Hello, as of today I’m on day 17 with my artificial nose. I also referred to this community a lot before surgery, so I’m writing a detailed review in case it helps anyone.
First of all, my purpose for surgery was clear. My rhinitis was so, so, so, so severe that I was afraid of seasonal changes, so my purpose was 70% functional and 30% cosmetic. I had thought lightly that I could just find a famous hospital, get a consultation, and make a reservation, but as I read many reviews, I realized, “Ah, I need to be clear about the purpose of my surgery, what I want, what I want to achieve, and what I absolutely don’t want.” These were the standards I set for functional rhinoplasty.
1. Surgery performed directly by an ENT specialist director (*Since my rhinitis purpose was 70%, this was obvious.) 2. Whether real-loss medical insurance could be processed -I filtered out places whose hospital name was plastic surgery, because insurance processing might be difficult. 3. Whether the place had a lot of experience with hump noses and functional rhinoplasty 4. I wanted a nose that was pretty while being natural and not too sharp (;; does that even make sense;;) 5. A place that would not recommend silicone, Gore-Tex, donated costal cartilage, or autologous costal cartilage. 6. Surgery cost under 5 million won
I’m not saying all of this is right or wrong. Everyone’s situation and taste are different, so each person’s standards are different too. It was my first surgery, and I had read so many reviews about side effects that, if possible, I wanted to do it without implants. (This is really just my preference;) And if possible, I wanted to avoid revision surgery. Anyway, I set my standards and started visiting hospitals. I booked consultations at three hospitals that create natural-looking lines.
1. Hospital 1 (ENT specialist) -Consultation in the order of director, then consultant -Septum + inferior turbinate + nasal valve / septal cartilage + ear cartilage used / (*The doctor recommended it first.) -Direct surgery by one representative director -During the consultation, the director shows before & after cases of noses similar to mine and proceeds with the consultation. -I don’t know if it was only with me, but he kept speaking informally. Why? (*The surgery matters more, so it wasn’t very important, but it didn’t feel good.) -The consultation itself was very detailed, and he answered everything I asked even if I didn’t know something. -I thought this place seemed good, but most of the noses in the after photos were relatively sharp. That bothered me the most. -The consultant was kind. She said they would give a discount of around 500,000 won if I booked the same day. -CT scan + consultation fee 10,000 won / It was my first consultation, so I said I would think about it and left.
2. Hospital 2 (ENT specialist) -Consultation in the order of director, then consultant -Septum + inferior turbinate + nasal valve / donated dermis + ear cartilage used / (*The doctor recommended this first too.) -Surgery performed directly by the selected director among the three representative directors -Here, they consult while doing Photoshop for virtual cosmetic surgery? on your photo. -I was the type who kept shouting, “Natural no matter what!” but because we consulted while adjusting it in Photoshop, I could get a sense of the look I wanted, the look the director said was pretty, the look that could be expected, and so on. I didn’t feel that the director was extremely kind or anything, just so-so. Surgery matters more anyway. -I was drawn to the fact that most patients visit for functional rhinoplasty. -CT scan + consultation fee 10,000 won / The surgery cost fit the budget I had in mind. I said I would contact them within the day and left.
3. Hospital 3 (ENT specialist) -The director I requested was in surgery, so I consulted with the head consultant. (*I mean, I had made a consultation reservation;; why surgery?) -They said the director’s surgery schedule was full on my desired surgery date, so another director could do the surgery. -The problem was that the other director who would do the surgery was leaving the hospital a month later -They said postoperative treatment and aftercare would have to be done by another director. --Septum + inferior turbinate + nasal valve / They recommended donated costal cartilage / (*This was also recommended by the hospital first.) -The before and after results were really natural. -It felt more like a real hospital than a plastic surgery clinic, so I don’t think I’d have to worry about things like real-loss insurance claims. -The staff were the kindest. -I said I would think about it and left.
There were discounts if I booked on the spot, but I really needed time to think alone. I reviewed the consultation details at a cafe for about an hour and decided on hospital 2. Honestly, I didn’t get a “bad” feeling from hospitals 1, 2, or 3. All three are famous places and hospitals with really, really many reviews. Hospital 1 was all good, especially since it was right in front of my office, but I passed because the after photos weren’t my taste. Hospital 3 was also all good, but the director I wanted wasn’t available. I was bothered by the fact that a director leaving in a month would do the surgery. Passed.
On the subway home, I texted the consultant and scheduled my blood test & filler-dissolving injection.
See you in Part 2.