Plastically Prettified: Part IV - Rhinoplasty

Rhinoplasty

Rhinoplasty, commonly known as a "nose job", may be by far the most common facial surgery done in the plastic surgery history. This has been what I've always wanted, to have a nose that is sharper on the tip, and for my nostrils to face downwards, not flared. I mean I knew I was never ugly to begin with, I just didn’t like the idea of flaring my nostrils at the camera. (Lol)

As I mentioned, I always toyed with the idea of getting a Rhinoplasty but never really set a timeline to it. I guess my interest only heightened when my girlfriend went for ps and I saw how simple it was and not scary like how everyone had imagined to be.

I started doing research on ps; like who has done what, what celebs have done, the nice & ps-gone-wrong kind, reading on how certain procedures were done, watching videos of faces being cut up by ps surgeons.. etc. Naturally after awhile, I became subconsciously observant towards people who have sharp or defined features. Well, I don't quite judge at the first look, but we all know that most asian women have softer features, or I would say Singaporean ladies generally do not have very defined features compared to other asians like Taiwanese or Chinese. When I see girls (or guys) with very sharp features, I tend to have the suspicion that they have underwent some "job/s". Of course I have nothing against anyone who has done or even thoughts about going thru ps, my observations are purely just a cause of curiosity. Well I guess so long as one doesn't get infatuated by it,  it's a real cosmetic advancement this current technology has in store for us. *winks*



My Research Process

To be honest, I was really a noob when I first started with my research. I didn't know the type of nose I liked/wanted, all I knew was just that I wanted a nicer nose. Why do I say noob? I only knew I wanted a nicer nose, but if you asked me to describe "the nose"I wanted, I don't think I could answer in a detailed description.

I looked at pictures of the few common people known for their ps; Dawn Yang, Xiaxue, Angelababy, Peggy Heng, etc, as well as celebs I thought had nice small noses like Fann Wong, and some other Korean stars. I think the one esp helpful for me was Xiaxue's blog about her ps, plus her FAQs video on rhinosplasty, guess that was the one that really gave me the idea of how I wanted my nose to be like, and I even learnt about words like "septum", "columella", and "dorsum"(it's really interesting, thanks Xiaxue!)

After seeing Korean Rhinosplasty techniques, I came up with a conclusion that even though I wanted to get a nose job, I would really much prefer to go the direction of a having a natural look. I really disliked my upturned nose (as previously mentioned), and also I noticed that noses with very high nose bridge looked pretty fake so I decided I didn't want any raise to my bridge area. So that’s it; natural look, longer tip (almost 90 degree from side profile), slight curve on dorsum, and no raise from bridge/ start of bridge from middle of eye intersection, basically I was trying to go for the "Korean nose"look.



Deciding on Doctor & Country 

I have a few friends who had their ps done in Thailand, some Bangkok, others Hatyai. Many approach surgeons in Thailand often because ps prices there are much more affordable (may be dirt cheap to some). I myself ever considered getting my nose job done in Thailand (wanted to save money lah), but because the prices are so good, I was often afraid that it may be too-good-to-be-true. Of course my friends who gotten their nose jobs done in Thailand came back with satisfactory results. I did notice that the type of "nose"they came back with was typically similar. And one thing in common was that those friends didn't have upturned noses before, all of them had the same idea of wanting a higher nose bridge only. Basically what I'm trying to say is that I have different needs as theirs (I wanted something like the Tiplasty, to lengthen the tip of nose), and I think that most doctors there does very generic nose jobs like only adding an implant on the bridge of patient's noses and not the more complicated jobs (thats why its so cheap). Because of this assumption, the only place I would go to for rhinoplasty is Korea.

So I made up my mind, but I was broke; couldn't afford the hefty price tag for a Korean doctor, the airfares and hotel expenses, so same thing happened, nothing.......

Then one day while I was surfing online on ps, I stumbled across a website about a Vietnamese doctor who went to Korea (Seoul) to learn the Korean ps skills and got certified, he also had Korean implants imported back to Ho Chi Min where he practices. The clinic even provides patients with a 10-years warranty card where patients could return to the clinic should anything happen to your "job".
It was time! Lol! I was so sold on his whole profile, I emailed him on some enquiries I had, booked a slot, and flew to Ho Chi Min City within a week.

