<Everyday concerns> I didn’t have a prognathic jaw when I was young, but from the time I entered high school, my jaw and cheekbones gradually developed. By the time I became an adult, my enlarged cheekbones, square jaw, and prognathic jaw became my complex! When I was a student, I was even told I had a cute face, but once the fat in my face disappeared, I looked plain, older, harsh, and I even found myself reluctant to take photos with the default camera. I couldn’t do the hairstyles I wanted, and at the age when I should have been the prettiest, I felt miserable. I thought that if I could get rid of this one complex, my quality of life would improve threefold, so I decided to have the surgery as quickly as possible. In the end, I decided to undergo two-jaw surgery + 3 types of contouring (square jaw, chin, cheekbones). <Why I chose this hospital> The chief surgeon at YG Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery has over 20 years of experience, and I could feel that the staff treat patients not as just part of customer service, but with affection and closeness, one by one. They said they perform only one surgery a day, and that the surgical team has been working together for more than 10 years, so I felt reassured that safety was guaranteed and trusted them. More than anything, hearing the chief surgeon say that this is now his prime as a doctor made me feel that he was truly confident in his skill. <What I felt after the consultation> First of all, I did not seek the consultation with the vague thought of “I want to become prettier than other people.” I had a realistic reason: I wanted to smoothly correct and refine the misaligned central axis of my lower face, my developed square jaw and prognathic jaw, and my asymmetrically protruding cheekbones. The chief surgeon also did not make vague promises that he would make me prettier. Instead, he explained a detailed surgical plan through precise and careful skeletal analysis so that each person’s unique individuality could be preserved while achieving the best possible result, and I was able to have the surgery without feeling scared at all. <Recovery process> (Before surgery) Before the surgery, I exercised for 5-6 months to build my stamina, and for the 1-2 weeks right before it, I ate a protein-rich diet. Since it’s a major surgery involving general anesthesia, it was inevitable that my energy would drop a lot afterward. I don’t know if it was just me, but until the first week after surgery, even taking a shower left me dizzy, short of breath, and exhausted. And since eating is limited, you naturally don’t have much energy So to minimize the post-op drop in stamina even a little, I recommend absolutely no drinking or overeating before surgery, and focusing on staying healthy. Before surgery, after fasting for 10 hours, I arrived by 10 a.m. on the day of surgery, received the final surgical briefing, changed into a patient gown, and lay down on the operating table. I wasn’t very nervous. My family didn’t even know I was having surgery, and I went alone, so how could I not be nervous? As I mentioned above, the biggest thing was the trust I felt from the hospital. Even if a guardian stands beside you and says it’ll be fine, what changes?.. It may be comforting, but the people performing the surgery need to be the ones with fighting spirit for the result to be good. Because I trusted them, I was able to walk up to the operating table calmly. (Day 1 after surgery) If you wake up after sleeping deeply for 4 hours, you’ll look like the image below. Because anesthetic gas is still full inside your body, you can’t just keep sleeping; you have to stay awake and do deep breathing for about 8 hours to let the gas out. You absolutely shouldn’t take shallow breaths, and only by breathing deeply can you avoid taking in too much carbon dioxide, I was told. Otherwise, you can end up feeling sick all night, so I steadied myself and kept doing deep breathing diligently. As for the pain? In my case, it hurt so much that I wondered if I really had to suffer this much after spending my own money. (But of course, that makes sense. They cut the bones, moved them, and fixed them again, so it has to be endured.) I think I just wanted time to pass as quickly as possible. To describe it in more detail, my face felt like it might burst from the heat and tenderness, and because my nose was blocked I had to breathe through my mouth, but the tube inserted in my airway had wounded my throat, so it hurt every time I breathed. My nose ran and I drooled constantly, so I had to keep wiping it away, and the anesthetic gas made me feel nauseous and want to retch, but I had to hold it in because retching could burst blood vessels. After struggling through all that, I was able to drink water at 6 p.m. Still, I was fairly clear-headed, so I wasn’t sleepy, and I even made miserable groaning sounds thinking it might help.. but it didn’t. After suffering like that, I did start feeling sleepy again around dawn. I woke up every 2 hours, and they said that was actually pretty good. (Day 2) The drainage tube and urinary catheter are removed, and you can gargle and eat. The meal is New Care. I filled two bottles in a Daiso sauce