-Pre-op photo (the one with the red arrow is the pre-op photo) -Post-op photo (photo from day 9)
Surgery for protruding cheekbones, which were my complex (7-8 mm osteotomy on both sides) Long, receding chin T-osteotomy mini V-line surgery (chin length reduced by 7-8 mm, and because my receding-chin tendency was severe, the chin was advanced by up to 8 mm) Even though it was advanced as much as possible, I was told it might still look slightly insufficient later, and if that happens, we should think about chin fat grafting later. The photo was taken with the YouLike app, and I debated a lot whether to upload it or not. The contour effect is all set to 0. It has only skin retouching, and there is almost no difference from the iPhone's built-in camera in the contour area, so I am uploading this photo. I still have a lot of bruising, and in the morning I swell a lot, then it goes down again by evening. Because of the swelling and bruising, I am still not at the point where I can make plans and go around without a mask, but it only looks good because of the skin retouching effect. I think it will still take about 2 weeks before I can really go out. I just wanted you to focus on the contour line. I still have a lot of swelling and bruising, but I am amazed and very satisfied that my cheekbones have become straight. I also told them before surgery during the design consultation that I absolutely did not want a female-style super V-line chin, and I think they shaped it nicely and roundly into a mini V. Since the dimensions of my face have decreased, it is only natural that it has become smaller, and the lines seem to have become more refined too, so I am satisfied on day 9 today. There is still a long way to go because of the swelling, though, and I plan to keep walking hard.
Posting this is probably a bit premature, but I am writing this in hopes that it will help those who are deliberating about it, and also so that I can look back later and remember what I felt at the time. (First, while writing this, I want to make clear that I am receiving no benefit of any kind from the hospital. This is my personal review.)
I think I spent about 5 years considering facial contour surgery. I did have a complex about it, but honestly, I only had the feeling in a corner of my heart that I wanted to do it. I knew it was a major surgery, and I also knew about the side effects that could come with it, so I only had the desire to do it and was just thinking about it while I had the time. Then, after leaving my job, I started browsing places like Naver cafes, and my desire to get it done grew larger and larger like a snowball. After that, I think I started by researching online first.
-Research, in-person visits, and a phase of giving up
At the beginning of my online research, I was psychologically very exhausted. Even in the early stage, I did not know about a site called this community, so I mainly looked at hospitals that were said to be famous in various Naver cafes. Searching hospital after hospital for days was exhausting. I also searched for side effects of the hospitals that were often mentioned for contouring, but there were only reviews saying things went well, and no reviews about side effects. And whenever I searched recommendation posts, those hospitals kept showing up, so I thought, wow, if it's that hospital, I can trust them and leave it to them. After going to consultations at the most frequently mentioned places among several cafes, I even placed deposits at two hospitals. Then, feeling uneasy, I was Googling, and that was when I found this community. After that, I searched thoroughly for the two hospitals where I had placed deposits, looking up initials, the doctor's name, post-op reviews, and so on, and I went into complete shock. Because this is a very careful and major surgery, I was already in a sensitive state, but after reading side-effect posts about the places where I had put down deposits, I completely panicked. I thought, as expected, there is no hospital you can fully trust, this is a dangerous surgery... contouring is not something to do. Of course, there is no hospital with zero side-effect posts, but after reading those posts I was almost ready to give up, but once I had made up my mind, I still could not give up So I decided to start over from scratch and look again.
-Re-consultation
After searching for several days in this community, the place that stood out was TACO Plastic Surgery, and I went for a consultation right away without delay. Surgical skill is the most important factor, but I also think the surgeon's character and personality matter. He had a good impression and spoke in a very calm, gentle way, which I liked. Compared with the hospitals I had been to before, I could feel that he looked at my face in much finer detail. He was the only one who recommended 2 procedures instead of 3. (cheekbones, chin) Looking back now, I think my face would absolutely not have been suitable for 3 procedures. I don't have a square jaw and my face is rather slim. The lines are also nice. I still do not understand why other hospitals recommended 3 procedures. The consultation was also the longest, and it was conducted while looking at the computer and making corrections in Photoshop, so it was easy to understand, and he answered the questions I had prepared in advance very well. I do not remember the details clearly because the surgery took place about a month after the consultation, but as rumored, the consultation was good and honest. I immediately canceled the deposits I had left at the other hospitals and made up my mind again to put down a deposit and have the surgery.
