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Delivered a Very Good Result on a Difficult Revision Case with Several Prior Failed Surgeries That Many Doctors Refused to Touch
Prior to coming to Dr Jin's clinic, I had four prior revision rhinoplasties to try to fix my issue. I had the following problems:
1) a very badly upturned nose partly due to severe skin contracture from a prior rhinoplasty (I'm talking like 25-30 degrees upturned, not just a bit)
2) a lot of difficulty breathing through the nose due to a very badly deviated septum and swollen mucosa
3) severely notched nostrils
4) columella retrusion due to the infection
In the weeks after my first three failed surgeries (2 done in Canada, one in Korea, all done with septal and ear cartilage grafts), all surgeons told me to give it time and that the nose would "drop" in the coming 3-6 months - this was nonsense. In my experience, the position of the nose is mostly fixed in place almost immediately after surgery - the swelling that makes the nose seem bloated and wide goes down with time, not really the tip position. If your nose is still hugely upturned after 1-2 weeks post op after the bulk of initial swelling is gone this is not normal and you will need a revision. When surgeons say that the nose tends to "drop after surgery", they mean by like a few degrees once you are past the two week mark.
I also had a rib cartilage revision done in Korea the year before coming to Dr Jin (I wrote a review of this doctor on realself as well). This gave me some lowering finally, but not nearly enough - it brought my nasiolabial angle down to about 115 from 120-125 degrees (the average for men is 95-100). Also I experienced some warping post-surgery that shifted the position of the thin rib on the bridge, making the bridge too high. The surgeon also failed to bring my severely notched nostrils down. He did improve my breathing significantly, but it was apparent that my nose issues were not over. I was feeling desperate and afraid that I would be stuck like this.
I spent a few months searching for clinics before deciding on Dr. Jin. I emailed the previous clinic in Seoul that I went to as well as several clinics in the USA. The well-known doctors in the USA for rib revisions were mostly outrageously expensive and out of my budget. Many others said my case was too difficult due to the failed surgeries. The last clinic I went to also said that my case was too hard and due to my condition further lengthening would be impossible.
After a lot of digging I found a surgeon who went from academia to private practice last year - Dr. Hong Ryul Jin. A couple different doctors who said they did not feel comfortable operating on me given my history recommended him. His credentials are top notch. I emailed him and he got back to me right away and within a week I had a surgery date lined up. He was sympathetic to my situation since I had so many botched surgeries and he gave a significant discount.
His English is excellent and he was realistic about what he thought he could attain. The staff and clinic were businesslike. It struck me more of as a hospital than a plastic surgery clinic, different from the typical clinics in Gangnam. This might not be to everyone's tastes but I appreciated it. He was upfront during the consult and said he was confident he could improve it significantly and make the nose look normal but a "perfect" nose was out of the question - fine by me. I had a rib cartilage revision done the next day under general anesthesia.
When I woke up from surgery I instantly knew he delivered, even with the cast on. He saw me right after I woke up and said that the surgery went a bit better than he expected it to. Even with the cast on I could tell that the tip was significantly lower and the nostril notching was fixed. I could also breath better as soon as two days after the surgery.
I wholeheartedly recommend anyone who has a complicated/difficult revision case to go to Dr. Jin. Don't let being a foreigner deter you - communication was a breeze and there are tons of cheap places to stay within walking distance of his clinic for the week you'll be in Seoul. Including airfare and housing I paid less than HALF of what I would if I saw one of the prominent rib revision experts I contacted in the USA. Being perfectly honest, for a primary case where your nose hasn't been operated on and/or you are seeking standard, simple changes like making your nose higher, your nostrils narrower, or having a bump removed or something, you don't need an elite surgeon and I'm sure there are tons of surgeons all over the world that can give you are looking for. But for a case like mine, you really do need an elite revision expert, and Dr. Jin definitely is in that category.
