My Journey with Back of Head Augmentation in Korea

[donewithit2021]

So I went for a follow up today to have the gauze changed. I got to see the result, but keep in mind that I still have swelling because the surgery was yesterday. Also my hair is extremely matted down for being in the gauze for 24 hours. The first set of photos are the before images. The photos of me with the white shirt are the after images. Overall, i am extremely satisfied and I can confidently say that I feel that my head looks completely normal now. 50ML of MMA was used as that is what my scalp could stretch and accommodate. Can it be more round? Sure… but now know that I no longer look deformed and soon can do what I please with my hair, including shaving it bald if I choose. Dr Hsu at Line LA did my surgery. It was under local sedation, I was completely awake and heard and felt everything but there was no pain. It was just very weird feeling but I did not care. The night after the surgery you can expect your head to feel like you got hit with a sledgehammer and you may have a major headache. Day 2 is better, still some pain but tolerable without meds. Just a minor headache. I still have to wear the head wrap for 2 more days and then I am done. My wife will remove the staples after 2 weeks, she is a nurse. There are 30 staples. I am reliever and still cant believe this nightmare ordeal is over. The staff at Line were amazing. The doctor was great. Surgery was quick. To anyone out there thinking of having this done, do it! It will change your life. I feel like I finally look how I should should have looked. Thank God its over. I welcome any feedback from
You guys or any questions you may have.

 

[donewithit2021]

Here is another immediate before and after of my surgery

 

[shmn10]

Here is another immediate before and after of my surgery

First of all, thank you so much for your detailed surgery review and pictures. Your post(s) made me emotional; I could sense that you went through a lot before this surgery and now you are much happier and confident post-surgery. To me, your surgery results came out excellent and very natural. Not so weirdly dramatic like a fake silicone implant would usually do. Secondly, the surgery scar looks almost invisible, I am sure as the incision heals it won't be noticeable. Did /do you have any other issues after the surgery besides head pain? Some people have nausea due to anesthesia or the pain meds, but I am not sure if local anesthesia has that side effect. Also, did the doctor add a drainage for your head? I think the biggest takeaway for me was the minimal amount of post-surgery bruising and swelling shown in your pictures.

Also, you are absolutely right about Eppley... he can be a good surgeon for the right candidate/shape of head, but I think there's a bigger risk of an unfavorable outcome than taking the bone cement route. I don't want to share my history publicly but I have been operated by Eppley and I am still suffering the consequences.

Enjoy this new part of your life. You deserve to be happy and all the best to you ))

 

[donewithit2021]

First of all, thank you so much for your detailed surgery review and pictures. Your post(s) made me emotional; I could sense that you went through a lot before this surgery and now you are much happier and confident post-surgery. To me, your surgery results came out excellent and very natural. Not so weirdly dramatic like a fake silicone implant would usually do. Secondly, the surgery scar looks almost invisible, I am sure as the incision heals it won't be noticeable. Did /do you have any other issues after the surgery besides head pain? Some people have nausea due to anesthesia or the pain meds, but I am not sure if local anesthesia has that side effect. Also, did the doctor add a drainage for your head? I think the biggest takeaway for me was the minimal amount of post-surgery bruising and swelling shown in your pictures.

Also, you are absolutely right about Eppley... he can be a good surgeon for the right candidate/shape of head, but I think there's a bigger risk of an unfavorable outcome than taking the bone cement route. I don't want to share my history publicly but I have been operated by Eppley and I am still suffering the consequences.

