k-couture Posted March 8, 2015 Author Share Posted March 8, 2015 thanks girl! I've got surgery in 2 hours. Just waiting for the final consult then gonna get prepped. Suddenly so nervous. Especially when they insert the needle! Till this day I still can't used to having a needle in my arm :S Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kikiknows Posted March 9, 2015 Share Posted March 9, 2015 K Couture, Are you having your surgery in Korea right now? Good luck with your surgery, and hope you will have a smooth recovery. Please keep us posted Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
k-couture Posted March 10, 2015 Author Share Posted March 10, 2015 Yups I'm day one post op. Very odd healing experience. I'm actually barely even swelling. I was expecting myself to balloon up like every other time but its not happening LOL. I mean besides the face and hair full of iodine and plasters on my incision sites I could walk out in public and look pretty normal. Wolvermine much? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ulzzang-quest Posted March 10, 2015 Share Posted March 10, 2015 Ms. Wolverine! How'd it go? Did you get the FG top off and also one of the lifts? And how are you liking the results? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
taraunnie Posted March 10, 2015 Share Posted March 10, 2015 You can have my cheekbones, Ive got enough to share and have quite a bit left over lol. Good luck with your recovery~ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
k-couture Posted March 19, 2015 Author Share Posted March 19, 2015 Anyways I figure that I'm now 10 days post op I can start commenting on my most recent set of surgical procedures. My main concerns this time was simply to get my fresh fat graft top up over and done with and address the issue that is my nasolabial folds. Granted my folds were not significantly deep but a friend said that those folds made me look my older which prompted me to inquire about a Macs Lift. As always I consulted with several clinics, amongst them were Girin, The Line and Dream. The surgeons at these 3 clinics in particular were not too receptive to me having a Macs Lift as they felt it was too unnecessary for my age and would limit the results for my future lift at an older age. In the end I went with Dr Cho/Jo at Dream. He is the head of anti aging and I have no clue how to actually spell his name LOL. I've read it spelt as Jo and Cho so i guess both are applicable??? By the way he is apparently known as the Oppa Surgeon according to some of his patients LOL.... Anyways, a few reasons why I selected him: a) He really gave me a long detailed consult with 3 treatment options. Citing the invasiveness to yield ratio. Smas lift (4 hours under GA), Macs lift (2.2.5 hours under Deep Sedation) and Omega Lift (45min-1hour under Twilight Sedation). I eventually went with his 3rd treatment option, which was Omega lift plus acculift and E-laser for volume reduction. b) As a previous patient they gave me a very competitive price. It also really helped that I was aware of their pricing strategy c) I can get away with being an uber diva to the lovely staff there (more on this later lol....) d) Convenience. I had a free fresh top up at Dream and didn't want to undergo surgery twice in one trip. e) Back in October 2013 when I went to various consultations in Seoul to find a surgeon to fix my extruded nose, I met one of his patients in the waiting room at Dream. 65 year old grandmother who looked like she was in her mid/late 30s. From what I recall she was only around a week or so post op and barely swollen. However my NUMBER ONE reason was because I wanted my lift performed by pulling the tissues to sides rather than vertically to avoid any slanting after-effect to my lower lid. I felt that by performing a lift in this manner would mean a potential side effect of the widening of my nostrils. Hence, to address this issue, I requested for Dr Park (who performed an amazing reconstructive rhinoplasty for me last year in May) to come in after Dr Jo/Cho was finished with his Omega lift, to do another tipplasty on me. The logic here is that by further projecting my nose, it would act as a preventative measure to negate any nostril widening from the lift. (Some of you may recall me mentioning that in many cases alar reductions is not necessary as ample tip projection would be sufficient in narrowing the nostrils) The rhinoplasty was very simple, Dr Park just added a shield graft and alloderm in the collumela and it only took 30 mins to perform. Oh and in case any of you are wondering, an Omega Lift is basically a fancy name for a thread lift. Same as The Line. They refer to their thread lifts as a Ten Lift. Lol the glorification of thread lifts haha...Anyways I'll just do a sequential breakdown like in my first review: Consultation Day: I always make it a point to request my entire team before I even arrive. That means I must select my surgeons, my consultant and