✦ Why I Decided to Have Surgery Ever since elementary school, I grew up being called “chick” because of my protruding mouth and retruded chin. When I entered middle school, I became more sensitive about my appearance, and I even developed a habit of resting my chin on my arm to hide my side profile. I had orthodontic treatment in high school, but the underlying skeletal problem remained, and my malocclusion and appearance-related complex were still there. Even after becoming an adult, I lived without confidence, and even comments from people around me like “you’re cute” or “you look young” felt like words that triggered my complex. Because my face shape and image looked too gentle and light, I felt like I wasn’t able to show who I really was. The deciding factor was last year, when my depression became severe and I even lost the motivation to live. I thought, “I can’t go on like this,” and finally decided to undergo the double jaw surgery I had put off for a long time. ✦ How I Chose the Hospital I had consultations at a total of three oral and maxillofacial surgery clinics. At Yang Yoon-dol Hospital, which was my first consultation, the director gave me a very thorough diagnosis, and I felt that the consultation time was sincerely focused on me. Considering the director’s explanation and the quality of the consultation, the cost, and the kind guidance from the counseling manager, I trusted this hospital the most, and in the end I chose it. At first, I wondered whether I should only have chin advancement, but my condition was not simply a retruded chin. It was a severe case of mandibular hypoplasia + malocclusion, and after the consultation, we planned double jaw surgery + chin advancement (two-step osteotomy). I also provided celebrity photos as reference images, and they actually reflected them in the surgical planning chart. The director also explained that to get close to that image, a two-step osteotomy method would be necessary, so I really felt it was a delicate and customized surgery. ✦ Surgery and Recovery Process Surgery date: Late May 2025 Surgery details: Double jaw surgery + chin advancement (two-step osteotomy) Hospital: Yang Yoon-dol Hospital The first day after surgery was really hard. Breathing was the most difficult, I had no sensation, and the swelling was so severe that it was hard to stay clear-headed. The nurses checked on me frequently and quickly took the necessary measures, so I relied on them a lot. I was discharged on the second day after admission, but because I was alone, I felt even more helpless. Eventually, on the third day, I contacted the hospital by KakaoTalk and told them, “I think I need to go down to my mother’s house in the provinces,” and they replied warmly right away, which was a great comfort. After that, I continued recovering with my mother and mainly ate soft foods such as porridge, smoothies, New Care, and steamed eggs. By day 7, breathing had become much easier, I received dressing care at the hospital, and I also learned how to manage swelling and wear the wafer. From day 11, the bruising and swelling noticeably went down, and when I showed photos to acquaintances, I heard so many comments like “it turned out really well,” “you look like you have a different face,” and “you’ve become handsome.” On day 15, I had the stitches removed and received swelling laser treatment, and I was finally able to eat dakgangjeong and boneless chicken cut into small pieces. On day 25, I was able to eat sushi at QooQoo, and on day 29, even jokbal and pork-bone hangover soup. On day 30 after surgery, I looked at CT scans and comparison photos at the hospital and confirmed a change so dramatic that even I was extremely surprised. ✦ Changes After Surgery and Satisfaction Before surgery, I had never once been told that I was “handsome.” Because of my appearance-related complex, it was hard for me to confidently stand in front of people. But after surgery, I have been hearing “you’re handsome,” “your face really changed,” and “you look like a different person” countless times. When I was with my mother, an acquaintance said, “Your son is handsome,” and the next day they even separately told my mother, “Please make sure to tell your son he’s handsome.” This was something the pre-surgery me could never have imagined. More than anything, the biggest change was not only the external change but the recovery of my inner confidence and self-esteem. Now I no longer avoid taking photos, and I feel satisfied when I look at my face in the mirror. And the director personally told me that he advanced my chin by 21 mm. He said this figure is very rare even among severe retruded-chin cases like mine, and he showed pride in saying it was a surgery of historic scale, so I also felt very grateful. ⸻ ✦ Final Thoughts The reason I decided to have surgery was not simply out of a desire to “become handsome.” I wanted to change the discomfort in my life that included the appearance complex built up since childhood and functional problems (malocclusion, temporomandibular joint pain, pronunciation issues), and at Yang Yoon-dol Hospital I experienced the beginning of all those changes. Now that I am facing the world with much more confidence than before surgery, I am leaving this post with a happy heart, hoping it may be of even a little help to someone.
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This review is a surgery review pursuing natural beauty.