and you can see nasal discharge in the photo too ㅠㅠ please understand)>0. Introduction The nasal bridge is my own bridge, without silicone. The nasal tip had been raised with cartilage and a septal support graft.
It was a nose without inflammation or contracture, but the nasal tip was so unnaturally high that it bothered me (I also didn’t like the shape ㅠㅠ). Still, it didn’t cause much inconvenience in daily life, so I lived with that nose for almost 6 years. I was also very worried that if I removed the nasal tip implants, contracture might occur or the shape might become even stranger.
Recently, while searching by chance, I learned about nasal tip removal, and I thought it might not be as risky a surgery as I had imagined (it turns out contracture does not always happen when you remove the nasal tip), so I gathered my courage and had the surgery.
There seem to be many hospitals famous for removal surgery. Even at the time I had my surgery (several years ago), this was the only hospital I had heard of. There seem to be many others on the list too, but most were new to me, so I thought I would first just go for a consultation at a place I had heard of, and I ended up having surgery there. I’m posting this divided into 5 parts, so please use it as reference. (1. Consultation review 2. Surgery review 3. Disinfection review 4. Stitch removal review 5. Photo review)
1. Consultation review I wrote down my questions in advance in case I couldn’t remember them during the consultation. I think the consultation with the director lasted almost 30-40 minutes. Since this was already a revision nose surgery, I know how other hospitals handle consultations, but I was satisfied because the consultation was more in-depth than I expected. At the hospital where I had my first surgery, the consultation with the counseling manager was much longer than with the director who operated on me, but here it was the opposite. After a long consultation with the director, I had a short consultation with the counseling manager, and then it ended. There was a consultation fee of 10,000 won, but I was satisfied. They spent that much time with me, and even though I asked many different questions, they answered well without seeming annoyed or uncomfortable. The director also got up from the seat and touched my nose once. They also showed me previous surgery cases (surgical photos) and explained them. And the consultation was very honest. They clearly explained that not everything would turn out exactly the way I wanted, and rather, they even told me to think once more about removal surgery. Because of this conscientious and honest attitude, I thought I could have surgery here, so I scheduled a surgery date. (From a patient’s perspective, I think it is important to be told honestly from the beginning what can and cannot be done, rather than hearing something different after surgery.)
2. Surgery review (open surgery, sedation anesthesia) The surgery took almost about 2 hours to 2 and a half hours. Just looking at the time, I think they put a lot of care into it, because that is not a short amount of time. But this may vary by person, but I woke up near the end of the sedation anesthesia ㅠㅠ I even talked with the director during surgery while awake.... Things like, “Oh no, I think I woke up,” “When will the surgery end?”, “When the surgery is all done, will it hurt more than what I’m feeling now?” and so on.... Because anesthesia had been administered, it didn’t hurt much, but there were a few stinging sensations, and then the surgery soon finished. I was also very shocked, and it was a scary experience... Thanks to that, I got up from the operating table and came out completely clear-headed ㅠㅠㅠ... (Usually you would probably be groggy or disoriented.) I recovered quickly and came out, but they said I had to consult with the director after surgery before leaving, so I waited a bit more. After surgery, they directly showed me the nasal implants that had been removed. In my case, they showed the ear cartilage, septal support graft, and scar tissue. Seeing them brings up many thoughts: Ah, this was inside my nose... These were the things tormenting me and stressing me out... Now they’ve finally been removed.... The director explains how the surgery was performed while looking at photos. They also directly show and explain the shape during surgery and immediately after surgery, so it is easy to understand. There are also some photos that are a little hard to look at with your eyes open haha... After that consultation, I went home! (It is not difficult to go home alone after surgery! It is a bit uncomfortable, but the pain is not severe. Still, I recommend taking a taxi home. There is some throbbing.)
3. Disinfection review (the day after surgery) My memory of disinfection during my first surgery is vague ㅠㅠ It may even be that there was no disinfection at all.. It was several years ago, so I don’t remember, but what is certain is that the director did not do it! But this time, when disinfecting after surgery, the director did it personally. I was satisfied that the director personally disinfected the inside of my nose, which was covered in nosebleed and nasal discharge! From a patient’s perspective, it is better to receive it from the director. During disinfection, you can ask about anything you’re curious about, and it’s good if they check the condition, such as whether it is healing well! (The disinfection is a bit uncomfortable, but it does not hurt.)
4. Stitch removal review (one week after surgery)
I arrived earlier than my appointment time, so first they had me receive 20 minutes of infrared laser treatment to reduce swelling.
Removing the stitches took about 10 minutes. The stitches did not hurt much. The director removed them personally, and it seemed like they did it carefully. I definitely remember it hurting during my first surgery (first surgery hospital - it was a large hospital, and staff did the disinfection and stitch removal), but this time it hurt less than expected, and rather than tears from pain, I sweated more because I was nervous haha.. Some people say stitch removal hurts more than the actual surgery, but that is not true at all. Just in case, I brought a small doll to grab and pull at, but I did not use it. Other areas were mostly okay, but when removing stitches inside the nose, it was a bit painful and uncomfortable. Because I groaned from the discomfort, the director also said the inside is originally uncomfortable.
Oh, but it is day 7 after surgery, and bruising that wasn’t there at first appeared. Just very slightly on the nasal tip. They said it can appear as the swelling goes down, even if there was no bruising when there was swelling at first. Please keep that in mind~~!
5. Lastly, I’m attaching photos. Before surgery (nasal tip surgery only / ear cartilage, septal support graft) and after surgery (please keep in mind it has only been one week after surgery / removal of ear cartilage from the nasal tip, removal of septal support graft + cartilage repositioning). The nostril asymmetry has also improved. I think I’ll only know the front view after more swelling goes down, so I’m attaching only the side view. (The photo was taken before stitch removal, so the stitches are visible, and nasal discharge is visible on the nose too ㅠㅠ Please understand.)
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