hazlexnut Posted December 29, 2019 Author Share Posted December 29, 2019 Hi, I figured that I should give another update now that I'm almost 3 months post-op and have gotten through a lot of the post-care steps. Side effects At this point, I still have a tiny bit of numbness in my upper lip, but pretty much all the numbness is gone. I would say that around the 2 month mark was when I pretty much had all sensation back in my face. However, while all the numbness is pretty much gone, I would say that there is still a medium amount of stiffness in my face. The set of exercises that I was given after the surgery has been helpful to regain range of motion in my jaw, but there is a bit of stiffness around my lips / in inner midface (around the nose). All in all though, I've gotten back most of the range of motion, and the stiffness does not really impact my everyday life. I think that I might also still have slightly reduced feeling in roof of my mouth and gums, which really doesn't affect me at all., except that I am extra careful to not burn my mouth while eating hot things.The sensation is also still returning, so I'm not really concerned. If there is one side effect that has actually been pretty annoying that I didn't anticipate, the screws that get put into your mouth are kind of a pain. They are totally unavoidable if you go down the path of 2-jaw surgery, but at least for me, they sort of dig into the inside of my lip. It isn't really painful, but is more annoying, sort of like if your cheek is swollen and you keep touching it with your tongue / thinking about it. Also, it's pretty easy to get food stuck in the screws... Anyways, it's just annoying and isn't really bad at all compared to the pain of the first couple of weeks! I also started my follow-up orthodontic treatment. Like I said before, my bite was decent before, so post-op, there wasn't super drastic alterations that needed to be done. Conveniently, that means that I was able to start with invisalign (no wires), rather than regular wired braces, which is pretty nice. They're definitely convenient compared to regular braces (which I had as a kid) so if possible, I'd recommend asking your orthodontist if you can do Invisalign. In terms of general physical health, I'm totally recovered more or less. Luckily, I don't think I had to deal with post-op depression (which is a real thing! and super terrible to deal with) so I would say in terms of overall health I'm near 100%. Results There is still a bit of swelling, so I expect my face to change a little more over time, but I'm super happy with the results! My overall face shape has been slimmed down a lot, but in a more natural way, and I really wanted to shorten chin and also reduce the square-ness of my lower jaw. I would say that Dr. Shin was able to accomplish all of the these things, and I'm really satisfied with how my results turned out. Like I mentioned before, I expected that my midface would be disproportionate (my philtrum would be super long) after surgery, and that I something that I'm going to get a lip lift to account for, but it wasn't actually as bad in terms of day-to-day appearance as I expected. If t had to point out something that I liked less, I would possibly have wanted my chin to be reduced even more aggressively, but the results were already pretty aggressive and I'm really happy with them either way. In terms of swelling, it's mostly gone and other people would never know that I'm slightly swollen. Obviously, I can tell because probably you are the person who looks most closely at your own face. The slight remaining swelling is going down slowly but steadily, and I've heard other people who got 2-jaw say that it often takes like 5-6 months for the swelling to completely go away. Anyways, I'll probably post another update in a longish time after braces and the swelling is completely gone! Feel free to DM me with any questions Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
teddy_ Posted December 30, 2019 Share Posted December 30, 2019 Thanks for sharing your experience, very helpful! Speedy recovery! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hazlexnut Posted March 11, 2020 Author Share Posted March 11, 2020 Figured I might as well give another (probably final) update, since I haven't really seen many threads discuss this stage of recovery. It's been around 6 months post-op now, and basically everything has felt healed for a long time - BUT as it turns out, what people said about residual swelling taking super long to go away is true. At 3 months (in my previous post), I had pretty much thought that I was totally healed, and that there was just a tiny bit of swelling. However, even after feeling completely normal and healed (after 4 months) there are still small changes in my face (presumably from continued deswelling) in the months thereafter. With regards to the sensation, all of the sensation is pretty much recovered except for a small corner of my lip, but that is also improving with time. Overall, I am completely satisfied with the (lack of) long term side effects regarding loss of function or sensation. From my single sample size (lol), I would like to recommend Dr. Shin of EU Dental for his excellent skill (assumed due to great results, obviously I was unable to observe as I was being operated on). Anyways, last time at the 3 months mark, I had a small complaint about the discomfort of dental devices (screws) in my mouth. They are pretty much completely ignorable now, and I do not feel them at all during my everyday life. If you do encounter the same situation I did where they are pressing against your cheek or lip and causing inflammation, orthodontic wax is super helpful in letting the skin heal properly. I felt quite satisfied with the results at the 3 month mark, but as the residual swelling continues to go away, it is quite interesting to see the continued changes as your face shifts to what it will look like more long term. I am still very satisfied with the results! I think at the 3 month mark my cheeks were a little puffed up, but I naturally have more sunken cheeks which are starting to come out more. I have no problem with that though, so I am quite happy with the continued changes. Some people have said that their face continues to change quite significantly even from 6+ months, so I am curious if that will happen. Hope this is helpful information on the long term care and results for facial contouring for anyone else considering these procedures Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gmcnm19 Posted March 12, 2020 Share Posted March 12, 2020 Thanks for the update. I also did mine at EU but with Dr. Kim. I'm at 2 months and a few days post op now, already felt like my swelling has decreased so much but as you shared I may keep deswelling gradually until 6 months. I'm also satisfied and no complaint so far, finger crossed. Can't wait for the final results. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kara-nathaniel Posted March 12, 2020 Share Posted March 12, 2020 Can we see your before and after? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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