solarbeam Posted February 24, 2017 Share Posted February 24, 2017 @heimcha.j I plan on doing the same. Have you chosen a Dr for your surgeries yet? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kittyberry Posted February 26, 2017 Author Share Posted February 26, 2017 Thanks everyone for sharing so much! I wanted to post an update since I am 14 days Post Op. I also want to tell everyone, that my results are not yet final. I still have swelling. Most of my swelling has been pulled down into the lower half of my face, and the tip of my nose. While I can see some changes, it's important to know that I won't be able to see my final results until I have completely healed. When I first reached out to GNG I was paired with an English Translator/Coordinator. She was awesome, and made sure my stay was enjoyable. Her personality was friendly, and easy going so it was easy for me to speak casually with her. She arranged my schedule with GNG, along with my transportation. When I first arrived, my coordinator had arranged a car to pick me up from the Airport and take me to my hotel. The next morning, I went to GNG for my initial consultation. This day was before surgery and I spent the day at GNG taking blood test, and X-rays to ensure I was healthy and ready for surgery. I was happy to see many local patients there. I met with Dr. Son for my Revision Rhinoplasty and Fat Graft and Dr. Choi for my Facial Contouring. In our initial consultation I described the aesthetic I was going for, and what I was hoping to correct. I told Dr. Son, that my nose was crooked, and I wanted to make it straight. I also explained that I wanted to make my nose cute, and feminine by making it more narrow, reducing the length of the tip, and width of my alars. Dr. Son explained to me how he wanted to reduce the length and width of the tip of my nose. He also explained to me there there were some limitations to the reduction. Since if you remove too much cartilage, you could have excess skin. He said to me his goal was "Not only to reduce my nose, but reduce it beautifully." I appreciated how up front he was with me, and that he made his process easy to understand. We then discussed adding a little implant to the bridge of my nose, to create a nice profile. He gave me alot to consider, and wanted to follow up with me the next morning. Afterwards I met with Dr. Choi. He looked carefully at my X-rays, and asked me to show him and describe how I wanted to change my face shape. It felt a little tricky, but I used photos and showed him on my face how I wanted to make my chin smaller, and the width of my jaw narrower without effecting the angle too much. I could tell Dr. Choi was listening intently. He showed me where he could cut, and what the limitations were. He requested I get a secondary X-ray and asked that we follow up in the morning. I took my second X-ray, finished some paperwork, and then GNG helped me get back to my hotel. I was asked to fast starting at midnight, and come prepared for surgery the next day. Day One (Surgery Day) I went straight to GNG in the morning and had my final consultation for my nose, jaw, and fat grafting. The final consultation made me feel assured we were ready for surgery. I changed in my hospital outfit and went to the surgery level, where the anesthesiologist put me into a deep sleep. I remember becoming sleepy and when I woke up the surgery was finished. Afterwards the staff helped me back to me room where I would recover. I waited for the anesthesia to wear off, before having some water, and later some soup. The nurses and my translator were attentive, and checked in on me often to make sure I was always okay. After Day One Dr. Choi removed my blood drains from my mouth. Day one I was super swollen. Day Two recovery went smooth. I stayed the night at GNG's hospitalization ward. I received some treatments for my swelling, and had the packing from my inside my nose removed, my nose cleaned and re-dressed. The nurses went over my medicine and my ointment for my nose stitches. Day One and Two I was still groggy, and very swollen, and I did my best to walk to help speed up my recovery. By the end of Day Two I was feeling better. I was also able to have a more restful sleep the evening of Day Two. I was asked to stay a second night at GNG, and I was happy to stay since that made my initial recovery easy for me. Day Three I started my day with a swelling treatment. My discomfort was more mild. After my swelling treatment, I had some breakfast and walked around a bit. Later that morning my translator met with me. She helped review my medicine and when to wear my bandage. She also reviewed my aftercare instructions to make sure I was all set. Dr. Choi came to check on me, remove my chin bandages, and also showed me the bone he removed from my jaw and chin. I had my nose cleaned again, and then went to a near-by hair salon for a long awaited hair wash. Having my hair washed was super refreshing, and afterwards I had some Korean Porridge. That made me feel much more comfortable and happy. Afterwards the GNG car took me back to my hotel. I think the first two days were the most difficult for me. However, I was lucky to have wonderful people take care of me, and help me during my first few days. I was surprised how attentive the GNG Nurses were, and I was happy the doctor’s checked on me. Day four, five and six were all leisurely. I spent most of the days relaxing, walking, or shopping. My diet for the past few days was a soft