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*Treatment results may vary
Healing continued
6.) One month post-op:
Roughly one month post-op I revisited VLIF for a checkup and to take some after pictures. They also offered to do some laser treatments on the scars to speed up healing. If you live in Seoul they will offer this more frequently, but it was time for me to leave the country and go home.
Dr. Shim was very pleased with the progress, and so was I. The result was a noticeable improvement while still looking natural. I had been clear from the beginning that I did not want an extremely tightly pulled-back look and I was happy that this was avoided. I was also glad that I followed Dr. Shim’s suggestion and went with the platysmaplasty because in my opinion this made a significant impact on the overall outcome.
By this point the bruising was healed for the most part. The pinkness of the scars persisted for some time after this, but like I said, they were not very visible since they were under my hair.
Roughly one month post-op I revisited VLIF for a checkup and to take some after pictures. They also offered to do some laser treatments on the scars to speed up healing. If you live in Seoul they will offer this more frequently, but it was time for me to leave the country and go home.
Dr. Shim was very pleased with the progress, and so was I. The result was a noticeable improvement while still looking natural. I had been clear from the beginning that I did not want an extremely tightly pulled-back look and I was happy that this was avoided. I was also glad that I followed Dr. Shim’s suggestion and went with the platysmaplasty because in my opinion this made a significant impact on the overall outcome.
By this point the bruising was healed for the most part. The pinkness of the scars persisted for some time after this, but like I said, they were not very visible since they were under my hair.
Healing
5.) Weeks following the surgery:
The day following the surgery I was swollen but not badly bruised. I was given mild painkillers along with some other oral and topical medications but actually there was not that much pain. The most painful part was the thin plastic tube that had been inserted through one of the incisions to allow subdermal blood and fluids to drain into a plastic bag, but that was more of an irritating/annoying pain than anything excruciating. It wasn’t anything unmanageable.
Two-days post-op I went back in to have the staples and the above-mentioned tube removed. Dr. Shim assured me that everything was looking good and to just rest over the next several days. No problem – I had plenty of Netflix to binge. Also, no alcohol allowed for several weeks. Bummer. This was also when I really started to bruise. Especially under my eyes, everything developed a deep purple color, which eventually turned to yellow before fading over the course of two to three weeks. I would say that it took about two weeks before most of the bruising was gone.
In addition to the bruising, I also had scars to deal with. There was one under my chin and more on either side of my face along the hairline on my temples. They were not terrible, but pink and noticeable if you looked closely. Fortunately, they were not in very conspicuous places and I was able to hide them with my hair and facial hair. I was instructed to religiously apply scar gel and sunscreen to them multiple times a day, which I did, and continue to do.
The day following the surgery I was swollen but not badly bruised. I was given mild painkillers along with some other oral and topical medications but actually there was not that much pain. The most painful part was the thin plastic tube that had been inserted through one of the incisions to allow subdermal blood and fluids to drain into a plastic bag, but that was more of an irritating/annoying pain than anything excruciating. It wasn’t anything unmanageable.
Two-days post-op I went back in to have the staples and the above-mentioned tube removed. Dr. Shim assured me that everything was looking good and to just rest over the next several days. No problem – I had plenty of Netflix to binge. Also, no alcohol allowed for several weeks. Bummer. This was also when I really started to bruise. Especially under my eyes, everything developed a deep purple color, which eventually turned to yellow before fading over the course of two to three weeks. I would say that it took about two weeks before most of the bruising was gone.
In addition to the bruising, I also had scars to deal with. There was one under my chin and more on either side of my face along the hairline on my temples. They were not terrible, but pink and noticeable if you looked closely. Fortunately, they were not in very conspicuous places and I was able to hide them with my hair and facial hair. I was instructed to religiously apply scar gel and sunscreen to them multiple times a day, which I did, and continue to do.
The procedure
3.) Day before the surgery:
I arrived in Seoul and went into the clinic the day before the surgery for the required blood work and to take before pictures. The clinic is conveniently located in the Gangnam area in the center of Seoul. It was very easy to locate and the inside was clean and professional looking. When I arrived the receptionists politely directed me to take a seat and wait for my appointment time.
4.) Day of the surgery:
On the day of the surgery I headed back to the clinic in the early morning (do you know how hard it is to do a pre-surgery fast in Seoul when your hotel is next to a Korean BBQ restaurant emitting the delicious aroma of cooking meat?!). I finally got to meet with Dr. Shim to discuss what he would be doing and to put markings on my face. He spoke English well but the consultant translated everything just to make sure that I fully understood everything.
Although he had already reviewed the pictures that I shared via WhatsApp, upon seeing me in person he suggested that I might also benefit from a platysmaplasty, which was not a part of the plan originally. I didn’t even know what this was, but he explained that it was a complementary procedure to tighten the platysma muscles i.e. to reduce the appearance of a double-chin. It was not that much of an increase in price so I decided to follow his suggestion and get everything done at the same time. I’m glad that I did.
After the final consultation it was time to begin the surgery. I was a little nervous at this point and I appreciated how both Dr. Shim and the consultant reassured me that everything was going to be fine. Thanks to their encouraging words I was able to stay calm. They led me into the operating room where the nurses laid me down on the operating table and put in the IV drip, etc. The consultant was there the entire time explaining what was happening. Eventually they administered the anesthesia and I felt myself slip away into unconsciousness.
I woke up several hours later, groggy and trying to remember where I was. When I finally had my wits about me the consultant was there to inform me that everything had gone as planned without any issues. She explained how I was to take care of myself over the next couple of days including the dosing of the medications they provided. She also reminded me that she was available via WhatsApp should I need anything before helping me call a taxi back to my hotel.
I arrived in Seoul and went into the clinic the day before the surgery for the required blood work and to take before pictures. The clinic is conveniently located in the Gangnam area in the center of Seoul. It was very easy to locate and the inside was clean and professional looking. When I arrived the receptionists politely directed me to take a seat and wait for my appointment time.
4.) Day of the surgery:
On the day of the surgery I headed back to the clinic in the early morning (do you know how hard it is to do a pre-surgery fast in Seoul when your hotel is next to a Korean BBQ restaurant emitting the delicious aroma of cooking meat?!). I finally got to meet with Dr. Shim to discuss what he would be doing and to put markings on my face. He spoke English well but the consultant translated everything just to make sure that I fully understood everything.
Although he had already reviewed the pictures that I shared via WhatsApp, upon seeing me in person he suggested that I might also benefit from a platysmaplasty, which was not a part of the plan originally. I didn’t even know what this was, but he explained that it was a complementary procedure to tighten the platysma muscles i.e. to reduce the appearance of a double-chin. It was not that much of an increase in price so I decided to follow his suggestion and get everything done at the same time. I’m glad that I did.
After the final consultation it was time to begin the surgery. I was a little nervous at this point and I appreciated how both Dr. Shim and the consultant reassured me that everything was going to be fine. Thanks to their encouraging words I was able to stay calm. They led me into the operating room where the nurses laid me down on the operating table and put in the IV drip, etc. The consultant was there the entire time explaining what was happening. Eventually they administered the anesthesia and I felt myself slip away into unconsciousness.
I woke up several hours later, groggy and trying to remember where I was. When I finally had my wits about me the consultant was there to inform me that everything had gone as planned without any issues. She explained how I was to take care of myself over the next couple of days including the dosing of the medications they provided. She also reminded me that she was available via WhatsApp should I need anything before helping me call a taxi back to my hotel.
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