bunnylol Posted April 10, 2019 Share Posted April 10, 2019 DISCLAIMER: Before you guys call me a promoter, please know that I have been doing my research reading threads on this forum for several years - I have been kinda active on this forum since late last year and am also a member of several Plastic Surgery related Kakao group chats. I paid for my own surgery with my hard-earned money and no sponsorship was involved. This review is my way of giving back to the PF Community who have been so helpful in sharing their experiences. Hello everyone! At this point, I am at 1 month post-op from my Revision Rhinoplasty. I waited this long to write a review because I wanted the swelling to go down slightly further and to be sure that I really liked my results. As an additional information, I am a guy I couldn't recall alot of things although I do write notes in my phone on what happened day by day when I was still in Korea, but I will try to be as detailed as possible.Introduction ~ I've had my rhinoplasty done twice in Thailand. Both unfortunately was botched; an L-shaped implant were used for both Rhinoplasty. For my primary rhinoplasty, the implant ended up being deviated while the revision one caused the skin on my nose tip to be so thin that the implant can and will extrude anytime. Despite the implant thinning the skin on my nose tip, it was still bulbous! Which led me to venture out into the Korea's plastic surgery world knowing that they are more advanced with their technologies and skills. There were possibly thousands of plastic surgery clinics in Korea and I was really clueless on how to narrow down these clinics and choose the one that's best for me. But I am extremely grateful to each and every one of you who have shared your experience(s) on this forum - it became my reference point and I read all of them on a daily basis. My main aim for this revisional rhinoplasty is to correct my thinning and bulbous nose tip. So, the procedures I wanted are: 1. Replace my L-shaped silicone 2. Tip-plasty to correct my bulbous nose and Ear/Septal Cartilage on my tip 3. Osteotomy 4. To request for a nose shape that suits my face. I did not plan to bring in any photos as reference because I believe each of us are unique in our own ways and replicating someone else's nose just because theirs look good (on them/their features) doesn't necessarily mean that it will look good on us. I decided to trust the surgeon 100% as they have the experience. Also, I decided from here that I will *try* to refrain from big Clinics or Hospitals that are specifically targeted to the foreigner’s market - and visit smaller scale clinics that caters to mostly local Koreans. After narrowing down the clinics, I decided to do consultations with Opera PS Clinic, VG PS Clinic (aka Very Good Plastic Surgery Clinic), Gami Clinic and Wannabe PS Clinic. Although my main shortlisted was only Opera, Wannabe and Gami – I chanced upon VG Clinic’s advertisement/poster and decided to just walk in. I stayed at a hotel near Anguk Station – my room was facing Changdeokgung Palace which was great! It takes me about 13 to 20 minutes from Anguk Station to the PS area (Apgujeong/Sinsa/Gangnam) which I didn’t mind at all as it is one straight subway line. Anguk Station is a really convenient location, near to where all the tourist places are such as Myeongdong, Dongdaemun etcs. Which is great because on some days, I can even walk from my hotel to these areas and walking a lot also helps with deswelling.A few days before my flying to Korea, I decided to have my abdomen liposuction done with Evita Clinic at the very last minute – thanks to Anyeli from the Kakao group chat who shared her first-hand experience and contributed countless of her amazing knowledge to the group. ***This review is mainly on my Revisional Rhinoplasty experience. Let me know if you guys are interested to know my experience on liposuction with Evita Clinic and I might create a new thread for this Consultations ~7 March 2019 I started the day in the morning feeling positive, in hopes that I could settle for a clinic that made me feel comfortable, with the short list of clinics that I have lol. Also, I only had half the day for consultations as my liposuction surgery was scheduled in the afternoon.Opera Clinic – The clinic is located right by Gangnam Station, which is very convenient and not hard to find at all. However, I was initially having problems locating their floor. There wasn’t much information on their official site and FB page. Then their banner on the entrance of the building states 8F – which I assumed was 8th Floor. But as the lift opens at 8th Floor, it was actually a dental clinic. LOL! So I kakao-ed the consultant to double confirm and was told that they are on the 15th Floor. The clinic is simple and gives a nice ambience. Took my CT scan and had the first consultation with the consultant followed by the doctor. The doctor suggested osteotomy, replacement of silicone and tip-plasty with ear cartilage along with alarplasty. However, I didn’t really agree with having done alarplasty although the doctor says that it will balance the shape of my nose because firstly, I’m a guy and I am not too keen on having smaller alars and secondly, I personally feel that my alars are not that huge to start with. Maybe I can reconsider alarplasty in the future, but not