2 months post-op tipplasty + chin implant (review) @ Kowon

Doctor Name: Dr. Kim hyeong Taek

Clinic Name: Kowon plastic surgery

Procedure(s): tipplasty and chin implant

Date of Procedure: 09/2025

2 months ago, i did a tipplasty with ear and septal cartilage + silicone chin implant that they inserted through the mouth. My concerns were to correct my bulbous and flat nose tip, and raise the height of my bridge, which actually was already at a decent height they said. So it was left untouched. They did recommend however shaving the small hump on my nose but i chose not to do this as its not noticeable imo.

I had a recessed chin which made my double chin more prominent, so the implant helped to balance the overall side profile added with the elongated tip. I had stitches under the bottom lip (on the inside)? Which dissolved on its own completely in around 3 weeks.

Recovery was a bit difficult, to be expected, but it became more bearable by day 2 when i got my nasal packing out. 1st night I couldn’t sleep at all; it felt like a deep throbbing pain on my chin and nose. At this point i felt so miserable and in pain ! I was taking painkillers every 4 hours (i brought my stash from home, korean painkillers are so weak).

I had to buy a little baby toothbrush because I couldn’t open my mouth wide enough to use my usual toothbrush lol By day 4? I think? I could start to eat solid foods like sushi but cut into small pieces. It was smooth-sailing after, so don’t worry :)

About the clinic, it was small but private, which I preferred as opposed to factory-style hospitals that have multiple doctors. Kowon only has 1 doctor, so this was important to me when i was choosing where to do my surgeries.

Due to time constraints i chose to do same day surgery after the in-person consultation. I arrived for the consultation at 1:15pm, then surgery at 3pm. I met the translator ellie, then everything happened so fast tbh

I printed out some questions and reference pictures beforehand, since im forgetful and would definitely forget to ask in the moment ellie made sure we were on the same page and clarified back to me what i wanted and what i didn’t want (pointy, upturned and projected nose) before meeting the consultant and then the doctor to confirm the final design. He marked my chin for the implant, then it was off to the operating room.

This is my first (elective) surgery so expectations were definitely high and i started to get so scared when i got strapped onto the table. Just because it was happening so fast and it felt like an assembly line. The nurses were super rough cleaning my face and cutting my nose hairs, while another was inserting the iv sedation into my arm. I wish they had explained the process step-by-step because i did feel very scared and felt like crying at that moment. Some towels/cloths? got dropped on my abdomen heavily and they had an indifferent attitude about it. One of the nurses got annoyed with me when i didn’t understand i had to stick my tongue out for her to apply the iodine on my gums and teeth…

Personally, i don’t think this treatment is specific to kowon, i think they really just prioritize being efficient over patient comfort… because when i got a hematoma drained from my chin from the implant + when i got the nasal stitches removed, both weren’t very gentle and still rough.

It was only after i started to hyperventilate during the draining (doctor had to intervene to do the rest of the draining and lift my legs up to bring back blood flow as i felt like passing out) did they become more gentle in the next check-ups. But dr kim hyeong taek is super nice tho!! Hes very soft-spoken. I only had a problem with the nurses. They also didn’t tell me when i’d be going to sleep, so i was just waiting anxiously with my heart beating so fast lol

Anyway 2 months in, i’m not 100% happy yet with the results as there is still some swelling in the tip, so i hope it will soften a bit. Its very projected and pointy still. I will go back to korea in january to ask about it if it still persists. However i had a protruding mouth that i was self-conscious about, so i do love how the nasolabial angle changed the look of my side profile

------------------------------

Considering rhinoplasty in Korea?

Arrange a direct video consultation with our clinic via Official WhatsApp.

▶Please click the link below to connect with us directly.◀