Im writing this post in hopes you guys can get a better idea of what to look for in a surgeon during your consultations. I highly advise to first have an understanding of your facial anatomy, the limitations involved with what can be REALISTICALLY done to enhance your features and as I always say: methodology methodology methodology. Within every procedure there are different methods of performing them. The more you knowledge you have about your anatomy, the more knowledge you have about the methodologies involved, the more you are able to have a sense making discussion with your surgeon on how to customize the surgery and the techniques to be used to your anatomy. Because remember, we all have different facial anatomy. What might work for me may not be suitable for someone else. Select your surgeon based primarily on specialisation and methodology, not reviews, not before and after photos etc because all that is either nothing more than marketing OR has too many unknown factors involved. I discussed this in a previous age old post of mine here: https://forum.purseblog.com/threads/k-coutures-guide-to-seoul-plastic-surgery.886985/
So lets begin shall we. I’m nearly one month post op and ready to do a post on my experience. Procedures I did:
1) Endoscopic forehead/brow lift
2) Lip lift/ philtrum reduction
3) Vertical Canthoplasty (to make my eyes less slanty)
4) facial fat and internal scar removal
5) alar cinching
6) diamond injection (8cc split into 2 sessions, 10 days apart)
All procedures were performed under Deep Sedation (so no intubation) and took approximately 4.5 hours-5 hours
Note: I was planning to do a zygoma revision to reduce my arch but I did not end up doing it. Will explain why with the CT scans in the next posts.
First off, INCREDIBLY HAPPY WITH MY RESULTS! I LOVE LOVE LOVE THIS SURGEON SO MUCH. And this is the reason. Dr Ahn is an anti aging specialist, did his education in the US and his surgical training in Korea. If any of you read my previous post about my breast augmentation, you will know I chose the female Dr Kim and I explained why. Dr Kim, like Dr Ahn, was also educated in the US and trained in Korea. Hence they both have the same consultation etiquette and surgical skills to compliment their excellent communication skills. Anyone who has ever consulted in Korea vs the west will know there’s a clear difference with how the western surgeons communicate with their patients. Its not just a language difference but a cultural difference. Korean surgeons tend to be less detailed, focusing on the main patient concerns and consultations tend to be quicker, with the surgeon telling you what he is going to do to achieve the result in the photo you showed him/her. Western surgeons however, tend to be more communicative and handle their consultation in a pro and con manner, explaining the limitations and overall a more educational consultation whereby additional information is presented to the patient where more factors are to be considered. The problem I have with western surgeons however, is that often (from my experience), the results are not on par with the consultation. Dr Ahn and the female Dr Kim had both the communication skills I value and the surgical skills to back it up. Anyways, here’s how the consultation with Dr Ahn went:
Me: So my main concern with the endoscopic brow lift is there tends to be some degree of eyes slanting. I am aware the endotine is typically placed at 5 points. I would like them to be placed at 3 points instead, avoiding the outer brow corners so prevent slanting
Dr Ahn: Well for your case if your concern is the slanting effect, it would not be fully mitigated even if I perform the surgery the way you suggested. I will be using 4 points instead of 3, 2 for the inner corner, 2 for the middle, pulled diagonally towards the center away from the outer corner. I will also be making an internal incision to detach the sub fascia so it allows me to reposition your tissues the way you want it. There still will be some slight slanting because even if focus on lifting the inner and mid brow corner, the tension will still have some effect on the outer brow but much less. So I want you to be aware of that first.
Me: Yes I am fine with that. My right eye corner is also slightly more slanted than the left. Is it possible to lower it to even it up a little?
Ahn: I can do that. It’s actually very simple and will take me about 10 mins only. I just need to make a tiny 1-1.5mm incision to adjust the tissue. Another option you have is for me to perform the vertical cantepexy. I can make your eyes less slanted and bigger from the bottom. This would really compliment the brow lift because your eyes would be bigger from both the top and the bottom and you don’t have to worry about slanting since we will be correcting the lower eye. But I do like your eyes the way they are now so it is up to you. Do you prefer a more western look or an Asian look for your eye? That’s the decision you have to make.
Me: Definitely a more western look. I do my eye make up more western too. But I was told previously that my under eye muscles are weak due to the incisions from my concentric malar lift in the past. My concern is the red of my eye might show permanently.
Ahn: (examines my under eye) No that’s not a concern of mine because I will be adjusting and reattaching your lower orbital muscles to the new position before it reaches the red part. And I have performed so many of these procedures I am very very confident. Also with the style of make up you do the results will compliment it.
Me: Ok if you are confident the red of the eye won’t show I will trust you with it.
Ahn: Yes you don’t have to worry. If I am uncertain of something I will always be direct with you. With the vertical catepexy and how it correlates to your anatomy I am very confident the red will not be visible post op. But you will have conjunctivitis temporarily during your recovery.
Me: How long will the eye take to recover from conjunctivitis ?
Ahn: About 1-2 weeks. Depends how well you heal. But its definitely not permanent. In fact with this procedure 100% of patients always end up with temporary conjunctivitis. Some milder than others. It depends on many factors such as how much lowering is done, how healthy your tissues are, how your body reacts etc.
