Facial Feminization Story Before and After ID Hospital. Elite and Professional

I’ve always been comfortable knowing someday I would surgically enhance my facial features, however deciding at 21 years old that the time had come for me to go forth with cosmetic surgery to best feel my most comfortable and confident self, as a transgender woman - it was definitely out of my comfort zone! Thankfully, through every interaction with ID Hospital my nerves leading up to the day of surgery were placed more and more at ease. The first time I walked into ID Hospital, the glamorous chandelier and beautiful advertising took me back in awe but once I entered the elevator to travel to the pre-surgical floor for my health check, the perfumed scent of the lobby dispersed and all I could smell was what felt like the most sanitary and clean hospital I’ve ever been to! And that in my opinion is exactly what distinguishes ID Hospital from other clinics, both the beauty, reputation and elite professionalism in providing surgical cosmetic care.

My health check was conducted professionally by various nurses, to whom all made me feel most comfortable and kept the process quick. Some nurses do speak English, and I found the doctors can speak English to an extent but majorly the conversations are in Korean, so thankfully ID Hospital provides a translator to stick with you throughout your journey. The translator provided for me, Julie, was well-spoken when translating conversations and really uplifted me with laughter at times throughout my post-surgery appointments - I miss her!

After the health check, I travelled up in the elevator to the consultation rooms where my pre-consultation was first held. I elaborated on my hopes with each procedure, agreeing with a translator on different things to be shared with my doctors. My facial feminisation surgeries consisted of four separate procedures, conducted by three of ID’s doctors in one operation, so meeting all three doctors for a consultation was a lengthy period. Thankfully with each consultation, I noticed my doctors were all very experienced and intelligent in the areas they were dealing with. I could see they had previously studied my requests, facial structure and pre-planned for the consultation (like an A+ student bringing homework in!). After my consultations with Dr. Chi Young Bang (rhinoplasty) and Dr. Kyung Min Lee (fat grafting), I truly felt heart warmed by the standard of care and acceptance by the staff at ID on my first day. I knew this was the right decision and couldn’t be happier to start fasting for my operation the next day.

And that was the hardest part! Fasting… who would have thought not having a single sip of water for 10 hours would be more of a struggle than recovery from v-line jaw contouring, rhinoplasty, fat grafting and a forehead reduction? My mouth was parched without a lick of water the morning of my surgery, but once again the moment I reached ID Hospital my nerves were dismissed (sort of) as I met the same faces from the day prior, including my translator whom guided me into pre-surgery consultations with each of the doctors. My favourite moment was changing into the cutest cotton ID surgery garbs and having my handsome doctors draw surgery plans on my face with permanent markers. It’s a blur, but I made my way eventually to the surgery table and the anaesthesiologists were super caring, the nurse by my side told me it was normal for my heart rate to be racing like it was and my translator told me everything will be okay! Then it felt like I blinked and woke up again… my first question when waking up from an 8 hour operation was “oh it’s that easy?”, I didn’t believe it had happened, especially because all the same faces from when I went to sleep were still there when I woke up like no time had passed - even my translator. It was comforting knowing the team stuck together through my whole operation.

The overnight recovery room, for patients with v-line jaw contouring, was iconic! It feels like the Hunger Games, or Gilligan’s Island - something desperate as you wait patiently until the nurse advises you’ve overcome the anaesthesia and can sip on water for the first time in 24 hours. Time passed by fast, the IV fluid drip kept me alive and the overnight nurses were wonderfully caring; quick to your aid if need be. I was a little bit dramatic, constantly calling them for no event reasonings when I was actually fine, maybe just bored and of course a princess. The head nurse decided I could sip water, an hour earlier than what had been scheduled. My first sip of water after all I’d been through and it was just like sipping water any other day - I couldn't believe it. The nurse was super caring in that moment, she really went above and beyond to help me walk to the water cooler and encouraged me to keep walking to stretch my legs, dismiss more anaesthesia and begin the de-swelling process. It was cute walking the overnight recovery halls looking like a zombie and I truly have never felt more ecstatic with excitement for my surgery was a success! That feeling is something I’ll never forget after so many months leading up to it with anxious hesitation and all the whirlwind emotions deciding on major life changing cosmetic surgeries. It was then I knew there was no place I’d rather be than ID Hospital and I would 1000% live through the last four paragraphs again in a heartbeat for the happiness, confidence and beauty the experience has brought to my life, but I guess I’ve already lived it.

Recovery is emotional, at times seemingly long with no end in sight and definitely a shock to your mental state, but all the worthwhile. Regular aftercare appointments at ID involving the world’s best post-surgery skincare and laser treatments were great to look forward to throughout recovery along with every check-up being one step closer to seeing surgical results. Every check-up is with the same nurse, translator and you get to speak again with your doctors too, this routine really strengthens the patient-staff relationship and made me feel very much taken care of. The most important note to my recovery was I felt no pain, something I had been more nervous to endure than anaesthesia! My whole face went numb and stayed that way for weeks - a dramatic but enlightening experience, I’m glad 6 months later I feel normal again although I do miss brushing knots in my hair and not feeling a single tug at the scalp.

The nose cast removal and reveal at 7 days post-op fell onto deaf ears and I wish blind eyes too. I’d never seen anything worse in my whole life than a great big swollen nose in the middle of MY face! That moment cemented for me that anything I’m seeing now in the mirror through recovery is not a final result and I have a long way to heal. 3 weeks post-op my face looked normal (although enlarged) and 3 months post-op my face was really starting to look stunning and feminine, now at 6 months post-op I’m over the moon and have never felt more beautiful - on some days still swollen, final results can take 2 years and that only gives me more hope for the future because if I’m happy now I cannot imagine how much slimmer and lighter my results will be in the future - exciting!

Thank you ID Hospital, 10 out of 10 stars for exquisite, world-class professional surgical services! You’ve made me the confident woman I am today and as previously mentioned, I would live through everything again in a heartbeat for the happiness these procedures have brought into my life.