Prior to that, I haven't heard of any friends who been to Vietnam for ps nor did I come across anyone who done their surgeries in Vietnam. I chose to go to HCMC mainly because of the Doctor who learnt Korean technology/skills + he imports Korean implants, as well as the affordable price tag. I done my rhinoplasty with silicon implant + ear cartilage (for lengthening my nose tip) at approximately SGD$2k (inclusive of one night stay at the hospital and company of a female staff). Im guessing for the same procedure if done in Korea should cost at least 3-4 times more, and that's not inclusive of airfares & other expenses. So it was definitely a win-win for me!

Just give you an idea of what I meant by my earlier description of my ideal nose...

And that is what the clinic called; S Line Nose...

-start of bridge from middle of eyes intersection

-curve line from forehead to bridge to nose tip

- nose tip lengthen to create an almost 90 degree side profile

-slim, sharp nose tip

And I showed the Doc this pic for reference.....

(Actually I didn't know who this lady was before apart from the adverts she has as a Laneige ambassador. Just looked up, her name is Song Hye Kyo. Like her natural looking-defined nose.)

My Experiences in Vietnam- Ho Chi Min City

I flew to HCMC alone on one of the budget airlines (can't remember, its either Tigerair or JetStar which costs approx. $200ish for a round trip). Was there for a total of 8/9 days. (Sorry can't remember the specific details as this post is super overdue!)

I touched down in HCMC late noon/early evening, the airport was small and not well developed.
Got out and took a cab from the designated airport taxi counter and went straight to the hotel.

I booked the hotel Hong Vy, which was walking distance from the clinic (according to my estimation from looking at the map. Its quite like a budget hotel, simple with all the necessary things you need (eg toiletries, slipper, mini bar), and also comes along with free breakfast buffet.

By the time I got to my hotel room and settled down, it was almost time for dinner. So I went out to do abit of reece-ing (hehe). Saw Banh Mi (a friend of mine recommended it to me, its Vietnamese sandwich using baguette bread), grabbed one and headed back to my hotel. There was not much downstairs, and I didn't dared to walk too far off alone as I was afraid of getting lost.. Anyway a few days later I went out again and there were small convenient shops along the same stretch so it wasn't too bad, as in I had other food options. :P

(This is the "photography" version of Banh Mi)

(How the actual road side stall looks like)

(and this is me pigging out.. hehe)

So right after the Banh Mi, I had to start fasting... till the next morning for surgery. I could only eat after the surgery was completed. I think this is so because my surgery was done under GA (General Anesthetic), and if I had food in my stomach I may throw up during the surgery causing complications. (see link: http://www.nhs.uk/chq/Pages/1019.aspx?CategoryID=69&SubCategoryID=692)



To Hanquoc Clinic for Pre-Op Consultation

Morning came, excited for what's to come; my new nose! :D
I changed into something comfy, packed my backpack and moved off to Hanquoc Clinic (didn't check-out of hotel, just left it empty for a day while I was at the hospital). I walked for approx. 10mins using google map, but couldn't locate the clinic. Had to seek directions from a dental nurse (in the dental clinic) along the way.. then took another 10 minutes to get there (so I guess my map estimation was pretty bad, lol!). It's pretty easy and quick to get there, just that there's really alot (alot!) of motorcycles on the road during rush hour. And if you're not a fan of walking, you could cab to the clinic and get there in approximately 5 minutes.

Arrival at the clinic, from outside the clinic looks pretty presentable (much better looking than those cheap clinics in Hatyai). Its tucked slightly off the main road that leading into a smaller road. 

          

          

          

I stepped in, met this guy (I suppose it's the surgeon's assistant) and was taken into the consultation room. He asked me the usual questions like my concerns and what my expectations were. After listening and understanding, he took pictures of my face in different profiles in preparation for the 3D Vectra program. It's basically a program that let's the doctor play with "shaping" any part of your face and showing patients how he or she would look like.

Here's an example of how the Vectra 3D machine looks like.

(Picture taken from: http://www.egrari.com/about-us/about-technology/vectra-3d/ )

(the actual machine at the clinic)

Here's an example of how the Vectra 3D application looks like when comparing before and after, so you can have an idea of how you look like in your ideal description. In this case, this illustration is showing the women's nose before and after straightening of her nose bridge.

