raussi Posted December 3, 2018 Share Posted December 3, 2018 I think your surgery was successful! They did the nose and forehead well. You are looking good and will definitely look better. Congrats~ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
daffycakes Posted December 6, 2018 Share Posted December 6, 2018 Hi Stephanie! I’m happy you’re healing well. May I ask how much was the filler and facial service with Namu? Thank you! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
phoebebuffey Posted December 7, 2018 Author Share Posted December 7, 2018 The facial / skin treatments were given as a free service because I did multiple surgeries with them, and included in my aftercare. As for chin filler, I'm not sure on the exact price as I paid a lump sum for my original set of surgeries. I think it was around 1.5 million krw? I needed 2 cc's for my chin - I have a big face! For lip filler I paid separately, because I hadn't originally planned to get it. Normally restylane is 500,000-550,000 krw but because I had done so many surgeries earlier in my trip they discounted it to 330,000 - the price of Korean brand fillers. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
phoebebuffey Posted December 9, 2018 Author Share Posted December 9, 2018 MONEY MATTERS (CHOOSING A CLINIC BASED ON COST? BARGAINING? SAVING UP?) I wanted to talk about something EVERYONE who looks into plastic surgery will have to face: money! It can influence which clinic you choose or the surgeries you choose to do; bargaining for medical procedures is something new to a lot of westerners; and saving up is something most people face.MONEY & SURGERIES I feel like cheap surgeries - or paying as little as possible for surgeries - is glamorized. I totally get the "how much did you pay?" question, because it helps people see if they're being ripped off or how much of a discount they should try for. But I would caution anyone from choosing a clinic or meeting with a clinic just because they fit in with their budget. There are so many more important factors: the doctors, the clinic set up (do they have a full time anesthesiologist?), the aftercare, etc.I did not get a 'cheap deal' on my surgeries. I didn't go into the process with a modeling deal, so when I compared the cost of my surgeries with other people a few were like, "Wow, that's a lot [of money]." But in the end I was okay with paying slightly over what I originally thought I would because I felt comfortable with my clinic and the surgeries I was getting. Ultimately, you have to decide the amount you're willing to pay, as well as what you're comfortable with. You can always find a cheaper surgery, a cheaper clinic, a cheaper doctor. A more expensive clinic doesn't necessarily mean better doctors or better surgery results. The best advice I can give is to find the best doctor FOR YOU, your features, your surgeries - and then bargain from there... as much as you feel comfortable with / is necessary.BARGAINING There are a few ways you can get a deal/discount on surgery. First is bargaining, and I'll be honest: I am not good at bargaining. When I shopped in Korea, I didn't even bargain at Ewha/Hongdae because the items already seemed so well-priced. And even when it came to surgery, I was hesitant to bargain or bargain too hard. You can get some bargaining awkwardness out of the way if you do it over Kakao, but most clinics will tell you you won't be able to lock in a final price until you do a face to face consult, because the doctor will need to see and assess your case in person. Second is if you go through a service like Misooda, because on their website they have some surgery promos listed. (Although you could try to take the advertised promo and go directly to the clinic to see if they'll match the deal or cut you a better one.) *I don't know if these promos are actually better than estimates given by clinics, but it's worth looking into. A lot of the promos are on v line / breast implants. Definitely do research into the clinics and don't just take a promo based on price, whether it's on Misooda or directly from a clinic. Third is if you do a modeling deal, which basically means they will take/use your before and after photos on their website / for advertisements. Big influencers get surgeries for free this way - you can see examples of this from Doc Finder Korea and people like Sonia/Celia Leslie, Jennydear, Jessyluxe, Sacheu... Other people (non-influencers haha) can get huge deals (~half off) with modeling deals. When I arrived in Korea and had my in-person consultation, I confirmed I wanted to do forehead reduction, even with scarring and the potential need for hair transplant in 1-2 years. Claire asked if I would then be willing to let them use ONLY my forehead before and after photos. I said yes, because I really didn't care about my photos being used since I was planning on posting here / on Kakao anyway. I'm not sure if they'll actually end up using the photos, since they weren't able to get photos of it fully healed... or if they'll even want to use them, but they do have the option. This gave me a 40% discount on just my forehead reduction surgery. So, if you're looking for additional discounts, you can always ask if they'd be willing to give you any for use of your photos. Over Kakao I was able to get a list of estimates from Linda with a range of prices (ex: 4-6 million KRW for rhinoplasty), and a "max" amount the cost would be for all the surgeries. When I went in for my face to face consult, the final price ended up being more than this "max" amount because I wound up doing additional surgeries and it seemed like some of the estimates