My V-line/Genioplasty at Regen in Seoul, Korea

This is my experience with undergoing mini v-line chin surgery, including sliding genioplasty, to correct my receded and squarish chin. I decided to go with Regen Plastic Surgery in Seoul, Korea, mainly because I read blogger Bong Qiuqiu’s review, and her facial structure was similar to mine and her results came out so well. Regen's english consultant, Gina, was friendly and pretty responsive to my messages, and they offered a good price compared to other clinics I consulted (GNG, Banobagi, JW, EU).

Additionally, I live in the bay area (U.S.) and found limited surgeons in my area who perform these procedures. I was able to consult with two doctors, one of whom was very professional but charged too much, and one whom accused me of having mental issues for wanting surgery. These experiences mostly turned me away from surgery in the US.

Btw, Ive added a rating here, but it is only my 4th day post-op so I hope I can update it after I can see my results fully.

At Regen, I was immediately greeted by the English consultant I'd been messaging, Gina, and got my blood tests and xrays done. The building and interior deco is a little older compared to other clinics in Gangnam but it's still a huge hospital with 15 floors. Gina was super nice and I've always been able to reach her by Kakao/Wechat within a day. I met with Dr. Oh Myungjune, and he was very thorough and informative with his advice. He kept touching my face and recommended that I get a different method of mini vline than I originally wanted (just genioplasty), due to my muscle placement and the length of my bone. Basically I had a long chin bone, but it was just very receded and pushed back, and a short chin muscle, which would be strained if I got a simple sliding genioplasty. He would have to perform 2 more cuts (shown in the pics in my 1st post). He showed me a lot of pictures of before and afters, as well as xrays, of similar patients, and I felt very confident in his skill. I told him I consulted with other doctors who told me genio would be fine, and he replied, I am a craftsman, they are just surgeons!

Of course this meant the price I had in mind went up a lot bc of the method.. my boyfriend's local Korean aunt even came with us to bargain the price but they wouldn't budge because the surgery is with the head doctor.

After this consultation I made the decision to stick with Regen, and went for my surgery the next day.

Gina prepared me for the surgery and I waited about an hour before I was taken to the operation room. They injected me and inserted IV and I thought that hurt already :sad: and within 6-8 seconds I was knocked out. When I woke up, I was honestly in a lot of pain and my body temp was so low that I was shaking. They wheeled me to the recovery room and turned up the heat. I couldn't drink water for 4 hours, and that was honestly THE WORST part. My throat felt so dry and sandpapered and the pain/discomfort level was honestly at a 10/10 for me. After these 4 hours, it gradually got better, I was allowed to drink water and then go home because I couldn't stand the hospital.

That night, I couldn't talk at all and could barely swallow water, my throat was tight and hurt. Night
1 consisted of me waking every 30 min to spit out blood/phelgm/spit, and during the day, I basically had to do the same constantly >< I couldn't drink anything besides tiny spoons of water at a time and would have a hard time even swallowing my pills. However, things got better by day 2!

continued >

Day 2:
The pain has mostly subsided, but I still feel very very sore and tight around the jaw. Swelling isn't too bad. I'm mostly really annoyed by my irritated/swollen throat and still inability to talk or swallow.

Day 4:
Today one of the bandages going across my chin was coming off so I removed it, and my lips started getting a tingly needle sensation. Other than that, I'm able to open my mouth a bit more and I was able to cut up a soft pizza slice into small pieces and swallow it with water. It feels good to get some food down! I also was able to drink some sweet potato juice and strawberry shake. Results so far are still hard to tell, I feel like my chin is too wide/long but hopefullyy its due to the swelling.

Day 6:
I'm feeling a lot better! Swelling is at a peak but my bruises have turned from brown/green to yellow. I was able to go out and shop around in Hongdae, walking and especially the cold weather helps with swelling. I'm able to open my jaw slightly more and lightly chew/swallow soft, cut up foods, also ice cream is great when recovering! I recommend eating noodle soups and any type of soft food that you can cut up into small pieces. I also recommend wearing a v-line head band as much as possible during the day and night, to ensure that your soft tissues and skin adhere to your new jawline. I bought one from a local pharmacy near my clinic.