adonisrising Posted January 26, 2020 Share Posted January 26, 2020 Hi all, thought I’d share my experience with revision rhino and midface augmentation with VIPPS to give some of you an idea of what to expect when you go in. Kinda wished I saw a detailed account like this presurgery, or even to pass the time/ease my nerves post-op. Sooo here goes - this is going to be a lengthy one. Written in point form for digestibility, and segregated into parts because the entire entry exceeded PF's character count.PART ONEState of nose for revision: Goretex implant - 16 years ago high bridge, massive alars (Snapchat mistaking-it-as-two-eyes-and-putting-a-filter-over-it type wide; can comfortably-hold-peas-in-it-type wide) Veery bulbous tip. Slightly deviated Could see the implant through one of the nostrils Other Pain Points: One ex (who thought I looked gross at the end of our relationship) called me Michael Jackson.. Nose forms 3 equal bumps that make it look like a cartoon cloud Tried reaally hard to like my nose... my previous PS said that the nose would get finer over time. while the bridge settled down, my tip and alars didn't change much waited 3 years for everything to resolve but nada - I still hated it! took some time to get over being so self-conscious, but never quite got over the fear of looking up in front of people, or even being on top during *ahem* just because of those ridiculously big circle nostrils Was getting tired of slightly overdoing my makeup and lip fillers to take attention away from the nose Acquaintances turned frenemies could tell it wasn’t my nose and would laugh at how faked it look... Already have angular, more masculine looking features... just wanted to look a bit more feminine Why VIPPS: their before and after photos are clear on all angles, noses looked natural and had the aesthetic I wanted. Dr.Lee has extensive experience with rhinoplasty and is a pioneer in Korea for pure autologous rib cartilage for rhinoplasty and paranasal augmentation. Definitely a fan of his ratios. Check out the creds and work(not exhaustive): https://www.vippskorea.com/about-vip/dr.myung-ju-lee.html https://e-aaps.org/m/journal/view.php?number=646 https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4656167/ Patient and friendly consultants that answered my constant stream of annoying questions I emailed the consultant, Jessica (J) for roughly 6 months and shot through 1-3 emails a week lol. It just felt right?? The marketing of the other clinics was nice, but it felt like it was all...flash somehow? Beyond some of the advertised noses that I didn’t like, they just didn’t feel that authentic somehow. Side note: I actually wanted to go to a Thai doctor years ago but was a bit wary of the medical tourism company I was inquiring through. Dont remember his name... But his before and afters were really good as well. Only thing was I was really busy with uni so I kinda never got around to it... it was thanks to this Thai doc that I became aware of my underdeveloped premaxilla and immediately added that to my list of things to tweak. If I remember correctly, I was quoted roughly 8k for revision and mid-face augmentation in Thailand?? Communications with VIPPS over email: response time varied between 1-3 days, and 2 weeks at one point (again to be fair, I was emailing her A LOT) Step 1: basic info, what I wanted to be done, what I wasn’t happy about, history of surgery Step 2: send through photos of face - front and side. Step 3: consultant spoke to the doctor and responded with photos of patients with similar cases to show me what could be achieved Before Step 4 I... reversed image search those photos Looked up doctor credentials, sought patient reviews and visited every page on the vipps site. Had a look at Dr.Lees journal articles. Step 4: panic over my schedule. I just wanted to get this done asap, but life always gets in the way I kept inquiring about open dates. After hemming and haw-ing and rescheduling, I FINALLY managed to set a procedure date through J Step 5: J sent through bank details so I can send a downpayment to secure surgery date and accommodation Step 6: receive pre-surgery info and prep (no alcohol 2 weeks prior, time recommended in Korea etc); requested to send through flight details when available so pickup can be scheduled Step 7: driver details confirmed after the flight was booked Included in the price of surgery: Airport pickup and drop off Accommodation with free wifi 1-night hospitalisation (inclusive of IV meds, nurse care, food) Hair wash services (post op note: you dry your own hair though haha) and anti-swelling facials Daily dressing change Process and experienceArrival Picked up by the clinic driver who was standing at arrivals with my name. Lovely man who gave some facts about Korea and gave advice on where to go to eat/shop. On the road, received a call from another consultant, Dani (D) who said she will be at the ground floor at 10 the following day Took less than 2 hours despite the traffic Access to the apartment is via keycode Fridge had eyemasks and fruits Toilet had shampoo, conditioner and body wash..and toilet slippers! Closet of towels, spare TP and tissues, umbrellas Wifi, water dispenser, microwave, convection cooktop, plates and utensils, water dispenser, heater, dish soap, scrub, safe (that unfortunately wasn’t working, but I didn’t bring any valuables so that didn’t phase me) Not exactly a 5-star accommodation, but relatively clean, homey, and good enough for the purpose of this trip! Day before operation Greeted by D at the ground level of the apartment complex; she showed the way to the clinic Filling in forms, chat with D as she filled me in on what the morning involved, what to expect during surgery the following day, and dabbled on post-op stuff. 