were off. So lets move on to...HOW MUCH DID I PAY? What everyone wants to know. I originally thought the maximum amount I would pay would be $15,000 total - and I wound up spending more. First I sent a deposit of $900 to secure my surgery date. So I figured that when I was there, I'd pay $14,100 max. I wound up paying 16.5 million krw, or ~$14,667 for my main set of surgeries (and then I paid separately 330,000 krw or ~$293 for lip fillers on my last day). Why the discrepancy? I had planned on doing: Forehead reduction Rhinoplasty Facial lipo Arm lipo I wound up doing all of the above AND: TRC and fat grafting Chin filler Buccal fat pad removal In my in-person consult, I met with Claire, not Linda. She tried to stick to my original estimate as closely as she could. Essentially she added buccal fat pad removal at no cost to my acculift procedure because she felt that without buccal fat pad removal I wouldn't get the results I was looking for. I did have to pay for TRC and chin filler, but since I was getting arm liposuction anyway, she added in fat grafting for my undereyes for free - otherwise the TRC wouldn't be effective / look its best. I appreciated this attention to detail.HOW TO SAVE UP MONEY FOR SURGERY / KOREA Here are some tips I have for saving money: Pick up a second job. I worked two jobs for six months, 12 hour days five days a week + Saturday's. It was hard, especially around months 4, 5, 6... I was constantly tired. BUT I was able to save up a few thousand dollars from a second, minimum wage job. Stop going out to eat. I couldn't cut this out completely, so I would allow myself to go out 1x/week, Saturday's after work. It was insane how much money I saved. Zero unnecessary spending. I wrote out all my essentials: gas, groceries, make up / shampoo / etc maybe once every few months... and I stuck to only buying these things. Collect items to sell on Craigslist, selling apps, or Buffalo Exchange. Clothes, furniture, etc. I had suitcases of stuff filled that I left in my car too long and didn't have time to sell... crap! Next time. For every birthday / holiday either request money, or gift cards / things that are necessities (shampoo, grocery gift card, gasoline gift card) that you would've spent your 'essential' money on that month. Ultimately, I was able to put about half my monthly pay (from my regular job) into my savings account, as well as 100% of my second jobs pay.When looking for flights, download the Hopper app. I found my flight from LAX > South Korea for under $500! Also, save money on housing in Korea by getting an AirBNB with housemates. I stayed in a 2 bedroom apartment with two other girls. (And I will say: the experience would have been so much harder without company.) When saving up money, set goals: the goal you want to have saved up, and a realistic monthly savings goal. It's okay if the monthly goal is small, if that's all you can save at the moment. It won't always be that amount... eventually you can get a new job, or an additional job, or a higher paying job. As for the goal you want to save up, you'll need to factor in a few things: Cost of flight Cost of hotel / AirBNB Cost of surgery Cost of food / water / transport / etc Make the goal more than you think you'll need, because there will always be unexpected expenses. Hope this is helpful with your money questions! Let me know if you think of anything else that would be useful to know. phoebebuffeydiarypost Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jennnbear Posted December 11, 2018 Share Posted December 11, 2018 Wow! the forehead reduction results are amazing girllll. thanks so much for the detailed posting here! I had consulted with Namu online but its too bad I didnt feel intrigued during our online consultation to go visit for a face to face consultation! your results are looking great! cant wait for the updates! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
phoebebuffey Posted December 12, 2018 Author Share Posted December 12, 2018 Thank you! Totally understand - we're all different and have different wants out of consultants, doctors, clinics, etc. A 'perfect fit' for one person won't work for another... good thing there are so many in Seoul! ; ) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
phoebebuffey Posted December 14, 2018 Author Share Posted December 14, 2018 I relied a lot on PurseForum while doing my research, so when I learned there are a lot of fake reviews and promoters on here, I was disappointed. Getting plastic surgery - especially across the world, so far from home - is a huge deal. Many people can't afford to make multiple trips for consultations and then surgery, so doing research ahead of time is how they choose their clinic. While you do research, it's important to be skeptical and thorough. Being overly positive about a clinic or saying something like "I LOVED my experience there and I know you will too!" isn't good. It's important to note that no one at any clinic can guarantee that you will get the results you want. If anyone does this: run. You have the best chance for a successful surgery if you go to a doctor who has experience and success in the surgeries you want; if they have operated on people with features similar to yours; if they understand your vision for your surgery; and if the clinic provides a safe environment for surgery and aftercare.FAKE REVIEWS Some clinics create fake accounts and post on PurseForum to encourage people to come to their clinics. Others use misleading marketing materials... like photoshopped pictures and glamorized videos. When vetting people's reviews, there are some basic questions you can ask yourself. When