Breast Augmentation Surgery
I scheduled my breast augmentation surgery three days after my rhinoplasty surgery on the recommendations of both Dr. Paik and Dr. Park. I arrived at the clinic in the morning, after having a check-up with Dr. Paik and getting only the cotton removed from my nose. I made the final payment to the clinic - the pricing provided was local pricing and the clinic does not employ consultants, therefore, there was no need to bargain.
I met with Dr. Park to review the proposed recommendations and to make the final decision on sizing. He reminded me that one side of my chest wall is sunken, and therefore would require a different sized implant and profile. He asked me to finalize the sizing for both sides – I could either go with the more natural (330cc) or fuller (370cc) recommendations. I decided to go fuller as I did not want to regret going too small and really liked the Vectra imagery shown with 370cc – there was slightly more projection. The final decision was Mentor anatomic implants, 370cc one side, 410cc on sunken side, IMF incision (easiest, most predictable recovery), and under the muscle placement. Just want to point out another stat I learned since many people wonder about rotation in anatomic implants - in Dr. Park’s experience and operation on 600 patients and 1200 breasts with anatomic implants, none have rotated. This info was good enough for me to go ahead with choosing anatomic implants for a natural breast line.
I was then moved to a different room to change, take pictures, and then led to the operation room. Here I was laid down on the operation bed, given different injections, and made 100% comfortable. I was told by Dr. Park that for breast augmentation surgery, you need to undergo general anesthesia and the total operation time is around 45 minutes. I was out very shortly after the injections and anesthesia kicked in.
When I woke up, I remember my throat being dry (a side effect of the general anesthesia) and feeling slightly nauseous. Dr. Park does not put a tube down your throat, but instead administers anesthesia through a mask that causes dry mouth for about 24 hours. He supplies plenty of lollipops to help generate saliva post-surgery. I was moved to a recovery room where I slept to shake off the anesthesia. I was also able to drink some water although it did not reduce the dry mouth symptoms. When I awoke, the nurse asked me if I was hungry, which I said “yes”. She then supplied both my partner and I store-bought freshly-made rice porridge! It was really delicious but I couldn’t eat much of it due to my dry mouth and slight nausea. Afterwards, I finished off my antibiotic IV and headed back to my accommodation.
Now the recovery for the next three days was painful! The muscle contractions came hard and fast and I did not expect it. All my friends and even Dr. Park’s past patients exclaimed that there would be minimal pain so I underestimated the pain associated with the surgery (and I can take pain). Sleeping proved to be most difficult, and I could only sleep in an upright position with neck pillows to support my neck, and back pillows to support my back and legs. Even still, sleep did not come easy, and on the first night after I returned back to my accommodation, I would wake up every hour due to the muscle contractions. I ended up messaging Dr. Park on Kakao at 1:30am letting him know that I would need to visit his clinic earlier due to the pain and wanting a check-up. He ended up calling me minutes later but I missed his call because I somehow dozed off. I woke up again around 3:30am to see his missed calls and messages. I called him back right away and he said he could visit my accommodation if I wanted. I said I really appreciated his utmost care and attentiveness to my situation but that I would visit his clinic early in the morning. He said I could visit as early as I wanted, but I decided with 7am because it was a more reasonable time. At this time, I was thinking “is this surgeon Superman?”. How is he able to be up at all hours of the night attending to his patients and making house calls? He told me later that he is “unable to rest if I feel too painful above my endurance”. He’s truly an incredible and caring doctor that goes above and beyond for his patients.
When I went in for the check-up, Dr. Park investigated my condition and said everything was normal. I did not have an infection, and the pain I’m experiencing is expected. He said the first few days will be the most difficult and that I should not be afraid to up my pain medication intake to help with pain management. I religiously took my pain medication and hoped for the best. He also allowed me to sleep in the recovery room until his next patient required it several hours later. The nurses made sure I was comfortable and my partner and I fell fast asleep. When we awoke, the nurse came in and provided us with a menu, and told us to order anything we wanted for breakfast. We thought perhaps we could pay them later for the food but they really insisted that it was not necessary! The hospitality shown was unbelievable!
