DI Community Review

My nose was operated on 20 years ago with an L-shaped silicone implant, but the skin at the nasal tip became too thin and short, and because of rhinitis, I needed revision surgery. So I thought of it as my last surgery and did both online and in-person research, going to consultations at hospitals said to be good at revision rhinoplasty, and among them the hospital I liked the most was DI. While going to consultations, the surgical methods and designs the doctors aimed for were divided between functional rib or autologous costal cartilage++ silicone nasal bridge + functional nose surgery, and functional nose surgery + ear cartilage + septal cartilage only. First of all, I did not want to use donated rib cartilage, and if surgery was done only with ear cartilage and septal cartilage, nasal tip drooping could occur later. Also, my own septal cartilage itself was not that large. And more than anything, looking at my current nose, which had surgery but showed no sign of having been operated on at all, I did not want my revision surgery to turn out like that either. I wanted it to be natural while improving the short-nose feeling and upturned shape, and since I was investing time and money anyway, I wanted it to look prettier.. The biggest deciding point in choosing the hospital was that Director Jung Yeon-ik is good at using autologous costal cartilage, and he said that while harvesting autologous costal cartilage, he could use soft tissue for paranasal augmentation to support the nasal dorsum and fill in volume and height more effectively. Even though it included functional nose surgery and was a revision surgery, the surgery took 2 hours. Since I’m older, I had many worries about the autologous costal cartilage wound and recovery. The incision for the wound was under 2 cm, and by one month it had healed well, and I don’t think the scar will be very visible. Up to 2 weeks after surgery, it felt a bit stiff and sore, but now the autologous costal cartilage area feels so normal that there’s no need to worry. Rather, now the inside of the nasal ala intermittently tingles, and when I asked, they said it is part of the recovery process as the nerves return. I hope it continues to maintain well like this without any inflammatory reaction. In my case, the swelling went down the most in week 2, and I think it took 3 weeks for even the residual bruising to disappear. As for rhinitis, honestly, I’m not sure yet. Breathing is not uncomfortable, but sensation has not fully returned yet, so I think I need to watch a bit longer to know whether there is an effect. I applied my insurance for reimbursement and received compensation as well. They prepared the documents well, so there was nothing in particular to supplement. Also, the staff are quite kind. The operating room, front desk, and consultation manager are all friendly and respond well to inquiries. As a result, about a month has passed since surgery, and every time I look in the mirror I’m completely satisfied. Looking at the previous photos, especially from the side rather than the front, my nose was too small, short, and unattractive. Now it has been completely improved, and the height and nasal tip length both turned out better than I had expected. I think I chose the hospital well.