It’s been a really long 7 days. In my 3rd year after rhinoplasty, I couldn’t stand my skin getting thinner over time, the heaviness, and the hard, stuffy feeling of cartilage, so I had everything removed.
Photo 1 Before removing implant + cartilage Photo 2 Day 7 after removal Photo 3 Day of removal Photo 4 Side view on day 5 after removal
I had septal cartilage and 3 mm silicone inserted. When I had the surgery, the doctor was someone I knew, so I had the surgery without hearing or asking for any explanation about it. It turned out they weren’t even a board-certified plastic surgeon, and they were like a businessperson who said my perfectly normal eyes with double eyelids looked pitiful and recommended double eyelid surgery + medial and lateral canthoplasty.
I had the surgery for 4 million won, with anesthesia fees charged separately. It was crazy. I decided impulsively without doing any prior research and got on the operating table. I really regret it. I think this happened because I was foolish.
Anyway, I really hated the feeling that there was something in my nose and that it felt hard. For a surgery I foolishly got without prior research, fortunately my appearance became prettier, so I lived happily for a while, but because my skin kept getting thinner, later on it felt like people were only looking at my nose. Especially under sunlight or fluorescent lights..
While looking into removal, there weren’t many hospitals in the Daegu area that only did removal (most recommended revision surgery), so during winter break my mom and I acted like I was going to get revision rhinoplasty and I got the removal done. I negotiated the price down and down, and got it done for a little under 1 million won.
In the photos I uploaded, photo 3 is from the day after removal. I didn’t have swelling or bruising in any other particular areas. I think I liked it most on the day it was taken out. A moderately high nose lol
And on day 5, after I took off the taping, I had a mental breakdown and couldn’t sleep a wink that night. The “human-faced fish” lookㅠㅠ with the nasal bridge shaved down that I’d seen in reviews in this community turned out to be about my face. Before surgery, my nasal tip was broad, but I used to hear a lot that my nasal bridge was high... but it was like a caricature, with the nasal bridge omitted. Since it became flat, it feels wide. On top of that, the bulb of my nose is still very swollen, so my face looks even wider and flatter..ㅠㅠ
I wondered if I should go right away and at least put silicone back in. But today is exactly day 7, and now that my face is becoming a little familiar to my eyes, I feel like I’m giving up and becoming more detached. The swelling at the nasal tip has also gone down a bit..
The contraction period everyone talks about seems to have come a bit earlier for me. From the evening of day 6, my nose suddenly felt tight? then soft again, back and forth.
Photo 4 is my current side view, and it hasn’t especially lifted or anything yet. Since I originally had a short nose, I do feel like I’m almost going back to my old Shih Tzu-like appearance.
I think everything progresses a little faster for me than for other people. I don’t know what will happen going forward, but even now I feel like 70-80% of my old nose has returned. Because of the nasal bridge, I don’t think it can be 100% anyway..
It’s really hard to accept how you look after removal, but even thinking about it now, I feel removal wasn’t a choice but a necessity. If my skin was already struggling when it had only been three years, there was no guarantee the problem wouldn’t get worse as aging progressed further, and the related psychological anxiety has also been relieved.
Still, it’s not like my mind has been completely at ease just because I had removal! School has started now too, but I hate my flatter-looking face, so I don’t want to go to schoolㅠㅠㅠㅠ
My nose still hurts when I make certain movements. For example, when I open my mouth as wide as possible, pull my philtrum downward, or press firmly on my nose. It is soft enough that it feels like I could make a pig nose, but it still seems painful when I touch it, so I haven’t tried.
If anyone is extremely stressed after removal like me, let’s all hang in there togetherㅠㅠ Let’s look in the mirror a little less for a while..
I’m thinking of getting filler after some time passes lol I guess I still haven’t learned enough of a lessonㅋㅋㅋㅠㅠ If anyone has gotten filler after removal, please give me advice! I asked the doctor, and they said it is possible as long as the wound has healed..ㅠㅠ but that it would be better to monitor the progress, giving only vague answers like that. I keep thinking it would have been so nice if I had been born pretty from the startㅠㅠ Please cheer me on.....!
+Also, I had the removal done through a closed approach. The left nostril where the silicone was removed barely bled from the day of surgery and had no swelling. The right nostril where the septal cartilage was removed was still bleeding even after I came home on the day of surgery, and a lot of blood scabs formed in the nostril. Fortunately, it’s day 7 now, and looking at it, they don’t seem different in size.
Also, right before the removal surgery, only my nose was extremely oily, and it’s still the same after removalㅠㅠ Will it get better with time..? Phew
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