Me: And how long will the bumps take to disappear from my forehead for the lift? (In case you guys are wondering, typically the endo lift will have 5 bumps in front of the hair line which will dissolve over time)
Ahn: You won’t have any. I do it from inside the hair line.
Me: Oh that’s great BUT I am also aware that when procedures involve the hairline, Betadine is used to disinfect the scalp. I am highly allergic to betadine and lost about 1/3 of my hair from it from a previous procedure whereby betadine was used to disinfect my scalp
Ahn: So the reason for that is hospitals and clinics tend to use 10% betadine, which is very corrosive. The reason being they can use it straight out of the bottle and won’t have to pre mix it. 5% betadine is far less corrosive and just as effective. I can do the pre mixture for you. I will also only apply it on where the incision is and not over a larger area.
Me: Oh I had no idea the difference between 5 and 10%. That’s very informative. What about my lip lift? I want my upper lips quite big and juicy and my philtrum to be reduced. However I am concerned about the incision scar. Is is possible to do it from inside the nostrils?
Ahn: Yes I can do that. the only visible incision would be at the bottom of the collumela. Even then it wouldn’t be very visible once you recovery especially since there will be a minor natural looking crease from me rolling up the philtrum tissue. The maximum I can do yours is 4mm for the lift. Any more than that would look unnatural. (proceeds to show me my options with his tool – what It would look like when 4mm is lifted vs 3mm)
Me: Ill go with 4. I like the juicy look
So the consultation actually went on for much longer than this because I also told him to adjust my nostrils which were slightly unevenly from me walking into a glass door -_-. He also did facial lipo for me with the purpose to remove some internal scar tissue on my right cheek. And finally he injected 4cc of diamond injection cross linked HA to my face to make it glow. Another 4 cc was injected 10 days later before I flew out of korea. I’m not going to go through the rest of the consultation as I imagine you guys can already understand why I was so satisfied and impressed with his consultation. I never felt rushed, and he explained everything in such detail. He used medical terminology where I understood some and for the ones I didn’t, he patiently explained it to me. It was a consultation whereby BOTH THE SURGEON AND I DESIGNED MY FACE TOGETHER. It was a very educational conversation which I think is important. That way the patient isn’t going in blind, and has a clear understand of what the surgeon will be doing to their face and how they will be doing it. It also gives the patient realistic expectations. Likewise, a patient should always go into a consultation with a decent amount of medical knowledge. The most frustrating thing for a surgeon is when they have a clueless bonkers patient who thinks plastic surgery is some wizarding magic that can make miracles happen. You know what I mean. The type that shows a surgeon a K-pop celebrity’s nose which is completely different from their pre exisiting structure and expects those kind of results #facepalm
Moving on, Ill continue with pre and post op photos. When I got time Ill do part 2: post op recovery and part 3: zygoma revision consultation and why I did not end up doing my zygoma.
So lets begin shall we. I’m nearly one month post op and ready to do a post on my experience. Procedures I did:
1) Endoscopic forehead/brow lift
2) Lip lift/ philtrum reduction
3) Vertical Canthoplasty (to make my eyes less slanty)
4) facial fat and internal scar removal
5) alar cinching
6) diamond injection (8cc split into 2 sessions, 10 days apart)
All procedures were performed under Deep Sedation (so no intubation) and took approximately 4.5 hours-5 hours
Note: I was planning to do a zygoma revision to reduce my arch but I did not end up doing it. Will explain why with the CT scans in the next posts.
First off, INCREDIBLY HAPPY WITH MY RESULTS! I LOVE LOVE LOVE THIS SURGEON SO MUCH. And this is the reason. Dr Ahn is an anti aging specialist, did his education in the US and his surgical training in Korea. If any of you read my previous post about my breast augmentation, you will know I chose the female Dr Kim and I explained why. Dr Kim, like Dr Ahn, was also educated in the US and trained in Korea. Hence they both have the same consultation etiquette and surgical skills to compliment their excellent communication skills. Anyone who has ever consulted in Korea vs the west will know there’s a clear difference with how the western surgeons communicate with their patients. Its not just a language difference but a cultural difference. Korean surgeons tend to be less detailed, focusing on the main patient concerns and consultations tend to be quicker, with the surgeon telling you what he is going to do to achieve the result in the photo you showed him/her. Western surgeons however, tend to be more communicative and handle their consultation in a pro and con manner, explaining the limitations and overall a more educational consultation whereby additional information is presented to the patient where more factors are to be considered. The problem I have with western surgeons however, is that often (from my experience), the results are not on par with the consultation. Dr Ahn and the female Dr Kim had both the communication skills I value and the surgical skills to back it up. Anyways, here’s how the consultation with Dr Ahn went:
Me: So my main concern with the endoscopic brow lift is there tends to be some degree of eyes slanting. I am aware the endotine is typically placed at 5 points. I would like them to be placed at 3 points instead, avoiding the outer brow corners so prevent slanting
Dr Ahn: Well for your case if your concern is the slanting effect, it would not be fully mitigated even if I perform the surgery the way you suggested. I will be using 4 points instead of 3, 2 for the inner corner, 2 for the middle, pulled diagonally towards the center away from the outer corner. I will also be making an internal incision to detach the sub fascia so it allows me to reposition your tissues the way you want it. There still will be some slight slanting because even if focus on lifting the inner and mid brow corner, the tension will still have some effect on the outer brow but much less. So I want you to be aware of that first.