my client service representative. I asked for Dr Park, Dr Jo, Ms Lee as my consultant and Daphne as my client service rep. However the day of my consult Ms Lee wasn't working so I had Daphne as my consultant! She got promoted and this was good for me because I could bargain well with her. I mean.....last time when she was my customer service rep I forced her to let me bring the humifier in the ward back home amongst other things . For my customer rep I had Unji assigned to me. She shared with me her suggestion that I'd be better off being conservative and doing the least invasive option (omega lift). Oh and Dr Jo also requested to do my fat graft top up instead of Dr Park who did it the first time around. I was a bit apprehensive at first but the logic was that since Dr Jo was performing my lift, acculift and e-laser, it would be more functional for him to also be the one to decide which areas of fg administration would be most strategic right after the first 3 procedures.Surgery Day: So day of surgery I did one final consult with both Dr Park and Dr Jo. Dr Park's was quick and easy, we just did a brief run through as I was aware of the methodology he would use. Dr Jo on the other hand....MY GOD HE WAS SO DETAILED. He stated that my face was asymmetrical so he would modify the angle of the lift from one side to the other. Never in my life have I ever had anyone draw on my face so much haha. He was using a ruler, drawing 3 sets of lines on each cheek and encircling unwanted pockets of fat. He also identified the points where he wanted to place my fat graft: 1) Upper side region of Forehead for slightly more dimension 2) Small amount in Nasofolds to fill the crease 3) Small amount at left jaw to fill a dent caused by over-resection from my mandible reduction 10 years ago. By the way while I was so happy at how meticulous and detailed he was, I felt like an absolute moron walking through the patients in the waiting room with my face full of lines and circles and shapes :S Prepping for the Operation Ok now by this point I was used to the surgical process. However it was winter and extremely dry in Seoul. My skin gets so itchy when its dry! Pretty much the nurses had to strap me down, disinfect and sterilize me. This made me SO MUCH ITCHIER so I kept breaking free to scratch myself. And each time I scratched myself I would get the biggest death stare from the nurse who just kept sterilizing me over and over again :S Unfortunately for Unji my diva-antics ended up with her becoming my personal scratcher. I was pretty much bound to the operating table with my dearest Unji scratching me with a cotton bud: Unji: Is it here that's itchy? Me: No but ure close....little more to the left... Unji: Here? Me: little higher up....THERE WE GO Me: Unji put some muscle into it Me: Seriously I'm not feeling it JUST JAB ME ALREADY! USE THE POINTY END! Me: Oh Unji you are so sweet I must blog about this so everyone knows how sweet and caring you care Unji: Umm .please dont ..I dont want everyone to make me their personal scratcher During the Operation The moment I saw Dr Jo enter the room we exchanged hellos and then the anesthesiologist sedated me. Ok I dunno what happened to me this time but i was experiencing a different kind of high from the sedation. First time around it was a bright yellow rollercoaster high. This time it was a questioning my existence and appreciating korean architecture high lol. Plus I puked. But I can't remember whether I puked between Dr Jo and Dr Park's surgery or after Dr Park's surgery. I also recalled saying some really dumb things while I was sedated. Oh and as usual I knew when Dr Park entered the room because even tho I couldn't see clearly, I could hear his humming. This was probably because I was really out of it but I swear it sounded like he was humming beyonce's "All ma single ladies, All ma single ladiess".Immediatedly Post Op I woke up with Unji next to me. She was being lovely as always and adjusted the room temperature and humifier strength to my liking. Daphne came in later to make sure I was ok because she heard I threw up. AWWWW how sweet . When I got back home I took a selfie and noticed a dent in my forehead. Naturally I sent it to Daphne and she showed it to Dr Jo who suggested this was temporary due to the swelling creating uneven planes on my forehead. This is also evident in the fact that he didn't administer the graft to the entire forehead, but rather to strategic points in order to achieve a dimensional effect. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