Enjoy this new part of your life. You deserve to be happy and all the best to you ))

Hey thanks so much for your wonderful and kind post you are right, this was a huge ordeal for me given what I went through living with this condition my whole life… as far as any other issues after surgery aside from head pain, I would say none. No drain was placed either. The staff at Line clinic wrapped my head up in gauze to help minimize any swelling. I had the surgery yesterday, and after the local anesthetic wore off, I basically felt alot of pain not in the incision site up top, but more towards the lower part of the head and neck. I am assuming because of the swelling. I was a bit concerned about the final result because having my head wrapped tightly with gauze, I couldn’t see the new head shape. So, I decided to pop into the clinic today (my hotel is literally up the block from the clinic, 1 minute walk), and had them take off the gauze wrap and hand me a mirror. I had my wife take the photos, and I instantly felt better knowing that the Dr did a wonderful job. I have to wear this head wrap for 3 days, so it comes of this Friday afternoon, and my wife and daughter can go around the city and do some exploring (its our first time in LA). But honestly the procedure was pretty cut and dry, the doctor talked me through the whole thing and kept me calm despite how anxious I was before and during the surgery. Now I feel like a great burden has been lifted from me, and the mental healing begins. I am thankful to have had the opportunity for things to play out the way they did for me, and blessed to have my beautiful supportive wife by my side through this whole ordeal.
As far as Eppley, I have considered him in the past and have even done a consult with him many years ago. Something about him just put me off, I dont know… Maybe Im wrong, but either way I went with my gut and I can say im very pleased with my choice. I think that as you mentioned, to the right candidate for his implants it may be worthwhile, but I feel my doctor was able to accomplish a more natural and seamless result without going over the top. Ultimately I really hope that those who are suffering with this issue can eventually stumble on my post and feel better knowing that there is hope and it can be fixed.
Im so sorry about your experience with Eppley. Would you mind sharing any details in regards to what happened? I know you mentioned you may not be comfortable sharing it with public, but we are all generally anonymous here (maybe-everyone except me now lol) and it is a very small forum. Maybe your details can save someone else from a bad outcome. I hope you are doing well and hanging in there, and thanks so much for your kind words once again

 

[LOTR2Towers]

Amazing results @donewithit2021 ! And congratulations! I completely understand how you feel and what you meant by “hiding it for 36 years.” We are the same age and at times I do feel that having a weirdly shaped head does affect confidence. Curious: what is the difference between what Dr Hsu in LA uses vs what Dr Song in Korea uses? What made you choose Dr Hsu over Dr Song? I am waiting for Korea to open back up to do the surgery and not having to quarantine.

 

[donewithit2021]

Amazing results @donewithit2021 ! And congratulations! I completely understand how you feel and what you meant by “hiding it for 36 years.” We are the same age and at times I do feel that having a weirdly shaped head does affect confidence. Curious: what is the difference between what Dr Hsu in LA uses vs what Dr Song in Korea uses? What made you choose Dr Hsu over Dr Song? I am waiting for Korea to open back up to do the surgery and not having to quarantine.

I chose Dr Hsu because I liked and trusted him, as well as the convenience of dealing with a 4 hour flight from FL to LA instead of flying to another country like Korea. I saw several before and after results from Dr Hsu, spoke to him on the phone during a consult, and ultimately pulled the trigger. Bottom line is, I just did not want to live another day like this having this deformity, and just said screw it and did it. By my logic, I figured that there was no way my result could come out worse than what it already was. Luckily, I think the results speak for themselves. I saved myself the trouble of flying such a long way to a foreign country, got my head fixed within the good old USA, and am back to living life and enjoying my family. Ultimately, I just went with my gut and it worked out. I highly recommend him if you need reshaping done. He is a great plastic surgeon, and the whole process was pretty straight forward. Dr Hsu used the same material as Dr Song, the only difference is that you dont have to fly all the way to Korea to have this problem fixed. Dr Song would have been my 2nd choice simply because I rather not have to fly to a foreign country to have surgery, especially if there are any complications. My gut tells me that at minimum, if there were any issues or complications post op here, at least there is legal recourse and I could do something about it here, whereas in South Korea I think that if something goes wrong, you are on your own.

 

[Psp_]

Hi everyone, I'm new here and I wanted to talk a bit about my plans to get the surgery done.

