Before before before after after after When I was young, my face was round, but from middle school onward my bone structure developed and my face shape became a complex for me. I especially didn’t like my side profile because my jaw was developed. My occlusion was normal, but I didn’t think facial contouring surgery alone would solve it, so I looked into orthognathic surgery hospitals. I liked the reviews for Y Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, so I booked a consultation.
First of all, when I first went in, the facilities were very clean. That was the first thing I liked. Then during the consultation, the consultant in charge and the director explained everything very kindly, and I liked the parts they talked about while discussing my complex, so I decided to get double-jaw surgery + three types of facial contouring (cheekbones + square jaw + chin)!
Decisively, at the end of the consultation, I anxiously asked the consultant in charge, “What if I don’t like the result?” and she said wouldn’t it be better than not doing it, and I think that’s when my mind was made up!
Before surgery I wanted to have the surgery as soon as possible, so I fitted the wafer the week after the consultation and scheduled the surgery right away for the following week.
I had originally been eating a bit less while managing my weight, but I was worried my stamina might suffer, so starting a week before, I ate a lot of non-irritating foods. They also told me the necessary things to prepare via KakaoTalk, so I got them ready in advance!
Day 1. July 8 I didn’t want to be nervous, but once the day actually came, I did get nervous. lol Still, I went as calmly as possible. After organizing my things, changing clothes, and having one final consultation, I went into the operating room! I only remember being told to breathe in, and as soon as I woke up, the surgery was over. I don’t remember the exact time, but I think I went in around 11 and it ended around 2 or 3.
There was almost no pain, and I had slight chills, but other than that, the only thing was that many things were connected to my body, like the drain and urinary catheter, so it was uncomfortable to move. After some time passed, my nose got blocked and I couldn’t breathe through my nose. I ended up breathing only through my mouth, and my mouth got dry, which was uncomfortable. Other than that, nothing was very difficult, but I really couldn’t sleep, so I slept in one-hour stretches and time really didn’t pass. My speech became really slurred. lol
Day 2. July 9 They removed the gauze, and there was almost no swelling. But as time passed, I swelled up more. lol They also removed the urinary catheter and the drain. I wasn’t in pain right after surgery or when removing stitches, but I think removing the urinary catheter was the most painful part of the whole process. And I got up and walked around for the first time, but I didn’t have much strength, so I repeated walking a little and sitting down.
I drank water and New Care for the first time after surgery. Swallowing was hard too, but I thought eating would be good for recovery, so I somehow managed to eat. Then they fitted the wafer, and I had to move my jaw forward. I thought the faster I adjusted, the faster I’d recover, so it wasn’t that uncomfortable. Since I was breathing only through my mouth, I think it would have been really hard without a humidifier.
Discharge to 1 week. July 10-16 I think if you just get through this period, other than eating, you can live pretty comfortably. For food, I ate soft things like soft tofu and eggs, New Care, porridge, ion drinks, pumpkin juice, and so on.
After discharge I swelled more, but I wanted to reduce the swelling quickly, so when I was at home I kept using the compression band and warm/cold packs, and I went for walks every day. Fortunately, even though it was summer, there were a few showers, so I could go out coolly.
I slept sitting up, but maybe because I couldn’t breathe through my nose, I couldn’t sleep for long. And I think it would have been really hard without a humidifier. The inside of my mouth was extremely dry.
Before surgery, I wondered if intraoral fixation would be very uncomfortable, but if it had been fixed, I think it would have been truly painful. At Y, they only put in the wafer and don’t do fixation, so I’m glad about that.
At the one-week mark, I went back to the hospital, received laser treatment, had my cheekbone stitches removed, and had the inside of my mouth disinfected. And they said I could take out the wafer and brush my teeth, so I finally brushed my teeth!
During this period, sleeping and taking medicine were hard. I think it was because my throat was swollen and swallowing didn’t feel comfortable.
2 weeks to now. July 17-31 The nasal congestion disappeared, and as I slept lying down, I felt like I had recovered a lot. The muscles around my mouth started moving to some extent, and my throat had also been swollen after surgery so I had rested a bit, but now I can speak without it sounding too strange. Because I’m wearing the wafer, there is still a bit of pronunciation difficulty, but there’s no major problem communicating anymore. My facial swelling has recovered a lot from the hamster-like feeling. The area around my philtrum and jaw is still puffy, but my cheeks have gone down a lot.
Then I went back to the hospital and had the stitches inside my mouth removed. I was nervous because many people said it hurt, but it didn’t hurt at all. They told me to do mouth-opening exercises, so I’ve been doing them diligently, and now I can already easily fit two fingers in. After the stitches were removed, I ate everything I wanted to eat. I cut things that seemed like they might be too much into small pieces, but other than tough foods, I think I can eat everything now. Since there’s no problem with daily life anymore, besides walks I’ve also watched movies, gone shopping, and gone out a lot. Right now, I’m living without much difference from before surgery! Except for singing, I’m living while doing everything I want!
I’m already very satisfied! I actually think I should’ve done it sooner. I’m happy because my complex about my face shape is gone! Before surgery, hats really didn’t suit me because of my face shape, so I almost never wore them, but now they suit me so well that I wear hats every day. If you’re worried about your face shape, I hope you at least get a consultation!
This is a surgery review pursuing a delicate look.