was their account created? Do they have past posts on other topics / clinics? Are they active on PF, or on Kakao? Does anyone know them "IRL"? (Did they meet up with anyone in Korea or stay with other PF-ers in Korea?) Are they 100% positive in their review on a clinic?CYCLE OF POPULARITY Through the Kakao group for Eyes & Nose surgeries, I learned about the 'cycle' of popularity for clinics. Here's how it works: one clinic is posted about a lot, or gets a lot of publicity all of a sudden from one reviewer (real or fake). Then more people begin asking for information, as there isn't a backlog of it on PF. More people go to consults and then post. People get surgeries and then post. For a while, only good information is available on them on PF/Kakao. Then there's a bad review and things spiral from there, ending with people hesitant to go there because of bad reviews. Here's the thing: there's going to be bad reviews for every clinic. No one can have a 100% success rate. Look at negative reviews and decide if the factors are a dealbreaker for you (if the review contains information showing the doctor was negligent or put patients in danger, for example). In late summer I talked to one girl who had gone to GNG in the spring, before the negative posts about them. She was happy with her nose, but said she could have gotten the same result (or another "good" result) from a different clinic. Similarly, people still go to GNG to this day and get a "good" result - but others are hesitant to because of negative posts about being botched there. Bigger clinics will have more negativity because they operate on more patients - it's just statistics. Patients who aren't happy with their results are a part of plastic surgery. Maybe the nose they asked for ended up not suiting their face, or a doctor couldn't get close enough to what they wanted because of their "before" nose's attributes. All I'm saying is: be picky, but be realistic. Every clinic is going to have good and bad cases.IS NAMU PERFECT? Right now Namu seems like a popular clinic. Helen was one of the first people to post about them in the summer, and her enthusiastic review and results encouraged more people to try out Namu for consults and surgery. I'll admit, she was why I reached out to the translators. Ultimately, I can only talk about my own experience at Namu, and it was a positive one. I felt that the doctors, nurses, and translators were attentive; I felt safe before and after my surgery; I liked the amount of aftercare I received. Of course there were small issues that popped up (which I tried to document, like miscommunication about when stitches would be removed, for example), but these were minor in the long run. A few days after getting my nose cast off I freaked out. I thought my nose was horrible (piggy! upturned! so wide and swollen!) and regretted choosing Namu and even having surgery at all. If I had written a post or review here during that time period, it would be me ranting about being botched or unhappy. Luckily, I left those emotional diaries on my laptop and waited (as everyone told me to!) and wound up being happy with my results, even if they're not my "final results" yet. What I'm trying to say is: there is no such thing as a "perfect clinic." And while I liked Namu, I am not saying you have to or should go there. I'm simply sharing why I chose Namu, the surgery / aftercare experience, and how I feel about (and after) having surgery. If you feel the same way about another clinic - well, great! You found the one you should go to.TRUSTING A CLINIC I understand that choosing a clinic and doctor is scary. It feels easier to choose a clinic other people are going to, because you think, "They wouldn't recommend a clinic that messed up THEIR surgery!" And that's true. But I want to encourage everyone to do a lot of research solo as well as talking to people on PF or Kakao. Don't just go to a clinic because it seems popular, because plenty of people have had luck with lesser-known clinics as well. Ultimately, there are SO MANY clinics that you can't visit (or even talk) to them all, but you can start with a wide net and then naturally filter some out until you end up with a short list. In my next post, I'm going to write about researching clinics! phoebebuffeydiarypost Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
phoebebuffey Posted December 14, 2018 Author Share Posted December 14, 2018 DO YOUR RESEARCH I'm a big believer in self-education. I get a little annoyed when I see posts like "please tell me where to go for rhinoplasty, this is the kind of nose I want." First of all, we all have different assumptions of adjectives (dramatic / natural mean different things to different people) ... we don't know what you look like ... and we don't know the things most important to you (doctors bedside manners, price, aftercare, etc). All people will be able to tell you is what they've read on PF/Kakao ("a girl went to Jewelry and liked/disliked her results") or their own personal experience. And personal experience is valuable, but you need to look into so much more than that. The best thing you can do is a ton of research. People do so much research on a new car, or on what handbag to buy... so why wouldn't you want to vet your own research on surgery to your face?? Don't trust someone else to do it for you. I started a Google Doc and gave each clinic its own page. Under each clinic I linked to posts I had found on PurseForum, SoYoung, RealSelf, or other relevant sites. Then I listed necessary info: website, contact information, address. The pro's and con's. Information on specific doctors and their