now. Off we go to discussing the price. Opera’s quotes are really affordable, infact I think it’s one of the lowest I have gotten. However, I thanked them for their time and kind assistance, and told them that I will let them know of my decision as soon as possible.VG Clinic – VG clinic is in the same building as Opera, I don’t remember which level they are at. They are not in my list of clinics to visit at all but I saw several of their advertisement poster at the lobby area with several before and after photos and I was quite amazed because the noses looked really good. I decided to try my luck and just walk in for a consultation. When I walked in, the clinic gave me a very luxurious feel – from the interior décor of the clinic, to the way the staffs present themselves. Which gave me the impression that they are gonna be expensive lol. Their English consultant, Mae was extremely gorgeous! She had me fill up some forms and got me through their CT scan. Then we sat and talked about what I needed. She agreed that the procedures I wanted can be done and told me that their clinic is very famous and known for their Eyes, Nose and Breast Augmentation as those are the doctor’s speciality. Which is cool really. I asked for quotes to get a rough estimate before I even met the doctor and they were somewhat still fits my budget and they were willing to negotiate further. Unfortunately, the doctor was still in a surgery and I was already late for my liposuction surgery. She said that I can meet the surgeon if I can wait for another 5 minutes. I understand that it’s totally my fault because I didn’t make an appointment. I told her we can reschedule and she asked me to come the next day at 3pm. I couldn’t squeeze anymore consultations for this day as my liposuction was scheduled at 2pm and by then, it was already 1pm.8 March 2019 I only managed to resume my rhinoplasty consultation journey at about 11.30am as I have an appointment for my lipo wound cleaning etcs.Wannabe Clinic – Thankfully, Wannabe Clinic is only a few blocks away from my lipo clinic so walking there took me around maybe 2 minutes? It is easy to locate the clinic, they are located near Apgujeong Station, maybe about less than 5 minutes walk. Wannabe Clinic has a nice ambience, a minimalist interior décor. This clinic made me feel relaxed upon entrance (especially after walking out in the freezing cold and also from the soreness/pain from the liposuction haha) Alexa, their English consultant greeted me and introduced herself. She gave me this very positive vibe. Alexa was one of the only clinics who are very detailed and helpful during online consultation because I really asked a lot of questions. After filling up the forms for me, she led me to have my CT scan taken. While I was there, I only saw local Koreans walking in and out of the clinic – I was the only foreigner. I assumed they are quite famous amongst the locals. We then talked about what I wanted to fix. The surgeon was still in the surgery and we had to wait awhile to meet him so I decided to have my lunch first (starving all the time lol) and come back to the clinic later when the surgeon is done. After lunch, I made my way back to the clinic and finally met Dr. Cha Myung Kyu, I was told that he is the Nose and Eyes specialist. We went through my CT scan and he listened to what I wanted to fix with my nose. Initially I wanted to have Osteotomy done thinking that I have a hump on the sides of my nose – so I wanted to shave/break them in order to give me a straight and narrow front profile. But after looking at my CT scan, Dr. Cha told me that I don’t even need the Osteo because the bone which I thought was bothering me, is actually normal and that everyone has it LOL! If I insist on Osteo, my nose would look very caved in and it will look too slim and feminine. He explained to me that he will replace my current L-shaped silicone, and showed me the silicone that he will use on me – which is very very soft. Then he will design and customize my nose tip using my own ear and septal cartilage. While I was there and since Dr. Cha specialized in eyes too, I decided to ask him what he can do for my eyelids… you know, since I’m already going through a surgery then why not do both LOL. He held the mirror infront of me, and said “What is there to do with your eyes? Your eyes are perfect already, you don’t need to do anything to it.” I think that was very sweet of him and gave me the impression that he’s not out to push or sell additional procedures to me. I thanked Dr. Cha as he left. Proceeded to discuss the price with Alexa. The price quoted was really affordable too – I assumed that this was because they cater mostly to locals and does not focus on foreigners thus, do not charge ridiculous price. I was really tired, especially a day after liposuction. And I am already very comfortable with the surgeon’s explanation & experience, and the overall positive vibe with the clinic that I decided to choose Wannabe Clinic! Fortunately, they have an availability for surgery on the next day itself. I made my deposit and went back feeling absolutely assured and relieved! I was quite pleased with my decision and also the price I paid. And because I have already chosen to do my nose with Wannabe Clinic, I decided not to visit the remaining clinic for consultation...to be continued.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
