As I entered my late 40s, my forehead and under-eye areas started to look hollow, the fat under my chin, nasolabial folds, and marionette lines became more noticeable, and when my face was expressionless, I looked sad. For the past 3 years, I consistently received Ultherapy and Thermage treatments. For 2-3 months after the procedures, things were okay, but after some time passed, I felt like I looked even older. I thought that a surgical method would be more effective and economical in the long term than getting a few dermatology treatments, so from then on I searched hard for plastic surgery clinics, carefully read reviews, thought about which surgery would suit me, and made appointments at three places. I was nervous even though it was just a consultation, and I was worried I might miss something if I went alone, so I went with my older sister, who has much more experience with plastic surgery and consultations than I do. The first place I consulted was a plastic surgery clinic, and the consultation with the manager exceeded my expectations. According to the sister who went with me, ordinary consultation managers often recommend too much with a sales mindset, but this person first listened carefully to my needs, accurately pointed out only the areas I needed, and clearly explained the reasons. She said the manager seemed truly professional and very experienced. 1. Since my sagging was not severe enough to require a full-face lift, she said a method of lifting upward through minimal incisions could effectively improve the wrinkles around my mouth and nasolabial folds. 2. For the area where I had a double chin, she recommended a “volume SMAS lift,” removing fat under the chin and using that fat to fill the hollow areas under the eyes and under the forehead. After that, the director came in and explained the surgical method in detail, giving a thorough consultation without overtreatment. I originally have facial asymmetry, and he said he would do his best so that it would not look more prominent after surgery. Because I have a habit of putting tension into the corners of my mouth, he explained in detail how to relax the mouth corners, since marionette lines could form again. I had many questions and it could have been annoying, but although the director is from Seoul National University, he was humble and very considerate of patients, which made me trust him even more. I got the feeling that this was definitely the place. I canceled the consultations I had booked at the other two places and decided on surgery right away. On the day of surgery, everything went smoothly. After surgery, I had no pain, and aside from swelling, I did not feel any particular discomfort. I received a 3-day prescription, wore a hat and mask, took an intercity bus, and came home. As instructed in the notice from the clinic, on the first day I slept with my pillow raised to prevent swelling, and the next morning the director personally called to check my progress. I was truly grateful for that kind of consideration from the clinic. After surgery, from the very first day, I could feel that the area under my chin, around my mouth, and the nasolabial folds had improved dramatically. The under-eye and forehead areas where fat was grafted, and the upper cheekbone area near the ears where the skin was pulled and sutured, were swollen, but there was absolutely no problem with daily life and no discomfort eating. The swelling peaked until the second day, and because I’m the type who swells easily, from the third day I wore a bucket hat and tried to walk as much as possible to reduce swelling. For about ten days, I applied ointment to the sutured areas once or twice a day, and during the first week I wore the compression band whenever possible while at home. A few days ago, when my stitches were removed, I saw the director, and he said my progress was good, the surgical areas had healed well, and since the swelling would continue to go down, only improvements were left from here. It’s week 2 now, and since my jawline has become sharper and the nasolabial folds around my mouth are gone, I feel like people often see me as much younger than my actual age when I go shopping. Once the swelling around my eyes and cheekbones goes down too, I expect I’ll look noticeably prettier and younger~~.
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This is a surgery review pursuing a natural-yet-defined look.