bluerose312 Posted September 9, 2019 Share Posted September 9, 2019 I am an undetectable HIV patient and I have healthy lifestyle. I’m wondering if I could have plastic surgery ( rhynoplasty and eyelid) surgery? Anyone had the same situation? Thank you Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fortunecat Posted September 9, 2019 Share Posted September 9, 2019 Do you mean you have a normal CD4 count? Technically, I don't see why not. But you should inform the hospital so that they can make the necessary arrangements as well as checking on your wound healing etc. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
k-couture Posted September 9, 2019 Share Posted September 9, 2019 im just gonna give you a heads up first since there's alot of misconceptions about hiv which many people do not understand. Even though if your hiv is UNDETECTABLE, which means it cannot be transmitted even if you have unprotected sex, its still a huge taboo in Korea and they will refuse to treat you at most places, even if you can prove it. Its actually a non medical issue since those whose virus is undetectable cannot actually transmit it. You're not even legally required to tell your surgeon or the clinic so long as your recent test results shows it is undetectable. And FYI for most of you here who don't understand what that means, undetectable refers to virally suppressed to the point to which the virus can no longer be transmitted. These days there's even that medication which makes ppl immune to hiv. I think its called pep? prep? i dunno which one lol i just know alot of my gay friends take it haha Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bluerose312 Posted September 9, 2019 Author Share Posted September 9, 2019 I got a reply today from Banobagi and they refused to do surgery for those who have HIV. I contacted some other clinics but haven’t got reply yet, I guess they probably refuse to do it too. And yeah you’re right , U=U ( undetectable = untransmittable). I’m taking medication regularly and has became undetectable for years now. Not sure if they will check my blood for HIV test before the surgery if I don’t tell them about my status. HIV is not a big deal anymore with modern medicine and can be prevented by Prep as you said haha. But some people still have wrong preconceptions about it Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fortunecat Posted September 10, 2019 Share Posted September 10, 2019 Some medications e.g antibiotics interact with HIV medications. For example, streptomycin is not recommended with tenofovir. When I had my mini liposuction in Seoul last October, the pharmacist gave a prepacked medications for me to take which I simply have no idea what those were. So, by letting the surgeon know that you are currently taking those HIV medications, the surgeon will be able to prescribe you medications that will not interact with your HIV medications. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
coldwater02 Posted September 10, 2019 Share Posted September 10, 2019 i'm so sorry you have to deal with this. korea is still years behind the west in terms of HIV stigma/awareness/education. it could be a simple matter of surgeons/surgical techs refusing to do surgery on you in fear of accidentally getting infected, even though it's impossible since you're undetectable. can you get rhinoplasty in the US or Europe? it's a little more expensive, but the surgeons are just as good. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bluerose312 Posted September 10, 2019 Author Share Posted September 10, 2019 I’m thinking to have rhynoplasty and eyelids surgery here in Canada but the price for rhynoplasty with experienced surgeons starting from $9000 and for eyelids surgery is $3000. That’s pretty high compared to do it in Korea. Not sure I could bargain that, I think that’s the only choice for me though Thank you anyway Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
coldwater02 Posted September 10, 2019 Share Posted September 10, 2019 i feel you. and i wouldn't do eyelid surgery in canada (or US), lol. then... i would not disclose it, really. it's at no risk to any of them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bluerose312 Posted September 10, 2019 Author Share Posted September 10, 2019 Will they check for HIV status when I’m doing the surgery in Korea? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
coldwater02 Posted September 10, 2019 Share Posted September 10, 2019 they typically do a blood test the day before. i'm not sure exactly what they screen for. but if you're undetectable then you're good, right? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bluerose312 Posted September 10, 2019 Author Share Posted September 10, 2019 Unfortunately, I will still test positive for HIV when I’m undetectable or even “cured” in the future. HIV tests usually detect antibodies, which are part of your immune system’s response to HIV ( antibodies stay in the body for many years , just like when you had flu in the past, antibodies will stay in the body to fight back future flu virus). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
coldwater02 Posted September 10, 2019 Share Posted September 10, 2019 oh, i see. i'm not sure then. :/ maybe some of the other posters here can tell you. supposedly there are a lot of promoters and in-house marketers on here. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
k-couture Posted September 13, 2019 Share Posted September 13, 2019 oh really. I knew undetectable means that the virus cannot be transmitted but i didnt think you can still test positive. im sorry you have to go through this Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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