queenofblades Posted May 31, 2016 Author Share Posted May 31, 2016 Dear maplecandy All the best to you for your surgery. Do update us after that Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gantz Posted May 31, 2016 Share Posted May 31, 2016 Is it possible that you upload some before and after photos? If not could I pm you for them? Thanks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sunnysideup77 Posted May 31, 2016 Share Posted May 31, 2016 xx not allowed Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lotsaluv Posted September 23, 2016 Share Posted September 23, 2016 Hi ms q, May i know how much did it cost for theprocedure? Rhinoplasty and fat grafting? Thank you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rockisbae Posted September 25, 2016 Share Posted September 25, 2016 I've been watching this thread for a while before finally deciding to make an account and commenting, does anyone else have more input on the pricing specifically? Very spooked about some negative reviews I've heard about april31 also Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
awyr Posted September 29, 2016 Share Posted September 29, 2016 Hi all. Now it's my turn to contribute back to this forum . I chatted briefly with QOB before my surgery so I'm just gonna post it in her thread. Hope she doesn't mind. Thanks QOB for sharing your experience with me. I had revision rhino and revision chin implant at April 31 on the 1st week of Sep. I went with Daphne from Korea Medical Service because i knew her from before and I'm comfortable with her and she provided some additional services like airport transfer, which was a great relief when travelling with kids. However, like most forumers said, there's no need for interpreter at April coz they have Brian who spoke perfect English, and Dr Kim himself will converse in English too. It was my personal choice to go with Daphne. So.... we were there at 9am. The building was nondescript, but inside the hospital itself was quite nice. They occupied a few levels and gave a nice boutique feel. All the females at the recep and the female consultant were beautiful. It was quite reasurring to see that. Lol. It took awhile before i met Dr Kim as he was in some discussion. In the meantime i was brought to do ct scan which was used during consult with Dr Kim. This was my 2nd revision rhino. I didn't like the result of my nose tip from my last rev rhino as i felt the nose tip looked slightly upturned and showed too much nostril. I was hoping not to change the silicon implant and just do tiplasty but Dr Kim explained that the length of the silicon is not suitable and it would not be possible for him to lengthen my nose tip. Ok, no choice i had to change the implant so i asked Dr Kim to change to a higher implant at the same time. Might as well. He gave me a knowing smile like a father dealing with a greedy kid, and said he will raise it a bit more. Yay!! I also asked Dr Kim to make my rounded nostril to a more triangle shape. He touched my nostril a bit and said he wouldn't do anything to it as it's likely scar tissue and he advised better not to touch it. It was kinda disappointing but i decided it would be more prudent to defer to his expert judgement. Next we discussed my chin implant. My current chin implant was too large and manly for my liking. Dr Kim looked at the ct scan and showed me that my chin implant had moved slightly to one side. And agreed it was slightly oversized for me and will change to a smaller one for me. PS: April has a very impressive ct scan system. One can even see the skull view, quite a sight. After Dr Kim, it was consult with the female consultant for pricing. Actually i don't remember talking to her much. I remember Brian coming back with a discounted amount and we just agreed upon it. My appt was 9am and Brian got me a surgery slot for the same morning!! At 11am i was brought to the surgery room. Surgery room looked clean, bright and spacious. Dr Kim was in shortly after me and started marking on my face. Before he went off he tapped my shoulder and told me to trust him After that the nurses came in and started to their work to prep me. I was out of my senses pretty soon. What i liked about April as compared to the previous hospital was they don't do the iodine cleaning while i am awake. My previous surgery, the nurses cleaned my face and neck before the anaesthesia and it was awfully cold and uncomfortable. I was extremely glad not to have to go through that again. Netx thing i know surgery was over. I was told it was about 4.30pm so i estimated the surgery took about 5 hours. The nurses assisted me to the restroom, then brought me to a recovery room to rest. I rested for about an hour, and Daphne came to see me before the hospital driver sent me back to my hotel. First night was most uncomfortable. I kept feeling like blood is going to drip from my nose. And i couldn't breathe through the nose. I propped myself up on pillows and slept, or rather dozed through the night. Pain was manageable. Brian was very kind to help me buy my medicine from the nearby pharmacy while i was waiting for the driver. I was told there's painkiller and antibiotics. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
