trendyl1 Posted October 25, 2016 Share Posted October 25, 2016 Hi everyone! I wrote a previous post pre-op for my rhinoplasty surgery at VIP. Long story short, I'm African American and have wanted to get my nose done for awhile now but was not that impressed when I was doing research to find a solution. My nose issue was : 1. Flared nostrils, 2. short nose, 3. undefined tip and 4. Very bad Sinusitis (which has progressively gotten worse this past year). In short, I was unhappy with my nose! I was thinking of going to Brazil or Colombia to get my nose done but a mutual friend who lives in South Korea had gotten her nose done at VIP in Seoul and she looks amazing. I was initially more than leery as I was concerned that Korean plastic surgery would not be suitable for other ethnicities especially black people, I wanted to maintain my "ethnic nose" but wanted a more refined one. I'm now 12 days post op from my rhinoplasty at VIP, and although am still swollen- am so happy! The reason I started this thread is to of course give my experience at VIP to those interested but also to let people who have "African" noses or "ethnic noses" know that there are a few Korean plastic surgery doctors who can do an excellent job on our noses. Below I will detail my process . Please bear with me! Consultation Day Before my consultation day at VIP, I went to three other clinics and I was not happy with the consultations. First I felt very rushed and felt like I was just "a number". Generally, the doctors seemed to be in a rush and I didnt feel like my concerns were that recognized so I was a bit disheartened. My consultation appointment with VIP was on a Thursday and I arrived a few minutes before the appointment. It wasnt very hard to find as VIP is a few minutes walk from the subway station on the main street where there are alot of clinics. I was greeted by some staff (they were so friendly!) and given a general form to fill out . I met Dr. Lee, who is apparently a big deal as he was the first PS in Korea to perform rib cartilage rhinoplasty. Immediately, he felt very different from the other doctors I had met. ( At that point, I had already consulted with other doctors). He seemed extremely humble and greeted me warmly, i immediately felt at ease. During my consultation, he looked into my nose and saw my deviated septum and made a comment about fixing it...(I had asked at some of the other clinics I went to if they could fix my septum but told me that they couldnt , I guess there wasnt an ENT on staff ? ) This was important to me because my sinusitis had been especially bad for the last few months. He recommended for me : alar reduction to reduce my flared nostrils, tip projection, lengthening of my bridge since I have a short nose (I had a choice of silicone implant or my own rib cartilage and I opted for silicone implant) and fat graft for my chin, as well as something called mid face augmentation. He explained in order to harmonize my features this would aid in that as well as give me a more youthful appearance. He was super patient in answering my questions, most of the other doctors were in with me for a short time and you felt u couldnt ask any questions! I met Joanne, the director of the clinic who gave me the quote and showed me some before/after pics . She was very patient and friendly and didnt growl at me when I asked for a discount lol. I promised to contact her the next day after I made my decision. After weighing all my other consultations, research and recommendation from a mutual friend, I decided to move forward with VIP. I went to get a chest xray, blood test and general body checkup. It was approved and surgery scheduled for Tuesday. Surgery Day My surgery was scheduled for 2pm and I filled out a lengthy form and signed. I was taken upstairs to a room where the nurse came to shave my nostril hairs and was told to change into a hospital gown. At that moment it hit me that I was actually getting surgery up until this moment, it didnt feel real but somehow I wasnt too nervous. I was taken to the surgery room where I showed the doctor and nurses the nose I wanted, the doctor said he would do his best to make a nose similar to the pic I sent him but would do it according to my features. The next thing I know I was in the hospital bed and was still under the general anesthesia so I opted to spend the night at the clinic. The nurse on staff really took good care of me, I was glad that I made the decision to stay. I went back to the hotel the next day and felt more groggy than in pain, was told to come back every day for checkup and recovery care. The next few days were a little scary as I was so swollen and bruised but their aftercare was pretty amazing. Every day at 10 am, would meet the doctors and then get healing laser and a mask to reduce inflammation , bruising and swelling. They took the cast off on the 5th day and the bandages and stitches were removed on the 7th day. I was thrilled with what I saw in the mirror even though I kept it in mind that this wasn't the final result. The patients who were waiting to get seen by the doctor praised me on my nose, that felt pretty amazing.. I had to go back for a final checkup and swollen treatment. My face looks more sculptured and I'm in love with my nose! Below are my pics before surgery, immediately after and two days after removal of bandages and stitches (Day 9) . Will continue to update as my swelling goes down. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alleycyat Posted October 25, 2016 Share Posted October 25, 2016 looks amazing! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
trendyl1 Posted October 25, 2016 Author Share Posted October 25, 2016 Thanks alleycyat! Am really happy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kaliyah Posted October 25, 2016 Share Posted October 25, 2016 You look amazing! I'm caucasian and will be going to Korea for chin reduction and cheek implants. But I have the same worries you had, that maybe since the doctors are more experiences with only operating asians. Their maxillofacial surgeries really are the best in Korea so I'm sure it's the best choice! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
trendyl1 Posted October 25, 2016 Author Share Posted October 25, 2016 Aww thanks alot! I saw some good chin and cheek work at this clinic. I was really concerned about that but I feel at the end of the day a good surgeon is a good surgeon. What I found helped me was being specific of what I wanted and most importantly Dr. Lee was able to comment on what he thought would look good for my features so I didn't get ahead of myself. Am so pleased already and I know I have a ways to go. When will you be going ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kaliyah Posted October 25, 2016 Share Posted October 25, 2016 I'll be going in mid november. So really soon! But honestly I'm sure they do see some non asian patients too. South Korea is getting to be pretty well known for cosmetic surgery that's good quality and cheaper than USA. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
trendyl1 Posted October 25, 2016 Author Share Posted October 25, 2016 Yes, I was actually surprised that there were some Caucasians and Middle Eastern patients at VIP when I was there. I guess everyone is hearing about Korean plastic surgery Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
moody Posted October 29, 2016 Share Posted October 29, 2016 Congrats on your successful results. Unfortunately I have to go back since I'm unhappy with my results. It's been 2 years for me. How was the crowd at VIP when you went? When I was there, it was lonely as ever. Each morning for post care,itll be literally 3 people. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
krod2017 Posted November 17, 2016 Share Posted November 17, 2016 Hello. I am 22 years old from the us and plan to go to seoul next year march 2017 for vline and rhinoplasty. When do you plan on traveling to korea? I'm looking for someone else to go with me Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
krod2017 Posted November 17, 2016 Share Posted November 17, 2016 you look gorgeous! did you go alone? I'm going next year alone and I'm nervous Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jacobjarred30 Posted November 20, 2016 Share Posted November 20, 2016 Hey How has your recovery been? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sunsetthues Posted February 15, 2017 Share Posted February 15, 2017 Sorry if you've answered this already, but how much was it? I'm debating going either here or Dream and i'm comparing prices Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gnoade Posted February 15, 2017 Share Posted February 15, 2017 ooh! but why VIP? i heard VIP is one of the most expensive ones Banobagi included. My friend told me its more important which doctor does your surgery as compared to which hospital you are getting your surgery at. and that the price differences are based on how experience the doctors are. correct me if im wrong on that! how was your recovery? my friend African American is considering Korea since we did an exchange there for 1 year and she was worried about getting keloids since its easier for people with darker skin to get them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sunsetthues Posted February 15, 2017 Share Posted February 15, 2017 oh really? what surgeons do you recommend? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
trendyl1 Posted February 15, 2017 Author Share Posted February 15, 2017 Sorry for the late responses, I didnt see them until today. Will be sending more pics by tomorrow and will answer all questions. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
)
Recommended Posts