I wanted to look better and more three-dimensional, so I thought seriously about plastic surgery. I looked through many apps and communities and searched for hospitals that matched the conditions I wanted.
My conditions were 1. Rhinoplasty correction must be done well. - It was my biggest concern about my nose, and because I had heard that rhinoplasty correction is difficult, even after checking many before-and-after cases, there were very few places that corrected my broad/narrow-basis nasal shape as much as I wanted. 2. Must have skill in male cosmetic surgery. - Because plastic surgery is still mostly women’s area, I needed a doctor with good male surgery results. 3. The doctor’s aesthetic sense must be good. - My own aesthetic sense is quite weak, so even though I knew the parts I wanted to fix, I needed a doctor who could understand my face shape on their own and perform the surgery naturally to match it without overly detailed instructions from me. 4. Only an independent clinic. - I knew there are good doctors in large hospitals, but I did not like the factory-like atmosphere. 5. The doctor should also look good. - It is a very personal point, but I thought someone who looks good in real life may have managed their own appearance more and, similar to point 3, likely has stronger aesthetics. 6. Distance and transport home. - Since I live outside the city center, this mattered, too.
Based on these conditions, I checked reviews from several hospitals and visited about five. Most hospitals gave good opinions, but those where surgery was impossible on my preferred schedule were eliminated right away. (In the two that did not match my schedule, it felt like the consultation even failed to properly come through.) From the remaining three, I decided on Leo Plastic Surgery as the place that best matched my desired conditions, with rhinoplasty performed as the most important requested procedure and consultation feeling as if it could correct my broad/natural-spreading nasal form. (It was not a hospital that had been open for long, but because Dr. Ichi-an had extensive experience in Jaejoon, and the surgical results of other patients were exactly the style I wanted, this seemed very important.)
I also asked each hospital about doing my eyes as well, and because most people said my eyes looked a little upturned toward the forehead and slightly sleepy, I decided on non-incisional eyelid correction too. (My eyes should not change too much... only to look clearer from my current shape.)
I scheduled surgery after 3 weeks... and prepared my personal recovery items. Preparation items: 1. Humidifier 2. Vaseline or lip balm 3. Tylenol 4. Sterile gauze 5. Sterile saline 6. Cleansing water + cotton pads 7. Individually wrapped straws (without this, drinking water is very inconvenient) 8. Individually wrapped cotton swabs (essential for applying ointment or cleaning/disinfecting) 9. Beak-shaped mask (other masks press on the nose) 10. Soft foods I can eat easily (porridge, ice cream, etc.) 11. Loose, easy-to-put-on clothes 12. Skin-tone fixing tape
These were needed or very helpful. Dry shampoo (I used it once, and it was better to cover my face with a towel while drying my hair while standing.)
When surgery day came, I visited the hospital in very comfortable clothes (the hospital had instructions such as fasting and no medication). After being guided to the recovery area, I changed clothes, waited, washed my face again, and had another design consultation with the doctor. Because this was the final design decision, he explained it in detail and carefully tailored it to my requests.
After using the bathroom, I entered the operating room... In the operating room, wearing a thin patient gown, I remember feeling cold. As soon as I lay down, received blankets and all needed surgical devices, had my face disinfected and prepared, and at some point I realized I had fallen into a daze and then returned to the recovery room. Even at that stage, anesthesia was still present after surgery, so I received care in the recovery room until my mind fully cleared.
The surgical site felt intense foreign-body sensation. As I gradually adapted, after about 1-2 hours I gave the signal that I had recovered, and after receiving precaution instructions, I was able to be discharged. I received medication on the 1st floor, and because my condition seemed fine, I took the intercity bus home. (A subway ride might have been difficult because I may have needed to stand.)
When I arrived home, I checked my condition again and felt reassured. Everything was fine, but... The packed cotton that completely sealed my nose started to feel very uncomfortable. Because I had to breathe only through my mouth, dryness began from my lips to my neck, so I became very careful about humidity control and water intake. (Even if I managed with lip balm or Vaseline for dry lips, the drying that reached the neck improved.) Pain was almost nonexistent, but the discomfort reduced my satisfaction.