-Back to giving up because of cheek sagging
Because I knew he had extensive experience and very good skill, I was not worried about functional side effects. When I asked about cheek sagging at multiple hospitals, the doctors always said that my skin quality was good, so I did not need to worry much about cheek sagging. Of course, I know that Dr. Kim Tak-ho is also the kind of surgeon who honestly tells each person whether sagging is likely or not depending on their individual skin quality. In my case, just like at the other hospitals, he said I was a case where I did not need to worry much about cheek sagging. I also thought I did not have much facial fat and knew my skin elasticity was good, so I felt reassured, thinking, as expected! But since there was a lot of time left after setting the surgery date, I searched all the posts on this community and other plastic surgery communities about cheek sagging, and also searched Google for posts about cheek sagging. Regarding cheek sagging, I had thought, "I have good skin quality, so this is something I don't need to worry about," but as I dug into various related materials and posts about why cheek sagging can happen, my mental state collapsed again. Is this something that is unavoidable? Is it impossible to overcome even with individual differences? I thought it would be better not to have the surgery at all if I would have to get lifting procedures regularly. Reading the various posts about cheek sagging was really confusing, and in the comments there were people saying it did not happen to them and others saying it was inevitable, so I worried a lot. Even though my conditions for cheek sagging were relatively favorable, up until 3 days before surgery I had given up about 80% because of cheek sagging, and I went back for another consultation to ask about it in detail. The doctor explained everything one by one, including the surgical method, skin quality, age, amount of facial fat, and amount of bone removed, plus and minus factors, and once again gave me confidence that I was a case where I did not need to worry, and, most importantly, because I was very anxious about cheek sagging, he showed me photos of someone who had had contour surgery with Dr. Kim Tak-ho 4-5 years ago and had recently returned to have a nose surgery done by him again. From what I could see, there was no cheek sagging at all. I was very anxious and wavering, but the doctor also spoke to me warmly about things beyond the surgery itself, which reassured me and made me calm again, and I was able to go to the hospital on the scheduled day with peace of mind.
-Immediately after surgery
On the day of surgery, I had about 20 minutes of design work before the morning operation, then I had a CT scan, changed clothes, washed up, and immediately lay down on the operating table. When I woke up, the nurses woke me on the table. Well, I think everyone already knows from searching how hard general anesthesia can be. But I did not have any throat pain at all. My throat was not hurt at all, and what was hardest was dizziness and nausea from the gas. I vomited blood once, and could not sleep either. Blood kept coming from my nose and mouth. Because I had to keep breathing out gas... I also could not drink water. That process was hard, but after the surgery, even though I was disoriented, I met the doctor, and the nurses took good care of me, so around 11 p.m. I took a taxi home. When I drank a glass of water from the convenience store in front of my house, it felt like all the gas had gone out and I really felt alive again.
-Day 1-2
There was less swelling than I expected, and the pain was not as unbearable as I had imagined, so I walked quite a lot. (I walked 22,000 steps, but looking back now, I think resting on day 1-2 would have been the right thing.) Eating was very uncomfortable and I could not sleep well, so it was hard.