I'm from Australia, I've made the decision to travel to Seoul Korea to get the surgery done there with Doctor Song from JOGAK plastic surgery clinic after lots of research. Price is $6,000US and foreigners get 8-9% back at the airport when travelling back home.
I've been in contact with Doctor Song (he is lovely) and this is what he has told me as a foreign traveller..
Recommended stay is about 12 days for the consultation, procedure, 3rd day follow up and removal of band then 10 days after sugery to get staples removed, however if you're unable to stay that long you can return home 3 or 4 days after surgery but go to a clinic back home to remove the staples 10 days after surgery.
You will need to notify him before making an appointment about any medication you take or any other head surgeries you may have had, avoid Aspirin 7 days before surgery and check to make sure your blood pressure is okay before travelling.
More about the surgery-
The volume of bone cement inserted on the occiput is about 50 mL, the thickness is 1~2 cm, the width is 10~14 cm.
There is the limitation of bone cement volume inserted because of the scalp/skin extensibility.
And this extensibility differs from patient to patient.

Unfortunately Seoul is requiring anyone who travels there to do a 10 day hotel quarantine so held off on booking an appointment but I'll be keeping an eye out and once there are any changes and that is scrapped I will book an appointment and keep you guys posted. Just wanted to share

 

[K Couture]

So I went for a follow up today to have the gauze changed. I got to see the result, but keep in mind that I still have swelling because the surgery was yesterday. Also my hair is extremely matted down for being in the gauze for 24 hours. The first set of photos are the before images. The photos of me with the white shirt are the after images. Overall, i am extremely satisfied and I can confidently say that I feel that my head looks completely normal now. 50ML of MMA was used as that is what my scalp could stretch and accommodate. Can it be more round? Sure… but now know that I no longer look deformed and soon can do what I please with my hair, including shaving it bald if I choose. Dr Hsu at Line LA did my surgery. It was under local sedation, I was completely awake and heard and felt everything but there was no pain. It was just very weird feeling but I did not care. The night after the surgery you can expect your head to feel like you got hit with a sledgehammer and you may have a major headache. Day 2 is better, still some pain but tolerable without meds. Just a minor headache. I still have to wear the head wrap for 2 more days and then I am done. My wife will remove the staples after 2 weeks, she is a nurse. There are 30 staples. I am reliever and still cant believe this nightmare ordeal is over. The staff at Line were amazing. The doctor was great. Surgery was quick. To anyone out there thinking of having this done, do it! It will change your life. I feel like I finally look how I should should have looked. Thank God its over. I welcome any feedback from
You guys or any questions you may have.

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wow nicely done. Can i ask if youre ok to share, did you have some kind of medical condition which made your back head flatter originally? also this is a form of bone cement, which typically is done via incision and moulding. But i dont see any incisions. Did he use a needle instead? I wasnt aware bone cement can be done using a needle

 

[dpnot]

wow nicely done. Can i ask if youre ok to share, did you have some kind of medical condition which made your back head flatter originally? also this is a form of bone cement, which typically is done via incision and moulding. But i dont see any incisions. Did he use a needle instead? I wasnt aware bone cement can be done using a needle

Not OP but I believe most flat heads are from sleeping a lot solely on one side as a baby since the head is still soft and moldable. I could witness it with my cousin and seen it getting fixed over time. Mine is for the same reason.

 

[Jo-Tchong]

Hi everyone, I'm new here and I wanted to talk a bit about my plans to get the surgery done.

I'm from Australia, I've made the decision to travel to Seoul Korea to get the surgery done there with Doctor Song from JOGAK plastic surgery clinic after lots of research. Price is $6,000US and foreigners get 8-9% back at the airport when travelling back home.
I've been in contact with Doctor Song (he is lovely) and this is what he has told me as a foreign traveller..
Recommended stay is about 12 days for the consultation, procedure, 3rd day follow up and removal of band then 10 days after sugery to get staples removed, however if you're unable to stay that long you can return home 3 or 4 days after surgery but go to a clinic back home to remove the staples 10 days after surgery.
You will need to notify him before making an appointment about any medication you take or any other head surgeries you may have had, avoid Aspirin 7 days before surgery and check to make sure your blood pressure is okay before travelling.
More about the surgery-
The volume of bone cement inserted on the occiput is about 50 mL, the thickness is 1~2 cm, the width is 10~14 cm.
There is the limitation of bone cement volume inserted because of the scalp/skin extensibility.
And this extensibility differs from patient to patient.

