meintea Posted January 29, 2018 Posted January 29, 2018 Hi Everyone! I wish I had stumbled upon purseforum years ago as I find it so supportive and helpful. I wanted to give back and help out by sharing my own cosmetic surgery experience as well, before I ever found purseforum. It was my first time ever travelling abroad to get any sort of PS done back in August 2016. As it was more than a year ago, I cannot remember every detail but I will try my best. I do want to start off with what I learned after my first and only PS experience thus far: 1) Only go with a medical travel agency if it's your first time in Korea but it is not 100% necessary. They provided a sense of comfort/ease with translations, pickups/drop-offs to/from clinic & airport, and some answers to questions. I went with SeoulTouchup Agency and the lady assigned to me was nice in general, helped with my luggage (it was lost in airport), picked up my prescription medication post-op, and gave me a goodies bag before I flew back home. However, she did not tell me about the Korea's PS tax refund until I had learned about it from someone else at the end of my trip. When I had more questions, she was not as quick to answer compared to before I put down my deposit/paid in full. The agency is not there to hold your hand 24/7 and price arrangements or bargaining was not good. 1 year post-op, when I asked for the exact operative notes from my surgeon, the clinic told me I would have to get it via SeoulTouchup as I was with them, and they both failed to give it to me when I contacted both parties. I did not know any better and after speaking to someone who stayed in the same hostel down a few doors from me when I was in Seoul, I learned that I was overcharged and I really did not need an agency to be with as so many clinics offer translators and other help. My hostel receptionist helped with providing maps, directions and tours/tour guides I could sign up for. 2) Do not go with anyone who does not support/understand you fully and thoroughly. I went with a best friend at the time but I do not think she really wanted to be there fully and became increasingly frustrated with me and my ordeal. There was no sense of comfort/support and we could not see eye to eye. This will make you feel more anxious, sad, unconfident and uncomfortable, making the recovery and being in a foreign place feel a lot worse. Although I thought having my best friend at the time be present for me would be good, she was not fully "present" and I know next time that I would rather go alone than with someone I thought I was close with. 3) Research more about different clinics and other patient’s experiences, especially the procedure you are planning to undergo (different surgery methods, different post-op healing/results and tips for taking care of what you had done to ensure better results). I know that reading every patient’s experience and writing up pros and cons of every clinic is a lot and makes it more confusing and overwhelming to decide what you “should” or “should not” go with and may make you feel like “should I even be going under the knife in the first place”. I can tell you that you will never ever feel 100000% ready and you can’t expect yourself to. It’s like how a soon-to-be-parent will never feel perfectly ready to become a parent for the first time. What you can expect is that there will be pros and cons and you decide what you are willing to go through and what will make YOU happy. I do wish that I had researched more, especially on post-op experiences and healing (I had primary open rhinoplasty and my first couple months, the result was perfect but over time, my nose looked less refined and more bulbous. I had thick skin, too). 4) Keep a copy of your exact procedures done and how they done it / operative notes, just in case.Before Trip:I spoke SeoulTouchup for a few months, was given price quotes and a few clinics to really look into based on my preferences. My trip to Korea was for 10 days. It was a 12-hour flight, I did not eat so that I could have my surgery the day of, and heal the rest of the trip. (I wanted to ensure I had enough time before flying home). SeoulTouchup and I decided on Banobagi based on price quotes and natural results for rhinoplasty.Consultation:I consulted with Dr. Lee and he recommended silicone implant to raise the bridge, alarplasty, and ear cartilage to refine the tip.Looking back, here is where I wish I had a lot more questions prepared regarding other methods of procedure, different suture methods, post-op expectations, how skin thickness affects results and other things I should be mindful about that may impact my result, such as scar tissue or loosening of internal stitches or grafts. He was friendly but I don’t know how thorough a surgeon was supposed to be during consultation as the consultation lasted only 5 minutes. [Before his consultation, I saw a few ladies who asked about my medical background, any previous procedures I may have had done, procedures that I am interested in currently, forms to fill out and I think I took a blood test? I’m sorry, its been 1.5 years since that day]Surgery: I believe I waited a bit longer before I was ushered into a room, told to wash my face, took out my earrings, changed into a gown, put any belongings in this locker, walked into this tight metal room where they turn on high intensity wind to blow off anything on your skin/hair (I don’t know what it’s exactly called)? Then I followed to the operation room, was told to lay on this extremely cold table, where they injected me and put some type of extremely cold paste on my face (I think it was to disinfect more?). All of this was done in one of the lower floors, I remember thinking it was like a basement but not. I knocked out a minute after the injection. I was extremely scared inside but I went through it because I had saved and planned for this for so long and I cannot and don’t want to back out! Looking back, I wish I had them tell me exactly what the process leading up to the actual surgery would be like during the consultation just so that nothing was new to my senses. When I woke up, I remember thinking it was all so fast and I couldn’t believe I underwent the rhinoplasty already! A nurse woke me up and SeoulTouchup had arranged to pick me up and drop me off at the hostel, from there I walked myself up to my room. I was really drowsy throughout. Right after, I went to sleep.