1- Body Check! blood test, X-ray (seperate clinic a 5-minute walk away), urine test, blood pressure, ekg, weight check, 3D facial scan (check out their youtube vid, supes cool). 2- Consultation Dr.Lee examined my features after I told him what I was unhappy about. “Yes,yes, we need to extend and elongate this” *lightly holds nose with five fingers*. He whipped out a nose chart and told me what he going to do. harvest cartilage (safe and ideal, but only makes operation longer), place em in a few strategic places to act as supporting structures here and there and here he went into a computer file and showed me a couple of photos of patients with similar pain points (some I’d seen in my email interactions with the consultant months prior) and asked me if I had any questions. Beyond asking about general anaesthesia, I blanked out and asked if I could show him photos of what I wanted. hope he didn’t take offence when I showed him other doctors work (note: if you want to show the doc someone else’s work, or even want to show your ideal nose, make sure you provide both a frontal and a side/profile picture of the nose in question). I was a bit overwhelmed and didn’t wind up telling him what I liked about his work); despite the photos I showed, he explained that everyone’s a little different and will come out with different noses depending on many factors (bone, skin thickness, internal structure), but that he had an idea of the kind of nose I wanted based on the photos I showed. He was going to do his very best! Playing it safe, I went ahead sent through some of my inspiration photos for his reference. Was told he would go over this with me before surgery the next day. Consultation was fairly quick as I’d been regularly emailing the clinic with questions for months on end! Also: nerves. Can’t believe this is going to happen tomorrow... baibai cloud nose!... Uhm wait, what was this thing D mentioned about... a catheter? Given a free facial before leaving the clinic Full payment settled for the following days procedure. This evening, I had a steaming bowl of ramen to counter this frigid weather. Watched some Netflix. Deciding what to bring to the clinic for my 1-night stay. typing this out. I can’t sleep. My belly is full of tea and water since I need to fast for tomorrow (my cut off is for drinks and food is 3am). Googling stuff on general anaesthesia and catheters.. and maybe tweaking out a little. Sigh. No more google, and no more typing. I’ll write again tomorrow (or the day after) D-Day: Alarm at 810, no makeup, no moisturiser, no lotion, just a quick shower, some deodorant, and I’m out the door and in the clinic by 9am. 5-minute ish walk to the clinic Thinking how odd it would be to walk around with a cast around my nose. I saw a few other people who are obviously still recovering from surgery, tape, wraps and all, but people don’t really care around here it seems #KoreaNoob Dropped off my stuff in the locker inside my recovery room told where the call buttons were located - "press whenever you need something" a nurse will be tending to me all night post-surgery. Asked to change into the surgical gown, bra off. Told I would need meds for the first week after surgery; D was going to get them ready for me, just had to pay after. Surgery prep: Washed face Air "shower" Take "before" photos presurgery Chat with D Further discussion with Dr.Lee re:expectations, reminds me of what’s possible, 3D face chart and emailed photos in hand. Ugh, I’m trusting you on this, doc! Please do your magic on meee Top is open so Dr Lee can mark the area where he'll be harvesting my rib. He comments "oh your boobs are so small" *shrugs* fact lol I'm not offended - I've been contemplating a boob-job for ages and was initially was going to get it done (along with a breast lift) with this operation, however, I was told that I would have to get it done another time to reduce complications. Also was freaking out about Breast Implant Illness... After telling the doc that I want Double D's in the future, he adjusted my incision line accordingly (incision line is supposed to follow your natural breast line). Told to lay down while everybody preps Anaesthetic needle went in my right arm and a nurse started gently tapping/caressing that arm That area eventually felt sore and a bit heavy Told Dani I was a bit nervous. She asked me to think about other happy things like family etc D: “You’ll fall asleep soon” Me: “okay.. but crap but I'm still wide awake! *tilts head up and looks at nurses getting the surgery room organised* and I see all the—” Post-Surgery I’m swimming/floating in an expanse