diet, since I am still recovering from my Facial Contouring Surgery. After eating I always made sure to thoroughly rinse my mouth and gargle the cleaning solution provided to me by GNG. I also made sure to wear frequently my compression bandage for my Jaw and Chin, and always sleep straight and facing up. I woke up excited on Day Seven, since I was going to have my nose bandages and stiches removed. Additionally, I was going to have my bandages for my fat graft removed. I was excited to remove more bandages, and finally take of my blue nose splint/cast. The nurse was gentle when removing my nose bandages and stitches. The pain wasn’t horrible, only a few stiches inside the nose were sensitive. After stitch removal and cleaning, I took post-op X-Rays for the Doctor to review. When Dr. Son met with me he looked extensively at my nose and inspected it closely. He explained to me that I was still swelling, and healing, and that for the next two weeks I needed to be extra extra careful to not bump my nose. He took the time and made sure I understood, until all my questions were answered. I liked that our post-op consultation was detailed. After meeting with him I had a de-swelling treatment and then waited for my next post-op consultation. Dr. Choi was friendly when we met again. He displayed my X-rays and carefully explained the differences and compared them. He showed me how we made my chin smaller, and made the angle of the jaw even and smooth. He also explained where he cut to avoid any nerve damage. His follow up was thorough. He told me as the swelling goes away I would start to see my Facial Contouring results. He then gave me an injection to help with the swelling. After my second post-op consultation, I went to have Oxygen Therapy and that completed my day at GNG. Removing my bandages and having a de-swelling treatment, made me look socially acceptable to the casual passerby. I was also feeling more energetic. Day 8, 9, and 10 were again leisurely. I visited local famous sites, and went shopping. I was feeling more energetic these days. Day 8 I was still swollen, and had subtle bruising, but by Day 10 most of it had resolved. I think my initial healing went very well. In the afternoon of Day 10 I returned to GNG for my final check-up. First, I took follow up photos and then had my bandage on my ear changed. We had taken a little cartilage from my ear, so the nurse checked to make sure it was healing well and re-taped it. She checked the inside of my nose and then I met with Dr. Son. He checked my nose, cleaned it, and looked inside and out. He explained that I would still be a little sore on my bridge because of osteotomy. He also talked about eating a good diet and maintaining my health so that my recovery would be smooth. He also instructed that I keep applying the ointment GNG provided, and that when I returned to the states if I wanted I could purchase a scar cream for the incision. Since I had open rhinoplasty and there was small scar underneath my nose. He also reminded me about being gentle, sleeping upward, and warned me not to wear a tight hat, all as precautions to maintain my fat graft. He answered all of my final questions and that concluded my final consultation with Dr. Son. I then met with Dr. Choi. He checked my stitches along the inside of my gum-line and said it was healing nicely. My stitched are dissolvable, so there was no need to remove them, but I must be careful to keep them clean while they heal. He also told me that my I might feel firmness or soreness as I heal, and that was as the swelling dissipates. He instructed me to maintain a healthy lifestyle. Dr. Son and Dr. Choi were both pleasant each time we met. They never made me feel rushed. After my final consultation I had my last de-swelling treatment, and oxygen therapy. In the lobby I said goodbye to my coordinator. She was so sweet, and asked me to keep her updated on my healing. The next morning, I checked out of my hotel and a car that GNG arranged took me back to the airport. By day 11 I was looking better, the majority swelling has subsided nicely. My flight back left me exhausted. I also think it caused some extra swelling, but that resolved itself with in the next two days Day 12 and 13 I’m back to my normal life style. Today is day 14 Post-Op. I'm already liking my results, but as I mentioned earlier I can see that there is still lots of swelling and still some healing. I feel the majority of my swelling in my lower cheeks, underneath my chin, my jawline, and especially the tip of my nose. I do think it is tricky to remind myself to be patient, but I can tell there have been some great improvements to my liking. I hope to add more soon! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lovemeimei Posted February 26, 2017 Share Posted February 26, 2017 thanks for sharing i am going to Seoul next week for my rhino . Just like you i booked the consultation and surgery with GNG . I am very excited . My surgery is booked with dr seong as he is good at more natural nose surgery. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
