First surgery in July 2023 (open approach), only the nasal tip with septal extension. My tip became pointed, the cartilage showed through, and the skin got thinner, so I had revision surgery in July 2025 (closed approach). After the closed surgery, I got a huge bruise on my nasal tip. As the bruise faded, redness kept remaining as if it had become pigmented. It is there no matter what I do. So I started looking into removal surgery.
While going to consultations, many hospitals said removal was possible, but the vibe was more like “is it really necessary..?” A lot of them recommended removing the ear cartilage and doing revision surgery to refine only the shape, so I decided in the direction of revision surgery (but I’m still debating..). I want to have it done at a hospital that can give me a definite answer about improving the redness.
The notes below were written to organize my thoughts, so please keep in mind they are subjective opinions from a regular person with no expertise.
I went for re-consultations twice each to the three well-known removal clinics and ㅇㄱㅈㅇㅇㅂ, and once each to ㅅㅇ, ㅊㅁ, and ㄱㅅ. If you’re curious about anything, feel free to leave a comment.
Consultation fee summary ㅅㅅㅇ 10,000 won palpation ㅍㄹㅁ 10,000 won ultrasound ㄱㅇㅅ 30,000 won palpation ㅇㄱㅈㅇㅇㅂ free palpation ㅅㅇ 30,000 won CT ㅊㅁ 30,000 won CT ㄱㅅ 10,000 won palpation 431 50,000 won CT ㅈㅅ 50,000 won CT (50,000 won because it has been less than 1 year since revision surgery)
ㅅㅅㅇ Complete removal (septal reinforcement) 3.2 million / leaving the support strut 3.7 million Ear cartilage is removed. This was the first place I went for consultation, and I felt like I should have surgery here. But they did not give a definite answer about the redness + they did not consider my desired nose shape. The reason they do septal reinforcement felt less about nasal collapse and more about possible reuse later.
ㅍㄹㅁ All plans 4 million Ear cartilage is removed. I didn’t ask precisely, so during the first consultation they explained things a bit vaguely. They said they could remove it and shape it well, so I understood it as them reshaping and tying the cartilage to create the shape. But when I asked everything about the surgical method at the re-consultation, it seemed like something between extension surgery and a support strut. I wanted to know exactly what structure would be placed inside, but they did not really explain it. They said septal reinforcement was not needed. It was good that I could see the condition of my nasal tip skin with ultrasound. And for a while this was a strong candidate because they gave a definite answer about improving the redness. But I cannot tell their aesthetic sense + they did not look closely at my desired nose shape.
ㄱㅇㅅ Removal 4.4 million? / septum reuse support strut 5.15 million Undo extension surgery + septal reinforcement + ear cartilage support strut 7.2 million Ear cartilage is removed. They gave a definite answer about improving the redness, were extremely confident, and explained the structure well, so I thought, ah, this is the place! But at the re-consultation, I received a new plan, and it was not the direction I wanted. It’s not like I could choose between plans, but the difference in quoted prices between plans was too large. So I felt uneasy. I kept worrying, what if they operate with another plan in a situation where I don’t need it just to make money? I seriously have anxiety issues, so I cannot shake that kind of anxiety, so I passed.
ㅅㅇ Complete removal 6 million This place is fully pro-removal. When booking the consultation, you choose whether it’s removal or revision, and if it’s a removal consultation, I don’t think you can receive a revision plan. Maybe? Anyway, because of that, I only received a removal plan. They tend not to do septal reinforcement.
ㅇㄱㅈㅇㅇㅂ Between 3.5 and 4 million + 10% VAT Ear cartilage may or may not be removed. I wanted to remove the ear cartilage because I was worried it might show through later as I get older, but here they said ear cartilage is not a material with a tendency to show through. They said it shows because of the pillar underneath the ear cartilage (materials like septum or rib cartilage are providing force, and the ear cartilage is layered on top). Ear cartilage may be used if needed for the shape. But I want to remove the ear cartilage (When I saw on ultrasound at ㅍㄹㅁ that it was right under my nasal skin, I really hated it. I want surgery using a columellar support strut because the columellar strut is placed inside the alar cartilage, so septal cartilage does not touch my skin. For the same reason, I want to remove the ear cartilage too. I don’t want anything other than the alar cartilage touching under the nasal tip skin. It might just be a psychological issue.)
