It had been 12 years since my first rhinoplasty, and I had surgery with silicone + septal cartilage and ear cartilage. At first, I thought it had turned out well, but over time my nose kept getting shorter, the nasal tip cartilage started showing through, and my nose became a little crooked... My nose also got a bit lower, so at first I wondered, Is this contracture? During consultations, I was told it was not contracture.
I spent over 3 months researching revision rhinoplasty, and there were 4 reasons why I chose this clinic.
1. A doctor with a lot of experience in contracture revision surgery - Having a lot of experience with contractured-nose revision surgery means having a lot of experience with difficult surgeries, and I thought that with extensive knowledge of contractured noses, the doctor would know better than anyone how to prevent contracture from occurring. So I thought the chances of my nose developing contracture would be lower.
2. An aesthetic sense that matches mine - I think this is a really important reason! You can’t just have another surgery because you don’t like the shape, right? I don’t like men’s noses that are pointy and look too obviously operated on. [Things I absolutely hate: pointy nose, 110-volt-socket nostrils, a nose so high it screams “I got surgery, only look at my nose”]
3. Photo reviews that are consistent and continuous - After looking at review photos for a long time, I felt that even at the same hospital, nose shapes could be all over the place. Some people turned out well, some didn’t... very inconsistent. I don’t think rhinoplasty should be left to a gamble, so I paid close attention to whether the nose shapes in the photo reviews were consistent.
4. A clinic that mainly operates using autologous costal cartilage - In cases like mine, with a short and upturned nose, I understood that there are limits to how firmly septal cartilage + ear cartilage can provide support. That’s why I think my nose became shorter and crooked even though it was not contracture. Since I was doing it anyway, I wanted this to be my last surgery and wanted a revision using strong autologous costal cartilage, the ultimate material.
Also, during the consultation, the consultant was kind and made me feel comfortable, so it wasn’t burdensome and I really liked that. It was more expensive than I had expected, but in the end I chose this clinic and had revision rhinoplasty + silicone for the nasal bridge + autologous costal cartilage for the nasal tip.
The first day after revision rhinoplasty was a bit hard, but after the cotton was removed the next day, it was bearable. I had heard that harvesting costal cartilage hurts a lot, so I was worried, but it was stiff and painful until day 3, and after that it barely hurt.
I tend to swell a lot, and during my first rhinoplasty I swelled and bruised tremendously, but this time there was almost no swelling. I understand that swelling is severe if there is a lot of tissue dissection or bleeding, but the surgery time was short, and I wonder if there was no swelling because Director Kim Hyun-joo’s surgical skill was good haha.
Now, one month after rhinoplasty, my short nose, which had been my complex, has been corrected well, and my nostrils no longer show from the front. I think my nose has become natural-looking, without the pointy, obviously operated-on look that I dislike. It hasn’t been long since the surgery yet, but for now I’m satisfied.