Unfortunately Seoul is requiring anyone who travels there to do a 10 day hotel quarantine so held off on booking an appointment but I'll be keeping an eye out and once there are any changes and that is scrapped I will book an appointment and keep you guys posted. Just wanted to share

Hi mate,
I am in the exact same situation, talked to Dr Song back in June, now I am waiting for korea quarantine to be cancelled before booking anything

 

[Psp_]

Hi mate,
I am in the exact same situation, talked to Dr Song back in June, now I am waiting for korea quarantine to be cancelled before booking anything

 

[Psp_]

Hi mate,
I am in the exact same situation, talked to Dr Song back in June, now I am waiting for korea quarantine to be cancelled before booking anything

Same, I first emailed him in June. Now that borders are open I was wanting to plan the trip very soon until I called flight centre and they told me about having to quarantine there for 10 days and Doctor Song told me the same thing a couple of days ago. Thinks might change next month so I'm just waiting now

 

[LOTR2Towers]

I chose Dr Hsu because I liked and trusted him, as well as the convenience of dealing with a 4 hour flight from FL to LA instead of flying to another country like Korea. I saw several before and after results from Dr Hsu, spoke to him on the phone during a consult, and ultimately pulled the trigger. Bottom line is, I just did not want to live another day like this having this deformity, and just said screw it and did it. By my logic, I figured that there was no way my result could come out worse than what it already was. Luckily, I think the results speak for themselves. I saved myself the trouble of flying such a long way to a foreign country, got my head fixed within the good old USA, and am back to living life and enjoying my family. Ultimately, I just went with my gut and it worked out. I highly recommend him if you need reshaping done. He is a great plastic surgeon, and the whole process was pretty straight forward. Dr Hsu used the same material as Dr Song, the only difference is that you dont have to fly all the way to Korea to have this problem fixed. Dr Song would have been my 2nd choice simply because I rather not have to fly to a foreign country to have surgery, especially if there are any complications. My gut tells me that at minimum, if there were any issues or complications post op here, at least there is legal recourse and I could do something about it here, whereas in South Korea I think that if something goes wrong, you are on your own.

Thanks bud! Appreciate the thoughts/reasoning. Seems like Dr. Song have a great reputation but like you said, it is more of a hassle to go to Korea. With that said, while I will keep Dr. Hsu in mind, I’ll likely still go with Dr. Song once Korea ends quarantine requirements.

 

[JiOP45]

What's up guys so my case is probably a little different from all of you, but my head is actually flat on the top of the head, not in the back, or not much enough for me to notice or be insecure of the back of my head. The top of my head I am very insecure of however, I consider myself to be a decent looking guy especially when my hair has volume however, when it is wet or I get a near buzzcut I get super insecure, I just feel as the top of my head is very flat and oddly shaped. I am curious if the Jogak clinic might help, as I am tired of being scared of possibly one day not having as much hair volume as I do now as I am only 20, I want to be able to rock a buzzcut and not feel so insecure.

 

[dpnot]

What's up guys so my case is probably a little different from all of you, but my head is actually flat on the top of the head, not in the back, or not much enough for me to notice or be insecure of the back of my head. The top of my head I am very insecure of however, I consider myself to be a decent looking guy especially when my hair has volume however, when it is wet or I get a near buzzcut I get super insecure, I just feel as the top of my head is very flat and oddly shaped. I am curious if the Jogak clinic might help, as I am tired of being scared of possibly one day not having as much hair volume as I do now as I am only 20, I want to be able to rock a buzzcut and not feel so insecure.

They do that in Line Plastic Surgery centre too