FULL REPORT: Dream, 365Mc, April31, Item, EverM, Banobagi

D

davincci

Member
May 11, 2014
192
13
#1
So it's my turn to give something back to this forum. I will disclose all the clinics I went for consultation as well as surgery to make this useful. I don't care if you think I'm a promoter or not, I'm just telling you my experience. After all, it's your job to do research, not just on the procedures you are interested in, but also on the person who's writing the post you are reading. It's not hard to identify possible promoters if you read enough and find hints.


CONSULTATION: Item, EverM, Banobagi, April31, Dream, 365Mc... Jw and 101 was originally on my list but can't go due to timing issue.
MY ISSUE: slight asymmetric face, chin shifted to the right, nose slightly slanted to left, short nose, fat alar, dark circles, I'm not fat, BMI 20.5, but imbalance at hip and thighs area.
PROCEDURES I'm originally interested in: rhinoplasty, v-line, fat graft, laser-lipo
PROCEDURES I've done: rhinoplasty, liposuction, fillers
CLINIC I picked: Dream, 365Mc


I've done a few consultation in my own country and my dentist talked me out of v-line surgery as the risk/reward is too high for my case. I chose fillers to correct dark circles in the end as I believe fighting ageing/ fat draining is a long term process, so it's better to find some non-invasive ways.


As some of your might know, I was in seoul few months ago for my first round of consultation. It was rush back then and I won't say I was 100% clear about what I need and want. I visited Item, EverM and Banobagi back then, overall I think Item got nice B&A, Dr Kim is knowledgeable, but I don't like the fact he suggested osteotomy when I realised now I don't really need it. The consultant also quoted me higher than email and said the prices in email was a mistake. I think is BS. EverM would have been my choice if I'm doing v-line, they are professional, specialised and safe. And I don't like Banobagi. Here's my previous review: http://forum.purseblog.com/plastic-...d-1st-post-before-864175-36.html#post26900009



SURGERY TRIP:
MONDAY- consultation
Dream - Mid size clinic, not too busy, professional, comfortable reception area, clean and bright. Daphne is my translator. She's super sweet, patient and easy to talk to. She's Singaporean and gives a vibe that she can be trusted. Tipped by other forumer (thanks :biggrin:), I specifically asked for Ms Lee as my consultant. She's nice, not too pushy and somehow calmed me down a lot (I was actually freaking out when I board the plane). Dr Park is very nice, English proficiency is pretty good too. He tried his best to answer all my questions himself. I asked him many technical questions as I've been researching on different methods and materials. He's very patient and drew many many pictures to explain to me in details. His smile is somehow confident and got this soothing effect lol. He said I have a high enough bridge, so implant is not necessary. He suggested close surgery: tip plasty with septal and ear cartilage, alar weir (open from side of alar), he'll relocate my septum since it's slanted to the left, slight lengthening and will have autologous fat+ cartilage transfer to my bridge as it will not be as smooth after relocation. I was very worried about scarring for alar weir, but they assured me a few times it will be invisible. Price: 4.7m for everything mentioned.


April31 - Mid size clinic, slightly smaller than Dream, quiet. Brian, my translator is really caring and responsive to Kakao. I don't have much impression towards the consultant as I've only spent a short moment with her. Dr kim is nice, English proficiency is similar to dr park. He also drew a few pictures to explain to me about his method. He also said it is ok not to have implant. But he only suggested tip plasty as he said my left slanted nose is naturally balanced out by my right slanted philtrum. Price: 6m for only tip plasty (Brian said price has been raised since our email but he'll give me the price he quoted. I think is BS to avoid me bargaining for more and I think it's very overpriced)


365Mc - They have a few centres. I went to the one near Gangnam, which is a whole building of 13 storeys. Well equipped with fat evaluation, ultrasound and 3D fat scans. But they have over 12 doctors and you don't usually get to choose your doctor. I was interested in their laser lipolysis, LAMS and liposuction. My English translator was Hyelim. After discussion, I've decided to have liposuction on my thighs (whole). Price: 4m + 320k compression garments.




Decisions
>>> I picked 365Mc as their quote is reasonable and they are specialised in fat removal.


