I had silicone, ear cartilage, and septal cartilage removed. After 8 years, my whole nose started feeling like it was twisting and tingling. I didn’t know if it was psychological or if it really hurt, but when I went to ENT clinics or plastic surgery clinics, all they said was that nothing was wrong... I tried not to pay attention to it, but once I started noticing it, the nasal tip also looked noticeable. It wasn’t something that stood out clearly to other people, but when I took photos and looked at them, it showed. The silicone had been visible from the beginning, but I had just gone around without paying attention to it.
For 2 weeks, my mental state completely collapsed to the point where I felt like I was losing my mind, and I felt like I was going crazy. After my nose surgery, I had never even thought about revision surgery, and surgery itself scared me so much... While reading posts in a community saying things like noses become scary and so on, I became even more scared of the results... I didn’t even know what had been put into my nose. The hospital where I had the surgery closed down due to a medical accident just two months after my surgery, and for 8 years I lived truly satisfied with my operated nose. I heard a lot that it was pretty, and I had always had a complex about having a low nasal bridge, so I was really satisfied with it. If it hadn’t suddenly started hurting, I would have just lived with it.
I went to several private clinics and university hospitals. At first, I thought it had been straight silicone and ear cartilage. Since I’m in Busan, I went to a few places in Seomyeon, and at one clinic, they said a support strut had been placed, and after touching it, they said it seemed like L-shaped silicone? I instantly had a mental breakdown... This place had recently moved within Seomyeon. The staff and doctor were kind, so I thought, “Should I do it here?” At the second place I went to, the staff were messing around and dragging out time before finally consulting with me. When I said it hurt, they said they were just a place that performs cosmetic nose surgery, and that there was nothing their clinic could do about pain? What? Aren’t plastic surgeons doctors too??? They told me to go to a bigger hospital. The third place I went to was famous for noses, and many people go there for revision surgery. Everyone probably knows it. But they were incredibly rude and said removal alone was not possible. When I asked why not, they said even if they did it, my nose would become extremely ugly, and flatly said no. So I asked, “Then if someone gets surgery here and develops inflammation, you wouldn’t treat them either?” They said that was different, and anyway, if I removed it, I would look ugly, and from the start, they just didn’t want to do it. They really gave off the vibe of snobs who only care about money. And this is a place that does expensive surgery using costal cartilage. They always tell you to use costal cartilage. Before, on Naver, I saw a post by a mother whose nose bent into a C-shape after having revision surgery there. I was shocked when I saw the photos she uploaded, and honestly it was ridiculous. When I asked if it was L-shaped silicone, they said how would they know that.
I went to two university hospitals. At one, there were just interns everywhere. I went because it hurt, but they touched my nose so hard and pressed on the support strut, so it hurt so much that I made a sound. They just said, “Does it hurt?” That was it. They didn’t even seem to know well whether there was a support strut inside... At the second university hospital, the professor was nice, but said there was nothing wrong. He said it wasn’t inflammation, but when I said I really wanted to have it removed, he said he would do it, so I scheduled surgery. I contacted the public health center about the hospital that had closed due to a medical accident, got a contact number, called, and was able to speak with the doctor who had performed my surgery. I asked him, and he said he didn’t have the surgical record, but based on his guess, he does not use L-shaped silicone, so it was probably septal cartilage. On the day of surgery at the university hospital, I was very scared, so I asked for sedation anesthesia, but the professor gave me local anesthesia to the noseㅠ It was a bit scary, but I talked with the professor and got through it safely. Residents, interns, and nurses all came in. It was my first time entering an operating room, and there were many operating rooms inside the surgical area. The disinfection was also extremely thorough. After it ended, I was taken on a bed to a place like an emergency room? I rested there and then left. I got dressing changes every other day, and today is day 8 after removal. They took off the taping and put it back on. The stitches were removed. My nasal bridge is slightly higher than my pre-surgery nose, and even though a support strut had been placed at the nasal tip, it had only raised the height from my original nose shape, so the shape was the same. On day 10 after removal, everything will be taken off, and I’ll return to an ordinary nose.
University hospitals are cheaper than private clinics and manage things more thoroughly. They are also more trustworthy and systematic. The professor made me feel comfortable, so I entrusted my nose to him with confidence. He asked, “You didn’t even know septal cartilage had been used?” lol Right, I guess I was too ignorant. After 8 years, even though the nasal tip was a bit hard, it moved left and right, so I didn’t think it was septal cartilage. Thinking about it now, I had experienced that hard feeling near the philtrum a few times too lol I’m just so insensitive by nature lol
Notes
1. After surgery, I think I shouldn’t have had nose surgery for no reason. Before removal, on X-ray, the airway inside my nose was deviated. I don’t know if it was because it was closed rhinoplasty... But I have no problem breathing and no rhinitis, so I’ll just live with it. I’m going to live without any cosmetic surgery or cosmetic procedures. 2. And I think it was good that I had local anesthesia. During my nose surgery, after waking from sedation anesthesia, I had a headache, vomited, and was sick for several days. This time I was completely fine. 3. Don’t rely too much on community posts. While reading posts in the community, I became more sensitive and fearful, worrying with all kinds of thoughts that my nose might collapse or cave in. I think reviews should just be used as references. For details, you should ask your doctor, right? 4. Keep records after surgery. Get your surgical records too, and record how much you paid and how the surgery was done... so you can refer to it later. Because I didn’t have those things, I struggled a lot mentally. Not knowing what was inside my nose made the fear even bigger.
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