of white/silver ... I feel weird and want to latch on to something, but there’s nothing around me. I have no limbs... I can’t even feel my back— wtf One blink and I’m back in the recovery room. It’s dark, and a nurse is placing a blanket on me Confusion - is it really over? I feel like absolute sh— Not sure what happened in the next hour or so. I was really thirsty, and I think I was playing with the call button — while staring the nurse dead in the eye lolol Still felt off. Dry throat; the thirst was real- requested for water at some stage but was told it’d be another 2 hours before I can drink anything. Bed was really warm and I could feel myself sweating a little Zoning in an out of sleep and looking at the clock every hour. One of the longest nights of my life. Realised I wasn’t wearing underwear at some stage lol hello catheter, you actually don’t feel too weird Finally some water!!! But nausea kicked in. Pressed the button to let the nurse know I felt sick - she helped me to sit up (and that was the first time I felt pain in my rib area) and gave me a bag to throw up into. A few gags and heaves, but nothing. She tells me it’ll be another hour or two before I can drink again if I did throw up. Ugh. A few hours later I sat up by myself (effing-ouch) and started chucking up water. At this point, I couldn't wait for the next few days to be over. The nurse hears my guttural symphonies from the other room and comes in to comfort me. After I was done, the angel of mercy injected anti-nausea medication in my drip So much discomfort and warmth. No more sick feeling, at least. Still hella thirsty though. and slightly bored. Why was time going by so slowly???! Decided to check out what was happening below the hospital gown and saw that there was a drain where my rib cartilage was harvested. 7amish- blood pressure check, replacement of drain, removal of the catheter, brain wasn’t buffering as much I think I was escorted downstairs for a dressing change at some stage (wobbly) I’m not sure Finally, it was 8ish - Breakkie! Small pot o' yoghurt, a carton of bean milk, and a small bowl of veggie porridge Think I had a total of 4 bottles of water last night Told it would be good to walk around to speed up recovery lovely lady who brought in breakfast popped in and asked, “soup?” Lunch: Same porridge as breakfast, banana, and a pack of orange juice. (very full by this stage) D brought in a bag of medication Antibiotics, anti-swelling meds, something to help with mucus, and painkillers(?). pills have been pre-portioned for consumption by time of day, for the next few days. I need to consumer 4 packs of these per day(breakfast, lunch, dinner, and before bed) for the next 7.5 days. throat spray - since being a mouth breather will take its toll in the next few days some nose cleaning apparatus which she will teach me how to use “much later”. paid for my goodies right there and then so I can go straight home later on Discharged much later that afternoon, handed a surgical mask and escorted back to the accommodation via car D went ahead and ordered me porridge/soup for dinner! Yay Dani! No swelling today, which was odd Start taking pills tonight Sleep Day 2 Post-Op it’s... kinda cold. better get used to these cool morning treks to the clinic. I instantly regret having a suitcase full of tights and leggings. These things are a literal pain to pull up or down. rib wound doesn’t like pulling or pushing motions at the moment, so it’s up to my left arm to do most of these motions (forced to buy loose heat tech pants from Uniqlo.). With my IV still attached and a very delicate nose, I also realise that the tight thermals and pull-through tops that I brought weren’t ideal for this trip. Dammit! If only I brought loose zip up jackets and tops.... 1015am: walk to a very crowded clinic. So many patients needed dressings and check up Chat with a couple of patients. Paris, Switzerland, America, Indonesia, Malaysia, China, Iran...everyone’s travelled a fair bit to get something done When my turn came for the dressing change, they just took off the cast and tape, did a bit of dabbing and suctioning in the nostrils, no dramas. Told I was healing well as they sealed me back up and gave me a top-up of IV pain killers and antibiotics to last me through to Monday (sine the clinic is shut on Sunday) Hairwash service (Dry Your Own Hair) + Facial Back at the apartment: noticed my face was swelling - I looked a bit like a bulldog Slept through most of the day Day 3 PO: Overnight Jowels. Full bulldog mode, activate. No clinic today as it’s shut Managed to do a grocery "run" and got myself a new face mask since the other one was a bit bloody bit of Netflix, and More sleeping Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
