Before <1 week before surgery> Before <3 years ago (when I was really agonizing over it)> After <3 months after surgery> The first 2 weeks after surgery went by incredibly slowly, then somehow one month and two months passed, and in the blink of an eye it has already been over 3 months.
My face was generally on the slim side, but my lateral cheekbones protruded a lot, so my cheekbones looked very prominent. So whenever I took photos, I would cover them with my hand or try not to take photos if possible. When I was looking into cheekbone surgery 2 years ago, I had some questions and happened to find Director Park through a blog while searching on Naver. He explained the parts I was curious about in detail, so I kept visiting the blog often afterward. Then, while looking through cafes and sites where people post surgery reviews and doing my research, I saw that 345 had such good reviews, so I looked up the director and realized he was Director Park, who wrote the posts on the Bone Doctor blog I often read. That was when I became sure. If I ever got surgery, I would definitely get it there. But at the time, I gave up because I was most afraid of general anesthesia.
Two years later, I was over 30, and when I suddenly looked at myself worrying and stressing over it all this time, I went to 345 with the thought that I should at least get a consultation before I regretted it more. And I immediately decided to get one type of facial contouring surgery: cheekbone reduction. As the surgery date approached, I became worried about my sunken cheeks. In the end, sagging is something that happens to facial fat over time, but I was afraid aging might happen faster after surgery, so I consulted with Director Han and thankfully ended up getting the one-type facial contouring surgery together with a lifting surgery. Since I had already decided on this place, I do not know much about other hospitals, but I have seen quite a few reviews saying people wanted dramatic results and asked for excessive surgery. Both Director Park and Director Han only talked about surgery that suited my face and that I could actually receive, without anything excessive, so I trusted them and really liked that.
The difficult part was making up my mind and deciding to have surgery; once about a month and a half had passed after surgery, time seemed to go faster. And up to now, at three months, I have been steadily recovering without major discomfort, and I can visibly see that a lot of the swelling has gone down, so I have been very happy these days.
Oh, the swelling that would not go down finally started to noticeably drop after 2 months. I think it started going down after I began swimming! There are almost no marks from the cheekbone surgery, but the scabs on the lifting surgery marks had not fallen off yet, so after swimming I dried my hair very thoroughly and always applied ointment. All the scabs at the surgical sites fell off before 3 months (around 11 weeks), and they healed well.
Around weeks 9 to 10, I suddenly started coughing up a little blood-tinged sputum once or twice a day, so I was extremely worried. The manager told me it can happen when a small amount of pooled blood comes out, but if it continued after a few days, I should definitely come in for a visit. And in less than a week, the blood-tinged sputum disappeared ^^; It does not come out even when I blow my nose.
I could also open my mouth almost fully when 2 months and 1 week (9 weeks) had passed. When opening it, it felt very stiff, and it was a little tight, painful, and uncomfortable, but as I kept practicing, it gradually loosened. Even now, if I open it really wide, it feels stiff, but I can open it well without difficulty.
Also, I really love chicken feet and Jjanggu snacks, and I think it was around 10 weeks after surgery. When I met friends and tried eating my favorite foods, there was no sound from my jaw and no discomfort. I thought, this is the chance, and ate a lot.
A month ago, I met close friends, and yesterday I also had a meal with an acquaintance I am close to. They did not know I had surgery. Everyone asked whether I had lost weight or changed my style, and then said they did not know exactly what it was, but that I had become much prettier. I felt so proud and happy. Now I can barely remember the version of myself whose cheekbones were a complex. Last week, I went to a nearby cafe with my family, and maybe because I had gained confidence in my appearance, I was able to let them take good photos of me too. My parents were happy and said I seemed much brighter.
I am the type who worries and overthinks a lot, so I often cannot even do things that could be done quickly and instead think about things that have not happened. You can tell from the fact that for 2 years I only looked up surgery reviews and hospital information without making up my mind right away.
I did not really like that personality trait of mine, but this time I think it helped me a lot. When I made up my mind to have surgery, what I considered most important was the skill and experience of the directors I could trust to perform the surgery, and I also think the managers and staff who consult with you and take good care of you after surgery are important. Next, I think it helps my mental state a lot to imagine that I have had the surgery and know in advance what I will have to handle right away. If you first look into what your body condition will be like after surgery, and what you can and cannot do as time passes, and then make up your mind, I think the things you have to handle during recovery after surgery can become a little easier to get through. I was so worried that before going into surgery, I even imagined myself lying in the operating room and myself falling asleep as my breathing became short after receiving the anesthesia injection. At first, I was so scared, but since it was something I had to go through to overcome my complex through surgery, I think I agonized a lot at first because I believed I could only have surgery if I could handle that. Thanks to that, after I made up my mind and decided on surgery, the process was less difficult than I expected.
The major swelling has gone down, but some minor swelling still remains. Now all that is left is to keep recovering and love myself. I used to think that was very difficult for me, but now I somehow feel like I can do it. I am so relieved that I met directors with both great skill and good personalities, met a kind manager who helped me take care of my mental state without becoming anxious, and above all, completed this major surgery well. At the same time, I feel proud of myself for deciding everything and gradually overcoming my complex, and now I have gained confidence that I can accomplish other things too.
Before surgery, I read a post while looking up various things, and I still remember it. It said this is like a major surgery requiring at least 8 weeks of recovery, similar to surgery after facial fractures from an accident. It said that even if you look recovered, you have to be careful for 1 year. Because I worried so much, I had no regrets, and fortunately I met directors and staff who suited me and finished the surgery well. But if you are considering surgery, I hope you think it over one more time before deciding. It really is a major surgery.
I hope my post is of even a little help to those who made a big decision and chose surgery, to those who are working hard to recover after surgery, and also to those who are considering surgery.