valenrina

I kept my screws in, and when I needed to go for a MRI brain scan, they couldn’t see ****, so the images were useless. On hindsight, I should have removed them. But my op 3 years ago.

 

I did though when I was at Regen, I remembered an EKG and blood tests, in addition to the CT scans.

 

Thanks for sharing! I think I will contact Mina too for fats grafting and threadlifts. Cheers.

 

ok, you're the boss.

 

Well, I read the Japan one, they didn’t deliberately not test the patients. The medical staff were confused because the criteria for testing was not clear. Sometimes the headlines could be misleading... maybe read the whole article instead of grabbing headlines before drawing conclusions? Other countries may not be hiding/lying, but just inefficient. Lazy to read the US ones, maybe they’re lying, muhahaha.

 

I feel you, there is a mask shortage in Singapore too. SK is not alone in this. I would say this again, the virus does not differentiate borders. I think SK is doing an excellent job and I have confidence in SK's healthcare system. However, it is not justified to say other countries are deliberately downplaying the figures because you do not have proof.

 

Whatever you say sis/bro, all the best. There's no need to feel defensive. I'm proud of what the Singapore's government has done and we have won praises from top leaders in the world, as well as the World Health Organisation. Not long ago, Singapore has the highest no. of cases outside of China.

There's no need to compare my country, your country... because the virus don't differentiate borders. The shortage of masks is a worldwide problem, unfortunately. There's no stopping you or anyone from preparing more, if you have masks, wear it; if you have hand sanitisers, use it. But what we've learnt or still trying to inculcate in Singaporeans is civic mindedness, that is, spare a thought for those who need masks more than us, e.g. front line helpers, healthcare workers, elderly, those whose immunity are compromised to name a few. If everyone hordes, what will happen to those who really need them? There are more important things to prevent the virus from spreading, e.g. observing personal hygiene such as frequent hand washing, avoid touching your nose, eyes and mouth.

It has not been confirmed that it's airborne, so until an official statement is made, refrain from saying it is. Don't spread fear, don't spread fake news.

 

KOREA (DEM. PEOPLE'S REP.) - published 06.02.2020 is North Korea... I mentioned this in an earlier post.

 

I think @iiibbystar meant well. It’s true that sagging is very common and happens to many people, even the consultants/doctors acknowledge that. IMO, we can agree that a high percentage of people who had facial contouring surgeries experienced different degree of sagging and/or other side effects. It’s also true that it’s not obvious during early recovery because of swelling, and the best time to evaluate whether there is sagging or persisting side effects is 1 year post op. because residual swelling could still be present at 6 months. On the other hand there are people who experienced no side effects at all. However, let’s stop and ask ourselves: are those who did not experience any side effects the majority or minority?

I’m really glad that your surgery turns out well! We all want the best for you and everyone who is recovering from fc surgeries. We’ve been there done that, and we know it requires courage and patience.

 

There is a worldwide shortage in masks - it’s sold out in pharmacies across Asia. People are queuing up to buy masks in SK, shelves are empty in China, Malaysia, Singapore, Japan... The prices of masks have increased 3 to 5 folds. Amazon is trying to curb masks price hike. SG government says if you are not sick, you don’t need to wear mask! Below excerpt from SG’s Ministry of Health Website:


Who should wear a mask? What kind of mask should I wear?


For the general public who are not having any symptoms at all and are well, there is no requirement to wear a mask.

As a good hygiene measure, people who are not well and have respiratory symptoms should wear a mask so that they do not spread any infection to other people. Anyone who has symptoms should see a doctor as soon as possible, to make sure that they remain well.

In the case of COVID-19, we know that the infection is spread through droplets. Wearing a mask will protect other people when someone with respiratory symptoms coughs or sneezes, as the mask would trap those droplets and prevent those droplets from spreading and disseminating.

As such, a surgical mask is sufficient for this case and fulfils the important function of preventing a spread if worn properly. The mask should be changed if it gets soiled or stained.

(see Advisory on Wearing Masks, under the section “Content you can use”)

 

Wanna give an update on this. Oops I realised that it’s quite long by the time I finished writing.

Regen: I really must compliment Regen because regardless of the years past, they never fail to answer all my questions within 2 days. The consultant clarified that Dr Oh said, “(it) is not caused by muscle because we don’t cut muscle during v-line”.

TFD: Very prompt reply within the same day and corroborated that there is no problem with my bones structure. The consultant said that if I really want to determine if it’s a muscle problem, I’ll need an MRI. However, since the surgery was 3 years ago, he/she doesn’t think it’ll tear further if it’s muscle.