adonisrising Posted January 26, 2020 Author Share Posted January 26, 2020 PART TWODay 4 PO: Face still kinda swollen... Popped in early to avoid the morning rush Today was quite a painful day - I shed a few tears!! gauze and stitches taken out <:'-0 oof that was not fun the suction tube going into my still kinda raw and gauzeless nasal passage + that acerbic cotton pad they used to clean my wounds Thank you to the nurse that dabbed away my tears with tissue... and yes doctor (not Dr.Lee) I know it’s important to clean but your metal instrument keeps poking at the edge of my very veeery tender nostril ...and hearing you say that it’s necessary doesn’t make it any less painful! IV needle taken out of my wrist. got to the bathroom, beneath the cast, I noticed asymmetrical nostrils and panicked - 1 was rounder than the other. Was the cast distorting the shape, i.e. applying pressure on one side and lifting the other? Will I need a revision again? What’s happening??? see Dr.Lee standing outside taking photos with some patients and ask him, on his way out, if he can come down and see me tomorrow, and he said ok. Facial couldn’t get over the asymmetry, unfortunately, and obsessed about it all of lunch. decided to ease my nerves and went back to the clinic in the afternoon. Doctors were all in surgery but 1 nurse took the cast off and had a look - one of the consultants (Chloe) said that it was normal to have asymmetrical swelling while healing. Chloe tried to comfort me and told me to give it some time to come down, “it *will* get symmetrical”. I hope so too. Rest for the rest of the day Day 5 PO As with the last 2 days, I popped in a little early to avoid the morning crowd. After my facial, Dr.Lee was in the dressing area and had a quick look at my schnoz after the nurses took off my cast. I didn’t want to freak out about the asymmetry in front of him so I just kind of looked at him and hoped he would say something along the lines of “you’re on track, everything looks fine”, but as they conversed in Korean, he said mentioned something about a “supertip” (??)and left. More cleaning, more tears. that metal instrument tho... Hairwash Had some cake afterwards lol. Went to Sinsa-dong for a quick look Still kinda tire easily so I didnt last long out there. Day 6 PO Still hoping that my nostrils would even out, I haven’t been staring at them... I’ve decided that I (begrudgingly) won’t obsess over it and will give my nose a chance to heal....... it’s been less than a week after all! Walked out of the apartment a bit later than usual; get there at 10 and the clinic already had 4 other patients waiting to get their dressings changed. Dr.Lee is around, I guess he pops down every morning for a short period of time just to see how patients are going. He’s very chirpy and greets everyone good morning They seem to be doing 2 patients a time, which I think is good so the doc at least gets to see more patients before he goes back up for consultations and surgery. My turn comes around and I’m dreading it already lol as always, I get through it with my eyes completely shut and fists clenched. I overhear Dr.Lee telling the American lady behind me that she’s healing well. All of the sudden I hear a “good morning!” To my left - I opened my left eye, and there was Dr.Lee smiling. I let out a faint “good morning” before I went back to bracing myself for cleaning and suction pain. (My tolerance is fairly low. how I got through getting 2 big tattoos without crying idfk) For the second or third time in the last few days, I was asked whether I can breathe properly Lo and behold today wasn’t as bad as yesterday. No tears today! Seriously though, easy on the corner of the nostril.. some more vague conversation - presumably about my tip, as I heard “tip” again - amongst the nurses and docs. Was also told that the stitches on my rib get taken out tomorrow. Did a little over 7,000 steps today on some hilly roads. How my rib throbbed. Not as swollen today 1 week PO The pamphlet indicated that day 7 is when the cast comes out! I was excited, buuutt all they did was remove a supporting wire, which I didn’t even know was there. Pain level: just a twinge of pressure and discomfort I still have my cast on. Plenty of attention for the American lady who had a facelift, apparently she didn’t bruise much and healed beautifully They also got rid of my rib stitches today. Bit of walking again Day 8 PO: Cast finally got taken out!!! [Based on the other patients ---- YMMV - cast is removed depending on how well you’re healing] Dr Lee took care of me today - he was very gentle with cleaning compared to the other dude lol (who was nice but just a touch too vigorous with his tools). Dr.Lee said he was going to see me on Monday (so I guess I won’t be returning tomorrow for dressing change - I only have some skin coloured tape over my bridge and nose atm) Nostril still a bit asymmetrical, but again I’m not going to obsess while it’s still healing.... Patients in the waiting room have commented on how nice it looks, they all approve of the shape of my nostrils and the bridge height (if i know anything from my primary rhinoplasty, it's that my bridge will look over-projected for a while but will settle down in a few months to a year). Met a lovely Indonesian patient who also had rib rhino, she also did fat graft and looked stunning despite the swelling. She tells me she had her eyes done at this other clinic sometime ago and they were deepset and gorgeous — does anyone have any experience with Mizanin? Not so swollen today woohoo! My nose is, but that’s to be expected Told I can wash my face today as the tape on my nose is