k-couture Posted March 19, 2015 Author Share Posted March 19, 2015 Post Op Day 1: My dent was gone. Barely swollen.....very oddddPost Op Day 2: Barely swollen but expecting swelling to get worse which it didn'tPost Op Day 3 Going through a WTF moment where my swelling never peaked. I somehow attained Davin's level of wolverine healing without actually putting the effort into being health freak Granted I was swollen but it was so mild. It just looked like I had facepalmed myself 20 times over whilst drunk. I didn't require my black ninja facemask this time at all....tho I was still wearing it when I went out.Day 10 Post Op At this very moment, my face is still a little tight from the lift. I cannot be too expressive because there's some discomfort when I laugh. Hence it was a bad idea to watch the Real Housewives whilst recovering....Really pleased with my results. I have the ability to see through swelling, and this is because I've done so much surgery before that I can more or less predict what my final results will look like. I was always confident with Dr Park but a unsure of Dr Jo only because I have never had surgery performed by him before. However I must say he did an excellent job from the pre op consultations to the post op check up. He was always detailed and asked for my opinion regarding my aesthetic preference. He even tried to accomodate me when I demanded my lift to be done horizontally, an unconventional practice. The compromised was that we would meet half way through and manipulate the tissues at an angle to which we were both satisfied. Despite having more swelling on the right cheek, my sagging is gone. My folds are barely visible and my nose is even more projected than before. My right nostril is a tiny bit wider but that's because the incision for my closed tipplasty was done through the right. Dr Jo's fat graft was also done very welll. My forehead is very shapely and my lower left jaw is more symmetrical now too. For this lot of surgery my final results should be evident around 3 months down the track. Dr Jo explained that the threads, during the 3 month dissolving period, will boost collagen and further tighten the face. As I have yet to experience this phase I won't be commenting until I have reached the 3 month mark. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ulzzang-quest Posted March 20, 2015 Share Posted March 20, 2015 @K Couture, thank you once again for such a detailed, insightful and informative review! I'm happy for you to hear that your latest set of procedures went so smoothly and that you're pleased with the results! It also helps to give me more confidence that doing enough personal research can yield the results one hopes to achieve! ... Also, you are schooling me on so many new procedures I didn't even know that existed LOL! Happy healing! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
beautyperfect Posted April 24, 2015 Share Posted April 24, 2015 Hi K, I'm new here to this thread and I am considering a rhinoplasty. At this point, I won't be visiting Korea anytime soon, but I want to start doing my research about plastic surgery and start planning. What age do you think is the best time to get plastic surgery? I am 18 right now and I know I am still too young and immature for this. That's why I want to wait until I am at least 20 to decide whether I want to get ps or not. Also how much money do you need to pay for a trip to Korea including food, accommodation, and the ps itself. I know the price varies but since you have more experience, can you tell me what the price ranges? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
peach23 Posted April 24, 2015 Share Posted April 24, 2015 Hi K.. And also everyone .. I need some advice . I am almost 3 week post rhinoplasty. I have been checking out my new augmented bridge and wondering if I should have use a higher implant . I still have residual sweeling mostly at the tip. But I think my bridge is slimming very very close to my original size. The bridge is now higher , nice , smooth, thin and rather tight . What I mean tight is if you try to pinch the skin on the bridge, there isn't much flesh that you can pinch. Dr. Park and I originally agreed on 3-4mm implant. I requested a max height for the bridge and max tip projection that my nose can cope. Somehow during the op, between my brief in and out half conscious half sedated state mixed with anxiety , I could vaguely remember murmuring " please make my nose nice and natural . " Arrghhh.... Whyyyyyy did I say that... I know I may sound like a nut case , I also hate myself for saying that stupid statement . Latter after the surgery I asked Dr.Park which implant size he ended up using . It's 3mm. He told me 4 mm is too tight and not enough room under my periosteum. But I didn't believe him ( I kept thinking my stupid sedated statement influenced his decision) and now I kept checking on my bridge . I know I am crazy, I can't help it either . Lol So, ... My question is. How do we know if the implant is indeed max for the nose bridge without risking extrusions? For those who also requested max possible height augmentation with extra soft silicone implant , did you feel your less right pre op and very tight post op? Thank youuuu..... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
