Dr. Kwon - outstanding DCF rhinoplasty & custom chin & cheek implant outcome

Summary: Dr. Kwon delivered an outstanding DCF Rhinoplasty and custom chin + cheek implants surgical outcome. The procedures significantly improved the aesthetic harmony of my face and the rhinoplasty also enabled me to breath normally through my nose for the first time. I’m seeing initial positive indications that the aesthetic improvement could be life changing. Dr. Kwon and his beautiful assistant Lilit form the best plastic surgery team you could hope for and I strongly recommend them.

Full review: I first consulted with Dr. Kwon via phone in August of 2023 with the goal of improving facial attractiveness. Based on front and side-profile photos of my face and aspirational faces I had sent in advance, Dr. Kwon took great care in walking me through the strengths and weaknesses of my face and the temporary (primarily filler) and permanent (surgical) opportunities to improve. Based on this consult, I decided to move forward with an Ultherapy treatment to enhance jawline definition and 6ccs of Restylane Lyft filler targeting my chin, cheeks (malar prominence) and nose to temporarily test out what a change could look like.

A couple weeks later, I visited Dr. Kwon’s Newport Beach location to receive the Ultherapy and filler. It was my first time doing anything like this, and I was skeptical there would be any improvement. When I arrived at the Newport Beach office, I was struck by how fun and relaxed the mood was compared to my preconceived ideas of what a plastic surgery office would feel like. I first met Lilit, Dr. Kwon’s beautiful and highly competent assistant, who showed me into the procedure room and gave me some background context for what I should expect. Then Dr. Kwon came in and we chatted and confirmed the procedures. Dr. Kwon has struck me as a kind, humble, consistent, and brilliant man - exactly the kind of person you’d want performing surgery when it matters most.

First up was the Ultherapy treatment. Ultherapy is the second most painful thing I’ve gone through, but at this point I’d say it was worth it in terms of additional jaw definition delivered. For the uninitiated: “painful but worth it” is a common theme in plastic surgery. Receiving Ultherapy took about an hour, and it can best be described as receiving hundreds of electric “zaps” each of which I’d score about 7/10 for pain. The technician administering the Ultherapy handed me a breast implant to hang onto during the procedure though, which was super fun!

After recovering from the Ultherapy ordeal, Dr. Kwon came in and we started the filler. It took about an hour to inject all six syringes of Restylane Lyft, and I’d score the pain at 4/10. Dr. Kwon handed me a mirror so I could see how the changes looked after each injection, and it was pretty magical to see my face visibly improve over a matter of minutes. Contrary to my initial concerns, it was possible to safely improve my face using filler.

A couple months later I reached out to Lilit to schedule a consult with Dr. Kwon about making the changes permanent. Dr. Kwon and I talked at length and ultimately I signed up for a DCF Rhinoplasty and custom cheek + chin implants, all to be executed during the same surgery in March 2024. Following the filler I was immediately sure I wanted to make permanent the cheek + chin changes, but I was a bit on the fence about the rhinoplasty since it would be such a major operation. Ultimately, discovering that I also had a deviated septum and that it’s not normal to breath only through your mouth (who knew?) nudged me toward doing the rhinoplasty as well.

The process to create the custom implants was extensive, and included a multi-iterative design and review process with Dr. Kwon, me, and a tech all on a video call looking at 3D models of the implant designs (which can be updated in real time) super-imposed on a 3D rendering of my skull.

In March when I woke up from the 6-hour long surgery (DCF Rhinoplasty, custom cheek and chin implants), Dr. Kwon indicated that everything went great but that it would be a rough night for me. Boy was he right (on both counts). The first week recovering from the surgery was the most painful thing I’ve ever gone through, and the rhinoplasty in particular I would score at 8/10 for pain during much of the first week recovering at home. The high amount of pain might be due to the major septum repair that took place in addition to the aesthetic surgery. Another important note: in the days immediately following facial surgery you’ll likely be so swollen that it’s impossible to tell if it turned out well or not, so I wouldn’t even worry about trying to gauge any sense of the outcome until at least 2-4 weeks post-operation.

Now 8-months post surgery, I’m pleased with the aesthetic outcome of all three procedures. I can also breathe freely through my nose the large majority of the time. In addition, the first two women I asked out following the surgery both said yes. Beautiful facial aesthetics don’t guarantee successful relationships, but they can play a key role in getting your foot in the door. Despite the pain and cost (money and time), given the opportunity to turn back the clock I would do it all over again.