waterproof. Last set of pills today! Day 9: No clinic! Wanted to venture out but I wasn’t feeling very strong today so a quick walk around the block, and back to my apartment I went. Swelling is down but still present Day 10: Clinic is shut, I see the doc again tomorrow. Took a taxi to Lotte Tower! Visibility was sh—- but it was quite lovely up there. Buy a tube of silicon scar gel to counter the columella scar Worry a little about symmetry. I’ve read someplace that I should be able to judge symmetry from 6-8weeks out, so keeping my finger crossed. In any case I would rather this than my previous nose... Day 11: I hear Dr.Lee was going away on a trip tomorrow. Didn’t see him today, but a few other doctors were there to oversee dressing change etc in the clinic. I think they were looking at the log-in sheet from Saturday because everyone’s being called out of order :-/ Anyway, I still have a strip of gauze on my bridge that’s held in by a few strips of tape on my nose. Doctor wasn’t very gentle with that right corner of my nostril again. Bit of prodding and tugging in my right nasal passage... Felt something tug at my left nostril and freaked out. Thank goodness he stopped. Suction came out, but didn’t go in deep. Asked when I was flying out, I said in 3 days, and was told to come back tomorrow. Found out I still had sutures inside my nose... Day 12: They took all the tape off! My nose is hard and still swollen... I’ve got a tiny scab where the metal was - funny thing was this was the exact location of one of my pain points (a cm strip on my bridge where my skin was visibly pulsating with blood). Asked to return tomorrow. Sutures inside nose will melt away, Dr.Lee said. Unlike the previous girl, E (who also just had her tape removed and is already looking gorgeous. Her transformation is amazing) he made no request for a photo with me after our very quick consultation. Dr.Lee told me that asymmetry is “normal” and, did I see what he did to my nose *shows me photos* (my mistake for failing to pay him a compliment sandwich—- I dove right in re::nostril asymmetry when I sat down on the chair). He actually did a wonderful job - despite the asymmetry, I like what he did to my nostrils and like I said, I would rather this than my old nose. Everything just looks swollen now, as expected, and I need to be patient with results. Like it was with our initial consultation, I don’t think he was too happy with me haha I hear he’s flying out tomorrow so I probably won’t see him one last time. The girls in the waiting room are checking each other progress out lol. One of them (S) echoed Chloes sentiments - nostril asymmetry is normal and will probably resolve in a few months (just like it did with her friend). I hear one of the girls actually asked Dr.Lee to fix her asymmetry and she seems content. Sigh. Anyway...I’m hoping that my case is like S’s friend, fingers crossed. I really don’t want to do anything to my nose anymore, one revision is quite enough!! I was feeling brave today and walked 11,400+ steps (shopping and sightseeing). All at a very slow steady pace, but I’m thinking that it still could have been too much and may be the cause of the growing red spot on my bridge it doesn’t look pleased with me. Day 13: No Dr.Lee "After" photos taken 3D facial scan Dr rattled around my inner sutures (sigh) and I winced, think he got the message and decide to leave it alone... He taped up my nose again (part of my bridge was swelling so he felt it was necessary to put pressure on it.) Was told to begin nasal irrigation with the saline solution tonight - need to do this for the next 2-3 months once or twice a day.. Told today was the last time I’ll see the doc. Put a bit of makeup today so no anti-swelling facial, only had light therapy. Come back tomorrow for facial and light therapy, they said. I can take the tape off before going to the airport tomorrow Told to keep using the 3m tape for the rib area. Even though the wound looks okay from the outside, it's still healing on the inside so the tape is essential, and please be careful with activity for 2-3months, she said. No pilates yoga or weights Get back to the apartment and see a dark maroonish strip of skin from my columella upwards :-/ Whats thiisssss, let's ask Google (not always a wise idea given how we diagnose ourselves with the absolute worst case scenarios) Google shows a lady with something similar (only her was bright red and maroon) - she had an infection and allergic reaction to her sutures :-/ Freak out c/o Google and its rabbit holes stay awake later than usual Day 14: Facial at the clinic - D came in while I had the mask on and she answered some of my questions Asked D a bunch of questions Strip was from dry skin and blood clotting she said Another nurse was around to answer questions and peeled some of the dry skin off Other patient beside me was contemplating extending her stay so she can see the doctor and make damn sure she’s ok to fly out. She was concerned about asymmetry. I told her what the doc told me.. and in the end she had the same conclusion as me - she would rather the slight asymmetry and her new schnoz than her previous nose Was asked to send photos at the 3month, 