Asian nose job

[Butter02]

Hi Vitaminsandcream..

When are you planning to travel? Have u set a date? I am also interested in Dr Chuang but not sure when I can go.. I was hoping for beginning of sep..

Wow, I just wrote up this long ass thing and it didn't go through.

In a nut shell:

I would like to thank everyone that has contributed to this forum with their reviews and recommendations. I spent the last couple of days reading through this entire thread (all 466 pages) and have a bundle of information that I have jotted down. Thanks, guys. I will definitely reread some things again, like what maskd2003 has written in the past, just to name an example.

I am from Toronto and am interested in a nose job, specifically alar and tip.

I am interested in:
1. Dr. Chaung (Taiwan)
2. Dr. Lee (California)
3. Dr. Shah (Chicago)

I am hoping to go before the year ends or early 2010 (Jan/Feb) at the latest. If someone is heading to any of these places for surgical procedures, please email me at [email protected] .

I would also like to hear Flame's experience with Dr. Shah as he isn't a popular doctor like Lee and Chaung. He has one Oriental example on his site but it's one angle. A frontal view would have helped a lot more.

 

[john1]

these ppl need to stop messing with their faces

kimfacialsurgery.com/images/rhinoplasty/rhino_pre01.jpg

between this, your offensive jon gosselin thread and your weird dartmouth self-promotion, you prob should "invest" in a new filter between your brain and your fingers. just my $0.02.

 

[SOLIDGOLD2]

Heya.. sorry but i would just like to voice out my opinion..

i really don't think the results for the surgery below is good.. as the nose looks unnatural.. the nose looks like a tube with wings.. and there's two unnatural looking ridge/lines at the the nose tip..

just voicing out what i think.. no offence yea!

i agree
that nose job looks HORRIABLE completely FAKE

 

[foxycleopatra]

I have a post-op skin care question for those who've had rhino (with bridge augmentation + tip work).......I know that of course one must be extremely careful with the nose for the first 1-3 months post-op, but from 6 months post-op and onwards, can you go to an aesthetician or dermatologist to do say, a facial with blackhead extractions on the nose area? Or is that no longer possible after rhino? Also, does the skin on the nose area break out more (pimples, blackheads) during the months right after rhino? My T-zone/nose area have been acting out lately (these past few months) with blackheads and excess oil problems (I have combination skin but never had acne before on other regions of my face, only severe problems on-and-off with blackheads in the T-zone area). Facials and dermatologist appointments are helping a bit (and gradually), but these types of skin imperfections don't go away overnight.....literally take weeks to months. Ideally I'd want to get those completely under control before undergoing rhino....but schedule-wise I only have a 2-week window later this month to undergo rhino (and recover for 2 weeks at home) and that window of opportunity won't be available till probably next year or years later.......so I'm wondering if rhino could exacerbate any existing skin conditions and rule out the possibility of blackhead extractions later on? Any advice from those who've undergone the procedure would be greatly appreciated!

 

[young_princess]

any suggestions for doctors in NY? I'm going to consult with Dr. Choe and Dr. Jeffrey Ahn for the eyelid, but I'm also going to look at their rhino work. I would really like to get both surgeries done at the same time.

Also, any advice on what you feel are must questions that I should ask these doctors in terms of the rhino surgery?Thanks!

 

[foxycleopatra]

any suggestions for doctors in NY? I'm going to consult with Dr. Choe and Dr. Jeffrey Ahn for the eyelid, but I'm also going to look at their rhino work. I would really like to get both surgeries done at the same time.

Also, any advice on what you feel are must questions that I should ask these doctors in terms of the rhino surgery?Thanks!