After only going to consultations at removal-specialized clinics, I was a little taken aback when I went here because the atmosphere was so different. Because the removal-specialized clinics were not curious about the nose shape I wanted. At ㅅㅅㅇ, I showed an edited photo to mean that I only wanted the nasal tip height raised about this much compared with my original nose, but they said rather coldly that because they cannot predict the nose shape after removal, it is all useless and they do not accept edited photos. I wasn’t saying I wanted that exact shape; I was showing that I only wanted it raised that much from my natural nose (meaning I wanted a natural nose because I was scared they would raise it too much). Hearing that hurt me.
I had my first nose surgery in 10th grade without knowing anything, without knowing anything about the surgical method, and for the revision in 12th grade I just entrusted it to the same place thinking they would handle it well. The problem happened because I knew nothing and trusted the doctor, so I want to know how cartilage is going to be placed inside my nose and how the repositioning will be done. But at the removal-specialized clinics, they all strongly gave off the feeling of “what are you going to do with that information?” I wondered if I was being looked down on because I’m twenty, and I felt so upset.
So I was really discouraged, thinking I shouldn’t ask too many detailed questions.. I shouldn’t want too much.. since the nose shape can’t be predicted, I shouldn’t show my desired nose.. Then I went to ㅇㄱㅈㅇㅇㅂ, and there they also said a little coldly that I didn’t seem to know exactly what I wanted, and I felt really upset. For this place, I recommend printing out exactly what you want, your desired nose shape, and pre- and post-surgery photos.
I went for a re-consultation yesterday. I received a plan for complete removal and shaping with ear cartilage, and a plan to refine the shape without undoing the septal extension (they would decide whether to remove the ear cartilage after seeing the shape). Also, I felt their opinion on the redness was the most accurate. They said the redness is due to capillaries, and if the nasal height is lowered to reduce pressure, it may or may not improve. But they said this is the only attempt that can be made to improve the redness. They said stem cells are commercialized sales tactics and dermis is also a sales tactic (it gets absorbed anyway), and that felt so relieving.
Because of psychological reasons (I only want alar cartilage touching the skin), I want to remove the ear cartilage, but I don’t think the director will understand this feeling, and I’m worried they will say only the plan using ear cartilage is possible.
Also, I had heard rumors about brokers and viral marketing, but after receiving consultation from the consultant, that suspicion disappeared (not in a good way haha.. it feels like they wouldn’t know how to do that). I don’t think there’s anything like hiding in this community and pretending to be the actual patient to promote themselves. There might be obvious viral marketing, but when I asked if there was a discount for leaving a review, they said there was absolutely nothing like that. And there were a lot of handwritten letters from patients.
ㅊㅁ Ear cartilage removal + septum trimming + autologous dermis 4.4 million If rhinitis surgery is included, 5.4 million; with medical indemnity insurance, around 3.7 million I had no intention of having surgery here and only went to hear their opinion (because when I first started looking into removal, I saw someone here not recommend ㅊㅁ). But it definitely had the feel of a large hospital (not in a good way..). The director was kind. They even congratulated me on turning twenty lol. It felt like they were recommending rhinitis surgery together, and they tend to use dermis a lot.
ㄱㅅ Remove both ear cartilage and septum + columellar support strut using ear cartilage + dermal graft if needed 7.15 million They honestly said the redness may disappear or may not disappear. I almost burst into tears during the consultation. They were so kind; it was the first place that consulted with me like this. I asked everything I could not ask at other hospitals (a lot of doctors get annoyed if you ask about detailed surgical methods and things like that), and they explained absolutely everything in detail. I printed out my current nose problems, desired improvements, and additional questions, and they looked through everything very carefully. At the end of the consultation, they organized everything one more time, and among all the hospitals I had visited, this was the only place that explained exactly what they would do in the plan (like they would undo the extension surgery and build a columellar support strut with ear cartilage).
I had been having such a hard time, but I felt so comforted that I decided, ah, I should do it here. But the cost was too much of a burden. They have fixed prices, so I cannot get a discount. I really want to have it done here, but I have no money. If I had time to earn more, I would do it here, but I’m in a situation where I need to have surgery within May, and I only have 4.5 million won saved. I absolutely do not want help from my parents. I feel so sorry. It’s just sad. What can I do? It’s all my fault.
I’ll add more below after I go to more consultations. 431 ㅈㅅ