(Picture taken from: http://www.facialplastics.info/blogs/the-new-plastic-surgery-app.html )

(their collection of implants)

(haha.. was playing with boob implants. the one im squeezing is an example of the older types of implants which are not recommended, and the ones on the right are the newer types of implants)

To be honest, I didn't really like how I looked in the "After" picture...I do not know if I looked weird or I just wasn't used to the change-of-nose look. I stared at the screen for a while and after 10 minutes, I told the surgeon's assistant "let's do it" (well since I already flew all the way there, I thought it would be a waste if I went home looking the same). 

There was a big white car (quite nice and clean looking) that picked me up from the clinic, together with one of the female clinic assistants, to the hospital. The ride took about 15-20 minutes.

          

At The Hospital

To cut things short, after I was registered I was taken around the hospital for some basic checks eg. blood pressure and weight, etc. then given a set of surgical gown to change into. I sat in one of the rooms and waited, then got to see Dr. Nam (the surgeon who learnt the Korean ps techniques) for the first time. We spoke a little, told him what my wants were, showed him a picture of the Korean celeb, confirmed my procedure and off he went for preparation for the surgery. Dr. Nam is pretty much a person with few words, he seemed like a patient & gentle doctor... (in my own opinion)

Time check; 12ish-pm.....

I was sitting on one of the beds in a "recovery room"where other patients who had their surgeries done were resting. All of them seemed like they were in their sleep, they look like they just got their surgeries done (bandaid up) and were still in sleep due to GA (General Anesthetic). 

Lying on the ops theatre bed..... 

Feeling nervous..... The surgeons (looked like there were 2. I suspect one as the main surgeon and the other was the assistant surgeon) and male nurses (all in the room were men) were busy walking around preparing all the ops tools and making sure everything's in place before the surgery began. The assisting surgeon then smiled at me cheekily as he was saying some thing to his nurses (he looked like he was telling some kinda joke to his nurses assisting him), guess I was too stressed at that point to make out what they were saying and in fact that relieved me of some stress though I couldn't quite understand(lol). He applied the GA and shortly after I was gone..................

Time check; 3 o'clock in the noon.

I opened my eyes, and I felt like I was spinning and definitely felt terrible.. felt really nauseas... couldn't move as I was feeling too much discomfort... closed my eyes.... goner again....

(Okay.. this post is way overdue, it has been 8 months since my surgery... I'd have to admit I can't quite remember the exact details of where I woke up etc etc immediately after my surgery. So I guess I'll just have to give you guys the details best of what I can remember. Pardon me!)

The thing/sensation I MOST remembered was that I felt terribly nauseas all night long, and what made it worse was that I couldn't breathe!! (because thick cotton buds were stuck into both my nostrils to keep blood from dripping, but they were so thick they completely blocked my breathing passage thru my nose) That was pretty Sh*tty.. I threw up all night and I think its due to the GA.. I was practically throwing up gastric juices (empty stomach for too long) and some bitter substance which I guessed was the medication from the GA (think so?). Lucky there was this female assistant (think she's some customer service rep that was sent by the clinic to keep my company and take care of me for the night) with me to help me when I threw up (change of plastic bags & getting new tissues) or get down the bed to the toilet. She was nice but couldn't speak or understand english (she's Vietnamese). I couldn't sleep because it was really difficult to sleep with mouth open and breathing thru my mouth as there were times i would have accidentally closed my mouth and then choke myself awake gasping for air. I just had to bear with all that till the next day....

(Me... right after I woke up in my own room in the hospital)

(my 2 bags of vomit, and bloody tissues)

Dawn came.. I was still feeling sh*tty because of the blocked nose, but what made me feel better was that I probably threw up all the GA medication and I no longer felt nauseas (*yay*consolation..*rolls eyes*). The lady who accompanied me thru the night gave me a bottle of milk (those concentrated and expensive kind you buy from the hospital) and I drank with a straw. Drinking or eating with a complete blocked nose was no fun... it can get pretty tiring trying to gasp for air, chew, swallow, and maintain the adequate amount of air consistently...which goes to say, it felt really exhausting everytime I drank (needless to say eat, bleh).

I washed up my dirty face (from blood & puke), changed back into my casuals, and was discharged from the hospital. The female assistant sent me down to take a taxi back to my hotel. And I asked her for a place where I could buy more of the "hospital milk" as I knew I wouldn't be able to eat properly for the next 2 days. There was a little store just right outside of the hospital, they sold the milk in packs of 6 (bottles) which didn't cost much (can't remember exactly but I would think it didn't cost more than a dollar each). Btw, the milk is reaalllly sweet... if you're not too much of a fan of sweet drinks, try drinking some first then add water into the bottle. Or alternatively pour the milk out into a glass and add water. Thats what I did, mixed the milk with water for a taste less sweet and one bottle could last me 2 servings. Remember no seafood, chilli, dark soy sauce, alcohol after surgery (at least for the first 2 weeks). And definitely no smoke!! Im not joking! Keep the woulds clean and fresh. Im speaking from experience. If you've read my previous post about my epicanthoplasty, you would know that I've already warned.