container and drank it often. On the second day, the pain and discomfort were less than the day before, but I still wasn’t exactly feeling fine. I heard that some people bring books to read, but even if I put on something like YouTube, I couldn’t focus very well. I just kept hurting. Still, the nurses took good care of me, so it wasn’t unbearably uncomfortable. Anyway, day 2 also passed in the blink of an eye, so don’t worry too much. (Day 3) Discharge day. You can be discharged starting at 9 a.m., and the chief surgeon comes to check your condition. If the chief surgeon says you’re doing well, then you can just take it as you’re really doing well. In my opinion, it does seem like I was in better condition than other people. I was still feeling nauseous through day 3 and had a hard time. My boyfriend was supposed to come pick me up, but he was a little late so I almost got annoyed... but it’s better to have a guardian with you when you’re discharged. Because the patient is going to lie down as soon as they get home^^ So it would be good to have a guardian who can keep medicine, Otrivin, water, New Care, and similar things within easy reach and take care of various tasks. (Day 4) Maximum swelling From this day on, the swelling gets serious. Even then, I was still in a lot of pain... of course, not as much as on the first day. The heat and tenderness in my face did not subside easily. I think I worked hard on cold compresses, and once day 3-4 passes, from that point on you need to switch from cold compresses to warm compresses and do those diligently. I was told cold compresses help prevent further swelling, and that warm compresses are needed to reduce swelling. Even if it’s annoying, make sure to gargle well after meals, and even though it’s hard to swallow because they’re pills, you can’t skip the medicine, so be sure to take your medication properly! (Week 1) - Cheekbone stitches removal From this point on, I was able to gradually resume physical activity. Since I had been lying down for a whole week, it was so hard to move, and I could feel my stamina dropping sharply. I was 44 kg before surgery, and at this point I weighed 40 kg.... It would be strange to have strength Since I was craving sweets a lot, I tried to regain energy by eating lots of whipped cream and shakes, and I think I got IV drips about three times total, including vitamins and essential amino acids. (Week 2) - Intraoral stitches removal This was exactly when I first felt like I could actually manage. Before that I wasn’t dying, but from this point on I felt like my energy was coming back? Hydration and eating are definitely important. By week 2 they remove even the stitches inside the mouth, and after this day you’re supposed to work hard on mouth exercises so that the muscles don’t stiffen and make your expressions look awkward. (Week 4) - Wafer removal This was the first day I put on makeup after surgery. I also got checked for orthodontic adjustment, but it was hard because I couldn’t open my mouth well. You need to diligently do mouth-opening exercises Otherwise, I was told it will contract in that state Once the wafer is removed, saliva no longer drips, which makes you feel much better. By then, a lot of the swelling is gone, but since even that is only about 40-50% gone, it means you need to endure for a much longer time...!!! Don’t rush to make conclusions too quickly, and since there are lots of videos on YouTube with recovery-related information, I recommend actively looking them up. Don’t judge it on your own 5. Changes after surgery Q. Satisfaction? 80% because swelling still remains Q. If you could go back, would you still have the surgery? Absolutely yes. Even considering the food and pain after surgery, every surgery creates a wound, so there can’t be no risk... I think even if the risk is big, the reward is big enough to be worth it. The reason anyone gets cosmetic surgery is probably to get closer to objective standards of beauty. But the most important thing is whether there is a burden that makes you shrink every time you stand before people and every time you face yourself in photos. Looking like Karina, Winter, or Wonyoung would of course feel nice. But for the people who actually undergo this surgery, simply resolving the flaws that made them shrink back is itself a huge reward and a high-quality kind of happiness. You also feel a bit of liberation. Don’t be scared by the wording “two-jaw surgery” or worry about people’s gaze too much; ask yourself, “If this complex disappeared, would I actually be happier than I am now?” If after thinking it over several times the answer still seems to be “yes,” then I cautiously say this surgery can solve a large part of the problem! I’m now less reluctant to take photos, and I think I’ll be able to try various hairstyles, so I feel good. The masculine impression caused by my square jaw is gone too, so I want to try feminine styles as well. Isn’t that what happiness is? I’m glad that my goal of increasing my self-satisfaction by trying small wishes without hesitation seems to have been achieved!
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This review is a postoperative review that pursues a refined look.