Before<Before surgery>Before<Before surgery>Before<Day 7>Before<Day 7>Before<Day 34>Before<Day 34>Before<Day 34>34 days since surgery!! People around me kept saying I was getting older and asking, why are you getting your bones shaved? But after the consultation and after looking at reviews, the more I looked, the more I wanted it, so I got over my fear and had the surgery!! Honestly, since I was young, I thought my facial features were pretty okay, but I always felt unhappy with my face shape. My left side of the face is a little wider and my cheekbones stick out, so I’ve always heard things like I look energetic at first glance, have a strong impression, or look fierce... As I got older, I really didn’t like hearing that I looked fierce... I’m really not a harsh person... Even after trying tons of procedures like contouring massage and lasers, I learned that bones can’t be changed with procedures, so I looked into everything extremely carefully on YouTube, blogs, cafes, and apps. It was exhausting, but in the end I’m so satisfied now that it feels rewarding!! My satisfaction is so high~ Maybe because I watched so much YouTube, but when I met the doctors for consultations, it felt like I was meeting celebrities? haha After the consultation, I organized everything on my own and chose the hospital, but once I chose it, I started thinking, should I do this too? Should I try that too? At the first consultation I didn’t bring photos, which bothered me a bit, and since I heard under-eye fat repositioning, double chin, and buccal-area liposuction are often done together with contouring, I went back for a second consultation with photos to ask again! I recommend going back for a second consultation too, instead of thinking it’s a hassle!!
When I went back for the second consultation, the doctor for contouring was the same one from the first consultation, and I consulted a different doctor for under-eye fat repositioning, the double chin, and buccal-area liposuction. At first I was only thinking about contouring, so I didn’t have much information about the doctor who consulted me about under-eye fat repositioning and buccal liposuction, and I wondered if it would be okay. But the consultation was so thorough and they clearly explained how much effect to expect, so I trusted them and had everything done at once. In the end, I’m also very satisfied with the under-eye fat repositioning, double chin, and buccal liposuction. The double chin is still starting to loosen up, but even from the side there’s no sagging chin anymore, so I’ll know better once it loosens more, but for now I’m very satisfied. The under-eye hollowing wasn’t that severe to begin with, but I’m still highly satisfied!! They said the buccal liposuction wouldn’t have a huge effect, so I only had liposuction under the cheeks and along the nasolabial area.
The night before surgery I worried I might not be able to sleep, but surprisingly I slept very well, so I was in good condition on the day of surgery. But once I actually went into the operating room, I got so nervous and scared that I kept debating in my head whether I should run away hundreds of times haha. But when I opened my eyes, it was over haha When I woke up, my face felt so heavy and the pain was severe, so I said it hurt, and they immediately gave me pain medication. It got better right away, which was amazing.
Before surgery, the doctor said that if I only did under-eye fat repositioning, the swelling wouldn’t be severe, but because I was also having contouring, I might swell. They explained the overall situation before surgery, saying they would do the under-eye fat repositioning first and then proceed with the contouring, which made me feel reassured. That’s what they mean when they say you need to look at experience and safety.
The next day I was very swollen, but I could still move my mouth a little and even smile slightly. When I opened my mouth, one and a half fingers fit in, and I ate liquid meals with a teaspoon. I really dislike and fear pain, so whenever I felt even a little pain I took painkillers in advance. Because of that, the pain was less than I expected, but since I wore the compression band almost 24 hours a day, the pressure on my ears hurt more. When I touched lightly over the compression band, I could feel that the jawbone itself had become smaller, and that made me realize I really had surgery.
On days 3 to 4, the swelling really surged, and I kept doing cold compresses diligently with the ice packs the hospital provided. Rather than going down, the swelling just settled a little, so day 3 really was the peak. Because of the under-eye fat repositioning, I had a little bruising around the eyes, and there was a bit of eye discharge, so I carefully wiped it with cotton swabs. There was no particular pain in the eyes. When I opened my mouth, about one and a half fingers could go in without pain, and I ate soft steamed egg and yogurt drinks and meal replacements. I took my medicine properly and gargled well too~ Because gargling couldn’t be done normally like before surgery, I gently tilted my head slightly left and right and did it softly.
On day 5 I went to the hospital, met the doctors, reported my progress, had the stitches near my sideburns removed, and received swelling management. As soon as the doctor saw my swollen face, I burst out laughing from embarrassment, and the doctor laughed with me and said, it must have been really uncomfortable, right? The doctor was seriously so sweet~ The doctor also told me to walk well and to be careful not to press on my face while sleeping, so I tried my best to sleep without getting pressed on, but maybe because I was so worried about it, I don’t think I slept deeply haha When I asked the doctor who did the under-eye fat repositioning about the swelling and redness in my eyes, they said it’s a surgery that usually doesn’t swell much, but because I also had contouring surgery, the swelling was added on and it could look more swollen, and the eye redness varies by person but would probably improve in 1 to 2 weeks. Now the redness and bruising are gone and it looks so natural. My under-eye hollowing wasn’t even that severe, but such a small difference can really change the whole impression.
I thought I wasn’t the type to swell much, but contouring surgery swelling is no joke~ It seems it stayed swollen until day 7, then gradually started to go down. My left side of the face was wider, so I thought the left side swelled more, but apparently swelling on both sides doesn’t have to be the same and can even look uneven. I read a lot of reviews, and they all said the swelling goes away with time, so I managed my mindset well and took care of myself without getting depressed.
Around 2 weeks, it was at the stage where I could go out without a mask, and for someone seeing me for the first time, I think I just looked like I had a bit of puffiness or a little more face fat? At the progress check, the doctor personally took a CT scan and showed me the comparison, and when I saw it on CT, the before-and-after difference really looked huge, so I thought, oh, this really is all swelling~ Honestly, when I looked in the mirror, I didn’t feel a dramatic facial change because of the swelling.. Especially in the morning I was very swollen, but even so, it was clear that my jaw had become shorter.
Inside my mouth, they said there were dissolvable stitches, but they were so uncomfortable that when I came in for the 2-week follow-up I asked if they could be removed. They said it would hurt if they removed them, but I still wanted them out, so I had them removed~ It hurt, but it was bearable. The doctor taught me exercises for opening my mouth and helped me open it too. I teared up a little because it hurt, but after that it really did become much easier and more comfortable to open my mouth!! At first I could open about two and a half fingers, and if I pushed it, about three fingers. As long as it wasn’t something I had to chew for a long time or something hard, I could eat soft regular food without trouble, and my appetite came back too, so I figured I’m not the type to lose weight from contouring haha.
By the one-month mark, the hard feeling under my chin is loosening up, and sometimes my lower jaw and lips feel a little tingly? itchy? I find that feeling so fascinating haha Now I can chew meat as long as it isn’t too hard or tough, and just like I saw in reviews, my face naturally became smaller, shorter, and softer from my original face, which I’m really satisfied with!! The doctor said this isn’t the end, and that even up to one year, the minor swelling will keep going down and my face will gradually get even smaller, so all I can do is hope the residual swelling disappears soon~