meintea Posted January 29, 2018 Author Posted January 29, 2018 After Surgery/Post-Op Care in Korea:The next day, I was picked up to go to Banobagi again, for a check up and to remove the cotton taped to the bottom of my nose (it was not the stuffings because I did not have an osteotomy). I was given a Banobagi care package (includes what looks like a makeup bag, with two eye compresses inside, one to put in freezer while the other is being thawed and used on my face to de-swell), and alcohol to sterilize as well as an ointment cream. I was given my medication via SeoulTouchup lady (pills to take after breakfast, lunch and dinner, all labelled on their packages) and was told to buy cotton swabs. I was to use a cotton swab to gently clean around my nostril stitches and my right-ear stitches and then a cotton swab to apply the ointment cream around the stitches so that it doesn’t dry and irritate. I was told to do this every 1-2 hours. Throughout the week, I tried not to be too self-conscious when out and I tried to focus on my excitement about the surgery result and how I’m in a country I have never been to before. It was a bit hard as the friend I was with became less and less supportive and more irritated/tense. That took a toll on my emotional well-being and self-confidence to be very honest. I was able to walk and eat normally. I went on tour guides almost every day. There was no pain whatsoever and had no nausea. The only annoying thing was that the stitches were a little itchy and I had to keep finding a washroom to clean and apply ointment around my nostril stitches. My right-ear (where they took out a piece of my cartilage) was a little sore but I wasn’t bothered. I had minimal swelling. I think this part of recovery was easy because I did not have a lot done and I did not have to break my nose or had other surgeries at the same time. The day that I flew home, I had to first go back to Banobagi to remove cast and stitches. I was told that I would have to remove my ear cartilage stitches back home because it was not yet ready to be removed that day. I could remove it at any doctor’s office or walk-in clinic. I was nervous about stitch removal because I heard it would be painful for some but I did not feel a thing. I was ecstatic to see my new nose!Post-Op (at 3 Months-1.5 years) at home:This is where I was confused and sunk into negative feelings. The first 2 months, my nose was looking really defined and petite, a little too pinched but I figured it would settle nicely after but after the 2 months mark, my nose became more and more swollen. This is normal to an extent but it was also making me feel uneasy. I researched a lottt about post-op recovery and I learned that since I have fairly thick-skin/medium-thick-skin, it would take 1-2 years before the nose finally settles to its final look. I kept thinking if I did anything to compromise it like crying a lot and blowing my nose (due to different situations that can occur in life, one of them being the friendship breakup that partially happened during this Korea trip), or picking on my blackheads or taking a couple minor bumps (ie. my bf’s arm accidently hit it and it hurt but not extreme). I also consulted with a few cosmetic surgeons here in Toronto and they all reassured me that these things do not hurt the result as long as I was not incredibly aggressive on my nose and I was already a few months into the healing stage so my nose should not be extremely fragile, especially since I didn’t undergo breaking nose bones. I asked for a steroid (Kenalog) injection to prevent scar tissue from happening on the tip of my nose, most declined to do it except for one surgeon but this surgeon advised that I didn’t need any more following that appointment. I was taking frontal pictures, left-side pictures and right-side pictures of my face every few days because I was obsessed with monitoring my recovery and nose result. At the 1-year mark, my nose was a little less muffin-like/round like in my 3-5 months post op, but my nose was still not as defined like in my 2-months post-op. My nose was still bulbous. I had read that some people’s nose result looks incredibly defined and slightly turned upwards immediately post-op but over time, it becomes less defined and the nose tip goes down, which was what was happening to me but not in a way that I wanted! I was pretty anxious and sad for awhile during my recovery at home. After more research, I decided for a non-surgical rhinoplasty with a surgeon here in my country and I felt happier about my nose since. The injection made my nose slightly higher and tip less droopy, making the tip appear a tiny bit more defined. However, I cannot keep forking up money for this as it only lasts 7-12 months and it is risky as I have a silicone implant in. I would like to go for a revision in the near future, hopefully not using silicone but stronger cartilage (maybe rib cartilage) to raise the height of my bridge and septum cartilage to extend my tip for more support and definition as I have thick skin. Looking into osteotomy as my nose width is still wide (My nostrils are not super flared as I had alarplasty but my nostrils are still slightly flared which I do not mind that much because it looks a bit more natural). Total cost for SeoulTouchup & Banobagi in Korea = $7500 Canadian. Total cost for 1 Kenalog injection in Toronto = $75 Canadian. Total cost for 1 non-surgical rhinoplasty procedure in Toronto = $1100 Canadian.
