Hello. It has already been a full year since I had cheekbone reduction surgery with Dr. Oh Jung-seok at a facial contouring clinic on December 31, 2024, the very last day of the year. When I first got onto the operating table, I had so many worries, but now I have adjusted completely to daily life, to the point that I forget I even had surgery. To share my current condition, it has been a long time since not only the major swelling but even the minor residual swelling went down, and the sensation I was most worried about has now returned 100%, so it feels no different from before surgery. Unless I happen to lie down with my cheekbones pressed against a hard floor, I do not feel any pain or foreign-body sensation at all when pressing on them in everyday life.
What I remember most during the recovery process was the tingling feeling around my cheekbones. They say that is actually part of the nerves recovering, but at first it felt unfamiliar, so it bothered me. But as time passed, the intensity of that tingling gradually became weaker and the episodes became shorter, and now it has been a long time since that feeling disappeared completely. I guess the saying that time is the best medicine really is true.
Since I looked in the mirror every day, there were times when I became a bit numb to the changes, but when I compared my current appearance with my pre-surgery photos after a long time, the line had really become much smoother. Especially when I wash my face or cup my face with my hands, I can clearly feel that the overall volume of my face touching my palms has decreased. Before, my cheekbone area protruded, so it felt like my hands caught on it, but now it feels like everything connects smoothly without uneven contours, which is amazing and makes me very satisfied.
The reactions from people around me are also one of the big reasons I feel that getting the surgery was a good decision. Maybe because the cheekbone line has been refined and my face shape looks softer, the comments I hear most are that my impression looks much cleaner and that I look younger. Every time I receive compliments that the strong-looking impression is gone and that I look more lively, I feel proud.
The surgery itself is important, but I think the hospital’s aftercare also increased my satisfaction. It was not simply over once the surgery ended; the hospital contacted me regularly and carefully checked my condition, so I was able to focus only on recovery without major worries. Looking back now after 1 year, I think deciding to have the surgery without hesitating back then was one of the best choices I have made in my life.