(Day 1: Swollen face; around the nose area. Photo taken when I first got back to my hotel room)

(The "hospital milk", lol)

Road To Recovery

(Day 1 Dinner: horrible room service; some asparagus soup... bleh.. I took a mouthful and remembered I shouldn't be taking seafood, there were bits in the soup that tasted like crab meat..)

(Day 1 Breakfast: Buffet.... so difficult to eat without breathing... :/ )

(Day 2 Breakfast)

(Day 2 Lunch + Dinner + Snacks)

(Day 3 Breakfast)

(Day 4 Breakfast: Best comfort food.. Porridge)

(Can't remember which day this is, but its pretty obvious the swelling has went down by alot)

(Semi-side profile)

I travelled to HCMC alone, but I had a friend join me on the 5th to 8th day.

So on the 6th day, we checked out of Hong Vy Hotel, and we went to another hotel closer to the market area; The White Hotel)

(Dinner on the 4th day post-op: Finally my friend arrived, rescued me by taking me out for proper food. By then I regained my breathing by 80%.. So happy I had my tastebuds back.. Muahahahahaha!)

(See see... Dinner was yummy.. The Pho was gooood!)

(Checkng into The White Hotel, very white hor. lol)

(Rooms very clean, small, and cosy.. not bad for a budget hotel)

(The cafe right across our hotel. Went thee for coffee after checking-in)

(If you are a coffee lover, you should really try their iced-coffee sold by road side stalls.. very very thick!! Kopi Gao!! lol)

(View from inside of ShiBuYa Cafe)

(Night view: Street of HCMC)

The Post-Op Appointment 

So this is the day of post-op appointment, which is exactly a week since the surgery. Was feeling excited to remove the cast and have my nose cleaned up 'cuz t hasn't been cleaned since the day I did my surgery!! I was secretly afraid that there would be mould or pimples on my nose since its so dirty, lol!

(*Jiang-jiang* - I know, i look horrible with my humongous nose)

(Show you how the back of my ear looked like. It wasn't really painful, it just felt like a hole when I touch it. Photo was taken by the nurse who was cleaning my wounds.)

(Before & After: Front profile)

(Before & After: Right profile)

(Before & After: Left profile)

(This picture really shows how swollen my nose was... it made my eyes look weird..)

(Breakfast from The White Hotel....erm..)

(Our dinner at some cafe nearby.. And no, the la-la wasn't for me)

(Day 7: Pedicure after post-op appointment)

(Tea at ShiBuYa Cafe again)

(You know what that is? Camomile flowers.. HCMC has many stalls selling teas & flowers. You can see them around markets)

Back In Singapore

Haha. Please bear with my selfies... Was trying to snap selfies daily (or few times a week) to document my recovery progress. So the following are pictures since June 2013 to Feb 2014. 

(First night back home. Nose still HUGE)

(HUGE)

(Can cucumbers make them de-swell? lol. nah. I was trying to soothe my irritated skin)

(June 2013)

(My nose looks so prominent now. Colleagues say I look Korean. lol.)

(July 2013: On my way out for an airline interview)

(Bare-faced to Tampines Central)

(Back to office)

(August 2013: Heading out for interview)

(Last quarter of 2013)

(Jan 2014 - Selfie: After my 1st time getting eyelash extensions)

(Jan- CNY Eve 2014)

(Feb 2014)

I am happy with how I look now, much more defined nose than before thats really natural looking 'cuz its not overly small & sharp. Many of my female friends like it too. I am still waiting for the size of my nose to go down (hopefully) as I read from others online saying that the nose could take a year or more for the swelling to go off completely. So Im just hoping that mine could go down just a little bit more. Heh.