-Day 3-4 These were the hardest days in terms of swelling and heat. My face was so swollen it felt like it would burst, and on top of that I ended up taking 2 extra painkillers that the hospital told me to take only when in pain at 12-hour intervals, within 6 hours, so I had a terrible time. (To be honest, I was not even in that much pain; I was the one who took them preventively because I was worried I might hurt if I did not follow the hospital's instructions) I am sensitive to painkillers in the first place (they cause trouble with urination, body swelling, constipation, and a heavy stomach feeling), so I had been living without taking painkillers... but after taking 2 of those strong ones... my head suddenly started spinning, I felt terrible even while sitting still, just looking at my phone made me feel like I was going to collapse, I felt nauseous and thought I might faint, so that was the first time after contour surgery that I regretted it.. It hurt so much that I wanted to go back to before I had the surgery. The dizziness and pain really felt like I was going to die, so I called 119 and went to the emergency room and got an IV and survived. Please do not take painkillers carelessly or in large amounts. Absolutely not. Even the painkillers the hospital gave me by default did not suit me, so after consulting with the doctor, from the 2-week supply of medication I received from the hospital, I removed the painkiller ingredient and took it, and changed the painkiller to Egian Six.
-Day 5-6 After surviving the ER and recovering a bit physically, and after changing painkillers, my body gradually started to recover, and from day 4 the swelling was visibly going down, and by day 6 I could feel that I was at least starting to look like a person again. I took three types of swelling-reduction medicine I saw on YouTube (Tripline, Banosin, Bruna), walked hard, and went to the hospital to receive swelling care too. The toothache lasted for about 12 hours on day 5 and then disappeared, and after that the feeling of tightness inside my mouth was a bit difficult.
-Day 7-9 From this time onward I had more energy, I had the stitches removed (I was touched because the doctor removed the stitches too. I heard there are many hospitals where you do not get to see the doctor after surgery, but I feel like I saw him every time I went.) and after that the tightness inside my mouth also decreased a lot. The pain on day 9, today, has improved enough that I do not need to take painkillers at all. The swelling is going down quickly. I also took swelling medicine and walked hard for about 3 hours a day. Now that there is no pain, I feel very much alive. I eat regular food slowly, walk diligently, and my condition has improved.
-What was hard up to day 9
-For a week after surgery, I knew from many posts and group chats with people who had already had contour surgery that it would be hard, and I coolly thought I should just assume I would die for a week. But when it actually happens, human beings become selfish and start wishing not to be in pain. You cannot sleep deeply, time passes more slowly than expected, and it is hard. The pain also comes and goes. But after a week, it really becomes much easier.
-Mental strain due to swelling (on day 3, I did not even look like a person) and fear about whether the surgery went well
-If painkillers do not suit your body, you may feel nausea or dizziness. In that case, please consult the hospital.
-Heat, numbness, pain, toothache, sensitivity to cold, nosebleeds, bloody phlegm, tightness inside the mouth are natural symptoms and gradually improve. As of day 9, I feel very well. At the moment, the symptoms are only occasional mild nosebleeds and bloody phlegm.
-TMI
Here is the YouTube link for the 3 swelling-reducing medicines. I think people who know that pumpkin juice is not helpful will already know this. (The main ingredient of pumpkin juice is beta-carotene, which has nothing to do with swelling.) If you watch it and think it will help, you can buy it after watching the video. https://youtu.be/NXgN3RuUnLI
Contour surgery is really hard, isn't it? Before getting it, it is mentally hard, and after getting it, it is hard mentally and physically. What helps a lot is there are group chats on KakaoTalk related to contour surgery. Sharing information and schedules, getting encouragement to stay strong for surgery, and sharing this and that after surgery helps a lot. Also, in this community, for the same hospital, people who had surgery on similar dates, or people who are going to have surgery, are gathered on KakaoTalk to make group chats, share schedules, share information, and encourage each other. That was really helpful.
And once the hospital is decided, search all initials for posts about that hospital in this community (whether good posts or side-effect posts) and also search on Google for the hospital name, the doctor's name, and so on, carefully filter out blacklisted hospitals, and choose carefully before having surgery. Rather than writing posts asking only for unconditional recommendations for a good hospital, you need to figure it out yourself and research a lot. Whether through Googling or initials.
I will leave another review after the remaining swelling and bruising go down!