>>> I picked Dream because they do close surgery, professional, price reasonable, the few procedures he suggested really make me feel that he wants to make my nose look more perfect. And most importantly I think Dr Park's evaluation on my slanted nose makes more sense. (Btw Dr Park is graduated from Korea's top university, SNU)
 
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#2
TUESDAY - 365Mc liposuction
I did all the blood tests and check-ups on Monday evening. Final consultation Tue morning with my assigned dr, Dr. Che-Won. He drew some architectural lines on my body and told me how he's going to shape my legs to optimal shape. Then I was brought into the operation room. When I woke up, I was already back in the ward, in the compression garment.


First night was the most painful esp when I tried to sit on the toilet. But I would say, the pain is bearable. I didn't take the pain killers they gave me as I might have my rhinoplasty on Wed and I don't want to risk it. I peeked in side my compression garment and as expected, my whole thigh is black (bruised).



WEDNESDAY - Checkup at 365, they cleaned my wounds and taught me how to massage my legs to help with recovery. I felt totally fine so decided to go for rhinoplasty that day. I called Daphne from Dream and she scheduled my surgery that afternoon (Glad I come during low season). I had final consultation with Ms. Lee as well as Dr. park. I was extremely scared before I walked up to the building, but again, they somehow calmed me down.


Surgery at Dream was such an adventure and I really need to share. For those who has read my previous notes should know, I was freaking out about waking up during surgery. After reading a few recent posts, I already prepared myself for the worst. I told Daphne that it will scar me for life, and told her to make sure they put me back to sleep if I'm waking up. Daphne was standing there talking to me about her next holiday, then she said they are injecting some tranquillisers to make me feel calm. Then BAM!!! I was suddenly on this roller coaster ride? Then a beautiful white bubbly room? Then something like a bouncy castle.... I don't wanna sound like a junkie but I can't say its a bad feeling LOL


Then I heard a woman's voice. It's Anna who's doing the grafting. I know I'm waking up, but somehow I was calm. I said "I'm waking up" no one replied. Then I said 3x "Machwi juseyo!" (Give me sedation) then I'm back on the roller coaster. The next moment I woke up was when Dr. Park finishing the surgery. I heard him humming and I asked him what song it is. I forgot what he said. I asked if Daphne was there, someone grabbed my hand said Daphne is in a meeting and she's Unji, another English translator. She held my hand till the end of the surgery. I can't be more thankful for that.



I'm really surprised for the experience. I kinda like the feeling lol. The waking up part was not scary at all. The sedation Dream uses must be 'special'. They give you nice Dreams haha. I woke up from the operation table, then they wheeled me down to the ward. I was very awake by then and started playing with my phone. In less than 30 mins, I was already on their limo heading back to hotel.



Again, first night was the worst. A straw would help when u drink water, but I left it at Dream. Blood kept dripping out from the gauze throughout the night.



THURSDAY - Woke up feeling a lot better, blood dried out but kind of clotting around the sutures. So I went back to Dream, they cleaned my wound with saline, took out the gauze. I don't feel any discomfort at all by then. Slight runny nose so I have tissue with me at all times.



FRIDAY - I'm already going to the gym with light jogging and sit-ups. I'm wolverine! Lol. Swelling was minimal, only looked like I drank too much water the night before.



Week 2 - MONDAY: my recovery is extremely speedy. I went back to Dream on Mon because some white spots grew near my nose. Originally, they said they can only remove sutures on Wed. But after examination, they removed cast and all the outer sutures for me. I think the tip is defined, nostrils looking nice, the alar weir is nicely done, just slightly red, can barely see any scars (surprised). Nose tissue is still very stiff, the bridge between my eyes is a bit too high (I look like a swordfish lol) and I can feel the grafted fat when touching. But I already know about this from my research that it will go down in 2-3 weeks, Daphne also said the same thing. So will wait.


After that, I went to 365Mc to try my luck. After examination, 365mc also removed all my sutures. I think I'm really lucky, guess going to gym everyday helps. Both Hyelim and Daphne said the speed of my recovery is not normal.



Week 2 WEDNESDAY: Everything went well so I decided to leave on Wed. final checkup and removed all remaining sutures at Dream. Daphne is super sweet, she arranged car to send me to the airport.
 
