Before surgery <on surgery day> after <day 2 after surgery> after <day 3 after surgery> after <day 7> after <day 14> after <5-8 weeks> after <3 months> after <6 months> after <12 months> Hello^^* It has now been a year since I had double-jaw surgery + contouring 3 procedures, so I’ll share the review I wrote in my own way^^*
First of all, ever since school I had a bad bite and protruding mouth, so my confidence in my appearance was at rock bottom. I had orthodontic treatment once in my early 20s, and I was at the point where my retreatment from 2 years ago was ending, but I still wasn’t satisfied with my protruding-mouth complex. I thought that if I finished like this, I’d regret it for the rest of my life. I also heard that if I was going to get the jaw surgery, I had to do it while still wearing braces, so that probably made me decide even more quickly haha. So I chose Y Oral Surgery and had the surgery there!!
<On surgery day> After payment, I had a brief extra consultation with the director, and I was told that because my chin was deviated to the right, it would be moved to the left, and the surgery would proceed as discussed at my previous visit. I mentioned that I had gotten chin filler 5 years ago, and after the surgery they said there was still some filler left, so they removed it. *I think it would be good for you to mention it too if you have filler in the surgical area!
<Day 2> Finally it was 8 o’clock, so the urinary catheter was removed, and I also had swelling care before seeing the director. Only then could I finally see the nurse’s face, and I felt sorry that I must have been so sensitive, but I was also truly grateful for the nurse who took such good care of me. At 10 o’clock they would remove the drain, so I just had to hold out until then!!
At 10 o’clock the director removed the drain for me, and it felt a little tight when it came out, but it wasn’t extremely painful!
<Day 3> It was a long night, but dawn came again as always haha At 8 I got the swelling laser, and at 9 the director came, gave me another consultation and checked once more how to bite the wafer, and after being seen off by the director and the nurse, I left the hospital carrying my medicine bag!
<Hospital visit on day 7> I got swelling care, and the director removed the stitches from my sideburn area. It didn’t hurt at all, I’d been nervous for nothing. When I asked about the heartburn, they asked if I hadn’t been eating much. Thinking about it, I really hadn’t been eating. On the way home that day, I bought castella, cheesecake bread, milk, and a children’s toothbrush to challenge myself with food. I started with the cheesecake bread, and oh no, it was way too sweet it tasted bad.. Then I tried the castella, and that was somewhat okay and edible. That night I had my first bowel movement in a week. I switched from cold compresses to warm compresses.
<Day 14, Thursday> Hospital visit The director said the swelling had gone down a lot and my face had gotten smaller, and the director also said I looked younger haha. Every time I go, I feel this, but the director and all the staff are really kind. I got swelling care and had the stitches inside my mouth removed. My cheeks didn’t hurt, but since everyone says it hurts when they do the upper and lower parts, I braced myself and tried to relax my whole body as much as possible. Wow, tears welled up again... *The director said there are people who say the swelling goes down even more after the stitches are removed, and told me to practice saying a-e-i-o-u diligently. My diet stayed the same: potato salad, castella, soft tofu, and for dinner, sundubu.
<5 to 8 weeks> (Condition) I can open my mouth to about the width of two fingers, and I can yawn fairly well too haha. The gum swelling is still there, so my mouth feels narrow and tight. At the 8-week visit, when I asked the director, I was told the swelling would keep going down until 6 months, and that the fine swelling takes a year. As for facial sensation, I have no sensation at all only in the lower right side of my lip. The rest, around the cheekbone area, gives a tingling electric-like sensation when I gently touch it with my hand. Last month I really had no sensation at all, so I hated touching my face.. it’s amazing
(Food) At 5 weeks, I was so busy with work that I ate whatever I could eat quickly and easily, so for almost a week I ate only cup ramen, but if I put in all the seasoning packet, it was too spicy and salty, so I used about two-thirds of it. Exactly 5 weeks after surgery, I met my friends and ate pork hock like crazy. I can eat a regular meal set level of food (rice with fish meat), but until week 6, eating was uncomfortable, so I don’t recommend eating together with anyone except very close acquaintances. At weeks 7 to 8, I also ate boneless chicken feet (fresh out and soft), samgyeopsal, and bossam, and if the pieces were small I could pop them in one bite, and I could also eat convenience-store sandwiches with not too many toppings really well!
(Aftercare) I bought a heat pack and did warm compresses during the day too while working, I almost lived with it in my hand. They said it’s good to wear the face-slimming band for 30 minutes to 1 hour a day.. but I did that whenever I remembered it. Compared with that, I’m glad my chin flesh didn’t sag much.
(Orthodontics, screws) At 7 and a half weeks, I visited the orthodontic clinic where I was getting treatment, I had my braces removed, got molds made for retainers, and also had molds made because I needed an anterior bridge.. There were moments when it was hard to keep my mouth open, but after touring the dental clinic all day and saying ah, my mouth opened really well. I had a total of 12 screws inserted: 4 at the orthodontic clinic and 8 at Y Oral Surgery, but the orthodontist said they would remove them if I brought them out from the jaw surgery hospital, so that was put on hold. At the 8-week visit to Y Hospital, when I told Director Lee Seok-jae, he removed all 12 of them. It was really inconvenient because food got stuck in my braces and screws every time I ate, but after removing both within a few days, it felt like heaven on earth.