peachy-sky Posted April 10, 2019 Share Posted April 10, 2019 Thank you for sharing! I just had my rhino at Wannabe too! Will post a review later Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
foxgirl97 Posted April 10, 2019 Share Posted April 10, 2019 Great choice. and I absolutely agree with your decision on Alar reduction. You can do Alar reduction in the future since your result fixed. Alar reduction, with incision methods, can not return when you don't like it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bunnylol Posted April 10, 2019 Author Share Posted April 10, 2019 Surgery Day ~09 March 2019 I read about how others are not able to sleep as they were nervous for the surgery. Surprisingly, I slept soundly. Knowing that it will be the last time I could sleep on my sides (I'm a side sleeper) and won't be able to do so for at least one to two weeks after Rhinoplasty so I decided to make the most of it LOL. I reached the clinic at about 9 am although my surgery was scheduled at 10.30 am. This was because they'll be doing some checks on me. I will also have a final consultation with the surgeon to finalize what I wanted to achieve. I changed into the clinic's robe and was instructed to wash my face with their special cleanser twice - I think this was somewhat an antiseptic cleanser? Then we proceed to have my before photos taken and waited in the consultation room afterwards. Dr. Cha came in and went through with me again on what he will do to my nose, basically he will be replacing my silicone implant to a new one, designing and customizing my tip with ear and septal cartilage. I finalize with him what I wanted to achieve and he advised me what can be achieved and what can't be achieved. Oh by the way, I was under sleep sedation and not general anaesthesia. I think it's because I'm only doing one procedure and it does not cost any osteotomy/bone shaving. Keep in mind that I had requested for dramatic result lol I was like since I'll be going through the surgery anyway I might as well ask for something dramatic. But Dr. Cha advised against it as my current nose tip is very thin so there are limitations on how much higher my nose can go. But he assured me that he will try his best to design a shape that suits my face - at this point I am really confident with his suggestions. At about 10.15 am I finally went into the operating room. There were several nurses, the room is bright, clean, cold and looks very organized. The nurses were very reassuring and told me to calm down seeing that I was a little bit nervous. They strapped my hands and legs. My consultant, Alexa was all along in the operating room with me and I find that really sweet although it was to help translate anything if needed, it gave me the assurance that she's there if anything happens. I saw Dr. Cha walking in and then he designed my nose with something. I couldn’t really see what he used and the next thing I remember was the nurses and Alexa waking me up and assisted me to the recovery room. I did not feel groggy and felt really ok. The first thing I did on the recovery bed was to take selfies because I wanted to see how I looked like. Alexa came into the recovery room and went through with me what happened during the surgery, what did Dr. Cha did and told me that the surgery went smoothly - then, she went through with me the post-op instructions. I left the clinic shortly after as I was feeling fine. Guess what? After the surgery I took the subway back to my hotel! LOL I was quite surprised that I feel totally ok. I went back to my hotel and rested for the day. During my last surgery in Thailand, I was feeling so sick after the surgery. I also did not receive any bandages or cast on my nose, there wasn’t much details explained to me it was like “ok you are done with your surgery, goodbye”. There was also no aftercare provided. I came back once to ask ‘my implant doesn’t look straight’ and all the doctor did was “No, it’s straight” and quickly shoo-ed me out of the room saying he has other patients waiting. Supplement Tips ~ I really really recommend you guys get “After PLUS +”. It’s a supplement that is meant to fasten your recovery after Plastic Surgery containing bromelain, arnica, pumpkin extract etcs. It comes with a pill, ampoule (to drink), and a cream to apply on your swelling area to reduce swell and bruising. When I was there, I saw almost all pharmacy at Apgujeong selling it. It costed me about 148,000 won. It really helped!! I didn’t have any a lot of bruising and my swelling wasn’t that bad.Post op ~ I came back to Wannabe Clinic two days later (on Monday) for wound cleaning and post-op treatment. They also provided me with 1 x Deswelling Shot, 1 x Shampoo service and I can visit them for the laser deswelling treatment as many times as I want – but I didn’t find the laser deswelling necessary as I literally walked at least 5km a day (I tracked using a fitness app) exploring Seoul and I find that it helps with my deswelling a lot. Throughout the days I was in Korea, Alexa didn’t fail to follow-up with me daily on how I was feeling and reminded me on the dos and donts for faster recovery which I really appreciated. I do not have much updates for my first to 6th day post-op as this experience is not new to me and being in Korea for the first time, I