Every day for two weeks post-op, I visited the clinic for IV antibiotics. The nurses there were lovely and kind, and Dr. Park would check up on me to make sure my condition was improving. After he performed his daily allotted surgeries, he would spend time conversing with my partner and I. He entertained us with stories of his life when he was younger, and of his wife and kids. His stories were really entertaining and made my recovery that much more bearable. I’m generally a serious person by nature, but he was able to make me laugh really hard many, many times. He is a very well-rounded surgeon!
One morning I woke up with 2 gigantic canker sores in my mouth. I was unable to talk, or eat, and could barely drink water! I was told by Dr. Park and Dr. Paik that due to my recent two surgeries, this was a by-product of my weak condition. I was informed to visit an ENT doctor to treat this. When I went in for my rhinoplasty check-up, Dr. Paik offered to find me an ENT doctor close by, but I had also told Dr. Park about this on Kakao and he said he would get one of his nurses to bring me to an ENT doctor herself when I visited his clinic for my IV injections. Again, another example of where he goes above and beyond his duties as a breast surgeon, and showcases his care about your well-being 110%.
In another instance, my partner had asked Dr. Park for his recommendation on mole removal using laser treatment. Dr. Park said for his particular case, laser would not be beneficial due to the size and that it would need to be excised. My partner asked Dr. Park for clinic recommendations. Dr. Park instead offered to excise the mole free of charge, which my partner strongly declined and said he would most definitely pay for the mole excision. Dr. Park, because he had no surgery that day, then proceeded to perform the excision on the spot! I was even able to witness in the operation room! Another example of him going above and beyond his regular duties as a breast surgeon. My partner was ecstatic to finally be under Dr. Park’s care!
Sometime during the week, he invited my partner and I to lunch with his wife on the weekend. Dr. Park is a religious man, and has his faith in Christianity. He asked if we wanted to attend service with him and his wife before lunch. My partner and I accepted as we really enjoyed his company and were eager to meet his wife, whom we have heard great stories about. I won’t go into too many details about the service and lunch, as it’s unrelated to my surgery, but both events were wonderful – to summarize, his wife was lovely and they make an inspiring couple. They were just celebrating their 30 year anniversary and invited us to the hotel they were staying at for brunch – how sweet is that?! My partner and I both felt like we were intruding but they said they were happy to have our company!!
Dr. Park had also invited my partner and I to dinner with his wife during the last week of our stay. Dinner was exceptional, the restaurant was fantastic and one of the nurses (the one who brought me to the ENT doctor) also attended. It was a really fun and enjoyable evening, and a very sweet end to my breast augmentation journey with the clinic.
On the last day of check-up, my partner and I were quite sad because we came to associate the clinic as our second home. We vowed that we would return in one year just to visit the clinic again for their irreplaceable company and hospitality.
If you are considering breast augmentation, Dr. Park’s clinic should be one of the first on your list. His clinic is 100% local, and the right amount of “busy”. He says he gets a handful of foreign patients in a year due to “some reviews on the internet” (we all know it is TPF and Real Self), which these patients have told him about. He says he is proud of this as he does not advertise internationally. He definitely has enough local patients, but I think us foreigners considering breast augmentation deserve to have a surgeon that irrevocably cares about our well-being, not just how much money we bring in! I have never met a more considerate, attentive, and responsive doctor in all the years of my life!
To give an update on my breast augmentation condition, it’s been 2 weeks since my operation and I do still experience muscle contractions although not as hard or fast as in the first week. The breasts look great (they looked pretty great when the bandage was removed on the second day), although still very very swollen, perky (I want them to drop) and slightly larger than my liking due to swelling. They also still feel tight in the lower pole, and numb throughout (this is normal as the nerves take time to heal). According to Dr. Park, it may take 6 months to one year to fully soften up and adhere to the proper position.
