shermainetsj Posted November 21, 2017 Share Posted November 21, 2017 This is going to be a long read. Apologies for the wordiness. Enjoy if you're the type who likes detailed reviews. I have recently returned from Seoul having undergone a full facelift via a unique and special procedure performed by Dr Jin Hoon of IDEA Plastic Surgery Clinic in Gangnam. Facelift by zygoma relocation via a bicoronal incision. Yes you heard right. Facelift via bone surgery. Since there isn't much topics on facelift, here is me sharing my thoughts and experience, I'm currently 4 weeks post surgery. Background I have always been bothered by the way my face looked big and wide in pictures, made worse by the contrast of my lithe and thin body. For this, I have visited several clinics to consult on face contouring to obtain a smaller sharper face shape, however all of them told me that my face bone is small and should not do any bone reduction surgery. Prior to this, I have already undergone several "lifting" procedures from facial liposuction to accusculpt/acculift to "mini facelift" to thread-lifting. None had any lasting effect though as the lifting gains were lost a couple of months post surgery. The thing I realise through these expensive and painful procedures is that while each method has its own merit and lifting effect, the sustainability of the result still comes down to the individual's skin texture and skin elasticity. In other words YMMV, Your Mileage May Vary. I have learnt that although I looked and felt like a chubby kid, the skin on my face is not so much fat but really thick. Acculift and facial liposuction helped to reduce the limited amount of fat on my face, but the trauma and subsequent swelling of fluids also made my skin sag pretty bad afterwards. As for the thread-lift and what they are calling a "mini facelift", results looked promising at first but ultimately my heavy thick skin will sag again after one or two months. This is super depressing and demoralising, to see something positive and then lose it after a couple of months. Think of all the money and effort to get myself there, plus the pain of going under the knife and the slow recovering process. I was more or less convinced at this point that nothing short of a full facelift will work in my case although I'm only mid 30s. Time to do some research! I did tons of read up n research from all sorts of source trying to find a suitable procedure to solve my problem. That's how I came across IDEA Plastic Surgery Clinic and Dr Jin Hoon. I visited the clinic for a consultation 6 months ago. What caught my attention on this clinic was the procedure that Dr Jin suggested to me - Zygoma Facelift via Bicoronal Incision. I've visited many other clinics, however this is the first time I have heard of this procedure which involve repositioning the zygoma bone to do a mid facelift, with the main incision done bicoronally on the dome of the head to hide any potential scarring. Something new from what I've read as most zygoma surgery has the danger of causing face to sag rather than having a facelift effect. I started looking for information. During the period of my research, I found out that zygoma surgery via bicoronal incision can only be performed by very skillful surgeon. In Korea, only few doctors is able to do that. I came across some articles that Dr Jin Hoon whom i consulted with at Idea Plastic Surgery surgery is very well known in Korea with more than 20yrs experiences in face contouring surgery, often invited to conduct speeches and perform live demonstration in seminars worldwide. He is one of the few doctors in Korea who does zygoma reduction surgery via bicoronal incision. The difference of zygoma surgery via bicoronal incision compared to the common way via mouth incision is that, sagging of soft tissue after the surgery is minimised. Dr Jin Hoon devised this Zygoma Reposition surgery via bicoronal incision as a facelift procedure which was publicised in some Korea news article. Through bicoronal incision, the bone can be adjusted upwards together with the soft tissue lifted. Sounds complicated yet logical to me. It took me 6 months to find out more on this little heard of procedure n finally decided on giving it a go to to it. In Oct I booked a consult to IDEA PS clinic to see the doctor again. This time I prepared lots of questions on the details on the procedure.To be continued... