wakingdream Posted September 25, 2019 Share Posted September 25, 2019 Review for rhinoplasty, endotine lift, and chin implant at Namu. I unknowingly booked my flight during Korean Thanksgiving so clinics were closed for three days after the day I arrived, checking Korea's holiday schedule beforehand is a good idea. I was able to exchange most of my money at my local Wells Fargo into KRW before my trip. This really took off any anxiety I had about carrying tons of USD around, or trying to get new $100 bills to exchange. Buy a prepaid sim card from trazy online beforehand and pick up at airport, this will definitely save you money. I paid $36 vs $76 when you buy at the airport. The bus ticket kiosk at the airport was pretty confusing to me so I took the subway. It was less than 5 won to get to my hotel. Don't use Kakaomaps to get around, so confusing, I got lost trying to use it, it's mostly in Korean and very inconsistent, use Navermaps, much more clear. The subway is easy with navermaps. Make sure to bring a plug in adapter for Korean outlets. I stayed at Urban Place in Gangnam for $58 a night, there is a kitchenette with a stovetop, fridge, freezer, kettle and washer/drier in your room. It was also a 15 minute walk from Namu which came in handy. I brought a water filter, I was confused about whether Koreans drink tap water but it seemed like not. I REALLY recommend getting a interpreter and bringing them to the clinic with you even if the clinic has an interpreter. My interpreter did a lot of speaking in Korean with Linda and doctors to communicate my wants when what I was trying to communicate was not making total sense to them or things got a little tense. Linda did not always understand me clearly. I also should say that Korea is a patriarchal society and communication is much more passive/subtle than direct. Dr. Kirk was who I saw first. He told me he wouldn't give me a large chin implant and wouldn't do a Bleapharoplasty on me, instead I needed an endotine lift. (I need both). I kind of resisted this and we butted heads, he seemed a bit gruff, but he had just finished doing a surgery. Anyway, after some unpleasant back and forth, Dr. Kook was sent in. Eunice told me later he's been there 15 years but I hadn't read about him. He was much more gentle and things went smoothly. The consultation lasted about two hours with a lot of breaks while waiting for Linda or the doctors. My interpreter really helped negotiate for me in Korean, Linda quoted 9 mil, but I got everything, including masseter botox for 7.5 mil. I paid my deposit before I left, 10%, non refundable. They also arranged a taxi for me back to my hotel after surgery and a taxi back to the airport. I had a good feeling about Namu and didn't have time really to consult anywhere else and get a guaranteed surgery date because of the holidays and peak season. I cancelled consultations at Nana and Uvom. Day before surgery I had to be xrayed in a different building, they will see you topless fyi. Day of surgery they took my pictures, and there was a little locker to lock up my stuff. I had to wash my face and brush my teeth there. I drank water until two hours before surgery after googling it since it seems safe. During surgery they put a catheter on you when you're out, so just fyi they will see you partially nude. I woke up from surgery obviously thirsty and I requested to swish water and they let me. The pressure band really hurt and Linda said something about it being removed the next day so I loosened it. I was told to sleep upright at a 90 degree angle but tbh I'm not sure how necessary that was, it made it really hard to sleep for me and I think sleep is more important for healing than angle as long as your head is up. I barely slept the first two nights because it's very difficult for me to fall asleep if I can't breathe through my nose. So first two nights were really hard. I got a little sleep by the end of night two. After they removed the nasal packing life got better. It didn't hurt for me to get packing or stitches removed. I bruised and swoll pretty badly with purple eyes. Nearly all bruises were gone after 6 days. It was hard to be alone in the hotel, exhausted, not being able to do much for six days. I had some moments of depression which is common with surgery. By day six I felt okay enough to walk around Gangnam but was exhausted. My splint was just a plastic v with sticky tape on the back and fell off by day four. There was just tape under that. I took the tape off since I didn't have my last meeting with the nurse and surgeon until right before my flight and didn't want a bunch of crap stuck on my nose. I also showered and shampooed with my stitches and cast on day four and it was fine. The deswelling treatment is just a pulsating laser that didn't seem to do much. I was pretty unhappy when I first saw my nose, bulbous tip and very projected. I know it's very swollen but the tip is so big I'm not sure how much it could shrink from a physics perspective, there's just a lot of nose mass there. I had almost everything wrong with my nose that can be wrong. Because my bridge still looks very wide and my tip bulbous I was skeptical if Dr. Kook did everything I requested. At the last meeting he said he did and I believe him. Day four and five I'd whipped myself into a frenzy feeling unhappy about how projected and big my nose looks, I was just freaking out for no reason. After talking with Dr. Kook though, he said it's still really swollen. After all, I had a huge nose prior to this so I should keep my expectations realistic. I'm not sure what my final nose will look like, but even if it remains this big I decided it looks natural and it's still way better than before. I love my endotine lift and my chin. Kook suggested a smaller implant, its still swollen but I think he's right about that. The kakao chat rooms for rhinoplasty and other ps were a source of information and comfort for me during this process, I suggest joining if you haven't. That's it! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bagel928 Posted September 25, 2019 Share Posted September 25, 2019 Wow thanks for the great review! Wishing you a speedy recovery!!! How many days did you end up staying in Korea? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wakingdream Posted September 26, 2019 Author Share Posted September 26, 2019 Just 12 days. I didn't realize I'd lose a day with the flight and time zone change. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sakuraico Posted September 28, 2019 Share Posted September 28, 2019 When do you see effects from the masseter botox? And do you need to top up for it to last? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wakingdream Posted September 28, 2019 Author Share Posted September 28, 2019 I've read up to six weeks. My face does look slightly slimmer but that could also be the chin implant, I have chubby cheeks. You need to redo it every six months to a year. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ray_ram Posted September 30, 2019 Share Posted September 30, 2019 Was it doctor Min and Hong who performed the Rhino ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rain_22 Posted February 21, 2020 Share Posted February 21, 2020 Hi do you mind me asking how much you paid for chin implant please? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wakingdream Posted February 22, 2020 Author Share Posted February 22, 2020 It was part of all my surgeries in a package so I don’t know individual cost Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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