awyr Posted September 29, 2016 Share Posted September 29, 2016 On the 2nd day, i went back to the hospital to change bandage and removed the guaze that was packed into my nose. They still gave me a humongous bandage across my nose which i half covered with a surgical mask. For the next few days, that's how i went about too. I went lotte world and myeongdong and had ginseng chicken soup at tosokchon. I also had pumpkin porridge everyday. There's was a juice shop near my hotel. I drank pineapple and kale juice everyday. And religiously took my medication so i never felt like i was in a lot of pain. On the 5th day i went back to hospital again and this time dr kim came in to check on me. He said my nose was quite complicated as 1 side of the nostril was "destroyed". And he reconstructed both alar with cartilage harvested from behind my ears. I didn't really understand what he meant by destroyed until later when i saw the shape of my "new" nostril. Previously my left nostril was mishapened and kinda collapsed looking. Now both my nostrils are symmetrical. I can't help but feel so pleased when i see my nostril in the mirror now. I'm about 3 weeks post op now. My alar still feels a bit stiff and my ear a bit sore where the cartilage was removed. Otherwise i feel almost normal. Of course I'm still taking care not to bump my nose and chin. So far I'm quite happy with my result. Huge thanks to Dr Kim, Brian and all the nice nurses at April, and my medical escort Daphne who still checks in on me periodically. Keeping my fingers crossed that this will be my last rhinoplasty Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
awyr Posted October 6, 2016 Share Posted October 6, 2016 If i remember correctly, Brian told me they rounded down the figure and it ended up like 10% discount. I heard it's quite difficult to lower the price for rhino because dr kim is very much sought after. Brian tells me they limit the number of surgeries that dr kim does in a day. I like to think that I'm paying premium for the doc to focus on me instead of working on me like a production line Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sandrazhu Posted October 6, 2016 Share Posted October 6, 2016 Hi QueenOfBlades and Awyr, After reading what you two have been sharing so far, I just decided to make an account and comment. Thank you so much for your sharings. I'm from Vietnam and I will be coming to Seoul in december to have my revision rhino for the 3rd time. First time I had it in my country, second time in Yanhee hospital in Bangkok. And I'm now still not happy with my nose so I hope this will be the last time. Btw, Dr Kim at 31April now is still on my top list, especially after reading this thread. Can I add you both on kakaotalk so I can send you guys some photos of my nose and getting some advices? Thank you in advance. Im sorry because my English is not so good My kakaotalk id: Sandrazhu0307 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bella_nguyen Posted October 15, 2016 Share Posted October 15, 2016 Hi Sandra, I am going to Korea this december too. I also from Vietnam. My top choice is also April 31. Perhaps we can talk? My kakaotalk id is B095 I cannot find your account through the id you provide Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
beauty12 Posted October 18, 2016 Share Posted October 18, 2016 Hi Queen of blades, How do you like your result so far? Could you pm me? I am also considering April 31. Thank you Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eileen_ Posted October 19, 2016 Share Posted October 19, 2016 it is so nice of you to share all your consultation story and how you felt and reason for choosing the clinic and surgeon! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
maliboo Posted October 19, 2016 Share Posted October 19, 2016 hey @awyr thanks for sharing your story, it's very helpful. hope you are feeling a lot better now and that you're closer to seeing your new nose after the swelling has gone down. how long did you stay in Korea for? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xonanaltm Posted October 29, 2016 Share Posted October 29, 2016 Hi everyone, I recently went in for a tip plasty at April 31 with Dr. Kim and I thought I'd share my experience. I am doing so to help others who are also interested in getting a rhinoplasty/tip plasty in Korea. Before I begin with my consultation and surgery story I would like to give some background information regarding my nose... My surgery was a primary case because I have never had any work (nor fillers) done to my nose. My main concern was my slightly upturned/short nose and my super round bulbous tip. I felt that it looked very blunt and that my tip was not refined looking at all. However, I have always been satisfied with my nose bridge and find that it is a good height for my face, therefore that is why I ended up getting a tip plasty only. Consultation - I was overall very pleased with my consultation at April 31. I never once felt rushed and spent a whole two hours there. Brian Lee was my translator and he spent a lot of time thoroughly explaining and educating my bf and I about Dr. Kim, the hospital's technology and more. I really appreciated this as other PS clinics I visited was very robotic and never went in depth with anything. They came off very "factory" like which is a big turn off. Anyways, after being educated about the clinic I was advised to get a CT scan to get a better analyses of my nose and face. When that was processing I then spoke to a head consultant (I cant remember her name but she was very pretty). She went over my concerns and told me what she thought needed to be done to accomplish a more refined tip and pulled up before and after photos similar to my case to give me an idea of what to expect. Afterwards, I was finally able to sit down and meet Dr. Kim. He was quite friendly, honest and his english was adequate enough to express himself. He began the consultation by pulling up my CT scan on his computer and addressed all the concerns I had. He