For top Asian cosmetic surgeons in NYC, I've pretty much done the whole doctor-shopping round.....the top ones (all of whom I've consulted with during the last few weeks) are:

- Dr. Eric Choe (free consultation - he did my eyelids back in May and I trust him completely in that I know he has my best interests at heart and will do the best, most natural work possible; we developed a great rapport (even giving me advice about career, long-term goals, etc.) and he tells me he treats me like a daughter and doesn't advise me getting any excessive, unnecessary work on my face at this age (definitely not a doctor out for money or one of those pushy doctors who tries to sell you a menu of procedures; in fact he turns away patients who ask for unrealistic results or seem to be seeking p.s. for all the wrong reasons).....he's a great person in addition to a great surgeon (a truly CARING doctor), so much so that I've recommended my mom & other family members to go to him first......only CAVEAT is he only uses silicone for bridge augmentation (w/ septal and/or ear cartilage for tip work); does not use goretex or rib grafting.....so I trust him/his aesthetics/his skills completely but I'm not sure if I trust the silicone material completely)......BTW he also does not do computer simulations

- Dr. Jeffrey Ahn ($100 consultation fee - does silicone, goretex, and rib grafting, yes all 3 techniques available.....however for my case of primary rhinoplasty, he recommended goretex and strongly advised against rib grafting.....one of technical leaders in the field, Columbia Univ. plastic surgery dept. head, lots of publications & conference presentations.....I did feel a bit rushed through the consultation though but I did come away with the feeling that he was very technically proficient)......no computer simulation either

- Dr. Edmund Kwan (free consultation - uses silicone only......he has great credentials (i.e. looks great on paper) but I didn't emerge from the consultation convinced at all that I'd benefit from getting it done there.....I felt like they were trying to sell me add'tl procedures and promises that sounded too good to be true.....he struck me as a doctor who'd agree to pretty much anything to patient suggests, which in my experience is not a good sign when it comes to plastic surgery.......plus I didn't feel like I clicked with him or his staff......personally if I do silicone I'd definitely stick with Dr. Choe)

- Dr. Edward Kwak (free consultation for the month of August/Sept. only - does goretex or rib grafting - extremely knowledgeable & thorough in consultation, I could not have gotten a better consultation......does computer simulation during consultation which proved immensely helpful.....very scientific & no b.s. or empty promises in his explanations (generally I can sense when a doctor is giving me b.s. answers as I also come from a science background).....he spent a full hour with me in consultation (not even counting time for photographing & computer simulation) and I was very very impressed.......great before & after photos.....he's quite young though -- 8 yrs experience which includes ~4 yrs residency......but reportedly highly skilled, well published/cited.....highly recommend that you go to Dr. Kwak for a consultation -- if anything you get to see a computer simulation)

- Dr. Steven Pearlman ($250 consultation fee - very friendly, professional, and knowlegeable.....but the priciest NYC surgeon of all, likely b/c of his reputation in fashion magazines/etc. and amongst the Upper East Side socialite scene.......does silicone, goretex, & rib grafting but ruled out rib grafting for me and also recommended against silicone.....basically recommended only goretex in my case.....does a computer simulation which is helpful -- BUT I went to him before seeing Dr. Kwak and kind of regret it, b/c I basically wasted $250 on a computer simulation when Dr. Kwak does it for free AND is more thorough and scientific in his analyses & explanations.......also keep in mind that Dr. Pearlman doesn't do Asian noses that often, in fact they had 0 Asian rhino before/after photos to show, saying that his Asian patients (which are few & far in between) were mostly very private people who didn't want before/afters shared.....anyway I was only able to view bridge augmentation before/after photos of African-American noses to get an idea of his aesthetic for augmentation)

IMO you should go consult with Drs. Choe, Kwak, and Ahn. Omit Pearlman and Kwan and save some money & time.....unless you're needing a revision and expect it to be a highly complicated case, in which case you might consult more doctors just to get additional opinions.

As for me, I actually have a date booked with Dr. Choe for silicone but am now having serious doubts about the implant material (not at all about his technical ability/aesthetic) after talking with Drs. Kwak & Ahn and hearing about the long-term side-effects of silicone (including calcification, extrusion.....even saw some truly disturbing photos of silicone extrusion on some patients who got their primary rhino done in Asia/elsewhere and subsequently had to seek out Dr. Kwak for revision with goretex or rib grafting). So I need to decide by early next week whether to cancel my silicone date and go with goretex (in which case I'll be deciding between Dr. Kwak and Dr. Ahn).

