Asian Rhinoplasty: Stories

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Tip Rhinoplasty Revision - Sydney, Australia

  • Not Worth It
  • Cost: $7,000
  • Australia

I just had a rhino revision after 3 unsuccessful...

I just had a rhino revision after 3 unsuccessful surgery. It cost me this much. I did it in a clinic under twilight sedation. Took 4.5 hours in the operation. It was suppose to take only 3.5 hours.

I think the sedation wore off. I woke up slightly and could feel what my surgeon was doing. It was aweful and very uncomfortable experience when I was half awake feeling the pain, the needles piercing thru my nose n ear, a cut on my ear. It was so scary.

I could not breathe but the whole time I played in my mind of waking up n running away from the theatre. I felt my hands were bound. I could not get up. I was suffocating away. I could not swallow as well. My throat was hurting badly. I felt I was going to die but also struggling.

I kept saying I cant breathe. is it finished? It is over? My surgeon hushed me. But I think they injected me with a lot of sedation. Finally, when my surgeon n the assistant told me it was over, I was so relieved. But I felt so much pain on my nose n ear. It was so umcomfortable. Could feel my whole face has been punched badly.

Anyway, they sent me to a room for me to rest. I was so cold. They heat up the blanket for me. I slept till almost 6pm. when the ops was over, I saw the clock pointed 4.30pm. I must have felt asleep ard 11pm.

They called to wake up to feed me, but I did not respond. I could hear them, but could not wake up. This vietnanese assistant kept coming to my room n always calling my name to wake me up. I tot she was motherly, but she didnt behave like one. She is loud all the time.

I managed to wake myself up for food n water bc ny throat was hurting badly. Before I left the clinic, the doc came to see me n explained what he had done. I was not fully sober to hear what he said. He cleaned my wound both my ear n nose. It was lots of pain. he then asked me whether I cd breathe. I said I had difficulty breathing the whole time. He,then used his surgeon light to shine thru my nostril n discovered he left 2 gauze still in there. He pulled them out. the hurt stinks like salt touching the wound.

After that, I could breathe with ease. Imagine I hv gone home with the gauze left in my nostrils. The whole time I wd hv difficulty breathing.

I m not sure he is good yet bc today is only my 2nd day post op. He is a korean. I read koreans r good in tip plasty. I hv to wait for the swell to subside for me to judge. He seemed experience. He seemed to know what he is doing. At this stage, my whole face swells pretty badly. I hv bruises on my right eye. The bruise spread to my left eye now.

My lower forehead swells too. Most likely more thAn a wk for my swell to go down 80%.

My advice based on my experience is to go on a general anaethestic rather than twilight if any ops that is gg to take more than 1-2 hrs.

I just gone back to adjust my nose bridge after my...

I just gone back to adjust my nose bridge after my gortex moved to the left of my face. Now, my left eye is swollen. The korean doctor replaced gortex with silicon. Is this a good idea? Just wondering.

I went to adjust my operation 3 times with this korean doctor. Hopefully this will be end of my nose surgery. I won't recommend him to do nose surgery. Scary

Today, i took out my bandage b/c it was so...

today, i took out my bandage b/c it was so uncomfortable. my shock - my nose bridge swelled and half of my face swelled like a pig's face. from the side view, my face looked like a helmet. this is the 2nd time i had to go thru this with the same doc.

i am utterly disappointed with him, and will never recommend anyone to him for rhinoplasty.
whoever is interested to know who he is, pm me. i will send the details

Up to now, my nose gets worst. the cartilage has...

up to now, my nose gets worst. the cartilage has moved and it is protruding the flesh. now, my tip looks like it is sitting on one side of the nose. it looks weird now on my face with the nostril and tip not in the center. Bridge is too thick. the whole shape of the nose he created looks really bad. i can feel the cartilage on the tip and it is painful. this is not looking any good. it is really disappointing. I can't believe i have a nose created by him which is really big the reversed of what i wanted.