meintea Posted January 29, 2018 Author Posted January 29, 2018 PS. I may add on other minor details that I remember over time:- One other thing I found kind of annoying/uncomfortable was having to sleep upright and not flat on your back/side. This was recommended by the clinic as it would help with fluid build-up/swelling and the direction of where your nose may heal. - Looking back, I should have asked about post-op de-swelling techniques, such as asking for nose taping/bandages to mold nose swelling/recovery or recommendations on pills (I read up on Arnica pills) to help with healing.
hellobby Posted January 29, 2018 Posted January 29, 2018 Thank you for your review, fellow Torontonian! It was very insightful. Since I have thick skin, I'm now considering using cartilage haha. I'm sorry to hear that you didn't quite like the results from Banobagi though. Hopefully you can do a revision soon that'll make you a lot happier.^^
meintea Posted January 31, 2018 Author Posted January 31, 2018 Thank you very much hellobby, I hope so too! I am glad I was able to help a little/provide some insight for you .
jacobjarred30 Posted January 31, 2018 Posted January 31, 2018 Hey! Where do you plan to do revision rhinoplasty? I would like to use cartilage for my bridge but I am more than likely going to use silicone
meintea Posted February 1, 2018 Author Posted February 1, 2018 Hi Jacobjarred30! I am still researching, nothing set in stone yet.
meintea Posted February 5, 2018 Author Posted February 5, 2018 There will be prices for packages if you do want to use SeoulTouchup to assist you through the surgery process. I don't think just signing up requires any money though. I heard about DocFinder as well if you want to look into another third-party agency that may help with your PS journey.
meintea Posted March 7, 2018 Author Posted March 7, 2018 Hi, may I ask how you suddenly came to a one-worded conclusion to discount my personal experience? I have not endorsed any party but rather, shared my own experience to help others decide what is best for themselves.
meintea Posted March 10, 2018 Author Posted March 10, 2018 UPDATE: I am so sorry but looking back into my bank records, it was actually - $7000 USD for primary rhinoplasty at Banobagi and $500 CAD deposit for SeoulTouchup and another $300 CAD for SeoulTouchup when I got to SK, which means I was wayyyyyy overcharged and am feeling pretty down about it right now.
tsbartels Posted March 26, 2018 Posted March 26, 2018 Thanks you for your detailed update and so sorry that your nose didn't turn out the way you wanted to.
meintea Posted April 4, 2018 Author Posted April 4, 2018 Thank you, I'm glad I can help with some insight and I appreciate your comment!
lroy Posted March 10, 2019 Posted March 10, 2019 Thank you for sharing your PS experience. I am wondering if I should do the procedure in Korea or Toronto.
kanna159 Posted March 10, 2019 Posted March 10, 2019 From Toronto as well Do you plan on going back to SK for revision? Have you considered any surgerons in Toronto? I’m sitting on the fence on this matter.
lroy Posted March 19, 2019 Posted March 19, 2019 I have not done any rhinoplasty as yet, unfortunately because of the distance, i most of the consultations for korea has to be done online, Just wondering how easy to have it all done in 2-3 weeks.
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