Hyundai/MVP/ASPS: Consultant is helpful, but I’ll have to come down for a f2f examination, which is understandable.

MINE/NAMU/DAPRS/View/Banobagi: kthxbye, either not prompt in replying or not helpful. I don’t know what happen to Banobagi, they were really nice and willing to go an extra mile when I had my rhinoplasty surgery.

All the clinics which responded unanimously recommended fats grafting/fillers at first glance. I think I’ll stop obsessing over the muscle issue.

I’ll plan for consultations at these shortlisted clinics nearer the date of travel when covid-19 blows over:
1. Regen: Did most of my surgeries there and they have been reliable in terms of results and post-op care.
2. ASPS: The smile lifting (thread lifts) and fats grafts B&A look absolutely amazing on their website.
3. Hyundai: Fats graft results tend towards dolly rather than natural, but I think it’s still worth going for a consult.

I have this nagging feeling about MVP which makes me hesitant. Perhaps it stems from the less than stellar google rating of 3.9/5, and the death of a 20 yr old rhinoplasty patient. Miss Orange had clarified that the man had a pre-existing condition, but I felt that it was still the clinic’s negligence to a certain extent for not uncovering it. I found Miss Orange “real patient review” on MVP’s website. It’s definitely ok to receive discounts from the clinics by posting positive reviews, but I felt the reviews were... how should I say this... over enthusiastic? Sorry, I know that you meant well, have given lotsa valuable advice, and I truly respect you. I totally enjoy your thread btw and read most of the pages.

 

I think that’s North Korea.

This should be the advisory for SK.

KOREA (REP.) - published 20.02.2020

1. Visitors who have been in the Hubei Province (China People's Rep.) in the past 14 days are not allowed to transit or enter Korea (Rep.).

2. Nationals of China (People's Rep) with a passport issued in the Hubei Province are not allowed to enter Korea (Rep.).

3. Korean visas issued by the Wuhan Consulate in the Hubei Province are invalidated.

4. A visa is required to transit through Korea (Rep.) for:

- nationals of China (People's Rep.) arriving from China (People's Rep); and

- visa required nationals arriving from China (People's Rep.).

5. Visitors arriving from Japan who have been in the cruise ship 'Diamond Princess' are not allowed to transit or enter (Korea Rep.).

 

Please wait for at 6 six months to a year. I know it’s not easy but residual swelling can take many months to disappear. Hang in there.

 

I do have some successful and not so successful surgeries so I wouldn’t go as far as saying we shouldn’t go to SK for surgeries. Erhmm... maybe avoid for now ‘cause of covid-19.

Rhinoplasty and Tip Plasty (Banobagi, Dr Lee) - not perfect but good enough for me, it’s a decent job
Fats grafting (Regen, Dr Oh) - good work overall, but might have overfilled my right undereye
Zygoma reduction (Regen, Dr Oh) - really good work there
Vline (Regen, Dr Oh) - chin and lower lip still numb after 3 years and peculiar dent and skin bulge near jaw
Undereye fats repositioning (Regen, Dr Kim) - great work after persistent swelling is gone

Above are based on my personal experiences, please do your own research and try not to let reviews of other people, promoters or not, influence your decision when meeting the doc f2f. Check if the doc is truly a board certified surgeon, ask a lot of questions, and perhaps trust your gut feel.

 

Furthermore, imagine getting sick in SK, it could be a problem seeking medical attention if the hospitals in SK are overwhelmed with patients. He/she probably also has to get hold of his/her country’s embassy in Korea to fly back home cause I’m pretty damn sure nobody will let an infected go to the airport. Another thing to consider is travel advisory has already been issued, if anything happens, the travel insurance is not likely to cover. Third, even if he/she returns to his/her own country, he/she maybe quarantined for 14 days. The areas affected are Daegu and Cheongdo. Seoul is safe ... for now.
https://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/health/singapore-to-bar-visitors-from-cheongdo-and-daegu-amid-rise-in-coronavirus-cases-in
https://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/singapore/covid-19-south-korea-daegu-cheongdo-travel-advisory-moh-12462192

 

Regen waited a day to come back to me. The consultant said that when I contacted them in 2018, they had explained to me that it is a skin sagging issue. I asked her if she could probe Dr. Oh further citing references and resemblance from the article. To be fair, it’s quite difficult ascertaining the problem without a f2f consultation. For one, MVP has come back saying that I need to be at the clinic physically for Dr. Seo to ‘feel and examine’. Interestingly, an aesthetic jaw reconstructive surgery clinic in SG replied that although they have no experience in doing masseter muscle reattachment, the area circled on my photo seems to be beyond the attachment of the masseter muscle. (Could be other facial muscle?)