Me: Yes I am fine with that. My right eye corner is also slightly more slanted than the left. Is it possible to lower it to even it up a little?
Ahn: I can do that. It’s actually very simple and will take me about 10 mins only. I just need to make a tiny 1-1.5mm incision to adjust the tissue. Another option you have is for me to perform the vertical cantepexy. I can make your eyes less slanted and bigger from the bottom. This would really compliment the brow lift because your eyes would be bigger from both the top and the bottom and you don’t have to worry about slanting since we will be correcting the lower eye. But I do like your eyes the way they are now so it is up to you. Do you prefer a more western look or an Asian look for your eye? That’s the decision you have to make.
Me: Definitely a more western look. I do my eye make up more western too. But I was told previously that my under eye muscles are weak due to the incisions from my concentric malar lift in the past. My concern is the red of my eye might show permanently.
Ahn: (examines my under eye) No that’s not a concern of mine because I will be adjusting and reattaching your lower orbital muscles to the new position before it reaches the red part. And I have performed so many of these procedures I am very very confident. Also with the style of make up you do the results will compliment it.
Me: Ok if you are confident the red of the eye won’t show I will trust you with it.
Ahn: Yes you don’t have to worry. If I am uncertain of something I will always be direct with you. With the vertical catepexy and how it correlates to your anatomy I am very confident the red will not be visible post op. But you will have conjunctivitis temporarily during your recovery.
Me: How long will the eye take to recover from conjunctivitis ?
Ahn: About 1-2 weeks. Depends how well you heal. But its definitely not permanent. In fact with this procedure 100% of patients always end up with temporary conjunctivitis. Some milder than others. It depends on many factors such as how much lowering is done, how healthy your tissues are, how your body reacts etc.
Me: And how long will the bumps take to disappear from my forehead for the lift? (In case you guys are wondering, typically the endo lift will have 5 bumps in front of the hair line which will dissolve over time)
Ahn: You won’t have any. I do it from inside the hair line.
Me: Oh that’s great BUT I am also aware that when procedures involve the hairline, Betadine is used to disinfect the scalp. I am highly allergic to betadine and lost about 1/3 of my hair from it from a previous procedure whereby betadine was used to disinfect my scalp
Ahn: So the reason for that is hospitals and clinics tend to use 10% betadine, which is very corrosive. The reason being they can use it straight out of the bottle and won’t have to pre mix it. 5% betadine is far less corrosive and just as effective. I can do the pre mixture for you. I will also only apply it on where the incision is and not over a larger area.
Me: Oh I had no idea the difference between 5 and 10%. That’s very informative. What about my lip lift? I want my upper lips quite big and juicy and my philtrum to be reduced. However I am concerned about the incision scar. Is is possible to do it from inside the nostrils?
Ahn: Yes I can do that. the only visible incision would be at the bottom of the collumela. Even then it wouldn’t be very visible once you recovery especially since there will be a minor natural looking crease from me rolling up the philtrum tissue. The maximum I can do yours is 4mm for the lift. Any more than that would look unnatural. (proceeds to show me my options with his tool – what It would look like when 4mm is lifted vs 3mm)
Me: Ill go with 4. I like the juicy look
So the consultation actually went on for much longer than this because I also told him to adjust my nostrils which were slightly unevenly from me walking into a glass door -_-. He also did facial lipo for me with the purpose to remove some internal scar tissue on my right cheek. And finally he injected 4cc of diamond injection cross linked HA to my face to make it glow. Another 4 cc was injected 10 days later before I flew out of korea. I’m not going to go through the rest of the consultation as I imagine you guys can already understand why I was so satisfied and impressed with his consultation. I never felt rushed, and he explained everything in such detail. He used medical terminology where I understood some and for the ones I didn’t, he patiently explained it to me. It was a consultation whereby BOTH THE SURGEON AND I DESIGNED MY FACE TOGETHER. It was a very educational conversation which I think is important. That way the patient isn’t going in blind, and has a clear understand of what the surgeon will be doing to their face and how they will be doing it. It also gives the patient realistic expectations. Likewise, a patient should always go into a consultation with a decent amount of medical knowledge. The most frustrating thing for a surgeon is when they have a clueless bonkers patient who thinks plastic surgery is some wizarding magic that can make miracles happen. You know what I mean. The type that shows a surgeon a K-pop celebrity’s nose which is completely different from their pre exisiting structure and expects those kind of results #facepalm
Moving on, Ill continue with pre and post op photos. When I got time Ill do part 2: post op recovery and part 3: zygoma revision consultation and why I did not end up doing my zygoma.
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