Hello. I’m finally writing my removal surgery review. I had my first nose surgery in August 2015, and I had the removal surgery 2 weeks later. I know the surgery used 1.5 mm silicone, a septal cartilage support graft, and ear cartilage. (Ah, the reasons for removal were uneven nostrils and asymmetry, nostrils that became severely smaller, ear cartilage visibility, and an artificial-looking nasal tip shape, among other things.) Even when I looked at the surgical chart, the only things I could identify were the use of a silicone implant and ear cartilage. + Right after removal, I was satisfied. My nose was fairly swollen so it was high, and the triangularly narrowed nostrils had come back quite a bit, though not all the way to how they used to be. The contraction phase started more than a month later, and as it kept tightening, my nose shape would get smaller and larger and look awful. But after it went past 8 months, strange symptoms started. A prickly foreign-body sensation, like being poked with needles. The area that felt that sensation even started to show through and protrude more and more. I had the implant removed, so I lost my mind over why skin was showing through. Well, since this January my nose condition kept getting worse, so I urgently went down to Jeolla Province and got the surgical chart. At first they didn’t give me the proper one properly (they only gave me the medical record), so I asked again on the spot and got it. Personally, I want to say you should somehow manage to get the operative record. You can’t know what condition your nose is in until they open it. You can make a rough guess by looking at the chart, so definitely get it. Time is just an excuse. It’s my nose that has the problem. My round trip took almost 9 hours, but I still went... (They did seem to give me attitude. Maybe because they had so many patients, the atmosphere felt like they wanted to get people out quickly.) Anyway, after getting the operative record like that, I filtered through the hospitals again and started consultations. In the end, I went to three places. GDGY University Hospital, YSSYT Hospital (Apgujeong), and Professor Jin’s private clinic. I’m not sure why I even went to GDGY. I think it only cost me about 50,000 won. Transportation, the medical certificate before going, and consultation fees; at GDGY, the doctor said he wasn’t sure about the visibility, but it was a saddle nose and correction through revision surgery would be possible. However, even if there was ear cartilage, he would not do removal surgery. He said the shape was fine and I could just keep living with it. He kept refusing even when I kept pleading, so I eventually gave up. And as for YSSYT, honestly, the name has been mentioned a lot lately, and I also liked the surgery reviews I saw on blogs, plus someone who had had Medpor removed there was satisfied, so I went. It was pretty good. The consultation was almost the same as Professor Jin’s. There was clearly visibility and a protruding area, but it could be my own cartilage, so it would be a bit risky to open the nose too hastily (up to here, it was really fine). But then they told me to go to a university hospital and get a CT scan. I was thinking of going to a local secondary hospital instead of a university hospital to get one (there was someone who came from BRM ENT), but they refused because autologous cartilage wouldn’t show up. I honestly almost went insane. At every hospital, they said the foreign-body sensation I felt was neuralgia. They said it could happen if the surgery was open. (Almost every hospital said the visibility was due to ear cartilage, and only Professor Jin and YSSYT said it was ear cartilage or my alar cartilage.) As time went on, the protruding part became visible even in photos. Even a small child could say that there was something round on the tip of my nose. From that point on, I rushed the surgery. )The level of foreign-body sensation I felt was like being poked with a needle even without touching it, and if I tapped that area lightly with a puff, I felt quite a lot of pain. It was really uncomfortable. Cushion foundation and latex use were difficult.) I went back to the plastic surgery clinic that had operated on me and confronted them again. When I asked, since people said there was ear cartilage, had they really removed everything properly? they got angry and said they would open my nose again this time to check, and if anything was there, they would remove it. Hearing them get angry made me feel bleak. And honestly, I agonized a lot back then. Whether to go to that hospital or look for BRM... The hospital that had operated on me said they would do it for free. (That hospital is fairly well known in the area. It’s been over 10 years.) Since I’m a student and was worried about money, I was almost leaning toward that hospital, but thanks to ** noona I met here, I changed my mind. Thank you, noona! Anyway, because of all that, I was going to go to BRM, but they said they were opening a private clinic and were no longer taking reservations. (Actually, after being disappointed at GDGY, my expectations were low.) So I waited a week and called on the opening day of the private clinic... After dozens of calls, I succeeded, booked an appointment that week, and went for a consultation. I could feel experience and maturity. And I liked that they did not recommend another revision surgery. (When you go to consultations at