mrsking

One of the clinics told me that Nov-Feb are their busiest time in a year when local girls rush to the clinics after their college exam and before school starts, and at the same time foreigners flock in with their holiday breaks. I think it would be good to avoid that if you can. I imagine one could get more attention and time when the clinics are less busy.

 

Thanks Mai! I'll make sure I get the certificates. Wondering if there is a way to let the customs know that possibility when we fly out so they can mark in their system and be prepared for that on our way back.

 

I am curious if any of the forumers here had trouble passing the custom coming back to the States when faces are still very swollen after the surgery? I am planning 2 batches of ps for my next trip and plan to have eye and nose about 2 weeks before leaving Seoul. I imagine my eyes and faces will still be so swollen that I won't look like myself at all! Curious how everyone dealt with the issue in the past?

 

Peter, thanks for the clarification!

Looking forward to your report on eye surgery

I remember something you said earlier that you would like to go to a clinic/doctor who is great in the procedure you want to do, even if that means you need to go to different clinics for different procedures. I can't agree with you more on that. So for your eyes, I imagine you must have done tons of research before picking Teium or AT in the end. Can I ask for your opinion on Dr. Kwon from Teium or AT as far as his skill/expertise on revision eye surgeries? I am looking for a doctor who is good at that as well as removing the extra skin on both of upper and lower lids. I am seriously considering Dr. Kwon now.

I am also planning to do my nose work on the trip to Korea, would you know if any doctor from Teium or AT is known for being good at nosy job so that I can do both procedure with them?

Thanks lot in advance and enjoy your new look

 

Thank you so much peterpan for sharing your experience in such a great detail! I'm going to have to read it a couple more times to make sure I get everything you said.Can't wait for your eye surgery experience.

When you said your swelling had sudsided 80%, did you mean that for your eyes also? I thought it took a long time for eye swelling to go down. You must be in an amazing physical shape to heal so fast.

Happy healing and hope you get to see the city before heading back.

 

Thanks pres30 for the step to step recap for all of us! It gave us a clear idea what to expect the day before and the surgery day so when we actually go thru it later, it won't be as scary and shocking. I am trying to imagine all these activities in my mind now to better prepare for my trip.

Sorry to hear the tough time you had after the surgery. I get it that they couldn't let you drink right away but not sure why they couldn't have gave you a couple of ice cubes to easy the thirst in the first 8 hours. That's what happened after I had Cesarean in the States. I knew it helped me tremendously att. I think I'll try to ask for that after my surgery and see what happens.

Hope you rest well and have a speedy recovery. Update us when you can.

 

I am no dentist, but take a look at this site:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wisdom_tooth

There is no telling when and how many will come out, but your dentist should be able to tell you from your full mouth X-ray on the number as well as which ones are close to erupt. You only need to worry about the erupted wisdom teeth if you are having ps procedure. Google the erupted wisdom teeth, there are plenty of images on the internet.

 

Has anyone done any surgery to remove the ABT (Auxiliary Breast Tissue) in the armpit area? I have it and its ugly. It makes me self conscious enough to never wear sleeveless top to work. Does any clinic in Seoul do this type of removal well? Do they also do some liposuction in the nearby areas such as upper arm? I know I need to finish all the posts here in case it has been discussed before, but any suggestion or experience would be appreciated!

 

makeover,

I think you made the right decision by not doing it this time in Korea. Taking out all 4 wisdom teeth is a BIG deal, and you are still recovering from some major surgeries done thru mouth. Give your body a little more time in healing from the ps first before taking on the extraction. Also, I am not sure you need to go back to Korea just to have the extraction, unless you have other procedures in mind. Most dental insurance in US covers a percentage for the procedure. I only paid ~ $160 for my extraction of one tooth. It usually takes a few weeks to heal completely but you can continue working in the meantime. You can do it on a Friday afternoon and be back to work on Monday. So when you go back to Korea next time, you can focus on other ps you want to do without having to worry about this one.

 

Hi makeover,

Glad you are finally coming home, no more swelling on your face, and more importantly, you like what you see in the mirror! Thanks for sharing your story consistently.

I just want to say something about your wisdom teeth extraction - my personally opinion only. So no worries if you don't agree. Up until I turned 40, I had always questioned the dentists motive when they advised their patients to remove all their wisdom teeth early on in their life. But that changed in the last few years when I started realizing how much trouble my only remaining wisdom tooth has brought me. First, it pushed teeth around it and crowded that side of gum so I got this crowded teeth look which caused a lot of money to fix; secondly, I could never clean it as well because of how much it pushed on my cheek, causing me gum problem which over time brought on the gum recession and bone loss in the jaw. And, the tooth grew taller when there was no tooth to go against it. It can hit my gum eventually if I don't take care of it. So, I had it taken out about 2 months ago. When I looked at your post, I was thinking to myself that if I were you, I would have taken them out before the surgery. I imagine they do a lot harm while your mouth is healing from many open wound in it. Now that you have had surgery with them there, I think the best thing is to see your dentist when you are back home and extract them when the dentist think its safe to do so.

Good luck and have a safe trip home.

 

Please do tell which clinic it is that a young Korean girl is dying? It would help a lot of people here.

 

Just a FYI for everyone - Very little info out there on High Frequency Masseter Reduction, here is a paper on Journal of Craniofaciacl Surgery:

Infected sialocele: complication in masseter reduction using radiofrequency coagulation.