agreed that my bridge was a good height and that my nose was very bulbous and slightly upturned. He recommended using my septum cartilage and ear cartilage for my tip. I also told him I wanted to achieve a straighter nose rather than a curved nose, which is very important to state when you speak to your doctor. Therefore, they know what kind of nose style you're looking for. I also asked him if I needed an alar base reduction as my nose base was a bit wide but he said he wouldn't recommend a alar reduction as it could create a unnatural pinched appearance. He also spent the time drawing out the shape of my post-op nose and we went over pictures of noses I liked, such as Dannie Riel (Ive been told I have a similar look as her). He was honest enough to tell me that he was unable to achieve her exact nose as my nose skin was too thick, however with the other photos of other individuals I showed him he told me he could do better. Which was a very good sign, because I thought their noses were good already! After speaking to Dr. Kim we then discussed the earliest surgery date and prices. A warning for those who don't know.. April 31 is known to be one of the most expensive PS clinics in South Korea so do not expect a low rate. You are paying for what you get pretty much. After discussing all the important details and asking vital questions, my bf and I were so pleased with the consultation and all the reviews I've read online that we went ahead and put a 10% deposit down for the earliest appointment, which was for the next day at 2pm. Surgery Day - I was told to fast 4 hours before my surgery and was recommended to come with no makeup on and wear comfortable loose clothing. We went over forms and contracts, took before photos and then changed into their surgery outfit. I then had to say my farewell to my bf and headed into the surgery room. That is when they hooked me onto the IV anesthesia and before I knew it I passed out. I believe the surgery took around 1 1/2 hours and when I finally woke up the first thing I felt was my super sore and dry throat. It was so dry that it was painful to talk or swallow. A nurse then quickly came over to give me a cup of water but it was not enough to hydrate the dryness. I also felt very weak to the point it was difficult to get up. One thing I was not expecting was the throbbing pain coming from my nose. Originally I went in thinking there would be little to no pain as I have read many reviews saying people felt no pain after rhinoplasty surgery but in my case it was hurting. My ear however at the time did not hurt at all. My nose felt like someone took a bat to it and that it was super swollen and throbbing. I was able to push myself to change back into my clothes and with the help of my bf he was able to pick up my prescription medicine when I was in surgery and helped me get back to my hotel with no problem. When i got back to the hotel i ate some pumpkin porridge (which was difficult to eat) and took my medication. The painkillers took several hours to kick in and as expected my nose was super clogged and kept leaking and running. That night I had difficulty sleeping as I had to breath thru my mouth and sleep at a 45 degree angle. Day 1 after surgery - the next morning I felt a lot better and was able to eat with less struggle. The pain subsided thanks to the pain killers and that day I had to go back to the clinic for a check-up appointment. In this appointment they had to change my bandages, remove the gauze and clean the wound. This procedure did hurt a bit but it was bearable. It felt like they were pressing down on a bruise. I also had to get a antibiotic shot which didn't hurt at all. After they cleaned my nose my breathing passage ways were clear momentarily and i was able to breath through my nose but shortly after it clogged up again and began to get runny. The rest of the day I spent in the hotel room resting. Day 2 After Surgery - I started to notice swelling in both my cheeks and my eyes. It wasn't so bad yet but I could tell it was starting to form. Luckily, there were no bruises present so far. Overall, I did feel a lot better though; eating was a lot easier compared to the first day and the pain was almost all gone. The only discomfort was the stuffy and runny nose. In fact, I was feeling so well that I spent the whole day visiting Bongeunsa Temple and went shopping at Coex Mall. Day 3 After Surgery - My face today is even more swollen than yesterday. But this comes to no surprise as I've been told that the third and fourth day is where most of the swelling happens. Overall my nose is feeling even better now and is less clogged and runny. Tomorrow I have another check up appointment to clean and replace the bandages with new ones. Hope all goes well! I will end my update here for now but please let me know if you have any questions! As well, I would like to stress the fact that this is only from my experience and that everyone is different, therefore do not take my review to heart. Ill be updating you all once more in a couple weeks once I take out all the stitches and see the swelling subside a little! I am optimistic for a good outcome and can not wait to see the end result! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
maliboo Posted October 29, 2016 Share Posted October 29, 2016 Hi @xonanaltm thanks for sharing. So glad to hear that you had a good experience with April31, especially since its your primary. Wishing you all the best with recovery and keep us updated with how you're doing if you can x Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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