6 month, and 1 year mark. Also, keep using the tape for the rib incision coz it's still healing despite how it looks on the outside Say my goodbyes to Dani (big hug for this lady, she really made this experience better for me!) and the ladies at reception Errands Take tape off and see that the bridge swelling has gotten worse doctors and surgeons on RealSelf day it’s normal to have intermittent redness and swelling. Sigh. Try to put on makeup before going to the airport - foundation FAIL. Too many dry patches of skin on my nose for seamless application.... and since my nose is obviously still tender, I cant apply and blend my foundation properly. The swelling and the inability to blend made my nose look like a bad prosthetic lol had to double cleanse and just stick to dabs of concealer under my eyes and cheeks instead. Get through immigration and all the biometric facial scanning stuff without a hitch. ----1 month update in a couple of weeks --- Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
adam-sinclair Posted January 28, 2020 Share Posted January 28, 2020 I love reading at your very detailed review! can't wait for the update! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
adonisrising Posted February 2, 2020 Author Share Posted February 2, 2020 Week 3 PO: Swelling and impatience Wanted to post another update before 4 weeks lol Full disclosure: Besides being broad, I felt like my bridge was a little too high at week 2. My profile was pleasant-ish enough, but a 3/4 view of my face showed an obvious over-projection. A little after week 2, my new nose didn't seem to flow with my protruding zygoma and actually looked quite fake :c I was a bit disheartened, but I reminded myself that swelling takes a while to resolve... and that I have to be - you guessed it - patient. That said, it's now a little after week 3, and my 3/4 profile looks a bit more harmonious than it did the week before.Still think I might go for zygoma reduction at some stage. Will see! From the front though, the bridge and tip still look a little wide and bulbous. Am I aware that I'm not done healing? YesAm I aware that that the tip is the last area of the nose to de-swell? Yes.BBUUUTT did I still have a minor freak out the other day and wished that I'd stressed that I wanted a finer tip and slightly smaller bridge (and insisted on the proportions that I wanted even though the doctor said it would look fake??)?? ...Yes >.< It's funny how difficult it is to put into practice what you intellectually know. I can't possibly be the only one who sees all this information online from doctors and patients about the stages of healing, yet still worries that I might be an anomaly and will be stuck with my week 2 nose forever? Not that I think I'm a snowflake, but not-so-great experience with other (minor) cosmetic enhancements (fillers etc) triggers me to assume the worst. Can we Law of Attraction our way to even better healing and invite the rhinoplasty gods to guide our noses to more aesthetic levels of snatched-ness?Amen, amen. All the drama over swelling aside, I *am* seeing minor improvements every day and appreciate my new nose a little more as time passes.Other notes: I've been eyeing this annoying whitehead on the crevice of my alar for the last 5 days and I finally decided to pull it out with a pair of tweezers the other night. Turns out it was the end of tiny a knotted suture. Effing ouch. Of course I bled a little, and now that area's a bit inflamed and looking a bit infected (hello pus) ... but no dramas. now I see another "whitehead" peaking out a few mm below the first knot I pulled out, and yet another one a few mm inside the bottom of my right nostril. in between these two "whiteheads" are 2 tiny stitch lines that follow the incision along my alar base. I gently tugged at one of them and a bit of filament came out of it. The slight inflammation around it makes it look like my body is trying to expel these sutures, but I've decided to let my body do its thing and leave it alone instead of causing any more trauma in the incision site. Emailed the clinic about the sutures along with a few other q's, but no response yet. Hopefully will hear from them next week. also... I have two tiny pimples in my nostrils. i may have passed facial scanning at the airport, but my laptop can't seem to recognise me How are you guys holding up with my lengthy entries? A little bit of show and tell coming up for my 1-month review Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
adonisrising Posted February 2, 2020 Author Share Posted February 2, 2020 Thanks Adam! Entry coming up in a few days Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
misshaxo Posted February 2, 2020 Share Posted February 2, 2020 Your review feels so genuine - I love how much effort and detail you put into it. Was solid rib or DCF used for your revision? Do you feel like the midface augmentation made a difference in your profile? How do you think it's affected your frontal view? Also, how has the midface augmentation been healing? Two doctors have recommended it to me and so I'm trying to imagine the change and recovery on myself. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