large hospitals, they tend to recommend revision surgery or autologous dermis.) I deliberately went with no makeup at all, just having washed my face, so the visibility and protruding area of my nose would be easy to see. Whether it was ear cartilage or alar cartilage, there was no way to know unless they opened it. But if we operate, the protruding part can definitely be removed. The foreign-body sensation is difficult (I felt a bit off here...), It sounded trustworthy, and since I had to have the surgery without my parents knowing, I said that if it couldn’t be done within a month, it would have to be a year later, so they accommodated the date as much as possible. I decided on surgery that very day. I set the date too. I started preparing with the thought that this would really be the last time. I packed my things and booked lodging. (There are short-term accommodations near Sinsa Station where you can stay after plastic surgery.) I went for surgery by 8 a.m., and since I wasn’t the first surgery, I dozed until 12. There was a twin room, and you change into patient clothes in advance and receive a consultation from the professor. They also put in an IV. I was so nervous that I ended up vomiting after the surgery... But the surgery itself was fine. I have severe aftereffects from sedation anesthesia, so after discussing it with the nurse, we did it under local anesthesia. It was manageable. It hurt much less than the place I had surgery at last time! ... I checked the condition of my nose in photos, and there was no ear cartilage. The professor said the inside of my nose was clean and in good condition, though there was just a little scar tissue. The source of the foreign-body sensation, visibility, and protrusion was my own nasal cartilage. One side was twisted and bent. I think that part had been stabbing into the skin. They said that part was corrected back to how it should be. After surgery, the foreign-body sensation disappeared and the protruding part went in. But then pain suddenly appeared in the second week, so... I lived very cautiously again. Maybe because this time the surgery was open, recovery was quite slow. The scar is bad as expected. (They said they could do it closed if I wanted, but I wanted to know the cause. Definitely.) ... Uh... I’m writing this on my phone on the bus, so even while writing I’m confused and the content is kind of all over the place, so please understand. Anyway, as of today it’s been a month, the pain disappeared a few days ago, and the tip of my nose is still swollen so it’s slightly high. I like it! Though it will probably drop again. And the bridge of my nose is still low. They said they would correct it with ear cartilage fascia, but I was worried about the cost, so I didn’t do it! It’s still a saddle nose. If I get really stressed later, I might consider it... From the side, it’s clearly a saddle nose. From the front, you can’t tell. The split in the nasal bridge is definitely... noticeable. It’s much lower than before. But I’m grateful simply that I didn’t end up with contracture. I think I’ll live like this. I talked on the phone and chatted with the people I got to know on the site, and they helped me endure the hard days after surgery. I’m truly grateful. Personally, I had the surgery without my parents knowing, so I’ve hidden it until now, and I paid for the removal myself by earning the money. I had no one to rely on, so I received a lot of help. (Absolutely, absolutely do not have surgery in secret. If the surgery fails like mine did, the cost and stress afterward are unbearable.) I plan to attach photos for just a few days sometime within this week. If I post them, I’ll edit the title! And! I was very behind on checking private messages. I was also busy with my own surgery and recovery, so it was hard... Sorry to those who didn’t get a reply. And for the removal part, I’ll tell you as much as I can based on my own experience, but I really don’t think I can recommend a surgical site. My nose surgery failed, so how could I recommend a surgical method...? ......There are many things I couldn’t write, and I’m not sure what I should write. I’ll add more bit by bit...
+ I left out the most important thing. I think the cause of my twisted cartilage was massage. After more than 6 months, it had become soft, so I twisted it this way and that. I really pressed and mashed it hard with my hands. I was basically checking it while massaging. But then suddenly, with a cracking sound, I felt something move to the left. There was pain too. After that, visibility slowly started and it began to protrude, and... it happened exactly on the left side... I’m sure that was the cause. It was a foolish thing to do..... Even if you have removal surgery, for at least a year after nose surgery, don’t rub and mash it like I did. Be careful..
+ I resent the hospital that operated on me a lot, but they botched the surgery, yet they did do the removal surgery well. Except for the saddle nose and the split nasal bridge.... It seems that if you remove the septal support graft, there’s nothing to be done about it. There’s also the columella retraction, of course. Should I be grateful that they removed the silicone, septal support graft, and ear cartilage? I spent my own money to put it into my nose and take it out again, what a show. One inconvenient thing is that unlike before, because it’s now elevated my nostril hair is very visible...........