I needed something to focus on, so I chose to spend time quickly by watching games or Netflix. Another inconvenience was that opening my mouth was limited, so during this period I only ate porridge. As long as the nose stayed fully packed and nosebleeds kept coming, I kept replacing the slightly wet gauze bit by bit, giving ice compresses, and managing humidity, and time kept passing. (If you drink water from a normal cup without a straw, the gauze can become fully wet and you may end up drinking diluted blood through it.) (I only took oral medication; for ointment, I only did it on my eyes.)
On the first, second, and third day after surgery, when the day came to remove the nasal packing, swelling was at its worst, and from the morning I felt tense. If I came at the scheduled time, the doctor saw me almost immediately and removed the source of pain (the packing) right away. When removing the packing that was tightly filling the nose, it was a bit uncomfortable, but feeling air enter my nose made me forget all of it—it reminded me how precious my nostrils are. Then I received an antibiotic injection and laser treatment to reduce swelling, and I headed home.
From then on, even just removing the nasal packing made the remaining recovery period feel much more comfortable than this 2-day/3-night period. (Compared to the sense of not being able to breathe, the main discomfort was the feeling that something foreign was fully occupying the nose.)
My mouth did not open fully, but I changed to regular food, and started walking for swelling management. A new discomfort: for the face, except for the outer areas away from the center, I could wash with cleansing water, but the surgical center area could not be washed, so with my oily skin, sebum build-up started to make it itchy. Aside from this, because I focused only on recovery at home, boredom became even larger. (I started applying ointment on the nose from then.)
On day 8, I went back to the clinic at the scheduled time. The eyes had nearly fully recovered because it was non-incisional correction. For the nose, I had splint removal, external stitch removal, and nasal stent removal (the support pillar that supports the septum). After removing it, breathing improved from about 70% to about 90%. After the splint and external sutures were removed, there was slight stinging.
I saw my face for the first time after surgery, and the swelling made it shocking. Because of swelling, it was still rough and the nose tip was still lifted a lot, and I even had a fleeting worry that this would be how it stays forever. (Think of this face as not the real final one.)
Since I had to face large swelling, I paid more attention to swelling care and, while taking laser treatment, resolved to reduce salty food and walk more. After returning home, for the first time I could wash my face again; I carefully cleaned around the nose and eyes very gently, and almost all discomfort disappeared.
Now it has become a comfortable recovery period. Compared with before surgery, daily life feels almost the same except for wiping clear runny discharge.
I took photos every day and checked how swelling was reducing as I recovered. From the top of the nose, swelling disappeared rapidly; the nasal bridge formed its shape, and the tip gradually settled from a lifted state. After another week passed, my biggest concerns of broad/natural-spreading nose shape and short nose seemed resolved. (And the nose shape being pretty is a bonus;;) The anxiety that maybe the surgery was wrong after splint removal disappeared day by day, and each day became a life I could be satisfied with. ㅎㅎ
My 2-week self-evaluation of appearance changes: With non-incisional eyelid correction, my eyes became clearer, and they changed from sleepy-looking to a more lively look. Surprisingly, I did not have a secondary canthoplasty, but because the curve of the eye shape changed, the width between eyes seemed slightly longer. Through nose surgery, the short nose and broad/natural-spreading nasal shape were of course corrected. When I looked at my face, my gaze now went to the center of the face, and the previously flat, blunt appearance feeling disappeared. I had a strong sense of satisfaction. There is still swelling left to go down, and as the tip drops further, I think the satisfaction will increase.
On day 15, I came for my final visit. I had internal stitches removed, and the final part fixing the nose was removed; because of that, the nose shape looked better within a few hours. I made a follow-up appointment for 2 months and headed home again. Although this one surgery was the result after much consideration and will need evaluation up to 3 months, even at this 2-week stage I already feel very satisfied. If you are still considering male eye and nose surgery, I recommend visiting Leo Plastic Surgery. The aesthetic sense is truly excellent. Once the swelling fully settles and the tip fully descends, I will leave another review. Thank you for reading this long post.