Classic Nightmare Overseas Experience - Kuala Lumpar, Malaysia
I had a rhinoplasty performed in Malaysia 6 months...
I had a rhinoplasty performed in Malaysia 6 months ago. I am from Australia and am part Middle Eastern. I had a slightly bulbous tip and hanging columella (middle section that separates the nostrils) that I wanted to refine. I went through 'Beautiful You Holiday' who recommended Dato' Dr Jalil Jidon.
The local Malaysian employee of 'Beautiful You Holiday' was lovely and arranged pick up/ drop off from the airport, hotel and hospital. A mobile phone was also given with a contact number so that if there was anything I needed, I was able to contact someone.
Ampang Puteri Hospital was clean, modern and staffed with lovely and efficient nursing staff. My procedure was seamless, with little to no post-op pain and no bruising under the eyes. I was very excited to see the preliminary results once the splint came off. Day 7 post-op and my splint was removed revealing a very asymmetrical nose. This was caused by the swelling and is not abnormal. I did however notice that my nostrils for some reason were higher then they use to be. Being a nurse myself, I decided that it was far too early to arrive to any conclusions and that I must be patient.
I am now 6 months post-op and my nose has seriously been operated on by an amateur. There is still asymmetrical swelling (to be expected) but too much cartilage has been removed on the right side leaving a slight concave look as well as my columella now looking more prominent then before. My side profile is also strange. My overall result has been an epic fail.
I have seen plastic surgeons both in Australia and the USA to see what can be done and am choosing to get my revision done in September in the USA.
Dr Jalil offered to do the revision but even though he may not charge extra, there are still flights, hotel, hospital and anaethsetic fees. I have also lost faith in Dr Jalil's capabilities with such a delicate surgery.
Moral of the story: there is a consequence to every action and now I must pay so much more for the dreadful mistake made. If you choose to go overseas for cosmetic surgery, remember that the legal options that may be available to you at home may not be available to you in another country and that the standards of practice differ dramatically.
Replies (31)
He is a very pedantic surgeon and told me I had to wait till at least September to do the revision. I thought whilst I was there, if I liked him why not go for it but he told me straight up 'no' and that it is too early and wants me to get the best possible result so I have to wait. I really appreciated that honesty. He is more expensive then the other surgeons in the USA and Australia I was considering but I met other patients who had revisions and their results were phenomenal.
I think your situation raises many important issues about undergoing not only cosmetic surgery, but surgery in general. One of these is the relationship you develop with your surgeon. As they are going to do something invasive to you, I think it is so important to have complete confidence in them. This can really only develop through hearing about them ("word of mouth"), seeing their results and the relationship you develop with them during consultations.
I have had 2 procedures and felt absolute confidence in my surgeons. I was never particularly nervous - other than the usual "I hope it turns out the way I imagine it to"!
I am curious to know, how many consultations did you have with your surgeon? How did you choose your surgeon? What information was provided to you about your surgeon?
I'm so pleased you have now found a PS whom you are happy with! I look forward to following your story. My best wishes to you.
Through the medical tourism company, I was put in touch with a woman from New Zealand who sent photo's of her results. My main communication was with the medical tourism company and not the surgeon himself so all consultations happened when I was in Malaysia. When I had my consultation, I expressed the need to keep my ethnic nose but just to refine it and was also armed with pictures. From the way he was speaking, it seemed like he understood exactly what I wanted. But a rhinoplasty needs to have a delicate surgeon and it just didn't work out well.
In short, I am an idiot but that's the way it goes. I demanded a refund and I am due to get half the surgeons fees back which is something I suppose.
With my revision, I found the surgeon via a blog site from a billionaires wife. With all surgeons in the USA you can guarantee that they have had at least one law suit and all the negative reviews for Dr Chasan were over something (in my mind) petty and nothing actually surgically related. Revision rhinoplasty is also so much more difficult so I went to meet all the potential surgeons personally in Australia and the USA. Seeing the revisions done by Dr Chasan personally really made my mind up. Also, Dr Chasan whilst lovely, has a no nonsense flare to him which I love.
This is turning into a very expensive journey but my only other choice is to live with the error and I am not willing to do that. So, I am essentially working for my nose.
One year on post revision with Dr Chasan
With both surgeries (but mainly from the first one), I have been left with extensive scar tissue that has affected the overall results. This is a complication that needs to be taken into account because it has provided some bulkiness to some area.
I love the staff at Ranch and Coast plastic surgery...the main nurse that stayed with me overnight was just an awesome person and a great nurse (thanks Amber).
Will I get another revision in the future? Maybe but not for a long, long time. If I did, it would be to make the nostril size more even (but I don't know if it is that important to me), and fix the right side more. Maybe just a little bit of filler will fix that but I can definitely say that I don't wake up and look in the mirror and experience that frustration that I had with my primary rhinoplasty and I need to thank Dr Chasan for that.
Just to note, other medical tourism outfits like Gorgeous Getaways use Dr Jalil Jidon as well.