That's all folks (for now, hehe). I hope you enjoyed reading my blog and hopefully sharing these experiences can help you better decide on what you really want. Please feel free to leave comments and I'll try my best to answer them. Cheers! ;)

Plastically Prettified: Part III- Epicanthoplasty

So four months after my non-invasive Blepharoplasty procedure, I'm back to Taipei XiMenDing for my Epicanthoplasty (aka inner corner of eyelid surgery) that was supposed to be done in January. It's a happy & sad situation where sad was because I had to pay for the unnecessary airfares again but happy because by May, my left lids had gone back to before..zzz..so at least I could get a free touch up together with my Epi, and spend mooorre time with my Mom. :D 

Anyway speaking of family and home, my Mom is Taiwanese btws.. Show you guys some beautiful pics taken in Taiwan since I overlooked this last time. Hehe.

(See their MaLa pot's ingredients, so fresh!)

(Glutton: see the varieties of desserts offered by the steamboat buffet!)

(Four ice boxed of different Hagen Daaz Ice Creeeeaaammm. *slurps)

<this place is somewhere along XiMenDing, cheap & gd!>

(*boba*bubbles***.... Pearls with fillings @ ShiLin Night Market)

(Kuku waffles.. Haha.. Strawberry flavor is tasty! Fun to take pics too.)

(Different types of Taiwanese Sausages)

(My Mummy dear & her 猪血糕akaPig'sBloodGlutinousRice)

(Fried BeanCurd, Oyester Omelette & 鱿鱼根)

Okay.enough of food pics from ShiLin Night Market. :P

This is where my Mom lives and was brought up, Wu Lai. Yes, she is aborigines, just like what Ah-Mei & Landy are. :)

(Scenery from behind the restaurant)

(Mummy Love <3)

(The mountains...*fresh air~~~~)

Show ya'all some pics of the waterfalls.

(Nice right? :D )

Anyway the pics above were taken on my previous trip. Okay back to business. 

Epicanthoplasty Procedure

It was very straightforward as I already had my consultation the last time.

So the following are pics I took at different days post-op just to give a geez of the recovery process.

Ps. Didnt use any filter for the following pics. Didnt want to blur any of the images so you'll have a better idea of how the wounds really are.

(Just before my apt for suture removal) 

(After removing the stitches. Ya la filtered abit cuz my complexion quite cui)

The procedure left me some scars but I was prepared for it cause my doctor did emphasize on it before we did the procedure. One thing I regretted a little was that I felt I could have taken care of the wounds during healing process a littler better.. My gf who did Epicanthoplasty previously didnt have as obvious scars as mine. I think I shouldn't have went for BBQ and let the dust/smoke and sweat near my wounds. But what's done cannot be undone, so my biggest advice is just to take care of your wounds and please do not smoke! 

This advice is coming from me, who got scarred from smoke n dust.. I watched a Taiwanese TV program about PS too and the doctors showed pictured of girls who did Rhinoplasty and that their noses turned black after smoking during the healing process.. Scary huh? 

Am I happy with the outcome? 

Hmm.. Actually yes & no.. 

Yes because my eyes do look overall better than before any surgery, don't look so sleepy when eyes are bare of make up. But No because honestly the doctor was pretty conservative and even after Epicanthoplasty, there wasn't much of a difference (meaning inner corner eyelids could have been cut up more). Not that I'm greedy, it's just that it didnt made much of a difference yet I had to suffer the consequences of having scars on my face. Oh well, anyway it's what I wanted; to look "natural". (Haha, I know PS haters would probably judge me after this statement but the rest should know what I mean) 

And lastly, a pic of me after both my eyelids surgery (before my nose job).

Again, do your research, read up, and good luck! ;)

Stay tunes for Plastically Prettified: Part IV- Rhinoplasty; the Nose I've Always Wanted.

Plastically Prettified: Part II- Cosmetic Surgery; Eyelids

Doe-eyed Girl

Bigger eyes have always been a preference of many girls, even for some guys. Even when there was a time where single eyelids were referred to as being cute, years later everyone just continued digging the doe/big-eye look.
                   

                                             
For me, of course I wanted to look beautiful and have nice large eyes that could speak but I wasn't the blessed doe-eyed girl. No doubt I have always received compliments for my eyes, I had eyes that were only beautiful after I curled my lashes and got them coated with jet black mascara. Like others, I have always secretly admired girls with nice features; soft skin, silky hair, slim figure (okay basically the "perfect prototype") but of course admiration just stays there and I have never really thought of getting my eyelids cut up even though my Mom had always told me about procedures that could give more definition to my eyes. She always joked about how ugly I looked because I didn't inherit her sharp Taiwanese aborigines features and used to ask me to get epicanthoplasty done so my eyes would not look so far apart (Idiotic right, lol). It didn't bother me much because I looked perfectly fine after dolling up. Guess the whole idea of plastic surgery only popped up after it started becoming a big hit among young girls and the working adults, and especially after seeing my girlfriend getting some "enhancements" done. I also figured out if I had defined features, I could spend less time putting on make up (I'm just too lazy..blah~).

