I have been considering surgery for years to fix my very square jawline and big/wide and droopy nose. At school I was called box face because of how square and wide my face is. My nose also had a small hump that I had tried to fix before and heavy upper eyelids and the surgeon I chose in my own country botched my nose and upper eyelids, taking too much fat from my lids that made them look hollow, and also only shaving the hump a bit but not fixing the nose shape and droopiness at all. In fact he made things worse by instead of giving me a more pointy nose tip that I had asked, he had shaved some tissue making it look as if something like an implant or cartilage was showing through my nose tip. My skin is thin and he seemed very unskilled and did not consider my skin type at all 
Consultation: After doing tons of research for a long time I decided to consult plastic surgery clinics in Korea because I have always loved Korean beauty standards and their before and after photos of especially V-line surgeries, I had been admiring the results for years. I was most interested in DA and NANA, I had read lots of reviews and was very impressed by both clinic’s before and after pics and also about their safety and the skills of the medical staff and also it was important to me that they could communicate in English since I didn’t want to hire a translator. Online consultation with DA was not going that well, they were extremely slow with replying and when they did, I only receives general replies not detailed at all about my case and also they avoided so many of my questions. I’m sure in person consultation with them would have gone well but I wanted to book my surgery before arriving in Korea and it seemed very difficult with how slow they were at replying, even after a month of trying we were still pretty much at the starting point. I had also contacted NANA in May and they replied fast, I got all my questions answered in great detail regarding the recommended surgeries, prices, hospitalisation, all my concerns, airport pickup, hotel, etc. I wanted the surgeries to be done by the head doctor, Kim Hyung Jung. I knew from before and after pics he could make even a very square jaw look smaller and more feminine. He had available slots for August so I booked the surgery date in May for the 16th of August and started planning my trip. I wanted to book an airbnb so I could make smoothies etc there since I knew with facial contouring my meals would have to be soft or liquid. But as I wanted to travel with my relative and she wanted to stay at a hotel we decided to book a hotel instead but we chose one that has a breakfast buffet and I made sure they also had soup etc on the menu. I chose a hotel within a walking distance from NANA for easier post-op treatment and check ups. When I arrived at the airport the driver was waiting for us and drove us to the hotel for free, NANA offers free airport pick up from Incheon Airport. The taxi driver did not understand English so there was some hassle but he called the clinic and everything went well. I never figured out what the problem was but I think the driver had misunderstood which hotel I was going to first. I arrived in Korea a few days before the surgery date and wanted to get to know the city and where I could easily get soft food, pharmacy stuff etc so I spent those days planning my foods and recovery. I also had an in person consultation on the 14th. The consultation went well, I met the English speaking staff first. We discussed the procedures I would be getting and I told her what kind of result I was hoping for and I showed her some references. Then I had a blood test, EKG and the nurse also took my blood pressure, CT scan and I think the other one was an MRI. Then I met the doctor. He did not speak English but there was the same staff member from NANA with me all the time and she explained to me well what the doc said and translated my questions to the doctor. I also had references with me of the results I wanted: a slimmer more feminine and cute face shape and a nose that would be as small as possible and with a pointy tip. The doc explained to me that he would do the 3 point facial contouring, making my jaw and chin smaller and also zygoma (cheekbone) reduction. I have protruding cheekbones and he said even after reducing the cheekbone and the jaw the cheeks would still have some hollowness left so he said he would do fat grafting on that area and also on my forehead and the upper eyelids. He also said he could make my nose smaller by doing osteotomy to reduce the width of my nose, and long nose correction and tipplasty and because my skin is very thin, Alloderm would be used too. He also suggested lip filler for my thin lips, I could choose from a Korean brand or some other brand (forgot the name), I chose the Korean one.
Surgery on Wednesday: I had to fast for 10 hours which didn’t bother me but not being allowed to drink was annoying, I woke up thirsty at 6 am and my surgery would be after 10 so I still had a long wait. I arrived at the clinic at 10 am and we discussed my surgery plan again and I signed the papers and paid the surgery. I was shown my room I would be staying in for the night. Then there was some preparation like gargling my mouth and dressing up, the clothes were a bit like pajamas and a robe. Then pics were taken of my face from several angles. They also took my blood pressure and temperature. The same English speaking woman that was with me during the consultation was with me today too until I was asleep. Before the anesthesia they had some trouble finding a good vein for the IV, my veins were small and they didn’t succeed on the first try, but they finally managed to find a good spot.