(Satisfaction) I don’t even remember the hard times after surgery very well, and I actually recommend double-jaw surgery to customers who come regularly and worry about the same thing as me. I’m completely satisfied! It’s fun to take photos, and fun to be photographed too!! Before surgery, I was always taking selfies and busy pushing in my cheekbones and chin. No retouching at all is needed!!!! Such a deal Even people I wasn’t that close to and met right before surgery, after seeing I had the surgery, said I looked more feminine and really pretty, and praised me. Above all, my satisfaction is 2 million percent
<3 months> Now even if I lie on my side, my cheekbones don’t hurt, and daily life and eating aren’t greatly restricted or uncomfortable, but as the tissues inside my mouth heal, I still feel a tight, pulling sensation, so when I asked what would help recovery, I was told that taking vitamins regularly helps. *Make sure to take vitamins regularly!
Actually, the remaining fine swelling and nerve recovery are said to improve little by little over a year. Time is medicine. I can eat tteokbokki, gopchang, chicken feet, meat, sashimi, alcohol, and so on without restriction when it comes to chewing. But because my mouth has gotten smaller, one lettuce leaf wrap is hard, so I mostly eat half pieces or perilla leaf wraps.
And when I pucker my mouth while chewing or pout my lips, I get a walnut chin, and it was worse at the one-month mark; my older sister said it looked gross ~ It’s improved a bit now, but as I write this, I think I want the chin area to recover faster. (Sensation, etc.) I have one really close friend who almost never gives compliments and only throws harsh remarks, and I didn’t even tell her I had the surgery. Then during Chuseok this year, I met her again after a long time and showed my face, and she was like, “Oh? Hey, you look more feminine? What did you do? Wow,” and was shocked haha. She used to tease me every day for having cheekbones that stuck out and saying I looked masculine haha. So being acknowledged by this one friend that I did the surgery well feels more rewarding than just hearing other people say I got prettier haha
<6 months> The swelling had gone down to a certain extent and settled, and friends I met for the first time after surgery all said I looked softer and more feminine, praising me for having done it haha. Because I had double-jaw surgery and also had the cheekbones, square jaw, and chin done together, I feel even slimmer and more feminine haha. It feels like just yesterday that I couldn’t open my mouth properly, couldn’t eat properly, and couldn’t even speak haha. Now there’s nothing I can’t eat. The problem is that I eat too much.. My weight was 57 kg at the time of surgery, then when it was hardest after surgery I briefly went down to 50 kg, even 49.8 kg, so I got a taste of the 40s.. but it was only for an instant. Currently I’m maintaining 52.5 kg haha. I tried not to gain weight as much as possible (I didn’t exercise), and the reason was not just my body shape, but because if I gained weight quickly again, my chin fat might also increase and I was most worried about ending up with a double chin. After all, since I had my cheekbones and jaw reduced, the skin tissue must have stretched as much as my protruding cheekbones had been. I’m satisfied too. My facial sensation has returned overall to about 80%. The inner cheek area still feels tight, probably because it was stitched, and only the lower jaw gums and the lower right side of the lip are still recovering slowly. Around the mouth, recovery is about 40%. The director said it would recover. At the time after surgery, it was really hard. Actually.. I can’t even remember it in detail now. Even if it really was hard, you get enough reward later, so in a long life, I think it’s worth bravely taking the leap. I’m very satisfied!!!
<My awaited 1 year mark!> It’s really gone by fast since I can eat well and live well haha. Right after surgery, I couldn’t sleep for a week and it was so hard, but once I got past that huge hurdle, it was over in a flash haha. How satisfied am I with the surgery? I’m beyond satisfied *100000 times!! Before surgery, because I had a receding chin and protruding mouth, when I closed my mouth and had a blank expression people asked if I was in a bad mood, and I had a masculine-looking face with my cheekbones jutting out. But after surgery, now that orthodontic treatment is also finished and my teeth are straight, I can smile more confidently, my impression has become so much softer, people keep saying my face is small whenever I take photos with them, and I can confidently present my face from any angle, so I’ve gained confidence in my facial line!! After surgery, side effects and drawbacks Now the eyes and nose are the problem haha, so I’ve started wanting a double-eyelid revision surgery? A drawback has appeared: I’ve started wanting other facial cosmetic procedures haha Honestly, if it were up to my heart, I’d want to do it at the hospital where I had the surgery, but it’s unfortunate that Y Oral Surgery can only do oral and maxillofacial surgery, contouring, and orthodontics! haha And if I’m being honest, the biggest concern is that the stitched area inside my cheek on the mouth side has probably become a scar? As scar tissue shrinks, I feel like my mouth is being pulled tight ~ Maybe I’m sensitive, but because of that pulling feeling, I stretch my mouth open like saying uh, ah, i, o ~ and spread it out. Of course, it doesn’t interfere with daily life at all! When I speak or eat, there’s nothing uncomfortable for the other person to see, and it’s just a discomfort I feel on my own, so please think of it that way^^ Still, I gained a lot, and there are far more parts where I feel I made the right choice, so if anyone is considering it, I strongly recommend it^^