Hello? :) I’m sharing my cheekbone surgery review~
[Reason] Part of why I felt this more strongly may have been because I had been getting Botox regularly, but separately from that, as time passed I felt the fat in my face gradually starting to decrease. As volume decreased mainly around my temples and lower face, my facial bone structure became more noticeable. So I decided to get Juvelook Volume and went in for the procedure, and during the procedure the director at another clinic said, “This is bone.” They said people like this consider facial contouring surgery, so I decided to look into surgery. Before that, I didn’t really even know what contouring surgery was. This winter was a perfect chance to focus on recovery, so I decided to look into surgery for the following week right away.
[Consultation] I really dislike going back and forth shopping around for consultations. I hate troublesome things. I hated it even more because it was cold. So considering that the surgery would be handled exclusively by a single representative director, and that he specializes only in facial contouring surgery, I instinctively felt that Director Oh Jung-seok would be the most trustworthy. After a brief consultation at The Standard of Facial Contouring, I immediately scheduled the surgery date. He did not seem like someone who would gloss things over with words, and I sensed a healthy stubbornness, so I felt he would take care of things well on his own. He seems like a warm robot. It seems like he has learned how to empathize and how to filter what he says, and he looks like someone who would dislike wasting energy on useless things. He also seems like he would dislike illogical and unscientific claims. Above all, I liked that he seemed like someone who would focus on the surgery and show the result through the outcome. I felt he would do things properly by the book. His likes and dislikes show completely on his face, so he didn’t look especially talented at business. That made me trust him even more. I don’t know about anything else, but he just seemed like he would be good at surgery. He told me to bring celebrity photos on the day of surgery, so I collected several on Pinterest and brought them.
[Right before surgery] - I arrived at the scheduled time, but the wait was long, so I kept nodding off. I had a morning appointment, so I had slept only 2 hours before going. (Everyone, please sleep well before going, since you should have surgery in good condition~) - I don’t know if that is just the staff member’s usual way of speaking, but the employee who gave the preoperative instructions sounded curt every time she spoke, which made me even more tired. Her basic customer-service manners did not seem good, and it was not much different whenever I saw her afterward either. - That staff member recited the postoperative precautions like rapid-fire rap, so I had to stop her midway and ask again. For her, it may be a process she explains to many people, but she needs to recognize that for the person having surgery, it is information being heard for the first time. - On the other hand, the director was even kinder that day, and he seemed to have more energy than when I saw him during the consultation, so I trusted him more. He is someone who wisely distinguishes where to spend energy and where to spend less! - In fact, I had nothing else in particular to say, but I felt like I should say something sincerely, so I spoke in a stream-of-consciousness way. He said I seemed to be thinking a lot, but actually it was because I had nothing especially to say. (Still, the process of clearly and specifically telling the doctor what you want is really important!) Because my morning appointment had been tiring, I was sleepy even while waiting for the director, and I just wanted to sleep quickly. I was confident I could fall asleep within 10 seconds even without anesthesia. And since that had been my plan from the beginning, I had looked for a director I could trust in the first place. - The director told me I did not need to worry, so I felt reassured again.
[Immediately after surgery] - Surgery was over. Seeing that something was wrapped around my head, surgery was over. - The anesthesia had not fully worn off, but the nurses forced me to stand up, so naturally I sank forward. I had no strength in my legs, but they said I had to get up even if I had no strength. I was dumbfounded because how exactly was I supposed to do that? While groggy, I asked, “Could you hold me?” and they answered, “We will hold you,” while waiting for me to get up. In the end, I moved to the recovery room in a wheelchair. In the process of falling, I braced myself on the floor with my hand, so the blood vessel in my left arm with the IV burst and bruised. - After the anesthesia wore off, that situation annoyed me, but while I was waking up from anesthesia, a kind nurse in the recovery room took out my phone for me and looked after me well in various ways. - After waking up from anesthesia, I did not feel any particular pain.
[Before going home on the day of surgery] - The director asked, “How are you feeling?” but I was wearing a lifting band, so I could not tell what was what. I just thought it probably went well. - When I asked, “Are my lips numb because they’re swollen?” the warm robot told me not to worry about things like that from now on. He said once you start paying attention, this area feels uncomfortable and that area feels uncomfortable, and that it will all come back later. He was right.
[Sleep] From the day of surgery, I put a beanbag on top of my bed and slept on it. I don’t know if it was a good method.
[Swelling] - Day 3.. flatfish. - Until days 8-9, my face felt flat because of swelling. Still, after that it was no longer quite flatfish-level. Maybe sunfish-level? - From around day 10, even if swollen, I was in a condition where I could go around more or less. My front-facing face went from 2D to feeling 3D. - Up to week 3, there was still quite a lot of swelling in my cheeks. I felt that once this went down, it would be able to look 3D even from a 45-degree angle, but until then it looked somewhat flat. - From week 4, I could visibly see that the swelling had decreased noticeably.
[Sensation] - The sensation on the right side felt especially reduced. - There are times when my temple feels itchy and tingly, and I wonder if that means the nerve sensation is returning. - My right upper lip does not move properly when speaking or eating, so it bothers me functionally. - When I visited to have the stitches removed, I asked the director about the above difficulty, and he said it is not an area where a major nerve passes. He said recovery would take about 10 days to 6 months. He said it differs from person to person.
[Stitch removal] - At week 1, the stitches in front of my ears were removed, and the director removed them carefully, so it did not hurt at all. - At week 2, removing the intraoral stitches stung slightly, but it was tolerable. (It doesn’t hurt~)
[Swelling care] - From week 2, I occasionally loosened only the decolletage area with an EMS home device, and it helped with swelling each time. I did not use it on the surgical area. - I took Newvein, but I’m not sure if it had a remarkable effect. Still, for my self-efficacy, I took 1-2 tablets a day when I remembered. - I also don’t know whether supplements are effective, but I took vitamins B, C, D, E, omega-3, and CoQ10. Actually, these were just what I had already been taking, but I took them hoping they would help recovery even a little. (Ask your doctor before taking them~)
[Daily life] - I rushed the surgery because I had no outside appointments for a while, but after surgery, things kept coming up that required me to go out. Still, after about 2 weeks, I could go out without difficulty. - It is frustrating not being able to exercise above a certain intensity.
[Inconveniences] - At week 2, I heard a clicking sound around the temporomandibular joint disc when opening my mouth, but it seemed to improve from weeks 3-4. - During surgery, the area below my right lip tore, leaving a small scar. It bothers me because it looks like something is stuck around my mouth. It seems like it will disappear after a few months. - Sensation in my right temple area still has not fully returned, but since they said it is common, I believe it will gradually come back. - It is uncomfortable that when I put force into my lips, my right upper lip turns toward the left. - When pronouncing rounded mid-back vowels and bilabial sounds, my upper lip does not move appropriately.
***** Conclusion: 1. I can still feel that swelling remains, but I can feel that my facial line has been refined. 2. I will write again at the 3-month point, focusing on the inconveniences I currently have. 3. The director is good at surgery. He is skilled. He is meticulous. He has an excellent eye. *****
That’s all!