I always had a dream of a high, refined, beautiful nose, but I had never seriously considered surgery until a friend had nose surgery. (I’m the kind of woman who believes every moment is about timing.) That is how I ended up having surgery on impulse too. With no special information, I got it done at the same hospital my friend used, and the result? I lived with a refined, pretty nose for about seven or eight years. At first, my nose suddenly becoming so pretty felt a little burdensome, for various reasons, and it gave off a stronger, more assertive vibe than before. But in photos, it looked so beautiful. I later learned that back then, that place was one of the most famous hospitals in Busan for nose surgery. At that time, there were two doctors there. Honestly, I had no particular complaints and lived well for a while, but the problem was that one day I suddenly noticed redness at the nasal tip, and after urgently visiting a dermatology clinic and searching frantically, I started looking into removal. I used to be the kind of person who would be heartbroken if I were not the one with the best skin, but at some point I started getting skin troubles, and they lasted for almost a year. I’ve always been sensitive by nature, but I thought this skin issue had nothing to do with my nose. Then one day, a foreign acquaintance told me, “Your nose looks strange,” and that evening, while washing my face, I gently wiped the pimple-covered nose with a towel. Right after that, I noticed severe redness in my nose, which was unusual. The redness eased after an hour or two, but I went to the hospital the next day. Since it had been a long time since the surgery, they said it probably was not an infection and prescribed a few medicines, but from that moment my peace of mind disappeared. Since I live abroad, I quickly looked into airline tickets. Unluckily, at that time I could not get a direct flight, so I started the long trip with a layover, taking my child with me. Yes. I am a wife and a mother. But I did not even know layovers were this hard. I just entered Busan, grateful that I could go to Korea at all. Without hesitation, I went to the hospital where I had my first surgery. I said my nose had become abnormally red and that I wanted to fix the problem. But the doctor, who was not sure there was a problem, recommended revision surgery with dermis. After that, the counselor at that hospital, when I asked about complete removal, said that if I did that my nose would get badly upturned, in a way that sounded like a threat, not quite a threat (people who are looking into removal will probably relate 1000%).
It seems that in that hospital, all cases of full removal ended up with terrifyingly upturned noses. When I hesitated, they said that if so, removing only the silicone might be fine. After that, I went to the doctor who had operated on me and is now at another hospital. After I explained the situation, they said we should do a full removal. But really, our hearts work like that, don’t they? I had lived for years with a refined, pretty nose... Fear of full removal came first. I had to choose between two options, and I entrusted my nose to the doctor who said that removing only the silicone would be fine. And then I went through a year and a half of nightmare. Right after removal, the redness became much more pronounced. Especially right after showering. And a faint itch. No matter how many times I asked, I only got told it was part of the recovery process. After suffering for months, I finally returned home (abroad), but every morning after showering I would check the reddened nose in the mirror and lived in a fog the whole time. They had clearly said it would be okay, but my nose was not okay. Still, believing that time would heal it, I endured by beautifying the situation a little in my mind. (The hospital kept saying it was fine, after all!) But the slight itchiness, the frightening redness at the slightest touch, and the tiny prickling sensation never improved, and after a year and six months from silicone removal, I realized it was getting worse and worse. My husband, who sometimes teased me but otherwise said little, also started worrying about whether my nose was really okay.
One night my nose itched unusually badly, and the next day blood vessels were visible in my nose like a spiderweb. I was terrified.
My nose was itchy, and I hid the nose that looked obviously strange with a mask, contacted the hospital, and bought antibiotics at a pharmacy.
I rushed back to Korea. Of course, with my child. It sounds easy when written like this. For a married woman, it is torment for both body and mind.
On the day I arrived, I did not even look at the hospital that had told me my nose would get upturned, and went to the doctor who had operated on me. After a thorough consultation with the doctor, who listened carefully to my story, I went straight into surgery.
While holding on to the belief that it would be okay if only the silicone were removed, and pretending not to see the problem during all that time, I wanted to be done with the reddening nose and had the full removal done. I wonder how much more the blood vessels had grown by then? (I know nothing about anatomy, so as an ordinary person I have no idea what had been happening inside my nose in the meantime.)
Before surgery, the doctor who listened to my story and examined my nose said this:
It would no longer be possible for everything to be completely okay........ But it would definitely improve.....!!!
There was no other choice. It was my mistake for checking the answer sheet too late, but what could I do....
But I was told not to worry about the shape of my nose! (This part!! Anyone who feels anxious after nose surgery can relate, right?)
I had surgery to remove the added cartilage and the septum. Even now, sometimes (it has been about three months since removal, and in terms of count, about three or four times) when my face gets hot? I usually do not get facial flushing, but my nose gets flushed (It is not as red as before, and not to the point that others would think it strange. Let’s just say it is a slight redness that I can see.) But it also improves quickly.
The reason I am writing this is that I want to thank the doctor, but I am too far away to visit... (I will definitely visit when I go back to Korea. Thank you so much, really I cannot express it all in words) For now, I wanted to express my gratitude in writing first. Second, I also want to apologize to the person in the operating room for having been unreasonably sensitive. I know disinfecting stings, but I was really sorry for protesting in all caps as if I were making a formal complaint about it hurting (But at the time, it really felt like my nose was about to fall off Please understand that the person going through full removal is extremely sensitive)
If you are thinking about nose surgery, please consult a doctor at M-__ who specializes only in noses. As someone who searched more deeply than anyone else for a while because of my nose, I think there is no better option in Korea than this.