<Before surgery ><Immediately after surgery *The length may look different depending on the photo angle*><Day 1><Day 2><Day 8><Stitches removed!><1 month><1 month + 1 week (current, before the 1st laser treatment)>I was always bothered by my long philtrum and my upper lip curling inward, and I disliked the flat feeling where my side profile dropped straight down, so I considered it a complex! I had wanted to have surgery since 5–6 years ago, but I gave up and lived with it because they said scars remain 100%, and people around me tried to stop me. This time, as midface reduction became popular, I started noticing my philtrum again, so I thought I should at least get consultations and went to 10 hospitals famous for philtrum reduction. ▶ The hospital I chose after much thought was because 1. The director and consultant gave careful and thorough consultations 2. The director is called the god of suturing! (does very meticulous suturing) 3. Focuses on safety: the director recommended what suited my face, and because there needs to be enough margin in case I ever need revision surgery, we decided to cut about 5.5 mm from my long philtrum of about 2.1 mm!! (No excessive surgery recommendations!!) 4. I felt I could trust them with things like A/S and scar-care responsibility, so I chose this hospital. ▶ Before surgery, I arrived at the hospital, had another detailed consultation, and went into surgery. I went alone without a guardian, and around the time anesthesia started, the consultant in charge held my hand tightly, so my anxiety and trembling eased... I was really thankful then~ ▶ Immediately after surgery, I looked in the mirror and the surgical area was sutured so meticulously that they really could be called the “god of suturing”!! (The director is the best!) After coming home, blood pooling + bruising & swelling started at the surgical area! As the anesthesia wore off, it slowly started to hurt.. It was manageable if I took painkillers?? ▶ On day 9, I went to the hospital to have the stitches removed, and the director carefully checked my postoperative progress, and the nurse disinfected everything thoroughly too~ (I felt like I was a case with more bruising than swelling.) After the director & consultant looked at it, they said I had a lot of bruising and that about 1 out of 10 people can bruise like this, and although my recovery period may be longer than others they reassured me that it would get better. ▶ It has now been 1 month + 1 week since my philtrum (inner and outer) reduction & mouth corners & philtrum dimple surgery! Today I’m seeing the director for my first scar-care session and going to get laser treatment~ When I look in the mirror, the flat look that was my complex is gone, and my image looks more defined, so I’m satisfied!! To minimize scarring, I diligently followed the precautions the hospital gave me, and I’m managing it every day with disinfection, ointment, and gel sheets. I’m trying to be careful until the 3-month mark, so even now I still use a children’s toothbrush and cut food into small pieces with a children’s spoon to eat, etc. (automatic diet lol) while managing it. It definitely seems to take longer and be harder to manage compared with other surgeries. Because there are aspects like this too, I hope anyone considering it thinks carefully before doing it! *The length may look different depending on the photo angle*
1
This review is a surgery review pursuing a natural look.