Light at the end of the tunnel - finally feel like myself again

It’s rare in life to meet someone who approaches everything they do with so much humility and intention - and I was lucky enough to find that with Dr. Kim.

I had a traumatic primary rhinoplasty with a different doctor that left me incredibly distrusting of plastic surgeons and with very low self esteem and depression. It’s hard to put into words how it feels to look in the mirror and no longer recognize yourself. The previous doctor had removed way too much cartilage from my nose, leaving me with a saddleback deformity and drooping tip. I felt so badly about my appearance that I even delayed planning my wedding because I couldn’t bear the thought of being the center of attention and getting my picture taken.

After a lot of research, I decided on Dr. Kim for my revision rhinoplasty. My revision consultation with him was such a huge contrast from my primary consultation with the other doctor. Dr. Kim thoroughly examined my nose and talked through his plans to fix my problems in great detail. He is very professional and direct, but also very down-to-earth. You can tell he is not one to make empty promises, and if anything errs on the side of underselling himself (which is what you want from a plastic surgeon, trust me!). He spends a LOT of time on each patient, and specializes in rhinoplasty only. His credentials speak for themselves (double board certified, UCSF, etc). I also talked to another revision rhinoplasty patient of his and she had only glowing things to say about her experience.

My revision rhinoplasty recovery was so much easier than my primary rhinoplasty recovery, even though my revision required a rib graft. I remember looking in the mirror right when I got home from surgery and being surprised that I looked so good and had no bruising or swelling yet. This is a testament to how incredibly gentle and meticulous Dr. Kim is. When I went to get my stitches and splint out a week later, I was once again surprised by how gentle Dr. Kim was. He spent so much time carefully removing the stitches from the rib graft, and was equally meticulous when removing the splint from my nose. You can just tell that he is someone who really, really cares about the quality of his work, every step of the way.

I of course had lots of swelling in my nose once the cast came off and didn’t really look at my nose much for the first week or so. But by the 2 week mark, a TON of the swelling suddenly went down and I realized that I looked… dare I say… AMAZING!! It was like looking at a better version of my original nose. It wasn’t perfect, but it was pretty darn great (as they say, the enemy of good is perfect).

I am at the 6 month mark and am in full wedding planning mode now! While I once felt dread and embarrassment about my wedding, I now feel so much excitement… I look awesome!! I can’t wait to be the center of attention now (lol). I finally feel like myself again. I often find myself with tears in my eyes when I think about Dr. Kim and how grateful I am to him… and I think about him often because of how content I feel every time I look in the mirror or take a picture. What he does on a daily basis with his practice is so much more than just plastic surgery. He honors each patient by bringing his full self to the table everyday. Thank you Dr. Kim for being the intentional, humble, and kind person that you are. People like him are hard to find, and I fully recommend him to anyone who finds themselves in a similar position as me after a traumatic primary rhinoplasty. It was a long, dark, and windy road to get here, but Dr. Kim was my light at the end of the tunnel.