When I woke up I was very thirsty and felt nauseous and weak. I was told I could drink after 5 hours. I was escorted to my room but I was too weak and dizzy to walk so they took me there on a wheelchair. I’m not sure how many hours the surgery lasted but we started somewhere around 12 and when I woke up it was almost 8 pm already so no wonder I was feeling so weak. Not sure how long it took me to wake up and I was too tired and nauseous to ask. Did not feel any pain when I woke up but felt very swollen and talking was difficult and my throat was so dry I could barely swallow. I was waiting for getting some water and that felt like the longest 5 hours in my life. Also I was still so confused I asked the nurse a funny question she looked so confused for a while lol. I thought the bed had some weird vibration function because it felt a lot like some massage chair and I also felt damn hot and also cold at the same time but I didn’t notice my body trembling at all so after like an hour of enduring it I asked the nurse to turn off the bed’s vibration and the weird temperature switch. She gave me a confused look and said there is no such function in the bed. Then I realised it was just my body still being weird from the anesthetics. It passed after 2 hours. After midnight I finally got 2 bottles of water and it made me feel better but my entire face and also lips were swollen so drinking was a bit difficult and I couldn’t feel my lips well so I spilled a lot and also kept drooling which was annoying. Also there was cotton inside my nostrils and I could only breathe through my mouth. I couldn’t sleep well, there was still no pain but as a side sleeper and a person who always breathes through my nose sleeping on my back and breathing through my mouth was difficult.
The next day after surgery: The night felt so long and I was relieved when in the morning I got the surgical drains removed from my mouth and the urine catheter too. I was hoping to get those annoying cottons off my nose too but unfortunately they would have to be kept until Friday. I hated those a lot because they my nose feel so congested and the pressure in my nose was annoying and also my ears were clogged. I got pumpkin porridge and medicine prescriptions and an aftercare and gift bag from NANA, including stuff like face masks and multivitamin supplement etc. I was allowed to eat at 11 am and I ate the porridge, eating was hard since I couldn’t open my mouth much. I used a spoon even tinier than a teaspoon. I got detailed post-op home care instructions like eating only soups and liquids and gargling after every meal. For the fat grafting incisions I got some stuff to clean the incisions twice a day and also I got painkillers, antibiotics and medicine to protect the stomach from the painkillers since they could irritate the stomach. The medicine is easy to take because they are packed in individual packs for the morning, lunch and evening so taking them is simple. They have to be taken after meal and not on an empty stomach. I was not able to talk much and eating was difficult the entire day and that drooling just wouldn’t stop it happened especially after drinking. Still no pain but the pressure in my head because of the nasal congestion was getting worse.
Next couple of days: My relative has been helping me with things like carrying groceries from the store etc. There are small stores like 7 Elevens (grocery store) everywhere and pharmacies too. I have mostly bought pumpkin porridge from the pharmacy and Mega Coffee because surprisingly they sold them there too, also some recovery drinks from the pharmacy and from 7 Eleven all sorts of soft food like unflavored lactobacillus yogurt, yogurt drink, protein drinks, some cold lattes, smoothies, juice etc. Also the hotel breakfast buffet has some soups too and I have eaten those a lot. We asked the hotel receptionist if he knew any restaurants that serve good soups or something similar. He said the food delivery here has pumpkin porridge and he printed us a pic and details but the delivery person did not speak English but the receptionist is so nice he made the order for us.
On Friday I got the cotton finally removed from my nostrils and it made me feel so much better, my nose was runny but I was able to breathe through my nose again. I also got some treatments and they cleaned my face a bit and also the fat grafting incisions. I have also been wearing a compression garment on my face that ai take off when I eat or gargle. I also got compression socks because fat was taken from my thighs. The painkillers have kept the pain away but things like eating and talking are still a bit uncomfortable. I can’t see the results well yet because my entire face is still so swollen and there are huge bruises on my eye area and my lips look funny because they are very swollen. But I can definitely see my nose tip is pointy like I wished for and the jaw is not square anymore and my cheekbones look good. Very excited about the final results.