The Day I got Stitched

It was a random day where I accompanied my Mom to get her facial done at a beauty and aesthetics clinic down at Xi Men Ding district (Taiwan). I didn't know that the place also does plastic surgery procedures till I got there.

(Clinic's homepage)

                                                 

(The night before surgery at Shilin market, so that's how I looked before any surgery)

So while my Mom was getting her facial done, I kay-po-ed (aka being a busybody) and asked the nurses for details of eyelid surgeries. So she gave me the prices for blepharoplasty (aka double eyelid surgery) (invasive method aka the traditional way using knife to cut and stitch back to create a fold), non-invasive blepharoplasty (non-invasive "stitching" method), and also the price for epicanthoplasty (aka cutting of inner corner of eyelids to create almond-shaped eyes). I pulled out my iPhone and started doing a currency exchange calculation and jiang jiang, the procedures are so affordable I could do it immediately! I got so excited I asked my Mom for a loan (didn't have cash on me), spoke to the Doctor, signed the PS agreement, got dressed and sterilised, and laid on the operation bed within half an hour. Oh yea FYI, I paid for the non-invasive double eyelid and epicanthoplasty surgery.



What Happened On The Operating Bed

How does it work? After speaking to the Doctor about the details and explanations of the nature of procedures I was getting, I was asked to change into a hospital gown, sent to a room to get my face washed, got pictures of my "before" face taken, then wait in the operating theatre while the Doctor's assistant and nurse got my face sterilised and tucked in properly. The Doctor comes into the theatre, puts his gloves on and starts his work.

First he made markings on my eyelids until he is satisfied with the accuracy he drawn on my lids, then he injects local anesthetic into the area to be stitched and started stitching like you would to your dress (lol). Overall, there was no pain during the surgery though really nerve wracking because I was completely awake and could feel the sensations of the movements made. But the Doctor's
assistant was really nice, she tried to distract me by chatting and that did helped me feel relaxed. I guess the only thing that hurt a little was the anesthetic injections, and that was about it.



The Down Time

For most people who went thru blepharoplasty, up to 50% of the swelling should subside after a week, while the remaining swelling may take an average of 3 months to go down and look natural. Non-invasive blepharoplasty takes the same time for the initial swelling to go down (a week), and up to a month or two for the wound to heal completely. I went back to work with glasses around 3-4 days after my surgery and had my fringe down front to cover up a little, no one noticed it (haha). My lids took about a month and a half for the swelling to go down completely.

                                               

(No filter, no editing. 2 days post-op, bought this fake glasses to cover up so I could go back to work w/o looking strange)

Into a day post-op, I began to suspect that the Doctor didn't do my epicanthoplasty procedure as there were no stitches found on the inner corner of my eyelids. I got my Mom to call the clinic up and asked. Turns out was the Doctor didn't know I paid for 2 procedures so he had only done the non-invasive blepharoplasty (zzz), and they offered me to head back to the clinic after my recovery to get my epicanthoplasty done (zzzzzzz)(*faints*).

                                     

(As you can see, there's no wound found on inner corners of my eyelids, where epicanthoplasty should have. See next pic for illustration) (Oh yea, I know it looks a little gross here, but the deeps line you see on my upper lids are not cut up..they're just swollen from the stitching, so there's totally no blood and cuts. No worries~)

(Epicanthoplasty illustration taken from http://www.lasikdr.co.kr/cosmetic/cos_sub03.php)

PS: Lesson learnt; please communicate clearly before the surgery!



Post-Op Care

Post-Op care is simple but very important for healing and not leave scars:
- Keep the wounds clean and apply the creams given.
- Do not tug or rub wounds (obvious one).
- DO NOT SMOKE ! (I'm serious, it could leave scars or gets your wounds infected)
- No seafood and alcohol. And no dark colouring foods (eg. dark soy sauce).
- It's not a must but I feel eating lots of fruits (eg. citrus fruits for VitC and berries for antioxidants) and Omega-3 fatty acids (eg. salmon, tuna, walnuts) helps in getting a speedy & easy recovery. (See mybestplasticsurgeon.com/nutrition_plastic_surgery.htm or google for more info on what foods to have during plastic surgery recovery)

Bottom Line

1. What is it you want to change- know what you want and read up/do research on the procedures.

2. How the surgery would affect me- read up on the risks and the down times of the procedures. How the down times would affect your work or lifestyle, whether you are ready to make the short term sacrifices. 