Thanks to Dr. Jin's expertise I can say with certainty that my journey to fix my nose is finally over.
1) a very badly upturned nose partly due to severe skin contracture from a prior rhinoplasty (I'm talking like 25-30 degrees upturned, not just a bit)
2) a lot of difficulty breathing through the nose due to a very badly deviated septum and swollen mucosa
3) severely notched nostrils
4) columella retrusion due to the infection
In the weeks after my first three failed surgeries (2 done in Canada, one in Korea, all done with septal and ear cartilage grafts), all surgeons told me to give it time and that the nose would "drop" in the coming 3-6 months - this was nonsense. In my experience, the position of the nose is mostly fixed in place almost immediately after surgery - the swelling that makes the nose seem bloated and wide goes down with time, not really the tip position. If your nose is still hugely upturned after 1-2 weeks post op after the bulk of initial swelling is gone this is not normal and you will need a revision. When surgeons say that the nose tends to "drop after surgery", they mean by like a few degrees once you are past the two week mark.
I also had a rib cartilage revision done in Korea the year before coming to Dr Jin (I wrote a review of this doctor on realself as well). This gave me some lowering finally, but not nearly enough - it brought my nasiolabial angle down to about 115 from 120-125 degrees (the average for men is 95-100). Also I experienced some warping post-surgery that shifted the position of the thin rib on the bridge, making the bridge too high. The surgeon also failed to bring my severely notched nostrils down. He did improve my breathing significantly, but it was apparent that my nose issues were not over. I was feeling desperate and afraid that I would be stuck like this.
I spent a few months searching for clinics before deciding on Dr. Jin. I emailed the previous clinic in Seoul that I went to as well as several clinics in the USA. The well-known doctors in the USA for rib revisions were mostly outrageously expensive and out of my budget. Many others said my case was too difficult due to the failed surgeries. The last clinic I went to also said that my case was too hard and due to my condition further lengthening would be impossible.
After a lot of digging I found a surgeon who went from academia to private practice last year - Dr. Hong Ryul Jin. A couple different doctors who said they did not feel comfortable operating on me given my history recommended him. His credentials are top notch. I emailed him and he got back to me right away and within a week I had a surgery date lined up. He was sympathetic to my situation since I had so many botched surgeries and he gave a significant discount.
His English is excellent and he was realistic about what he thought he could attain. The staff and clinic were businesslike. It struck me more of as a hospital than a plastic surgery clinic, different from the typical clinics in Gangnam. This might not be to everyone's tastes but I appreciated it. He was upfront during the consult and said he was confident he could improve it significantly and make the nose look normal but a "perfect" nose was out of the question - fine by me. I had a rib cartilage revision done the next day under general anesthesia.
When I woke up from surgery I instantly knew he delivered, even with the cast on. He saw me right after I woke up and said that the surgery went a bit better than he expected it to. Even with the cast on I could tell that the tip was significantly lower and the nostril notching was fixed. I could also breath better as soon as two days after the surgery.
I wholeheartedly recommend anyone who has a complicated/difficult revision case to go to Dr. Jin. Don't let being a foreigner deter you - communication was a breeze and there are tons of cheap places to stay within walking distance of his clinic for the week you'll be in Seoul. Including airfare and housing I paid less than HALF of what I would if I saw one of the prominent rib revision experts I contacted in the USA. Being perfectly honest, for a primary case where your nose hasn't been operated on and/or you are seeking standard, simple changes like making your nose higher, your nostrils narrower, or having a bump removed or something, you don't need an elite surgeon and I'm sure there are tons of surgeons all over the world that can give you are looking for. But for a case like mine, you really do need an elite revision expert, and Dr. Jin definitely is in that category.
Thanks to Dr. Jin's expertise I can say with certainty that my journey to fix my nose is finally over.
Provider Review
Otolaryngologist
2nd Fl. of K-Tower, 621 Gangnamdaero, Seochogu, Seoul, Seoul,