Hello again, everyone~! I’m using my summer vacation to visit clinics for my first tip rhinoplasty! By last week, I had consultations at four places: ㄱㅅ, ㅋㅂㅈ, ㅊㄷㅊ, and ㅁㅇㄷ. If you look at my other posts, they should be there. ๑‾̀◡‾́ ㅋㅇㅍㄹㅅ was my last consultation! I’ve already booked a return consultation with ㅊㄷㅊ. I ended up putting down a deposit at ㅁㅇㄷ on the spot and got 90% refunded later (they said they wouldn’t during the consultation, but they did it when I asked), so for now I’ve narrowed it down to ㅊㄷㅊ and ㅋㅇㅍㄹㅅ. I整理ed this in detail while reading everyone’s reviews, and I’m leaving it here in hopes it helps everyone as much as I was helped!
◆ My issues - From the front, I have a bulbous nose (round and blunt), with visible nostrils, flared alar base, and a deep groove at the alar tip - I think my skin is on the thick side - From the side, the tip looks blunt - I have no columella (sunken)
◆ Desired surgical approach - I don’t especially want to touch the bridge; I want more changes to the tip, columella, nostrils, and alar shape! - Low willingness to use donor rib cartilage / silicone - Willing to use autologous costal cartilage - I want to create a columella because I have none, but I’m also worried because I prefer a shorter nose length and I don’t think my philtrum is particularly short - I’m also considering alar reduction (I’m somewhat negative about scars)
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◈ ㅋㅇㅍㄹㅅ, 8th year since establishment, 2 medical staff, director ㄱㅅㅇ is a board-certified plastic surgeon
The clinic exterior did feel like an 8-year-old clinic. It was clean and quiet. The building itself was apparently the ㅋㅇㅍㄹㅅ tower? so that was interesting... The process went: chart writing - brief consultation with the manager - consultation with the doctor - consultation with the manager. I liked that the board-certified plastic surgeon’s license was displayed in a very visible place in the consultation room. And there were some letters left by patients? The doctor was warm and kind. He used a half-formal tone, which surprised me a little, but he spoke to me like I was his daughter, so it wasn’t bad for me. There were no other people waiting besides me, but I still had to wait over an hour... Maybe there was some mistake in the scheduling, because the manager said the patients before me kept getting delayed and they were sorry I had to wait, but I feel like I waited quite a lot. They gave me iced coffee while I waited, and the managers were extremely kind (the kindest among the clinics I’ve been to). Consultation fee was 10,000 won, and there was no pressure to pay a deposit.
- CT scan X
- My nose condition They examined it very thoroughly, pressing and holding it from all angles. They said they hoped not to touch the bridge and to focus below the nose. Bulbous-nose improvement is needed. I said I wanted the columella to be lowered, but they said it didn’t seem necessary to lower it. It would be better to reduce the nasolabial angle naturally. If alar reduction is needed, it could be done during surgery or afterward.
- Surgical method, materials ① Tip: use ear cartilage Q. I had a piercing on the inner part of my ear before. Would that be a problem for using ear cartilage? A. No. (showing me their own ear) We would use cartilage from this side of the ear for the surgery. ② Tip cartilage binding: they plan to cut the inner side of the alar cartilage and bind it together ③ Nasolabial angle: will use dermis, donor dermis Q. Is there a difference between autologous dermis and donor dermis? A. No. Donor dermis becomes like autologous dermis once placed in the body. With autologous dermis, fat can be added when harvesting. It’s a matter of volume, and since only a little would be inserted, they would use donor dermis. ④ Alar reduction: lateral incision; the surgery will focus more on changing the angle of the alar base than on narrowing its width.
- Anesthesia method They will do sedation anesthesia first, then local anesthesia, and perform the surgery while I’m awake. Q. Is there an anesthesiologist on site? A. [Manager] No. The doctor will handle everything.
- Explanation of limitations and side effects Q. I’ve seen many reviews saying the tip cartilage binding comes loose after surgery. A. They will cut the inner side of the alar cartilage diagonally (in a \ / shape) and then attach and bind it together. Since they are making an incision and then joining it, the tissue will heal and fuse, so it won’t come loose. Q. If alar reduction is done with a lateral incision, won’t there be a lot of scarring? A. The patient’s alar crease is already very deep and pronounced. The scar usually remains in a shape similar to the person’s original alar line. Even if there is scarring, there’s already a natural line there, so it won’t look much different from now. Q. I heard my nose is the kind that can easily end up pinched if I get alar reduction. Is it okay to have surgery? A. Since we will focus on changing the angle rather than narrowing the alar width, the surgery won’t be very extensive. You don’t need to worry about it looking pinched.
- Recovery period: I forgot to ask (why did I forget?)
- Couldn’t find before-and-after reviews of noses similar to mine
- Aftercare [Manager] You will come in about 7-8 times over the year after surgery. They will provide unlimited swelling care and laser treatment
- A/S period [Manager] They will take care of it exclusively for one year.
- Whether CCTV viewing is possible [Manager] If there is an accident, it is possible to request viewing with police accompaniment, but a guardian cannot separately watch the surgery CCTV.
- How many surgeries per day? I forgot to ask
- Price 512 / 450 with the partial-disclosure photo event
I clearly wanted front-view improvement, especially for the sunken columella, but even after I explained it, they said they wouldn’t really touch the columella... So I’m not sure whether the surgery would actually proceed in the shape I want. The common style in the reviews I saw did appeal to me, so I’m torn. The fact that the doctor has a long surgical career also seems good.