There were aesthetic reasons why I decided to have double-eyelid revision surgery and functional rhinoplasty together, but the discomfort I felt because of my nose was the bigger factor. My nose originally often felt blocked, so I naturally thought it was rhinitis. I just put up with it, but since I was already considering nose surgery anyway, I started looking into it with the idea of improving the functional aspects too. As for my double eyelids, the line I had done before was gradually coming undone and looked uneven, so I was considering revision surgery.
Before surgery, I had so many concerns. Since it was revision surgery, I had to be even more careful with my eyes, and even though the nose surgery was functional rhinoplasty, I was really worried about what if touching it unnecessarily made it even more uncomfortable. So I went to several consultations, and the test results were more unexpected than I thought. I thought I had rhinitis, but they said it was actually not rhinitis, and that swollen mucous membranes could be making it uncomfortable for me to breathe through my nose. They explained in detail how they would correct that, and because I have keloid-prone skin, they also explained which surgical method would be best, so I trusted the clinic more. So I had surgery with Director Kim Jae-yoon, used donated costal cartilage for my nose, and for my eyes I had incisional ptosis correction plus lateral canthoplasty and lower canthoplasty.
Right after surgery, there was more swelling and discomfort than I expected, so the first few days were a little hard. Especially with my nose, the splint made it feel stuffy, and on the day of surgery it was uncomfortable to breathe, so I had to breathe through my mouth for a long time, which made it feel even harder. Still, after the cotton packing was removed, it got much better, and breathing gradually became more comfortable. My eyes were quite swollen, so every time I looked in the mirror, they felt awkward. Even so, after about a week, the major swelling started to go down, and by around week 2, I could almost go about daily life normally. As time passed, I could feel everything becoming more natural overall. Since I had dual canthoplasty as well, I think my eyes look more open and refreshed than before.
I’m at week 4 now, and although some minor swelling still remains, I’m much more comfortable compared to the beginning. Especially with my nose, the blocked feeling is almost gone, so breathing is definitely easier, and the shape has also settled naturally overall, so I’m quite satisfied both aesthetically and functionally. However, since I’m still in the recovery process, the shape of my nose seems to keep changing little by little, so I’m slightly worried about that. Some days it looks fine, but other days it seems slightly crooked, so it does bother me, but I’m thinking it’s because of swelling and watching it for now.
The reactions from people around me have also been good without feeling burdensome. Rather than hearing that it obviously looks like I had surgery, I’ve heard more comments like it looks more refined, it turned out naturally well, and I wouldn’t need to say I had nose surgery unless I wanted to. Close friends also told me it turned out much more natural and good, so I felt relieved, and overall I’m satisfied and going about my daily life.