I only had the silicone removed. In my case, the silicone and cartilage had separated on one side, creating a visible border, and the cartilage shape was different on the left and right, so I also asked about removing the cartilage. But they said that if the silicone was removed, that area would improve too, so I only had the silicone removed.
Maybe because I only removed the silicone, the cartilage shape is still the same. They said the silicone may have been pressing down and making the cartilage show through, so when I touch it, the uneven cartilage shape on both sides is still unchanged.. But whether it no longer shows through I think I'll only know after removing the tape.
I still haven't had the tape and stitches removed yet, haha They said they'll remove the stitches and tape tomorrow, on day 7, exactly one week after. If only the silicone is removed, the swelling does seem to go down well day by day, but with tape on the nasal bridge, and stitches inside the nose (they aren't very visible from the outside, but if you look closely, they look like nose hair.; lol) if you go to work or school right after surgery, I think just walking around with the tape on would draw attention lololol Daily life is possible, but going out is a bit haha aside from taking walks, meeting someone is kind of awkward
It seems the timing for removing stitches and tape differs by hospital, so make sure to ask about this before removal. Usually it seems like they remove them after 5 days, but mine seems to be the longest... 7 days... (Maybe it's because it overlapped with the Chuseok holiday..)
I did feel pain occasionally, but there was almost none. Instead, the tape and stitches sometimes itch when eating food or..? in situations where the nose moves.. I just want to get them removed quickly.. lol
The swelling goes down quickly as each day passes. As the swelling goes down, the nasal bridge keeps dropping like it used to be when it was low, so I feel depressed, worried, and scared. I keep thinking, I hope it doesn't get any lower. (My friend also only had silicone removed, and although it did get lower, it wasn't completely the same as before nose surgery.) But I still don't know Since my silicone was placed high, I think the change is very noticeable. As the swelling keeps going down, I feel depressed. I had raised it a little over about 4.5 mm.
Anyway, think carefully about removal too, prepare yourself mentally for it getting lower, and I think it would be good to set aside at least one week for it. ^^