k-couture Posted April 24, 2015 Author Share Posted April 24, 2015 Well if it helps ease your concerns, I too wanted a higher implant. However during the surgery I was very conscious and speaking to Dr Park. He told me that he tested the 3.5mm implant I requested but it was too much pressure on my damaged tissues (mine was reconstructive revision for extrusion) so ended up being a 2.5mm. This entire discussion happened while he was performing my rhinoplasty. Park wouldn't change implant whether you suggest you want it natural. Even with 4mm it can be natural too. But if your tissues do not allow for a larger implant, then there is no possibility to push for it. Your health and safety is the primary concern after all. Why have a higher implant but risk damaging your tissues? When I was freshly post op I felt tightness. This is due to the swelling and its normal. You can roughly gauge the maximum height by trying to pinch the skin around the implant. For example, when I try to grab my bridge, the tissues available is not much. Common sense tells me that it is not enough to safely have anything. anyways chill miss thang and just wait for your nose to heal completely xx Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
peach23 Posted April 24, 2015 Share Posted April 24, 2015 K!!! Thanks a lot for the shrink session. You are definitely the expert gal! And you were right about my ptosis problem also. The right muscle elevator is now regaining strength and function and it is synchronizing with the left one. Daphne even took a selfie illustrating what eye expression to make to exercise the muscle. LOL! She is so kind and funny at the same time . I hope she won't quit . Unji left and there are only two english speaking staff at the moment. Daphne and Jasinee. Is just nice having familiar people when you address your concerns , rather than having to explain the whole long history all over again. Thanks again K! You are the best ! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
k-couture Posted April 25, 2015 Author Share Posted April 25, 2015 Nah Daphne is just regional now. I'm glad your muscles are synchronizing now! I felt so silly when I was pulling faces in the mirror over and over again to exercise my muscle lol. But at least it evened up. I know how you felt because when i was a week post op I was like so concerned about looking lopsided but luckily my eyes evened up Also are you still wearing your nose retainer? This time around I was meant to wear mine for 2 months again but i wore it for a week only LOL. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
peach23 Posted April 25, 2015 Share Posted April 25, 2015 K ... Yeap , still wearing it whenever I am at home . My nostrils are somewhat asymmetrical to begin with due to my mild septal deviation, the residual swelling makes it worse . I notice improvement in symmetry but I don't know if the retainer will be effective in correcting the asymmetric nostrils in the long run. (I also notice one husband and two children giggling behind my back whenever I am waking around the house with that nose thingy ) But like yours , it keeps falling out when I wear it to sleep. Lol Is it safe to smile ear to ear or laugh wide open mouth? My upper lip is still stiff, and when i make certain facial expression , It feels like the columellar is bent down. I read somewhere that it is advisable to just hold that big grin for a while till we heal. Have a nice weekend K! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
k-couture Posted April 27, 2015 Author Share Posted April 27, 2015 They do help with symmetry for sure. It also helps your tip stay in a more upward projected angle. Tho to be honest the nose retainer was like a diet to me. I could only use it habitually for the first 3 weeks or so then I got lazy and couldn't be bothered. lol....yes girl its safe to smile. Also with hydroxyappatite (u were asking in my other thread), its not a filler . Its actually the gel extracted from corals and turned into a graule form. The granules are then mixed with your blood into a putty and then molded onto the bone. It later fuses with the bone becoming part of your bone structure. Dream doesn't use that technique because it is quite invasive and not easy to remove. Only a specialist in the method can perform the procedure well. And only a specialist in the method can remove it easily too. Charles Lee of Beverly Hills, when attempting to give me a zygoma reduction had to close me up because he did not know how to navigate through the hydroxyappatite. Whereas Bryan Mendelson removed it with ease within a hour. And in case ure wondering, reason why i removed some of it in was because around 8 years ago I wanted super high super sharp cheekbones but as I got older I felt i wanted a slightly more subtle but still defined look. So I had it removed in 2012 Dr Jo actually went to meet my surgeon in melbourne, Bryan Mendelson who invented the technique. But Dr Jo himself does not use the method. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
)
Recommended Posts