I had three procedures: cheekbone reduction, square jaw reduction, and chin tip surgery. The pain from the surgery itself went away after about a day, but because of the general anesthesia, I had a really hard time from the first day until about 3 weeks. At first, I had nausea and thirst from the anesthetic gas, and afterward my whole throat and lungs had a hard time with coughing, phlegm, swallowing saliva, and so on. In the beginning, I produced a huge amount of phlegm, so it felt like I was suffocating. Then once the phlegm decreased, the coughing started. I took an antitussive expectorant every day and drank a lot of water to take care of it. But I think this probably varies from person to person. I think mine was on the severe side. Still, after 3 weeks, it completely got better.
The most important thing: swelling The first day was okay, but from the morning of day 2, the next day, I swelled up a lot. You should expect it to keep swelling until days 3 to 5. It really felt like it might burst. For me, the swelling was at its maximum on day 4. My face swelled from the cheekbones and eyes down to under my chin, but my mouth would not close. On top of that, I was drooling an incredible amount, so I kept blocking it with a towel.
I was supposed to do cold compresses, but when I wrapped my face with the compress pack, it felt like I could not breathe, so I barely did it. Still, I did do it until day 3.
After about a week, the swelling on the upper part went down first, and because of the bruising, it turned yellow. After getting the cheekbone stitches removed first, the swelling goes down a bit faster, but it still remains, so you should not pay too much attention to it. Then it keeps going down, and after getting the intraoral stitches removed in week 2, the swelling and bruising also go down really quickly together. Once you pass week 3, the bruising is almost gone, and the swelling is definitely reduced. But from then on, it goes down slowly again. Still, after more than 3 weeks, there is no problem walking around outside. After a month, I went in for a follow-up, and they told me it still needs to go down more. I still have a lot of swelling around my cheekbones and cheeks.
Also, they said I need to practice opening my mouth. I thought that once the intraoral stitches were removed, my mouth would naturally open a bit more, but 1.5 fingers was my limit. Now, at one month, I can fit 2 fingers, and they told me to practice until I can fit 3.
Food For the first week, I definitely recommend New Care. My mouth would not open, and chewing was hard. I could not even brush my teeth, and my limit was pouring New Care into a paper cup and drinking it little by little. From week 2, I kept eating porridge. After the intraoral stitches were removed, I ate regular rice. Since it had been a while since I had chewed, my jaw hurt. After week 3, I ate as much as I could depending on how much my mouth could open. Be careful because if you eat something too hard, it makes a sound.
Sleep For 4 nights, it was so hard. It was the worst sleep. I think I slept sitting up for almost 4 weeks. For one week, you absolutely cannot lie down, and after getting the cheekbone stitches removed, from week 1 they said it was okay to lie down. But when I actually lay down, it felt like blood was rushing backward, so I gave up and gradually lowered the height until I reached the stage where I could lie down. Now, at one month, I am okay, so I sleep lying down with a slightly high pillow, and I even sleep in fairly bold positions, like lying on one side.
You might wonder if sleeping sitting up is uncomfortable. It was uncomfortable for about 2 days, and my back hurt until day 5. After that, I got used to sleeping sitting up, so later when I removed the back cushion, it felt empty.
So, am I satisfied? I am really satisfied. Even from the beginning, when my face was swollen, I could see that the protruding square jaw bone had disappeared. So now, at one month, I am really satisfied with the square jaw. My chin tip was originally recessed, but it came forward just the right amount, so my stress about having a recessed chin completely disappeared. For the cheekbones, when I press them with my hand, there is still some soft tissue left, so I think the swelling needs to go down more. Still, compared to before, the protruding cheekbones have gone way in, so I am completely satisfied.
Also, only two areas, my right anterior cheekbone area and the lower front teeth area, still feel numb and tingling, like anesthetic cream was applied. Everywhere else had normal sensation from the first day.
If you have anything you are curious about, leave a question.