HTH!

 

[john1]

great post. have a couple questions:

1. what were the reasons they advised against rib?
2. what are the long term side effects of silicone?

thx.

For top Asian cosmetic surgeons in NYC, I've pretty much done the whole doctor-shopping round.....the top ones (all of whom I've consulted with during the last few weeks) are:

- Dr. Eric Choe (free consultation - he did my eyelids back in May and I trust him completely in that I know he has my best interests at heart and will do the best, most natural work possible; we developed a great rapport (even giving me advice about career, long-term goals, etc.) and he tells me he treats me like a daughter and doesn't advise me getting any excessive, unnecessary work on my face at this age (definitely not a doctor out for money or one of those pushy doctors who tries to sell you a menu of procedures; in fact he turns away patients who ask for unrealistic results or seem to be seeking p.s. for all the wrong reasons).....he's a great person in addition to a great surgeon (a truly CARING doctor), so much so that I've recommended my mom & other family members to go to him first......only CAVEAT is he only uses silicone for bridge augmentation (w/ septal and/or ear cartilage for tip work); does not use goretex or rib grafting.....so I trust him/his aesthetics/his skills completely but I'm not sure if I trust the silicone material completely)......BTW he also does not do computer simulations

- Dr. Jeffrey Ahn ($100 consultation fee - does silicone, goretex, and rib grafting, yes all 3 techniques available.....however for my case of primary rhinoplasty, he recommended goretex and strongly advised against rib grafting.....one of technical leaders in the field, Columbia Univ. plastic surgery dept. head, lots of publications & conference presentations.....I did feel a bit rushed through the consultation though but I did come away with the feeling that he was very technically proficient)......no computer simulation either

- Dr. Edmund Kwan (free consultation - uses silicone only......he has great credentials (i.e. looks great on paper) but I didn't emerge from the consultation convinced at all that I'd benefit from getting it done there.....I felt like they were trying to sell me add'tl procedures and promises that sounded too good to be true.....he struck me as a doctor who'd agree to pretty much anything to patient suggests, which in my experience is not a good sign when it comes to plastic surgery.......plus I didn't feel like I clicked with him or his staff......personally if I do silicone I'd definitely stick with Dr. Choe)

- Dr. Edward Kwak (free consultation for the month of August/Sept. only - does goretex or rib grafting - extremely knowledgeable & thorough in consultation, I could not have gotten a better consultation......does computer simulation during consultation which proved immensely helpful.....very scientific & no b.s. or empty promises in his explanations (generally I can sense when a doctor is giving me b.s. answers as I also come from a science background).....he spent a full hour with me in consultation (not even counting time for photographing & computer simulation) and I was very very impressed.......great before & after photos.....he's quite young though -- 8 yrs experience which includes ~4 yrs residency......but reportedly highly skilled, well published/cited.....highly recommend that you go to Dr. Kwak for a consultation -- if anything you get to see a computer simulation)

- Dr. Steven Pearlman ($250 consultation fee - very friendly, professional, and knowlegeable.....but the priciest NYC surgeon of all, likely b/c of his reputation in fashion magazines/etc. and amongst the Upper East Side socialite scene.......does silicone, goretex, & rib grafting but ruled out rib grafting for me and also recommended against silicone.....basically recommended only goretex in my case.....does a computer simulation which is helpful -- I went to him before seeing Dr. Kwak and kind of regret it though, b/c I basically wasted $250 on a computer simulation when Dr. Kwak does it for free AND is more thorough and scientific in his analyses & explanations.......also keep in mind that Dr. Pearlman doesn't do Asian noses that often, in fact they had 0 Asian rhino before/after photos to show, saying that his Asian patients (which are few & far in between) were mostly very private people who didn't want before/afters shared.....anyway I was only able to view bridge augmentation photos of African American noses)

IMO you should go consult with Drs. Choe, Kwak, and Ahn. Can omit Pearlman and Kwan and save some money & time.....unless you're needing a revision and expect it to be a complicated case.