I’m trying to book an appointment with the National Dental Centre in SG for a preliminary consult with an oral & maxillofacial surgeon. I’m hoping the government’s clinic will be cheaper. A private one will set me back about S$80-S$200 just for consultation, S$140-S$300 for an X-ray, and more for CT scan.

Well, I could wait for covid-19 to blow over and plan a trip to Seoul. I’ve emailed The Face Dental and I’m eager to hear what they say. I’m also pending replies from Hyundai, Banobagi, DA, Namu, and MINE. Nearer the date, I’ll compile a final list of clinics to consult.

 

A lift and fats graft will improve the corners of my mouth and jowls, and may mask the dent and skin bulge. However, if it’s a muscle issue, it will just hide the problem and not correct it. Maybe hiding the problem is aesthetically good enough, but maybe like what @yunggrandpa said, it probably pays to find out if the muscle tear (if that’s what it is) will regress even further.

 

Omg, S.K has issued the red alert! Did y’all have problems with your flights?

 

No idea yet, waiting for the clinics to reply.

 

Yes, in my own thread, https://beautyhacker.com/forums/topic/1023867-3-years-post-rhino-fc-fg-and-under-eyes-fats-repositioning/page-2.

 

Ikr, it can’t be normal sagging. Reading that article is like an epiphany. Thing is, not many clinics are willing to take-up revision cases. I contacted View and the first thing they said was maybe I had the bulge before surgery and I just didn’t notice It. Oh, come on, seriously? I wouldn’t trust View to do any revision based on their attitude even though they weren’t the ones who did my primary surgery. MVP’s consultant said that she had never heard of it before. She would have to talk to Dr. Seo and see if he would be interested to take a look at the case. Mina said that they would send me an email with recommendation. WannabePS said their facial contouring specialist is not around atm. Guess what, no reply from my original clinic yet. Getting a CT scan in SG will cost me an arm and leg, not to mention surgery.

In retrospect, it’s really not that obvious under normal light and from frontal view. Believe me, I had to move around my house a lot to find the harshest light, most unfavourable angle and spot to cast that insane amount of shadows. Maybe, it’s just not serious enough to warrant me to do anything, but it’s nice to know what’s really is causing it. I’ll wait to hear from the clinics.

 

yep, some saggy skin, I’m really quite old but that shouldn’t cause the funny bulge? Not sure what do you mean by muscle move. Hmm... I wasn’t clenching or biting, so the muscle should be at rest. Yep, that’s my rest ***** face. Ha.

 

That depression and skin bulge has been baffling me for years. I’m looking at the anatomy of the masseter muscle and it doesn’t seem to reach so far down into the mandibular. So still skin sagging?

Anatomy of masseter: https://www.getbodysmart.com/mastication-muscles/masseter-muscle

 

I did not cut my mandibular angle but my mandibular body, so the ‘depression’ and skin bulge appear further down the jawline, not at the angles like hers. I’m asking advice from my clinic as well as second opinions from other clinics, but I haven’t truly figure that out yet tbh. I’m not in the medical field so it’s all guesswork for now.

I had to take this photo under really harsh white lights, otherwise the skin bulge is not that obvious.

 

Omg everyone, I just found out that the skin sagging I thought I have could actually be retraction of the masseter muscle due to mandibular (body) reduction. I have ‘flat’ areas and skin bulge above either sides of my jawline where the bones were taken out. I voiced my concerns over and over again with the clinic but this never came up, I was advised to do thread lifts. Now I’m beginning to think it’s not sagging. Check out the article and excerpt below:

Source: https://www.dryaremchuk.com/blog/masseter-muscle-reattachment-after-mandibular-angle-surgery/
“Disruption of the pterygomasseteric sling during exposure of the inferior border of the mandible can cause the masseter muscle to retract superiorly, resulting in a loss of soft tissue volume over the angle of the mandible and a skeletonized appearance. Subsequent contraction of the masseter elevates the disinserted edge of the muscle and not only increases the skeletonized area, but also exaggerates the deficiency by causing a soft tissue bulge above it.”

Mine is not very obvious, but if this is it, I should be looking at a corrective surgery to reattach the masseter muscle instead of lifts or even fats graft. I’ve WhatsApp my clinic and shall see what they say - I sincerely hope clinics will admit when there’s a problem. I don’t expect surgeries to be 100% successful, but the clinics and docs need to be truthful.