misshaxo Posted February 2, 2020 Share Posted February 2, 2020 Also, would you be comfortable DM'ing me before and after photos? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
adam-sinclair Posted February 2, 2020 Share Posted February 2, 2020 look forward to reading it Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
adonisrising Posted February 4, 2020 Author Share Posted February 4, 2020 Thanks Misshaxo! So to answer your q's...Was solid rib or DCF used for your revision? It feels rock hard down to my tip, so it seems to be a solid rib. Tbh I never got around to requesting for DCF (I did want this ages ago when I saw some excellent Cali-based rhinos with DCF on IG, but I really got overwhelmed and didn't want another 10 years to go by because I was too busy or couldn't make up my mind about logistics - I really just wanted my implant out.) and actually have no clue what they specifically did during surgery :-\ They never told me what they did, which is odd, because the lady I spoke to who went in for her primary rhino and a chin aug had the blow-by-blow (the millimetres and numbers on the bridge elevation etc), and the French lady received details down to what was snipped off internally.... whereas I just got a quizzical look about my question regarding asymmetry and swelling, along with a "but did you see what I did with the nostrils????" before my final consultation with him was over Before leaving the VIPPS on my last day, I had a convo with Dani regarding a few other concerns, and requested that she email me the details of my procedure. To this day I haven't received anything, so thank you for reminding me. I'll follow-up it up with The clinic, and I'll share the deets when I get them Do you feel like the midface augmentation made a difference in your profile? I'm a bit of a perfectionist so it isn't quite how I wanted it, but the mid-face aug has definitely made a difference on my profile. I'll send you a comparison shot Back then, having a high-ish bridge above my underdeveloped premaxilla just made me look... incomplete, and to me (as well as a few eagle-eyed friends who didn't really know that underdeveloped pre-maxillas were a thing) it just lent a fake effect. It especially didn't help that I had big alars then. IMO some people can actually pull off having slightly sunken premaxillas, especially if they have plenty of other pretty features to distract the eyes --- kind of like Khloe Kardashian (photoshop or not, I think she's kinda gorge). That said, you'll always find what you seek - since I was very aware of my own sunken premaxilla, I couldn't unsee hers:https://keyassets-p2.timeincuk.net/wp/prod/wp-content/uploads/sites/57/2016/03/khloe-kardashian-surgery3.jpghttps://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2015/04/10/13/276DA54800000578-3033617-image-a-42_1428668752836.jpgHow do you think it's affected your frontal view? In terms of my frontal view, I feel like I look a little younger and a little more refined. My nasal labial folds aren't as prominent/sunken as it was before. I do wish that I'd requested for a bit of FG though - I appreciated the look I had after week one, when the swelling plumped out my nasolabial lines was hoping that specific area would remain the same while everything else swelled down, but alas there's no such thing as selective de-swelling xDhow has the midface augmentation been healing Midface healing is ging all right... I'll tell you though, smiling feels a little weird right now. The only way I can describe it is: the area around the nasal base feels a bit stiff, and my lower inner cheeks feel a bit heavy (?) which makes it's uncomfortable to cheese it up and show people a big grin. The clinic did warn me that this would happen, as it has with plenty of patients that have reported the same symptoms immediately after midface aug. It will get better as time passes... maybe month 3 onwards is what they said, which is the time-frame another doctor said was the ideal/safe starting point to do big facial movements again. I'm a bit uncomfortable with laughing whole-heartedly atm anyway so I'm determined to play it safe and Monalisa smile my way til month 3 post-op (or longer.. if it takes a year to get used to this, which could also happen, then be it). In the meantime, I'll be sporting a demure poker face and thinking of it as wrinkle detox Yeah my family loves cracking their jokes so sometimes I do have to place my palm on my cheeks and the corners of my mouth to stifle my laughter. Looks a bit extra and strange for someone who doesn't know wtf is going on with me but meh.Two doctors have recommended it to me and so I'm trying to imagine the change and recovery on myself. Which doctors are you consulting with atm? It sucks to go in blind with your imagination in tow; if possible, might I suggest getting a 3D scan so they can do their magic on the computer and show you of how you could look after midface aug? I know some people are wary that doctors always seem to recommend mid-face augs, thing is many Asians just have flatter faces/sunken paranasal areas which make the procedure desirable for added aesthetic. Depends on how sunken it is, and whether or not it bothers you. Ultimately, you need to do what you're comfortable with - ask for those scans to get a better visual, and at any point in time, if you personally feel it's not necessary, then by all means, skip it. xx Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
