Finally got down to writing my review so that I don’t have to keep answering the same questions again and again!

1. Consultation and why I chose Kowon

My shortlist was Eight Clinic(Dr Kim Han Jo), Kowon Clinic, and Wave Clinic. As Kowon and Wave is helmed by just 1 doctor, I will refer to all 3 doctors by the clinic name from here on.

Eight: Suggested for me to get an osteotomy because it would give me a slimmer and nicer nose and he kept asking me to decide exactly how high I wanted my bridge to be and how projected I wanted my tip to be. When I told him I’m not sure exactly how high I want them to be and that I just want a nose that will fit in with the rest of my facial features, his answer was “No one comes in asking for a nose that doesn’t fit their face”. Didn’t feel very comfortable with his approach.

Kowon: The consultation started with the doctor taking photos of my face and he proceeded to do a morph on the spot. He also gave me a more detailed elaboration about what he would recommend for my procedure. When I asked for his thoughts about an osteotomy for me, he suggested not to because the proportion of my nose size matches my face well and slimming down my nose could throw off my facial harmony and make my cheeks appear larger. I happen to feel the same way which was why I was actually quite doubtful when Eight recommended osteotomy to me. Also, Kowon pointed out how my muscle moves when I smile that will affect how my nose stretches and Eight did not. This happened to be something I’ve always disliked(how my nose stretches when I smile) but it didn’t occur to me that this could be corrected with a rhinoplasty surgery. Kowon also said that if I don’t correct this smiling muscle issue, my new nose will eventually start to droop like my old natural nose(my natural nose tip was indeed droopy). I like that Kowon was more focused on crafting a nose that will fit well with my existing facial features because I don’t want to feel like I had to change anything else to “match my new nose”. My heart was set on Kowon at this point so I did not visit Wave Clinic for a consult.

3) Surgery + Service + Overall experience

Day 1(Surgery day): My surgery was scheduled on 9 May 930am. Surgery was done by ~1pm. I woke up ~1hr later and was able to leave the clinic with the help of my husband. I felt fine but was a little woozy, it was quite an interesting experience I wish I took some videos to commemorate lol. I stayed in the hotel room for the rest of the day. Didn’t feel any pain in my nose but my rib harvest site was quite painful. I slept propped up with 4 pillows and didn’t need my neck pillow. I highly recommend icing your eye area diligently at this point, I had really bad swelling and bruising that I suspect was due to me not icing my face(I was told to and was even given ice packs but took it for granted lol).

Day 2-8: I visited the clinic daily(aside from Day 3 which was a Sunday and the clinic was closed). Each time I visited I would be given post-op care(de-swelling light therapy/antibiotic injections/wound cleaning/checking). During my visits, the doctor also came to check on me almost daily aside from Day 3 and 7. My columella stitches was removed on Day 5 and my rib harvest site stitches was removed on Day 8 together with cast removal for my nose.

Pain in nose: I would consider it to be zero pain(keep in mind I’ve been told I have a high pain tolerance) aside from when they had to clean it or do any other procedure on it during the post-op care. It was only uncomfortable during the first few days when the cotton packing hasn’t been removed.

Pain in rib: Day 1-3 I couldn’t really sit up on my own but Day 4 onwards was fine. I couldn’t do anything more than a brisk walk for ~2 weeks but by 1 week post-op I already felt relatively good. Be prepared to take it easy for ~2-3 months.

Scar: Scar on my columella is virtually invisible now. Scar on my rib is still quite visible but I’ve gotten used to it.

Photos attached: Before/1 month after Right after cast removal(Day 8)/2 weeks after

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