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#3
I'm now 2 weeks post-op, bridge comes down to normal height (I like), tip is very defined and less of my nostrils are showing. The tip is still slightly stiff but the tissue around it has soften a lot. There's no scar around my alar at all. I asked for a natural nose and it turns out exactly how I want it to be (Actually better coz I didn't know they can narrow my wide bridge without using silicone implant). I've told no one about the surgery, and none of my friends nor co-workers ask about it. I still look like me, and you can only see the different if you compare picture by picture. I'm glad I picked Dream. I also went for a consultation at their dermatologist centre (same building), prices are not bad. I might do some laser or ultrasound treatment when I come next.


For Lipo, my bruises are more or less gone, just some small patches left. Still some swelling in inner and back of my thighs, other areas look normal. So I can wear knee length skirts. My thighs are visibly smaller even when I take off the compression garment. The thickest part of my thighs dropped 4.5cm. According to 365Mc, they've sucked out 2400cc (Wow!) and my thighs will continue to slim down gradually in next 6 months. I also have a few more treatments to complete within 6 months, which will improve further.


TIPS:
I walked at least 30 mins a day, take bus instead of train to walk more. Been to the gym frequently.


I brought baby oil to massage my lipo bruises religiously. Bruises went down a lot in 2 days. You can also use Arnica cream.


Highly recommend Arnica pills, its very good for de-bruising and de-swelling. I'm also taking Vit B and C. I drink manuka honey with lots of lemon at least once a day during first week. One apple a day, also got pumpkin juice and pumpkin porridge. Absolutely NO Vit E and aspirin as they thin blood.


I asked Dream to give me a straw. Q-tips are very useful to clean your nostril.


Don't forget to apply the ointment they give you as it helps to make the scars invisible. (I applied a lot more than they instructed, so started to have white spots growing right before suture removal. But is all good now)


Avoid salty and spicy food for a while, no alcohol. I cook light meals like dumplings, stir fried vegetables, tofu and I made japchae. Avoid eggs, shellfish, soya sauce, shiitake mushrooms? and some said beef.



Go during low season. I'm glad 365 can schedule next-day surgery and Dream can schedule same day surgery for me. Surgeons also spent so much time with me as it's not crazy busy. There's probably more promotion during low season as well. I saw 2.8m fat graft breast augmentation also some 1+1 promotion at 365Mc.


For those who are interested in 365Mc, their lipo includes few sessions of RF, CO2 and fat melting treatment, so best to stay at least 2 weeks after surgery. Since I can't stay that long, they promised me to keep those procedures for me for the next 6 months. Suggest you to do it during winter... the compression garment is tight and hot...


If money is not an issue, I highly recommend Gangnam Artnoveaucity Hotel. It's a residence turned hotel, with room service, gym, in-room kitchen, washing machine and a big fridge. My room is spacious with a living room and bedroom. 2 mins walk from Gangnam station, 3 mins walk from supermarket, hair/nail salon next door and loads of restaurants around.


That's it from me for now. Welcome any questions, but 'm not planning to share any photos for personal reasons. Thanks for understanding guys!
 
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#4
Thank you for sharing. Your rhino sounds very similar to what I'm planning on getting, right down to the fat graft on the bridge. 4.7 krw sounds very nice for all of that, especially for a foreigner.
 
#6
Happy healing, Miss Wolverine! It sounds like you had a great experience (especially with the Jesse Pinkman roller coaster)!

How many incisions did you have for the liposuction? And...fillers for dark circles sound really interesting! What kind of fillers did you get, and how do they work? This is the first time I've heard of this procedure.
 
#7
LOL Dr Park is secretly Heisenberg!?

4 incisions for lipo. 2 near groin and 2 on butt cheek.
I also know incisions will be in belly button for belly and top of your butt crack for love handles.

For fillers, I've got Juverderm's volbella in my tear trough. Basically both Juverderm's and Restylane are popular. There's another thread about fillers in the forum. Didn't do it in Seoul tho, since it only lasts for about a year, local dermatologists can do it. The procedure is non invasive and reversible. (Didn't do FG since I worry about lumps and its invasive)
 
#8
Hi Davincci, thank you so much for sharing your experience! Really appreciate it.
You mentioned you have a slightly asymmetric face and your jaw shifts to the right a little so v-line 's risk/reward is too great.
Would you be able to elaborate on what some of the risks are? My face is also asymmetric due to my dentist removing 2 teeth on the left back when I had braces and none on the right. My jaw moved to the left when I bite down, and if I try to line up my teeth, it becomes obvious my right jaw is a lot bigger (it's not noticeable if I don't try to line up my teeth)...I'm quite concerned about this and how v-line can affect it. I also heard buccal fat removal can make asymmetry more obvious =[.
 