As for me, I actually have a date booked with Dr. Choe for silicone but am now having serious doubts about the implant material (not at all about his technical ability/aesthetic) after talking with Drs. Kwak & Ahn and hearing about the long-term side-effects of silicone. So I need to decide by early next week whether to cancel my silicone date and go with goretex (in which case I'll be deciding between Dr. Kwak and Dr. Ahn).

HTH!

 

[foxycleopatra]

great post. have a couple questions:

1. what were the reasons they advised against rib?
2. what are the long term side effects of silicone?

thx.

Pearlman, Ahn, and Kwak all do rib grafting. I had expected these doctors to unanimously cite rib grafting as the best, safest long-term option but surprisingly that wasn't the case -- at least for me (note that these things vary on a case-by-case basis and the surgeons need to see you/your nose to decide on the best augmentation material).

Drs. Pearlman and Ahn both ruled out rib grafting for me, saying that my case of primary rhino (needing bridge augmentation + tip work....but nothing too complicated) would not benefit from rib grafting. They cited the potential for warping in the long-term and also mentioned that while Caucasion nose jobs benefit greatly from autologous material, Asian rhino is different and rib grafts don't work too well in the Asian nose (the pros don't outweigh the cons). They said that only if I had to do a highly complicated revision case would they resort to rib grafting.

Dr. Kwak initially recommended either rib grafting OR gore-tex as an option for me....but when we talked at length (and I mentioned that I don't want the most invasive procedure and want there to be an option for revision later on, just *in case* b/c you never know what can go wrong and what new technological advancements emerge decades down the road), we settled on goretex as the best option of choice. He said both options would likely achieve the same result for me, and of course rib grafting is more "final" (in that it's harder to revise.....and is most suitable for revision cases where you can't use silicone or goretex anymore). As for his opinion on silicone, he mentioned that silastic implants can be fine and can achieve great results, BUT he's seen way too many silicone implant fiascos in the long term -- i.e. the patients who come to him for revision after their silicone implants shifted or extruded -- that he's abstaining from using that material himself and is sticking with goretex for his patients (either that or rib grafts). During my consultation with him, I saw some truly horrifying silicone extrusion before-photos (those who came to him for revision)......one was a lady who got her silicone implant in Korea and the extrusion was so severe that it left a big, obvious scar.....another was a lady who got a silicone implant in Hawaii......and another was a man who got his nose done in Korea years ago and the implant clearly shifted side-wise.

In terms of using silicone, Dr. Pearlman mentioned that if I want a high bridge implant (5mm), the silastic implant has greater chances of shifting down and being mobile (as it's much heavier than goretex). For me, he didn't even offer silicone as an option....basically only goretex.

Dr. Ahn offered both silicone and goretex as options in my case, but highly recommended goretex over silicone. He mentioned that research has shown approx. 50% of silicone implants will show calcification in 10 yrs. and 100% in 20 yrs.....you can google this topic and pull up some articles. So he said that while silicone is an option, it's not the best long-term choice comparatively speaking and that goretex is now the technically more superior material. He told me that he could use goretex to achieve the same height (5mm up to even 6-7mm) that silicone implants can achieve. He showed me sample silicone and goretex implants and of course the gortex felt a lot lighter.

 

[rememberme123]

Hello..

May I ask if anyone has had surgery experience with Dr Kao (Gao) or Dr Hsu from Taiwan.. would really appreciate it if anyone who is contemplating surgery with the 2 of them or have had surgery with the above 2 doctors could either PM me or reply in this forum..

Thanks alot and you would really be helping me a great deal if you could keep in touch with me. Thanks alot.. and hopefully we could help each other in the course of getting a nose job.

 

[john1]

foxy
thx again for the details. did they say specifically why asians are as well suited to ruib as caucasians? is it something about asian cartilage or our skin or noses or something?