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shermainetsj Posted November 21, 2017 Author Share Posted November 21, 2017 CONSULTATION I contacted the consultant, Weina via Wechat before visiting the clinic. She was very helpful in assisting me and answering to my 101 queries. Despite multiple visits to the clinic for consultion and taking a long time to make a decision, she was very patient with me. She was not pushy, very resourceful n always willing to share additional informations, give me advise. My first consultation with Dr Jin took about an hour. Dr Jin speaks English n was very detailed in explaining to me the procedures I need and what I should not be doing. He showed me pictures n photos on his big monitor screen while explaining to make sure I understood. Dr Jin strongly disagreed that I should be doing any bone reduction surgery as he highlighted that it will not give me my desired outcome. He suggested to reposition my zygoma bone to lift my mid face caused by my sagging soft tissue. He also suggested a lower smas facelift for a more defined vline and a forehead lift for a younger look since it is the same incision site as the zygoma surgery bicoronally. Dr Jin gave me the impression of someone with no nonsense, very confidence n would not recommend unnecessary procedures if you don't need it. He has a strong sense of beauty which focus on natural, facial balance n symmetry. He doesn't really like the idea of implants as these foreign objects are can lead to infection in the long run. I've trust in him n so yes I decided to go with the procedures he suggested. SURGERY DAY My surgery was scheduled 3 days later as Dr Jin is only around from Mon-Thu. Surgery was at 1pm n I was asked to reach the clinic at 10am for pre-ops preparation. Prior to surgery day, I had CT scan, blood test, urine test n ECG done as well. Upon arrival on surgery day, I was brought to the room where I'm going to stay for the next 2 nights after the surgery. Room was really cosy with everything from fridge to dehumidifier, TV and storage area. I'm really glad this arrangement was made as during these 2 days stay in the clinic, I received immaculate care from the clinic. I couldn't imagine having to return to my Airbnb n look after myself during the first 2 days of post surgery. After settling down, Weina passed me a new set of clothes to change into n thereafter was brought to the studio for photo taking. I was surprised to see Dr Jin came into the photo studio with a camera in his hand. You seldom see doctor who took pre-ops photo personally in other clinics. Had a final consultation with Dr Jin before the surgery. He explained again what he will be doing and the limitations on my pre-existing assymetrical bone structure, but he will try his best to adjust it as balance as possible. I really appreciate the assurance and letting me know upfront prior to surgery as a lot of time disputes could happened on the expected results due to such limitations. After the final consultation, I was brought into the OT. I was really nervous the moment I lied down on the surgery desk. I remembered whispering to myself "걱정이에요" (which means I was worried). The anaesthetist heard me and he tried to talk to me to calm me down while inserting the IV needle into my arm. Shortly after I fell into deep sleep. Next thing I know was hearing Weina calling my name and telling me that my blood pressure has dropped below n they are going to do a blood transfusion for me. While I was still semi unconscious, I could felt someone lifted n carried me from the OT to my ward. I tried really hard to open my eyes n wake myself up from the anaesthesia. The first person I saw at the bed was Dr Jin and he was asking me how am I feeling. It felt really comforting to see that n I wanted to reply to him. But my throat was so sore n dry that I could not speak up at all. I tried to nob my head to acknowledge but could feel the pain n tightness around my head. I looked at the clock on the wall n saw it was 10pm. I was like "My god.. 9hrs of surgery!" I wasn't allowed to drink water for 4 hrs. While I try to stay awake, time crawled really slow. I was literally looking at the clock every hour, counting down to the time I could drink water. Finally 4 hrs later, Weina came into the room with a nurse. They helped to on the dehumidifier n brought me some water to drink n gargle my mouth as there are stitches in there. The nurse also helped to apply some ointment on my lips so that it wasn't too dry. Weina then explained the post surgery instructions for me to take note. I was grateful that Weina stayed in the clinic to assist me the first night, making sure there was no language barrier in communication. She passed me a bell to ring her anytime I need helped n reminded me not to go to the washroom by myself. Next thing the nightmare began. I'm not sure is it because I've slept for 9hrs during surgery, I wasn't tired at all. I couldn't sleep n pain level was 5 out of 10. I could feel the drainage cannula behind my ear when lying on the bed. Although in pain, I tried not to press on the bell as i did not want to trouble Weina n the nurse too much. Forced myself to get some rest but woke up almost every hour due to the pain n uncomfortable. Until 6am in the morning, i heard someone walking pass my room. It was Dr Jin. He saw me awake n came into my room to check on me. I told him i couldn't sleep n was in pain. Next moment he went out n came back with a pair of scissors to cut my bandage off. Relieve! It felt so much better. He then asked the nurse to bring me for hair wash (IDEA has a small room cater for hair wash in the clinic). While the nurse was drying my hair, Dr Jin asked me to do some facial expressions to check on my facial nerve. He then asked the nurse to give me more painkiller so that i could sleep better. Super dedicated doctor I must say! Surprisingly after the hair wash, I felt more refreshed n comfortable to go to sleep. By then it was almost 7am. That was how my Day 0 Post Ops went. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shermainetsj Posted November 21, 2017 Author Share Posted November 21, 2017 DAY 1 POST OPS I managed to grab few hours of sleep after the long night. By the time i woke up it was almost noon. Clinic have prepared pumpkin porridge for me but I don't really have the appetite to eat despite without food for more than 24hrs. Moreover my throat still hurts from the intubation. Painkiller was given every 4hrs n I will be on time to ring the bell to call for the nurse when the time is up for more. Haha. Until night time I was able to drink a bit of minestrone soup from Paris Baguette bought by my friend. DAY 2 POST OPS Felt so much better than Day 1 although swelling had started to kick in. I was able to get out of bed n walk by myself. My face swelled like Teletubbies n I tried to ice my face diligently, hoping to get the swelling down asap. Since I'll be discharged on this day, that means I would also be getting the drainage cannula out from my head. Oh yes! That was the culprit that constituted to the pain most n finally it's gonna be out. Dr Jin does the wound cleaning n removed the drainage cannula for me. It was painful during the process but definitely felt better after the cannula had been removed. The nurse did another hair wash for me before I was discharged nighttime when the clinic closed. DAY 3 to 14 Swelling was the worst on Day 3. I wasn't required to wear any compression bandage. My face bloated as if I just gained lots weight. I went back to clinic for light deswelling treatment and checked by Dr Jin. From Day 4 onwards, everything seems to get better n i don't feel pain anymore. I visited the clinic everyday for deswelling n walked alot which i believed it does helped me to deswell faster from my past surgery experience. Stitches get to be removed bit by bit starting from Day 5. By Day 9, all stitches including the staples on my head were all removed. I got to see doctor almost every visits to the clinic. On Day 14, I was updated with my recovery progress and CT scans by Dr Jin before I returned back to my home country. I resumed my daily life straight after the next day. Although I can still feel the swelling, people hardly noticed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shermainetsj Posted November 21, 2017 Author Share Posted November 21, 2017 OVERALL EXPERIENCE I must say my overall experience at IDEA clinic was way beyond my expectation. What makes them different was throughout the entire period, from Consultation to Pre-Ops preparation and Post-Ops recovery, it was the doctors who attended to me personally. This includes wound cleaning and stitch removal. From my past surgical experiences in other clinics, it was usually the nurse who does all that and you only get to see the doctor once or twice after the surgery. I was told that doctors in IDEA all worked this way, attended to everything personally (倾力倾为) which I feel is a good thing. I'm glad I've chosen Dr Jin Hoon, the personal touch given to me leave a trace in my memory. Besides being a well known surgeon with great skills, Dr Jin is truly a perfectionist which is reflected not only on the end result but during my recovery too. My swelling n bruising was minimum compared to previous surgeries I had. I was surprised it wasn't that bad considering this surgery was the most major one (that touches the bones n smas layer) I'd undergone. I'd imagined it to be worse as I've seen people who had facelift done n swelling was really bad. Another amazing thing was the incision site was so well hidden n concealed that you can barely see where they are. No one even spotted I had surgery done if i don't mentioned. People just feel something different but couldn't pin point to it. Perhaps I just looked as though i had gained some weight on the face now due to the swelling. I guess nothing speaks better than visual evidence. Below are my BA CT scan results n some pics on how the incision looked like. Initially I thought the idea of bicoronal incision sounds really scary to me. But it wasn't afterall. I did not experienced any nerve damage, side effects or hair loss which were my greatest concern before the surgery. I looked forward to my full recovery in few more months to see the final result. I'm grateful to Dr. Jin for making me feel prettier and younger! *Pls note that this is not a sponsored post. I just want to share my experience to anyone who may be facing the same problem. Hopefully my review can help to clear some queries and fear, and make a better choice from there. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stephy_yg Posted November 21, 2017 Share Posted November 21, 2017 Hi this honestly looks so promising! And your results look great! I was wondering what sorts of medication did u need to take after the surgery? Is it ok to already be taking some other medications? Thanks so much for your detailed and honest review! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shermainetsj Posted November 21, 2017 Author Share Posted November 21, 2017 Hi, other than clinic prescribe medications which include antibiotic n painkiller, I do take additional supplements to aid my healing. Redoxen Vitamin C 2000mg a day for wound healing n Multi Vitamins B complex for nerve repair. Took Sinecch Arnica Montana before and post op surgery for deswelling n bruises as well. I've been taking the above for all my surgeries n no issues faced so far. I guess it does help. =) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stephy_yg Posted November 22, 2017 Share Posted November 22, 2017 thanks so much for the quick response! I was wondering if you know the names of the antibiotics? Currently I take medication for arthritis so I wanted to ask my doctors if I can do the surgeries. But those supplements do sound quite beneficial I've heard great things about arnica and thanks so much Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shermainetsj Posted November 22, 2017 Author Share Posted November 22, 2017 Hihi, I'm not sure in the antibiotics they give... I think diff clinic may have different as well. I guess best is the let the doctor know the name of the medication you taking so they know if is ok to continue during the surgical period Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stephy_yg Posted November 22, 2017 Share Posted November 22, 2017 oh thanks so much!! may i ask do u rememeber how long you took the medication for? thanks so much! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shermainetsj Posted November 23, 2017 Author Share Posted November 23, 2017 Clinic gave me medication for 8 days. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gossipgirl19 Posted November 23, 2017 Share Posted November 23, 2017 I just Googled bicoronal incision and clinical pictures popped up. All I can say is gasp!!!! Glad your surgery was success! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shermainetsj Posted November 23, 2017 Author Share Posted November 23, 2017 I may be first to share the experience of this procedure in this forum but definitely not Dr Jin's pioneer patient for this =) He has performed this procedure for many patients before me. And I've seen n spoke to a patient who had done the procedure before I decided. Dr Jin repositioned my zygoma via bicoronal incision, no shaving done. That's for lifting of my mid face. There is no seperation of the skin layers, while the zygoma bone is being repositioned, soft tissues (skin n muscle) attached to the bone is lifted upwards together. Without separating tissues from bone, the bone is actually stronger to support the upward lift effect against gravity pull. My swelling has gone done around 60%. As swelling moved downwards, I can feel some stiffness in my lower face area. Nevertheless it did not hinder my facial movement. I still smile n chew normally without difficulty. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shermainetsj Posted November 23, 2017 Author Share Posted November 23, 2017 TBH, I had the same reaction when i first goggled on bicoronal incision too!! But it wasn't as bad as I expected it to be. Since you won't be seeing the whole process during GA, once you wake up everything is done. In fact I don't really feel any pain in the bicoronal incision site after surgery despite there is one whole row of staples across my head. The lower face smas facelift was more painful especially with the drainage cannula there. The moment you know it was there, you start to think of the pain. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shermainetsj Posted January 17, 2018 Author Share Posted January 17, 2018 It definitely sounds invasive when i first heard on the procedure. But after personally undergoing it n come to think of it, I actually did not experienced any complications during my recovery. I'm coming 3mths post ops now. Yes there is still a fine scar across the dome of the head, not along forehead. So no one actually sees the scar as it is inside the hair. I do not have any hair loss issue as the incision is really fine. Pertaining to how the procedure was being done, I'm not sure how the surgeon actually locate the cheekbone from there. I only know I was knocked out by GA n next moment when i woke up, it's over. Sure! I PMed you my kakao. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
apskdlgdl Posted January 17, 2018 Share Posted January 17, 2018 When do all the swelling and bruise go away after surgery? It's been about 5 days since I had facial contouring and two jaw and my face is still so swollen like a monster,,,, Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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