#10
Would you mind telling how your ears look now? I would like to have the same done but I'm scared my ears would become unsightly. And how much higher is your bridge now? you said it was fat grating only right? And how does your nostrils look? Can you still see your nostrils from frontal view ? And any scarring? Do you have any sinus problem or difficulty smelling or breathing? Can you tell by touching your nose that you've had it done (does it feel weird) and does it hurt?

I'm sincerely sorry for asking so many questions but I'm going really soon and I've never had anything done so super anxious.

Did the doctor ever suggest cartilage from another person(cadavar)? I'm really scared about potential side effects of getting rib or ear cartilage.

I know you mentioned that you didn't want to share any pictures but is there any way you could pm me a photo of your ear and nostril(bottom up)..I'm really scared if you haven't been able to tell already. I am respectful of you don't want to but would appreciate it greatly if you could share the answers to my questions regarding appearance/pain/touch/smell etc.

Thank you so much for sharing all of your experience!!!
 
#12
starrynights127 said:
Hi Davincci, thank you so much for sharing your experience! Really appreciate it.
You mentioned you have a slightly asymmetric face and your jaw shifts to the right a little so v-line 's risk/reward is too great.
Would you be able to elaborate on what some of the risks are? My face is also asymmetric due to my dentist removing 2 teeth on the left back when I had braces and none on the right. My jaw moved to the left when I bite down, and if I try to line up my teeth, it becomes obvious my right jaw is a lot bigger (it's not noticeable if I don't try to line up my teeth)...I'm quite concerned about this and how v-line can affect it. I also heard buccal fat removal can make asymmetry more obvious =[.
Click to expand...

Hi Starrynights, no I don't have shifted jaw, only shifted chin. Jaw surgeries are usually correctional and is usually recommended if there's shifted jaw which cause off-bites. My bites are totally fine, just that my mandibles are of different length. Jaw surgeries are quite controversial as it's a big surgery and have quite a number of potential complications. Here's sth I wrote on the risks: http://forum.purseblog.com/plastic-...d-1st-post-before-864175-37.html#post26912036

If you have bite problems, I'd suggest you to consult your local dentist first, they will tell you more and let you know whether your case is necessary.

Not sure about buccal fat removal but I'm guessing, if the surgeon is good, he will be able to remove different amount from both sides to balance out your asymmetry?
 
#14
BlancNoire said:
Would you mind telling how your ears look now? I would like to have the same done but I'm scared my ears would become unsightly. And how much higher is your bridge now? you said it was fat grating only right? And how does your nostrils look? Can you still see your nostrils from frontal view ? And any scarring? Do you have any sinus problem or difficulty smelling or breathing? Can you tell by touching your nose that you've had it done (does it feel weird) and does it hurt?
Click to expand...

Hi BlancNoire, no need to apologize. I know how you feel. I had pretty serious anxiety too.

My ear look exactly the same. Just have a tiny dent behind my ear (as big as a rice?), but you can't really see it as it's near the fold. You'll be surprised how tiny the amount of cartilage they take out.

My bridge is not much higher. As mentioned before, my bridge is high enough to begin with, that's why I don't want implant, the use of the grafting is to smooth out any uneveness. I'm not sure if the FG can actually use to raise your bridge.

Of course I can still see my nostril from the front, just less. Isn't it weird if you can't see your nostrils at all? It will have to be a pretty long nose...

It actually won't completely change the shape of your nostrils. Compare to my original nostrils, they just look less wide, more slender now. To gauge how it will look like, you can grab the tip of your nose and slightly pull outwards.

I did close surgery so no incision on the columella. For the alar weir, no scars at all. I'm really surprised.

No sinus, smelling, breathing problems and I don't see why there will be. No tissue has been removed and the augmentation is just on the cartilage level. (unless they excessively reduce your alar so your nostrils shrink too much?)

So far you can still tell if you touch the tip, coz the tissue there is still very stiff. It will slowly soften and Unji showed me she can do slight piggy nose (Dr Park did her nose too). No it doesn't hurt. I blew my nose this morning.

No, Dr Park never suggested donor's cartilage. Rib grafting is quite invasive so personally won't even consider. Ear cartilage grafting is actually quite a quick and easy procedure.
 
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