TPF may earn a commission from merchant affiliate
links, including eBay, Amazon, and others
Hi! Your nose results look so nice! I was wondering if you know if Dr. Kim gave options for DCF or septal/rib cartilage, and do you notice any visible scaring with your bare face? (sorry if you did state this detail, I don't see the detail and am just responding to your first post.)Hello Everyone,
I just wanted to write about my nose job surgery experience at ITEM Clinic with Dr. Kim. Before we get into the review, I'd like to mention the reason I wanted to get my nose done in the first place. Around the age of 14, I became insecure about my nose. I felt like my nose was too wide for my face and thought I would look prettier with a less wide/bulbous nose. My goal was not to change my nose and look like someone else but to enhance my nose so that I'd look like a prettier version of myself. Now, let's get started with the review. In Feb 2020, I consulted with three clinics and decided to get my surgery done at ITEM for numerous reasons.
1. I met with a girl who had gotten her rhinoplasty surgery with Dr. Kim, she had a similar (thick) nose to mine, and her results were beautiful!
2. Dr. Kim made me feel comfortable because he was direct, and he did not rush our consultation. He kept asking me if I had any more questions, and he answered each-and-every one of them.
3. Joy was the most amazing translator I've ever met. She was kind, responsive, and tried her hardest to help me out in any way possible, especially post-surgery, but I'll talk more about that later on.
On the day of my consultation, Dr. Kim and I went over what I wanted. I told him I wanted an alar reduction, tip plasty, silicone implant, and to narrow the overall look of my nose. Dr. Kim had suggested that I didn't need the silicone implant because I already had a defined nose bridge (I didn't realize that until he pointed that out.) I agreed but told him I thought the silicone implant might give my nose more definition, so we agreed to use a small implant. No more than 2/2.5 mm max.
Here are some before pictures: As you can see, I have really thick skin, a wide nose, and flared alar rims.
View attachment 4971306View attachment 4971304View attachment 4971307
My surgery date was on February 14th. I know right, how romantic lol. I met with Joy, did some paperwork, met with Dr. Kim, and we went over the surgery plans once again. As we were going over the plans, I realized we didn't address him narrowing down my nasal bone, so I asked him if he could do so, and he first said he didn't think I needed it and then he said he thought it would be safer to wait and see if I wanted it done after this surgery. Honestly, I had a bad feeling once he said that because I knew that's one thing I wanted to get done because I had a wide nose, so narrowing the nasal bone would've helped with the overall look. I also did NOT want to pay to get my nose done twice, but at that point, it was too late, and I didn't want to second guess him or put pressure on him to do it since he was against it at that moment. So, I went ahead and had the surgery.
Here are some post-surgery pictures: This was on the 7th day when I got my cast removed. My nose was covered with blackheads and it was super swollen for about 3 months.
View attachment 4971309View attachment 4971311
My surgery was perfect! I woke up in the recovery room feeling thirsty as hell! My throat was so dry, and I had to wait to drink water. The clinic was very nice to provide me with everything I needed for my post-surgery recovery. Their recovery bag included my medications, two ice/heating pads, pumpkin juice, q-tips, petroleum jelly, extra gauze, and a face mask.
Here are some pictures of what's provided in the post-surgery bag.
View attachment 4971333
My post-surgery experience was great! My surgery price included all of my post-op appointments. Dr. Kim always took his time to analyze my nose and answer all of my questions. Joy was attentive and responded to all of my messages right away. I'm not going to lie, after my cast removal, I was depressed for the first three months of my recovery. First of all, my nose bridge and nose tip were extremely high. I couldn't believe it! Dr. Kim had said I didn't need an implant in the first place, so I was shocked when I saw my nose bridge. Secondly, I wasn't aware that I wasn't going to be able to smile for months! The healing process varies from person to person, but I had my surgery on Feb 14th, and I wasn't able to fully smile until the end of April. My smile looked weird for a VERY long time. Lastly, I had a hard time breathing out of my right nostril. Because of those three issues, I kept messaging Joy all day and night, but she was so patient with me. Always responded to all of my questions and concerns nicely and politely.
Here are some pictures showing my bridge now. I think it's nice for those who like high nose bridges, but I don't like it nor do I think it fits my face. The first picture is without makeup and the second picture is with makeup.
View attachment 4971317View attachment 4971318
I am getting close to my one-year mark so here are my final thoughts. Overall, I think Dr. Kim did a good job, but I think he’s done better on other patients. I'll start with the cons. I wish Dr. Kim had narrowed my nose as I asked. I am still insecure about how the left side of my nose bone is wider than the right. I think my results would have been nicer had he performed an osteotomy. The other thing I am not happy with is the height of my bridge. When I reached out to Joy, I learned that Dr. Kim had used a 3mm implant, which explains why my nose bridge is this high. Joy explained that Dr. Kim went with the 3mm implant because he had to shave down a small bump on my nose, but I don't think a 3mm implant was necessary. On a lighter note... the tip of my nose did drop, and it looks beautiful. Also, my nostril breathing issue has gotten better, but it has not been resolved. Dr. Kim did ask me to go see an ENT doctor, but I'm an English teacher who can't request time off during the school year, so I plan to see an ENT doctor this week. I'll end this review with the pros. While it may sound like I'm unhappy, I think the pros outweigh the cons in my opinion. My surgery went well, my post-surgery care was great! The post-surgery communication was magnificent. I would only advise these four things for anyone who plans to have surgery.
1. Do your research! Know exactly what you want… from the procedures to the silicone sizes.
2. Be firm about what you want. I wanted an osteotomy, so I should have made sure I had gotten it.
3. Go to a safe and honest clinic that covers all of your post-surgery appointments and medications. ITEM was amazing in that department. I wasn't worried about shadow doctors or something going wrong with my anesthesia.
4. Know that the recovery process is LONG, but so worth it!
So, would I recommend Dr. Kim? Yes, I would. As I mentioned earlier, aside from my nose bridge being too high and him not narrowing down my nose, everything else was perfect. I was told by someone who just had their surgery at ITEM that Dr. Kim will be moving to his own clinic so please keep that in mind. If you have any questions, feel free to message me or leave a comment below.
Here are some of my most recent pictures: My new nose looks much better, but I would have been a lot more satisfied if the bridge of my nose was lower and my nasal bone was narrowed. I have thick skin, so I don’t think this is the final result. I might update this review if there are any changes. Thanks for reading, and I hope you found this review helpful.
View attachment 4971320View attachment 4971321View attachment 4971323View attachment 4971328
****PS: This isn't a promotional review. I paid for my entire surgery in full and did not receive anything in return.