 

[Jez]

hey jez, i checked out your blog. i gotta say you really are brave and wow what a great result. you look great.

i was wondering if they broke the bones to raise your bridge and make your nose narrower or did they achieve it thru just a silicone implant?

also, when people say bridge, i am assuming they mean the space between the eyes or do they mean something else?

also, when you say it takes 6 months for the bridge to fully go down, im 1 month post op and i think my bridge is pretty much fully settled as there is no pain and i cant detect any swelling. did you think at 1 month your bridge had settled and did it settle that much more by the 6 month mark, or was it obvious to you at 1 month that it was still swollen? just trying to gauge my healing and results. thanks much and congratulations again! best transformation i have seen thus far.

Hi John,

Thanks for compliment on the result and yes I would say second to death is the experience of that. To raise the bridge yes the broke the bone and thats why my nose took nearly a year to heal. The implant is gortex we discussed the merits and cons of gortex v silicon and I decided to let him decide in the end and he choose gortex for my implant.

The bridge yes is the narrow finger like shape of your nose before it goes to the tip.

I think maybe if you didnt get your nose broken to raise the bridge it might heal quicker just the top end of the bridge looks very high in most implants and this will calm down and settle after 6 months with gortex I am unsure how long with silicon.

Jez! Did you get your nose done in Seoul? If so did you need to apply for some medical certificate thing?? Or did you just fly there and go to clinics and got your procedure done? Dont need to prepare any documents to get it done right?? :S

In taiwain, didnt need a certificate but the doctor can give you one if you are afraid you wont get recognised when flying out again. Don't need to prepare anything no but they ask you a bunch of questions about your medical history.

I was wondering if you got your alar reduced? and if so did it cause much bruising. what about the width...i dont want to get a higher bridge bc then i think it'll look really fake. How long would recovery take? ^^ sorry for bombarding u w. all these questions...

Yes I did and higher bridges usually are recommended but best consult your doctor. For alar reduction the recovery is quick 14 days to a month tops since its just stiches they need to remove as long as there is no infection.

Hi Jez..

Loving ur pics.. ur nose looks really good and natural..
I am planning to get my nose done as well with Dr. Chuang in Taiwan.. Hopefully at the beginning of September and would love some company so if ur heading over there at that time pls let me kno!

If you give me your details or pm me I can confirm at some point. If I go it be 1st Sept to 10th Sept.

 

[sandy816]

hey foxycleopetra!
i am looking forward to getting revision rhino with nyc surgeons or going to korea...

i have also consulted with eric choe, jeffrey ahn and edward kwak...
are you set on dr. eric choe? i did think was he was a great person, but did you look at his before and after pics?? it seems as though he does the same type of tip work for all his patients.. im not sure if it would look good on me personally... i really want to go to him, since traveling to korea would be such hassel..

also with gortex vs. sillicone.. im not sure about this either. i had silicone implant for about 10 years. and it has not caused any problem. it is slightly mobile from side to side if i move it with my fingers. gortex seems to be lighter and safe. however, i think silicone creates thinner and more feminine look of the bridge.

lets keep in touch please let me know what you decide to do!

 

[MzSHERRY]

hey guys, just curious if any of you bring photos of your desired nose to the consultation?

 

[john1]

hey guys, just curious if any of you bring photos of your desired nose to the consultation?

yes but i would advise that you manage expectations about how close you will look to the photos.

 

[young_princess]

foxycleopatra: u are an angel!!! thank u sooo much for giving me a rundown of what u think regarding those doctors. So I'm definitely calling first thing tomorrow morning to book an appointment with dr. kwak. I thought silicone was better for bridge augmentation? Btw, when u had your consults, did u bring pictures of how u want your nose to look like? Or when u were consulting for your eyes, did u bring any pictures? I know everything is relative but I already have an idea of what type of crease I want for my eyes and how high I would prefer my bridge to be. Is it a good idea to bring pictures for reference?