adam-sinclair Posted February 4, 2020 Share Posted February 4, 2020 My english is a bit off but hear me out:- For your mid augmentation reply, I've some questions My face is a bit sunken (like the one you showed with Chloe) but I've never really thought about it even though i know somewhere that something needs to be improved. But then when I consulted with several clinics about my nose, not only that they recommended me the normal rhinoplasty procedure but they also said that they could do something about my protruding upper lips by adjusting the area between the columnella and philtrum. at this moment I knew that, that was the issue that has been bothering me. However back then I didn't understand the actual procedure. I wanted to google it, but I didn't know the name. So when i consulted with VIP a few days ago, they recommended me to have mid face augmentation along with 100% rib cartilage for my primary rhino (in which by reading the threads here and on group msgs, I've seen, apparently they recommend this to a lot of people) Looking at the BnA photos, the procedure really improves the overall face along with rhinoplasty (they call it Harmony face) and I like it. However my concern is that, I want to look like myself but enhanced. I'm afraid that the procedure would leave me looking like a totally different person. My question to you is that: 1) Did they explain to you the level of change that they can make? like looking very dolly or very natural 2) Have you notice anything that seems off in your smile line like the cartilage showing? I understand that you said it feels uncomfortable (maybe because you're still getting used to it). When you said big movements, are you saying that for now, you can't smile or your smile is weird?I would like to apologise if my english is bad T.T Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
adonisrising Posted February 6, 2020 Author Share Posted February 6, 2020 Hi Adam Sinclair! Your English is actually good, no need to apologise 1) Did they explain to you the level of change that they can make? like looking very dolly or very natural In terms of level of change, they weren't specifically described in "dolly" or "natural" terms, but shown through before and after photos. They should have closely matched you to the befores in those BnA's to give you an idea of what to expect. Dr.Lee also shows BnA's during consultation. After all the photos and patients that I've seen, and after speaking to Dr.Lee, I can tell that Dr.Lee does more natural-looking harmony rhinoplasty, so I think you're in good hands if you want to be an enhanced version of yourself. Please make sure you go ahead and tell him this during the consultation! You can go through his BnA's and tell him what you like there... and if you think one nose looked too projected, or if a philtrum doesn't have the angle you want, tell him you don't want that. It might sound contradictory to looking like yourself, but it might be a good idea to bring in photos you like of people that have similar features as you, but have more augmented noses/midfaces. I should remind you that 1. Dr.Lee is a bit firm with what he thinks would suit a patient. I showed him the eye distance vs nose width of an asian-american actress, but he refused to do the same proportions because he said it would look unnatural given my structure and ethnicity. 2. Your results will depend on skin thickness and cartilage softness Don't forget to request to see the 3D scan that he altered so that you have an idea of how you might look after surgery - you'll have some time to take it all in and make comments where necessary 2) Have you notice anything that seems off in your smile line like the cartilage showing? I understand that you said it feels uncomfortable (maybe because you're still getting used to it). When you said big movements, are you saying that for now, you can't smile or your smile is weird? There's no cartilage showing in my smile line - I'm close to 1-month post-op so I'm definitely still getting used to it. I remember having a vaguely similar sensation after my first nose job, but this one feels a little extra tight. Smiling is not as effortless as it was before. I don't think I look weird when I smile. It only feels weird. The tight heaviness only makes it a little uncomfortable to doing anything other than a small smile... I think I look slightly less friendly now because of that though haha Again, they say it might take 3 months to 1 year before patients feel comfortable with smiling again, which I don't mind, because my profile does look better overall Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mrinal Posted February 11, 2020 Share Posted February 11, 2020 Adonis do keep us updated. Did the doc say anything about warping. And how many inch of your rib is gone? Does it still hurt? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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