specialties. As I spoke to clinics I could make notes on this document... the price estimate for surgeries, things I liked/didn't like, the doctor's, the aftercare. Don't just research the clinic - also research the procedures you're looking to get. Before leaving I knew almost every detail of my ideal rhinoplasty: I didn't want a silicone implant; I wanted some kind of osteotomy or bone shaving to make my bridge thinner; tip plasty; alar reduction. I knew the techniques I wanted and what would be suitable and realistic for my nose. When I met with the doctor he commented that I seemed well-educated about my surgery and what I wanted. (As a total teacher's pet, this made me smile.) The things I didn't know were things I didn't realize: I had a slight hump on my bridge I had never noticed before that he shaved down, and besides tip plasty, I could also do short nose correction to have less nostril show from the front. Still, I was educated enough to know what these procedures were; if he had suggested something unnecessary I would have known to question it. Don't blindly agree to what doctors/clinics suggest because "they know best." Ultimately it's your body/face and you need to be educated and an advocate for yourself and your surgeries. Because I decided to choose my clinic before meeting them face to face, I prepared a huge list of questions... questions for the doctor, the anesthesiologist, the translator. I felt more comfortable making my decision after having these questions answered - but if you're able to meet face to face before deciding on a clinic, I will always suggest that. You can find my list of questions below.For the doctor: What percent of your practice is devoted to rhinoplasty? What is your protocol in the cast of unexpected surgery complications? What is your experience with noses like mine? Do you feel you can create the type of nose I want? What is your policy on revisions? Rhinoplasty On implants: Do you think my bridge height needs to be raised, or should my bone just be narrowed with osteotomy? If my bridge height needs to be raised, what implant will you use? If silicone, is it ultra soft? What is the risk of extrusion or infection? How often do you see this in your patients? I’m very worried about this because I won’t easily be able to come back to have it fixed. On alar reduction: How will the alars be reduced? On the outside of each nostril, or inside next to the columella? What are the potentials of scarring? On bulbous tip correction: How will you correct the tip of my nose? On functionality: Are there any risks to the functionality of my nose? Breathing, structure, collapsed nostrils, thin skin, etc. Other worries: What are the challenges of rhinoplasty on a nose like mine? What are my responsibilities to have a successful rhinoplasty and healing? Facial lipo What are the differences between facial lipo and acculift? What would you recommend for me? Can the look I want be achieved via liposuction? Is there any possibility of nerve damage to my face, or other health issues? How long will swelling last? Do you think I can achieve the results I want without a thread lift? Forehead reduction Are there any risks to forehead reduction? Is it possible to get hair loss? Is this a common procedure for you to perform? Arm liposuction Are there any risks to liposuction? How does liposuction cause “bumps” or “unevenness” in fat or skin? Is this preventable? For the anesthesiologist: Do you have a full time anesthesiologist? Will they be there for my entire surgery? What type of anesthesia will rhinoplasty, facial lipo, forehead reduction, and arm lipo be performed under? For the translator: Will you be there before and after my surgery? Can I meet the doctor before the surgery to make sure we’re on the same page? What is the aftercare for these procedures? Are there any de-swelling treatments? Does the clinic provide transportation to/from surgery? phoebebuffeydiarypost Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Livflorence Posted December 14, 2018 Share Posted December 14, 2018 Love your detailed post and you are looking youthful after the surgery! Can’t wait for your full recovery results! I heard good things on Namu! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
phoebebuffey Posted December 15, 2018 Author Share Posted December 15, 2018 Last night a troll created 12+ accounts and began posting and re-posting photos of me and another PF member, writing over our photos. I / my surgeries were described as "botched" / "ugly" / "pig faced" and "she looks like she has down syndrome." Besides the obvious anger and embarrassment I felt, I was so sad too. First of all - my younger sister has down syndrome. To use her features that I love so much as an insult was heartbreaking, and just served to remind me that there are still people in this world who use "retarded" and "down syndrome" as insults. I created my account on PF to begin my research into rhinoplasty in South Korea. Even though people said PF was going downhill as clinics hire marketers or random people to shill themselves, I found it helpful. I could see through most fake posts with a little investigation, and PF lead me to Helen (who convinced me to reach out to Namu), Kakao, and two girls who I ended up staying with in Korea. I decided to document my surgery process here because I knew a lot of people weren't comfortable posting their photos online, and I felt okay doing so. I thought writing in depth on the surgery process / aftercare / and posting regular updates of progress to show how HEALED RESULTS actually look would be helpful to people, no matter where they decided to go. I have never