I had my whole implant and parts of the cartilage...

I had my whole implant and parts of the cartilage removed after the implant shifted and poked through the skin. My whole nose shrunk after the removal. After 1 week, the tip of my nose became very swollen. Now, my tip has broaden and i had a line depression on the tip. It looks like the nose is cut into half. My dorsum has gone down so much left the tip. Now my nose looks so bulbous. I went back to the doctor for review. He said i developed keloids. and he has to soften the scars by injections. I just had my anti inflammatory injections. I have to go back for another few more injections 2 weeks later, then monthly until my scars soften. Not sure whether the swell will reduce. Hopefully it will b/c the injections are really painful each prick. i think i have gone thru not only a long journey but also painful experience along the way. whoever wants my advice, send me a message.

Great review?

My Doctor: name not provided

My rating:

Doctor's Bedside Manner
Answered My Questions
After Care Follow-Up
Time Spent With Me
Phone or Email Responsiveness
Staff Professionalism & Courtesy
Payment Process
Wait Times

His fees are relatively cheaper than other sydney cosmetic surgeons. However, I not sure whether he is a good candidate to perform nose surgery. But he is a responsible surgeon unlike other surgeons that i can name a few.

Comments (33)

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amyemzy 24 Jan 2013
Using gortex means that there is a risk that your body will reject this material because it is foreign and it sounds like it did. I think a good surgeon would stick to using cartilage from your ear or ribs as your body will accept it better. i hope you find a good surgeon to help you with revision and make sure they dont use any material other than your own cartilage
beauty freak 24 Jan 2013
yes u are right. but i had gortex and silicon implants before. my body rejected gortex but not silicon. they said cartilage is good, but as long as yr body is altered to a new shape whatever u put underneath the skin, it will still reject. time is the essence in healing be it a foreign object or your own bones.
Kerry1485 9 Jan 2013
Hello, sorry to hear about your battle with rhinoplasty. I hope all is settled soon. I was wondering if you could tell me which surgeon performed your operation. This would be so helpful as I've been considering this procedure for a while now. Thank you in advance
beauty freak 24 Jan 2013
what do u like to change?
Juavez 1 Jan 2013
Hi beauty freak, Thank you for the fast reply. Idid both tip plasty and bridge augmentation. It looks so awful now. Youre right, you dont know what you have until its gone. I really admire your strength. I hope it will turn out fine for you. My prayers are with you!
beauty freak 1 Jan 2013
thank u Nam2. since u did tip refinement and bridge implant, the swell would take a while before u see the result. the bridge implant swell would be more obvious on the initial period, subsequently the tip swell would become so apparent that u hate the shape. 5 weeks swell is too new to conclude the shape. also takes a while for your eyes to adjust the new shape. time is the answer, so wait. be patient and good luck...
Juavez 31 Dec 2012
Hi im post 5 weeks after rhinoplasty. I utterly hate it and regret every bit of it. When you first did it, when were you sure that you hate it? Because all the answer im getting is "maybe its just the swelling"
beauty freak 1 Jan 2013
what did u do? did u have a tip plasty or implant or both? 5 weeks is still new. u might need to wait a few more months to determine whether the shape is going to be permanent or temporary. my surgery was done almost 2 years back, and i am still correcting it. if i knew i have to continue with this review, i wd have saved the money and trouble and not do it.
MissySydney 12 Dec 2012
I sincerely wish I had read your review before my surgery! I also went to Dr. Andrew Kim at the Advance Beauty Cosmetic Clinic, and I am extremely unsatisfied with the results and the post operative care I was given. This is a shame as I did pay a small fortune to have him perform my surgery. With hindsight, I really should've heeded the warning signs from the beginning. Right after my first consultation with Dr. Andrew Kim, I had a number of doubts. Though I still chose to go ahead with the surgery because I liked the results on his website. I was also fooled into believing I was safe in his hands because of the media appearances he made on SBS Insight & ABC. This was a huge mistake. You don't have to be a good surgeon to appear on television, or to be listed online in search results. It's called advertisement and you shouldn't be mislead by it. Dr. Andrew Kim and his staff are clever, they have created an online profile and paid for advertisement on Google which is effective. It wasn't until after my surgery that I discovered that Dr. Andrew Kim is not a Board-Certified Plastic Surgeon. He is only a Cosmetic Surgeon, which indicates