I never thought I was a ‘'Pros/Cons List' kind of person but in this moment I found I was, there was so much to think about. April31 vs JW Plastic Surgery:
April31 and JW Plastic Surgery had similar prices
Dr Kim (April31) and Dr Suh (JW) had the expertise, skills, method of operation and
Both doctors had natural style work and shared the same concerns as me
Neither clinic pressured me. Brian (April31) and Jenny (JW) were very understanding.
That particular day I was as a bit of a mess. I was super cranky , tired, worn-out and hadn't eaten anything all day because I had done back to back consultations and traveling back and forth to different clinics. I needed just a couple hours to rest, regroup and reflect. Both consultants gave me the opportunity to do make a decision when I was in a better frame of mind.
Ultimately, it came down to two factors: post-op care and how responsive the consultant would be after surgery. Don't get me wrong, both clinics have the standard post-op appointments for cleaning and removing of stitches. The difference was that April31 provide de-swelling treatments at an additional cost, and after surgery I would be given a prescription ('script) to purchase the meds at the drug store.
While this sounds relatively minor. I know type of person who needs care after my surgery. I'm a bit clumsy so having all my medication laid out with proper instructions or having my hair washed when I couldn't do it myself made things 10 times easier. It was also important that the consultant be contactable after surgery because knowing me, I always have a million questions. It was an extra comfort to know Jenny would be responsive after surgery if i had any questions or concerns. So far, she has been fantastic.
JW post-op care provided:
Post-op visits to the clinic X 4: Day 2 - nose cleaning, remove cotton & ear bandages, deswelling LED treatment Day 5 - nose/ear cleaning, removal of cast, deswelling LED treatment, hair wash Day 7 - nose/ear cleaning, removal of stitches, deswelling LED treatment Day 10 - nose/ear cleaning, deswelling LED treatment, hair wash
Hair wash service X 2 (I selected on days above)
Care pack which includes all the items in the picture: medication, peroxide an saline with instructions to clean my nose, gel eye mask and pumpkin juice
Airport transfer from my hotel to ICN Airport
Surgery Day
The big day has arrived. I as you could imagine I was so nervous and excited at the same time. I felt like I had waited so long to get here, and now its all happening. Its normal to feel mixed emotions, I know I certainly did.
In the morning on the way to the clinic I had to exchange some money at the bank - as a side note if you planning to exchange money at the Korean Bank over 1 million won you'll need your passport, home country ID or debit/credit card. They do a number of checks so it is quit time consuming. So if hoping to get to your surgery on time, I suggest exchanging the day before. Unlike myself - always late.
9:30AM: I arrived at JW with my boyfriend. Surgery was scheduled at 10:00. I met with Jenny and was the necessary forms to sign and paid for my surgery. After which, I was escorted to the X-Ray room on another floor. Then, back to the main floor to have my last consultation with Dr Suh. After this, I was taken to another floor. I was given a room (which looked similar to a hospital room with 2 beds and TV) and a gown laid out for me to change into.
I was so nervous, being in the gown made things seem so much more real. I went to the bathroom so many times back and forth. And at one point on my way back to the room, Jenny stopped me to ask if I was okay. I think that she could see how nervous I was. Because after our conversation, she brought my boyfriend from the reception area to my recovery room (next to the surgery room) so that I could see him before the surgery and wake up to him being by my bedside.
In the operating room there so many nurses going moving around, strapping me to the operating table, attaching clips and heart monitor devices to my hand and feet, checking my blood pressure... the list goes on and on. It was very busy, and I remember just feeling so alone and afraid. I thought to myself "am I making the right decision"..."what if I don't like my results" etc. I was low-key freakin' out. When Jenny held my hand reassured me everything was gonna be okay, it made all the difference.
The next thing I knew, I was knocked out cold.
When I gained consciousness, I couldn't feel any pain but I could feel someone moving my ears. It was almost like i was still asleep. I had no idea where I was what I was doing and couldn't open my eyes. Then I recognized Dr Suh''s voice saying "surgery was a successful". Next thing I know, the nurse wiped off some gel from my eyes so that I could see where I was going and she escorted back to the recovery room. I gave my boyfriend a big hug and laid down. Moments later Jenny arrived to check on me. She also brought some much needed water and medication.
Post-Op Photos:
Days 1-2: Not much to reveal my bandages were still on but I could see that my nostrils became more even. There wasn't as much swelling as I expected . But there is a lot of drippage and some bleeding.
Day 3-4: The swelling became worse and worse. But on the bright side I didn't have much bruising. Just a tiny bit on my tip and right where I had the alar graft.
It seems that gravity moves the swelling lower and lower down my face. At point, it was mostly my lower cheeks, upper lip and lip area that were swollen.
As if I had put on 50kgs overnight.
2 WEEKS POST-OP:
At this point, I am back in my home country. The swelling has come down substantially. My nose looks more and more natural everyday.
Left is "after" and right is "before"
Top is "after"
Bottom is "before"
Stay tuned....
I will be posting photos more photos of my my progress through in weeks to come
:)