tried to convince people that they *need* to consult at Namu. In fact I wrote about the cycle of popularity of clinics and said that Namu seems popular right now because they're new and a few people wrote about good experiences there. In hindsight, I should not have listed my clinic / doctors at all, because it just opens a firestorm of accusations about being fake or getting cheap surgeries in exchange for reviews. As I stated in a previous post, I did not get deep discounts. I paid a 1 million KRW deposit (~$900) + 16.5 million for my surgeries (~$14,567) + 330,000 for my lip filler (~$291). I was told by other people that I was ripped off or that I overpaid. After spending a lot of time crying last night and trying to report all the accounts that kept popping up, I tried to pinpoint why I felt so hurt. The photos they used were directly after surgery, and my nose does look very piggy and upturned - I even wrote that in posts on here. Maybe it was the fact that they called me ugly, because I don't think that's something anyone can get "used" to hearing. But most of all I think it was just embarrassment... I was embarrassed people I know and have talked to (and yes, strangers too) would see photos with "pig nosed" and "ugly" all over them, setting me up for ridicule. I've decided to take a break from social media altogether. PF, Kakao, even my personal Instagram/Twitter. (If you followed me on my PS Instagram, I'm sorry - I removed all followers who I didn't know.) Let this be a warning for people not to share their photos on PF. I do feel that if the admin/mod team had a better handle on the situation it wouldn't be so risky, but when all of this happened there were no admins online to help and the one mod who was online doesn't have access to this board. And, they refuse to delete my post (this post) even after I asked them to multiple times. I know it's easy to make comments about other people's appearances, especially online. But we're all human, and I think anyone who comes to a plastic surgery board for information knows what it feels like to be insecure about something. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hello2019 Posted December 15, 2018 Share Posted December 15, 2018 Hope you feel better. I like your postings and cannot wait to see your final result! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vivi007 Posted December 17, 2018 Share Posted December 17, 2018 I didn't see those posts but the person who wrote those posts is an absolutely horrible person. I'm sorry that you had to see such mean things being written about yourself and I hope you don't believe any of it. It must be hard to see such things when it's already so mentally and emotionally exhausting to go through surgery and recovery. Please stay strong and I really really hope you get the results you desire once everything settles in! Your swelling will probably take longer to subside since you had several things done at the same time so I hope you remain positive till then. Also to everyone else please report the troll whenever he/she puts up new posts. This person has been posting untrue things, slandering the integrity of individuals and hurting others in the process. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pompom877 Posted December 18, 2018 Share Posted December 18, 2018 oh babe.. i have to say. i truly enjoyed your review and your pictures. gives me hope! be brave and ignore what people online say about u, because ull go home to the real people who appreciate your beauty. i do hope that u will find strength and continue posting. i found your thread so informative and useful. more than any other info I got online. and I'll be reading it closely!! thank u love! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lacerose Posted December 19, 2018 Share Posted December 19, 2018 hi do you mind sharing the rhinoplasty costs ? as Im planning to visit Korea next year thank you Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lala98 Posted December 20, 2018 Share Posted December 20, 2018 Thank you for all that you've shared on here, and all the advice you've provided. It's really helping me out as I am quite clueless at the moment. I hope you can realise that whoever this person/people are, they are clearly quite jealous, they are trying to make you feel bad about something that you should feel so proud of, and happy and finally content about. Your results are amazing and I'm jealous! You were brave enough to post your pictures but that's the downfall with websites like this, it's too risky, and there's many trolls around, not only on here but on the internet overall. Okay, you obviously already know this. But what I'm trying to say is, those people don't matter and neither do those posts that they are creating, it's childish and so petty. If I was you, maybe I'd try getting into touch with this website's mods/people in charge and tell them about this situation, maybe they can help you out. If you find any of the posts, please just report and ignore... tbh I can't imagine how you feel. But it isn't real, these people don't know you in real life, they are just online trolls. F them. Stupid low lives... seriously. I hope you can feel better and cheer up! You should be so happy, you surgery was a success! Don't waste your time on these trolls! Be positive ^^ take those selfies and post them on Instagram etc.. That's really what I would do If I was in your shoes. Anyway, I hope I didn't offend you in any way and I want to thank you one more time, for all the advice. Take care Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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