that he lacks proper surgical training. Since any doctor can call themselves a Cosmetic Surgeon! If I had known this beforehand, then I would have never gone to him. I would've seen a REAL Plastic Surgeon for the same price that I paid him! I also agree with you about the nurse. I think if you're still unhappy with your results, I would advise you not to go back to the clinic. They will do more damage than good. In my opinion, if you want revision surgery then go to an actual QUALIFIED Plastic Surgeon and make sure they have (FRACS) next to their name, as this shows they are a Board-Certified plastic surgeon. Once I fully recover from my surgery, I plan to go to Dr. Steven Liew for revision surgery. Also, I should mention that if you have any ongoing problems as a result of your surgery by Dr. Andrew Kim (such as permanent disfigurement or loss of smell, etc.), you can file a lawsuit against him and claim compensation. From a legal perspective, I think you would have a very good medical negligence/medical malpractice claim on your hands. Some lawyers will also agree to investigate your case on a 'no-win, no-charge' basis if their is merit. Another option is to file a complaint with the Office of the Health Services Commissioner. I hope you all the best.
beauty freak 17 Dec 2012
thanx MissySydney. It was not by Andrew Kim, but he is also a bad surgeon. I always have the impression that korean surgeons are good rhinoplastic surgeon, but my experience didn't confirm the statement. Andrew Kim is a rude and unfriendly surgeon. He has a good marketing girl who does very good marketing for him. Now, my nose is not symmetrical and is lopsided. I have keloids built in my nose after 4 surgeries. Terrible feeling and my nose is now ugly and bulbous. if i had not done it, my nose would be better looking than now. I am sorry to hear about your unsatisfied result. What did you do? You could lodge a complaint against him since you did not get complimentary after care services. In my case, I receive monthly after care services which will probably run for a year or 2 b/c my nose shape is pretty bad. I will not lodge a complaint against him as I would prefer to get it fixed than not getting it fixed by him since it was due to his own professional judgement and skills
Beauty101 28 Dec 2012
Hi was ur surgery through Andrew or Peter Kim?
Mkbbeauty 10 May 2013
Hi MissySydney, Could you please give me more info about Dr. Kim, coz I just had my consultation with him last monday for eye surgery as well as rhinoplasty. As about to make decision tomgo ahead coz I think he would be the bestbkorean surgeon as he appeared in SBS insight :( my email mkb2003@y7mail.com. Thanks so much
Sammie125 16 Sep 2012
I am so sorry to hear your on going battle. I too went thru a very bad primary rhinoplasty with an inexperienced surgeon and suffered for 9 months. I am glad I didn't go back to the same doctor as if he did such a bad job the first time, I cannot trust him with my nose again...( it was many months of struggles to not to go back to him). Many people advise me to go back to the original surgeon as he is the only one who knew what he did but God was merciful and block that mistake. I went to another surgeon who was recommended by another ps I consulted with. I am so much happier with my new nose! I hope you can find another surgeon as this one will never be able to achieve what you want. He has proven that too many times! It's time to move on to a new doctor to give you the nose you should of gotten. Please do your homework... Go to as many consultation as possible. Learn from this ordeal and focus on the things you want to correct. But no nose can be perfect but you do deserve a straight dorsum that looks natural. You can even think of going to Korea, they do this day in and day out! Good luck and God bless!
beauty freak 17 Sep 2012
thank u Sammie... I don't tell people of what I did. My surgery went wrong not only he didn't meet my expectation, but also his skills. the bridge moved and my implant eventually protruded to the tip of my nose. it was swollen. all i had to do was to go back and see him and got the implant out asap. otherwise, more complications would arise. this whole saga for 15 months i had to go thru caused so much fear to go thru another invasive surgery.
J.c 14 Oct 2012
Beauty Freak, I totally understand how you feel. I don't share my bad experience with my friends as I don't want to repeatedly answering questionssss that will remind me about my dissatisfaction of my nose. I agree with Sammie, try to consult more surgeons. I hope you have found a surgeon that you feel comfortable to let him/her to revise your nose. Hope everything goes well with you.
beauty freak 14 Oct 2012
nope J.c. , no more surgeons. i took out everything, and i just have to settle with my own natural nose. the whole experience scares me. i am not afraid of other minor surgeries but anything to do with more invasive surgeries, i will have to reconsider
XJ 15 Aug 2012
Hi Did you see Dr Andrew Kim?