solarbeam Posted February 28, 2017 Share Posted February 28, 2017 Do you have any examples of noses done by Dr Seong? I am also interested in a more natural nose Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xuheleya Posted February 28, 2017 Share Posted February 28, 2017 I'm an English teacher living in Korea and i saw that GNG was advertised a lot in all the foreigner magazines for us English teacher and US Army folk, so i decided to check it out. The building was impressive, but the appointment was a lil disorganized and the doctor I was supposed to consult with did not end up doing the consult. I consulted awhile ago, and did not end up having surgery. but i saw the coordinator had this forum up on her computer screen and overheard her discussing it with another staff member while i was waiting, so i got curious and came on here to research more. Anyway, the doc was nice and the facility was good, but they seem to have a strong preference for using donor cartilage, especially on non-asians, another foreign friend of mine said they recommended same. if you don't mind, i guess it's OK. but i get the heeby jeebies knowing a dead person's cartilage would be in my nose. when i asked another doc at a smaller clinic he kinda laughed and said, why would u need donor cartilage, you could use your own? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
p-joann14 Posted March 1, 2017 Share Posted March 1, 2017 "dead person's cartilage" is a bit harsh, isn't it? Bone, skin, and cartilage transplants are mostly taken from deceased donors in medical surgery, so why would cosmetic use be any different? maybe YOU had enough of your own cartilage? most asians tend to lack enough septal cartilage in their nose, hence why they need the cartilage graft. and, yes, it is very common for people of asian descent to use donated cartilage since they lack enough septal cartilage. rib cartilage is a second option, but it is said to be painful, expecnsive, and has a bit of an absorption rate since its your own cartilage. i'm certain it's safe too cause my friends who have done it both in the States and Korea have used it. I did my nose before and i had so much septal cartilage (compared to my girls), so I didn't need any extra grafts too in my case. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
loverly Posted March 1, 2017 Share Posted March 1, 2017 Yeah, from what I know donor cartilage is common Korea, and that probably is because of the asian nose structure. I had a hump nose and had enough septal cartilage for my rhinoplasty, but I'm not sure if I will have enough for my second surgery since I used it during my first. The doctors said I may need to use a donor cartilage if I don't have enough septal cartilage for my revision. I dont mind using whatever as long as the result is good and I don't need another revision Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jarhead64 Posted March 1, 2017 Share Posted March 1, 2017 Are you considering your revision at GNG hospital? Where else have you considered? I need to undergo rhinoplasty as well and I'm pretty sold on GNG since my Korean unnie got her nose done there but I would love to hear more insight from ppl. There was another girl who did her nose there and posted about it on the other thread and her results were amazzingggg. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
insecur1ties Posted March 2, 2017 Share Posted March 2, 2017 Anybody did ptosis correction at GNG? Please share your reviews/experience with me. Thanks!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jarhead64 Posted March 3, 2017 Share Posted March 3, 2017 My friend did! She did hump nose and eyelid surgery. We were pretty worried in the beginning, but she's 2 months post-op now and looking better than ever . It turned out pretty nice so I'm very highly considering GNG Hospital!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
insecur1ties Posted March 4, 2017 Share Posted March 4, 2017 She did non incision or incision? Ptosis correction and double eyelid surgery? I just want to do ptosis correction, I don't want double eyelid surgery. Btw, how did your friend came across GNG? Is she sponsored? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xuheleya Posted March 4, 2017 Share Posted March 4, 2017 At the end of the day, I'm just saying what it really is. I consulted at few more clinics, and they say it is bit uncommon. I don't mind taking a deceased donors body material if it's for something non-elective that I can't help. But if it's purely for cosmetic reasons, it's my personal preference to look for alternative materials. The other clinics I consulted with also said it's a bit odd and more of a last ditch effort, even for Asians. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
solarbeam Posted March 4, 2017 Share Posted March 4, 2017 does anyone have any examples of primary noses (not revision) done by Dr Seong? I am interested in him and would like to see more examples Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xuheleya Posted March 4, 2017 Share Posted March 4, 2017 If you find out, can you share details? I'm open to a cheaper surgery and sponsorship, they seemed pretty invested about online postings. Does anybody have tips about getting discounts via sponsored reviews? My guess if you tell them you're open to posting your photos on forums, etc... they'll discount your surgery. I wouldn't want to do it in the local expat magazines because the community is too small here. but online would be alright, i guess. Has anybody gotten discounts this way? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jarhead64 Posted March 4, 2017 Share Posted March 4, 2017 No, she's Korean. She's reaaally open about her surgeries, almost like a bragging right. Must be a Korean thing haha Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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