On Saturday I got deswelling treatment and the next check up is on Monday.
Consultation: After doing tons of research for a long time I decided to consult plastic surgery clinics in Korea because I have always loved Korean beauty standards and their before and after photos of especially V-line surgeries, I had been admiring the results for years. I was most interested in DA and NANA, I had read lots of reviews and was very impressed by both clinic’s before and after pics and also about their safety and the skills of the medical staff and also it was important to me that they could communicate in English since I didn’t want to hire a translator. Online consultation with DA was not going that well, they were extremely slow with replying and when they did, I only receives general replies not detailed at all about my case and also they avoided so many of my questions. I’m sure in person consultation with them would have gone well but I wanted to book my surgery before arriving in Korea and it seemed very difficult with how slow they were at replying, even after a month of trying we were still pretty much at the starting point. I had also contacted NANA in May and they replied fast, I got all my questions answered in great detail regarding the recommended surgeries, prices, hospitalisation, all my concerns, airport pickup, hotel, etc. I wanted the surgeries to be done by the head doctor, Kim Hyung Jung. I knew from before and after pics he could make even a very square jaw look smaller and more feminine. He had available slots for August so I booked the surgery date in May for the 16th of August and started planning my trip. I wanted to book an airbnb so I could make smoothies etc there since I knew with facial contouring my meals would have to be soft or liquid. But as I wanted to travel with my relative and she wanted to stay at a hotel we decided to book a hotel instead but we chose one that has a breakfast buffet and I made sure they also had soup etc on the menu. I chose a hotel within a walking distance from NANA for easier post-op treatment and check ups. When I arrived at the airport the driver was waiting for us and drove us to the hotel for free, NANA offers free airport pick up from Incheon Airport. The taxi driver did not understand English so there was some hassle but he called the clinic and everything went well. I never figured out what the problem was but I think the driver had misunderstood which hotel I was going to first. I arrived in Korea a few days before the surgery date and wanted to get to know the city and where I could easily get soft food, pharmacy stuff etc so I spent those days planning my foods and recovery. I also had an in person consultation on the 14th. The consultation went well, I met the English speaking staff first. We discussed the procedures I would be getting and I told her what kind of result I was hoping for and I showed her some references. Then I had a blood test, EKG and the nurse also took my blood pressure, CT scan and I think the other one was an MRI. Then I met the doctor. He did not speak English but there was the same staff member from NANA with me all the time and she explained to me well what the doc said and translated my questions to the doctor. I also had references with me of the results I wanted: a slimmer more feminine and cute face shape and a nose that would be as small as possible and with a pointy tip. The doc explained to me that he would do the 3 point facial contouring, making my jaw and chin smaller and also zygoma (cheekbone) reduction. I have protruding cheekbones and he said even after reducing the cheekbone and the jaw the cheeks would still have some hollowness left so he said he would do fat grafting on that area and also on my forehead and the upper eyelids. He also said he could make my nose smaller by doing osteotomy to reduce the width of my nose, and long nose correction and tipplasty and because my skin is very thin, Alloderm would be used too. He also suggested lip filler for my thin lips, I could choose from a Korean brand or some other brand (forgot the name), I chose the Korean one.
Surgery on Wednesday: I had to fast for 10 hours which didn’t bother me but not being allowed to drink was annoying, I woke up thirsty at 6 am and my surgery would be after 10 so I still had a long wait. I arrived at the clinic at 10 am and we discussed my surgery plan again and I signed the papers and paid the surgery. I was shown my room I would be staying in for the night. Then there was some preparation like gargling my mouth and dressing up, the clothes were a bit like pajamas and a robe. Then pics were taken of my face from several angles. They also took my blood pressure and temperature. The same English speaking woman that was with me during the consultation was with me today too until I was asleep. Before the anesthesia they had some trouble finding a good vein for the IV, my veins were small and they didn’t succeed on the first try, but they finally managed to find a good spot.