He is meant to be good. Yet it sounds like he wasnt that great? How much overall did you pay for your nose job including the revision?
beauty freak 31 Aug 2012
Yes I did see him, but he wasnt friendly and helpful

He could be good. I have not tried him. He is too expensive for me plus he is not friendly and his 28 yo vietnamese staff is rude. No, I won't see him again. If you ever see him, just tell him his 28 yo vietnames girl is rude.

My revision costs me less than $50 each time, and he didnt charge me for all the clinic fees when i went for revision. Anyway, it is not my problem that I have to go thru revision. It's all his professional negligence.
beauty freak 14 Jun 2012
yes, u can pm me. but i don't think they allow u to disclose your email in this commentary.
J.c 14 Jun 2012

Can I PM you? my email is j****@hotmail.com .

J.c 14 Jun 2012
I wish I have spoken to you before. I had my nose done, I have complicated feeling on my side profile. not happy with my nostril and going to have my alar cut. Did you have your alar cut as well?any visible scar left? What is your openion on his double eye lid surgery ?? i'm thinking to have him to do the double eye lid. Not sure if his eye lid surgery skill better than nose job skill not.
beauty freak 14 Jun 2012
I have not done the alar. My alar is natural and look broad. I think double eye lid operation is generally easier than nose operation. I've seen his double eye lid surgery. He used stitches instead of cutting. But stitches won't last long. Also depends on how thick your skin. If the skin is thick, you probably have the excess skin cut off.

did u do the nose operation with him?
beauty freak 12 Jun 2012
i went to correct my nose for the 4th time. the 1st time, the gortex implant had moved towards my left eye. hence, i looked like i had a twisted nose. i went back the 2nd time to correct it. this time less swell. he moved the implant internally towards the centre but it still didn't go straight.

i went back the 3rd time. this time he took out the gortex implant and replaced it with silicon implant. unfortunately, it was too big for my face. it looked like my nose bridge came out of my forehead. it was horrible looking plus my tip was way too big. end up i look like i have an old man's big nose. i was really unhappy. i almost file a legal suit against him.

finally, we scheduled for another surgery. an hour meeting. a lot of misunderstanding. he was too ambitious, and i had a different vision from him. i went to do the correction procedure another time on the 17 May. this time, my implant and my tip are 2/3 smaller. But, i think my implant is still not centre. sigh...
J.c 6 Jun 2012
beauty freak, after so many months from your july 2011 nose operation, i presume all swollen should have gone. Are you happy with the final look? you know anyone have double eye lid done by Dr Kim ?
beauty freak 12 Jun 2012
jenny, unfortunately not 100% satisfied with the result. which Dr Kim are u referring to? i think double eye lids operation are easier to achieve result than nose surgery. a lot of cosmetic surgeon shd be able to do double eye lid surgery. it is less complex than nose surgery. any operations which require reconstruction are always complicated.
make sure u print the picture that u want the doc to achieve the same kind of result.

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