Lim H1, Lee IJ, Kim JH, Park MC.
Author information

• 1Department of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, Ajou University Hospital, Suwon, Republic of Korea.

Abstract

Radiofrequency coagulation was introduced to reduce the volume of masseter muscle. Radiofrequency procedure causes focal necrosis in masseter muscles, which leads to muscle hypoplasia and a slender lower face. We present a case of a 24-year-old woman who underwent radiofrequency coagulation to reduce masseter muscles. The patient experienced progressive erythematous swelling and noticed the mass around the right cheek 5 days after the procedure. On radiologic evaluation, a round cavity of 4-cm diameter containing air and fluid was observed. Incision and drainage was performed, and antibiotics were administrated intravenously. Blood-tinged purulent fluid was obtained, which was subsequently found to have a high amylase level. The swelling subsided, and there is no relapse up to 6 months after drainage. There are several complications of radiofrequency coagulation reported such as mucoserous fluid collections, late bleeding, infections, long-lasting pain, Stensen duct injury, facial nerve injuries, and limitation of temporomandibular joint movement. A well-designed operation plan and skilled technique are required to avoid these complications.


PMID:22627453[PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]

 

K, I am leaning towards a, jaw reduction on the bone and botox for now. So far, I have talked with 3 doctors/surgeons in my area about botox injection on masseter muscle, only one said he had extensive experience with this muscle. We'll see.

 

Thanks Couture for always having great advices .. since I am considering zygoma reduction, I am sure I'll have the CT scan of my face with one clinc and will make sure keep a copy for reusing with other clinics once I am there, which is around Oct. 2014.

On thing though, even if I have a prefect symmetrical face, I am still worried about the possible serious consequences from the facial muscle resection, unless the beautiful forumers here prove me wrong with their experiences. I imagine the recovery will be a lot harder and longer for the muscles to heal?

For now, my mind is set on using Botox.

 

Hello everyone!

I am also looking into the ways of reducing the masseter muscles. Initailly thinking of going with muscle resection which would appear to be a more permanent solution than Botox as mentioned here, but an expert pointed out to me the risk of having this facial muscle being operated on in this fashion. Being a biomedial science major, I can see a big risk of facial nerve and muscle damage with this resection method. As it pointed out to me also that the lose of motor function of this muscle can be quite devastating than just sensory loss. Has anyone on the forum undergone this procedure already and if so, could you please please please share your result? I would so appreciate it!!

Also, I was wondering if the muscle would look uneven after resection causing the eneveness on the cheeks?

Look forward to hearing from anyone that has info on this! Thanks!

 

MaiQ, thanks for digging up and share the good info. I saved a copy already for my Oct trip this year.

 

Makeover,

Like always, really appreciate your sharing with us what you are going thru, good and not so good, which is so valuable for readers like myself. 2-jaw is a huge deal as you showed us and people\ned to be aware of that before they take it on. I was wondering if you are taking any antibiotic to keep the infection away for your cheek/mouth? I was going to bring some strong ones with me for oral infection in case it's needed even though I may be only doing v-line and zygoma. Not sure about 2-jaw yet.

BTW, are the screws you mentioned from 2-jaw? Are they metal ones? Are all screws removed so you won't end up having any left in the face?

Hope your swelling get better soon!!

 

Aww, Anna thanks for still thinking of us at this time. You are one brave girl! Things are going to get better everyday from here so hang in there, we are all here to pray and cheer you on. Be strong and think about the result in a few weeks!

 

Thanks for the reply! Appreciate your offer of taking look at my pics and giving me your advice. I want to take some good pics in different angels (as required by some of the clinics for online consultation) so that you get a good idea of how my face look. Will PM you once I have the pics.

Happy for you that surgery went so well. Enjoy the recovery.

 

Couture,

Thank you for making such a great case in using silicon. My mind was pretty much made on rib cartilage for both of bridge and tip when I asked you the question, now I am not so sure any more. As a matter of fact, I think I am going to go with the soft silicon. I am so glad that I found this web site and your post!

 

myeon,

I actually like the fact the incision is made on the sideburn area, instead of inside the mouth. A lot easier and faster to heal I imagine. But I am not sure how effective this method is. The lateral zygoma is not thick to start with, how much slimming can it bring by shaving it? Also, I am curious how they secure the lateral zygoma that they need to break without using any screw.

 

That's ok Paxsky. It makes sense that doctors would want the maximum assurance in whatever they use to connect someone's facial bones. If I see any info on osteo-trans, I'll make sure I share it here with you. However, I have to say that the more I look the less I feel comfortable with any surgeries that would require screws/osteo-trans given my age. I am now leaning towards a bone shaving procedure. Who knows I might change my mind later about this. We'll see. I still have some time before this Fall.

 

Hi Coutour,

Thanks for a lot of great info that you posted. I find them very helpful!

Would you mind elaborate why folks should avoid rib cartilage for bridge if its the primary surgery?

MrsKing

 

Paxsky,

Thanks for sharing! I am looking into v-line, and possibly 2-jaws. So this is really good news for me. And what's even great is that Everm was already on my list!

Thanks again.

 

EspressoLatte, thanks for sharing your thoughts. Not easy to make a decision on which way to go. I am on the same boat. I studied the website of a Chinese doctor, Dr. Ting Wang, who is supposed to be excellent in rib, and have a feeling that warping and revision is also a real possibility.

Good luck, and keep us posted on your decision if you can.