When I woke up I was very thirsty and felt nauseous and weak. I was told I could drink after 5 hours. I was escorted to my room but I was too weak and dizzy to walk so they took me there on a wheelchair. I’m not sure how many hours the surgery lasted but we started somewhere around 12 and when I woke up it was almost 8 pm already so no wonder I was feeling so weak. Not sure how long it took me to wake up and I was too tired and nauseous to ask. Did not feel any pain when I woke up but felt very swollen and talking was difficult and my throat was so dry I could barely swallow. I was waiting for getting some water and that felt like the longest 5 hours in my life. Also I was still so confused I asked the nurse a funny question she looked so confused for a while lol. I thought the bed had some weird vibration function because it felt a lot like some massage chair and I also felt damn hot and also cold at the same time but I didn’t notice my body trembling at all so after like an hour of enduring it I asked the nurse to turn off the bed’s vibration and the weird temperature switch. She gave me a confused look and said there is no such function in the bed. Then I realised it was just my body still being weird from the anesthetics. It passed after 2 hours. After midnight I finally got 2 bottles of water and it made me feel better but my entire face and also lips were swollen so drinking was a bit difficult and I couldn’t feel my lips well so I spilled a lot and also kept drooling which was annoying. Also there was cotton inside my nostrils and I could only breathe through my mouth. I couldn’t sleep well, there was still no pain but as a side sleeper and a person who always breathes through my nose sleeping on my back and breathing through my mouth was difficult.
The next day after surgery: The night felt so long and I was relieved when in the morning I got the surgical drains removed from my mouth and the urine catheter too. I was hoping to get those annoying cottons off my nose too but unfortunately they would have to be kept until Friday. I hated those a lot because they my nose feel so congested and the pressure in my nose was annoying and also my ears were clogged. I got pumpkin porridge and medicine prescriptions and an aftercare and gift bag from NANA, including stuff like face masks and multivitamin supplement etc. I was allowed to eat at 11 am and I ate the porridge, eating was hard since I couldn’t open my mouth much. I used a spoon even tinier than a teaspoon. I got detailed post-op home care instructions like eating only soups and liquids and gargling after every meal. For the fat grafting incisions I got some stuff to clean the incisions twice a day and also I got painkillers, antibiotics and medicine to protect the stomach from the painkillers since they could irritate the stomach. The medicine is easy to take because they are packed in individual packs for the morning, lunch and evening so taking them is simple. They have to be taken after meal and not on an empty stomach. I was not able to talk much and eating was difficult the entire day and that drooling just wouldn’t stop it happened especially after drinking. Still no pain but the pressure in my head because of the nasal congestion was getting worse.
Next couple of days: My relative has been helping me with things like carrying groceries from the store etc. There are small stores like 7 Elevens (grocery store) everywhere and pharmacies too. I have mostly bought pumpkin porridge from the pharmacy and Mega Coffee because surprisingly they sold them there too, also some recovery drinks from the pharmacy and from 7 Eleven all sorts of soft food like unflavored lactobacillus yogurt, yogurt drink, protein drinks, some cold lattes, smoothies, juice etc. Also the hotel breakfast buffet has some soups too and I have eaten those a lot. We asked the hotel receptionist if he knew any restaurants that serve good soups or something similar. He said the food delivery here has pumpkin porridge and he printed us a pic and details but the delivery person did not speak English but the receptionist is so nice he made the order for us.
On Friday I got the cotton finally removed from my nostrils and it made me feel so much better, my nose was runny but I was able to breathe through my nose again. I also got some treatments and they cleaned my face a bit and also the fat grafting incisions. I have also been wearing a compression garment on my face that ai take off when I eat or gargle. I also got compression socks because fat was taken from my thighs. The painkillers have kept the pain away but things like eating and talking are still a bit uncomfortable. I can’t see the results well yet because my entire face is still so swollen and there are huge bruises on my eye area and my lips look funny because they are very swollen. But I can definitely see my nose tip is pointy like I wished for and the jaw is not square anymore and my cheekbones look good. Very excited about the final results.
On Saturday I got deswelling treatment and the next check up is on Monday.