explored the City and shopped a lot. Visited the Palaces, went up N Seoul Tower, Shopping experience at Gangnam, Myeongdong, Hongdae, Hanam and also the Lotte Tower. It was a really fun experience – despite having a bandaged nose, it seems that the locals didn’t even bat an eyelid over that. But the tourists will tend to stare, like really at you in your face kind of stare. I normally roll my eyes and walk away, have not experienced anything awkward neither do I feel ashamed. My advice to you guys, please do lots of walking – I mean yes, you’d want to rest at the comfort of your hotel/Airbnb rooms and avoid public appearances but walking really does make a huge difference in terms of helping you to deswell significantly. My last appointment would be on my day 7 post-op where they remove the cast and also my stitches.Last Day / Follow Up ~ I came back on Friday morning for stitches removal and also to finally see the look of my nose after cast removal. Stitches removal wasn’t that painful – it was just slightly uncomfortable, a little bit ticklish lol. The nurse removed my stitches on my nose first, followed by behind the ears. They also cleaned the insides of my nose once again. And then… removal of my cast. Alexa handed me the mirror and the first thing I noticed was how defined my nose is – from the bridge to the tip. It was so really nice, in my own way. But I really liked what Dr. Cha did to my nose. It looked significantly longer, defined and sharper, like what I’ve wanted although it is still swollen. As this is not my first time doing rhinoplasty, I am fully aware that the nose change will vary from month to month as the swelling goes down. So please *try* not to obsessed over your nose too much. It may look too upturned to you, or maybe you see uneven nostrils, or your bridge is too high – All this will go down and improve as it is still swelling. Swelling will take even longer for revision cases, so you need to be patient. I said my goodbyes to Dr. Cha, the nurses, the receptionists and Alexa, took some photos with Alexa and I felt really sad – they have been really nice to me and I really appreciate the care given. I will post more photos soon over the next few months as the swelling dissipates and hope this review could be a reference for your upcoming surgeries. I wish you all the best of luck and hope you achieve the results that you wanted. Please feel free ask away if you have questions and I will try my best to reply them as soon as possible. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
qubed Posted April 10, 2019 Share Posted April 10, 2019 I'm seriously impressed you manage to go to appointments the day after lipo. I just had abdomen lipo done, and moving around the day after was a serious chore. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lovelovelove07 Posted April 10, 2019 Share Posted April 10, 2019 Thank you for sharing!! Wannabe is on my top list too Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bunnylol Posted April 11, 2019 Author Share Posted April 11, 2019 I am looking forward to read your review! Anw, hope you are recovering well! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bunnylol Posted April 11, 2019 Author Share Posted April 11, 2019 That's true.. maybe one year down the road, if I feel like alar reduction is necessary then I might consider it. For now I'm pretty happy with how it looks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bunnylol Posted April 11, 2019 Author Share Posted April 11, 2019 Omg, you have no idea how sore I was.. especially with all the walking at 7 degrees.. I'm from singapore and Korea is the furthest I have travelled to so it's also my first time experiencing cold weathers.. so can you imagine the soreness + walking in the cold... sometimes when I think back, I wondered how did I do it. But im so grateful that I wasn't alone and received alot of help from my friend. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bunnylol Posted April 11, 2019 Author Share Posted April 11, 2019 No worries! wish you the best of luck in your clinic search Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dice7074 Posted April 11, 2019 Share Posted April 11, 2019 Hey bunnylol, can I pm you on kaokao? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
katexoxo Posted April 11, 2019 Share Posted April 11, 2019 I'd like to see your pics! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gats Posted April 11, 2019 Share Posted April 11, 2019 Thanks for the review! How do we see your photos? BTW can you please do a review of your lipo at Evita? It's hard to determine where to go for body lipo as there's not enough non-sponsored reviews here on it. I'd love to hear your experience there, why you chose them, your results, did you get compression garments, etc. I'm shocked you were able to get around the day after lipo without major difficulty, it sounds like you may have had mini-lipo? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bunnylol Posted April 12, 2019 Author Share Posted April 12, 2019 Sure! Can you msg me on the group chat your ID? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bunnylol Posted April 12, 2019 Author Share Posted April 12, 2019 I'll post them real soon! Stay tuned Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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