3. Ask for friends/ experienced people for advices and referrals. Do thorough research on preferred clinic. 

To be honest, plastic surgery is nothing scary. It looks horrific in videos because all you see is knife, flesh and blood. But in reality, you're just asleep and the next thing you know you wake up with a beautiful face. I'm not supporting everything superficial, but there's nothing wrong wanting to look better by enhancing your features. The bottom line is not to get obsessed with it and learn to be kind. A kind person is beautiful in all ways. Good luck!

More Pics

               

(Before surgery with my Mom in Taipei)

(One month post-op, taken when she visited Singapore)
(One last thing to note, eyelid stitching are suitable for people who already has double eyelids but not obviously shown as its a very minor procedure. As you can see my lids look perfectly natural after the op, not like those very thick double eyelids some achieve after blepharoplasty). Those who have single eyelids or droopy double eyelids are mostly recommended to go for the traditional blepharoplasty surgery )

Stay tuned for Plastically Prettified: Part III- Epicanthoplasty

Plastically Prettified: Part I- Cosmetic Enhancements

How It Started

Okay, like finally I've opened up my "Blogger" app to start writing up about my PS(Plastic Surgery) experiences. It has been months btw! Lol! I've been wanting to blog about PS because I find many having interest in this area and have lotsa' questions for me when they realize I had my share of experience in this area.

Like many girls, I find myself envying and obsessing things and people in the media on the latest fashion & beauty trends, "what's hot and not", etc. and generally, most people (both men & women) would like to look better or improve a certain thing(s) about them for a better looking appearance. 

Last few years, I came to notice the trends of Cosmetic & Plastic Surgery because one of my girlfriend started doing some PS jobs and asked if I was interested to join her for her trips (and/or PS). And of course I did, I'm super kaypo and I myself, a lazy vainpot too! Lol! 

Well last year (2012), we went to Hatyai to see a skin & PS doctor PRINYA. My gf got her nose and eyelids job done, I only had Jaw Botox and Nose Fillers. I was so tempted to get my permanent nose job but because the surgery cost somewhat  SGD$400 for a rhinoplasty, I felt scared and skeptical because it is wayyyyyyy too cheap (FYI filler cost SGD$600 ish and Jaw Botox SGD$800-900). 

My Experiences on Cosmetic Surgery

Jaw Botox

Pain factor: 3/5

Effect: One month after initial jab and lasts for around 6 months. 

Verdict: It really brings down the muscles at the sides of my jaw and the effect was pretty obvious. I even did a self test by biting my jaw and feeling the muscles to feel the effect before and after, needless to say there were almost no more bulging muscles after the effect kicked in. So if you have a broad face that is due to muscles (not fats), this would work well for you. 

Nose Fillers

Pain factor: 3-4.5/5

Effect: Immediately after the fillers were injected into the areas to fill. My Doctor told me that the effect would go down a little the next day, so he gave me some on the bridge and tip of my nose and asked me to wait for the next day and if I wanted more I could head back to the clinic to get more injected. Depends on the material, temporary fillers lasts about 6-9 months. Temporary fillers are made from various kinds of man-made and synthetic materials including collagen, hyaluronic acid and calcium hydroxylapatite. Some of the most common dermal filler brands are Restylane, Perlane, Juvéderm Ultra, Teosyal, Belotero, Radiesse and Sculptra. 

Verdict: The pain on the bridge was fine, but it was tremendously painful on the tip. I'm not kidding! I had a little bit of an upturned nose that's why the Doctor had to inject more and it was almost unbearable! Fillers work well for slight and temporary improvements, definitely not something you'd find drastic after the procedure. I personally find it a little waste of money because it didnt have too much changes for me (because I realized I wanted a longer/pointed nose, not a higher bridge). So it really depends on what's your liking, if it's to define your bridge then go for it. Other wise, you may have to do some research for a permanent surgery. Oh ya, one thing to note is that if you intend to get a Rhinoplasty after the fillers, you either have to wait for the fillers to go away on its own or you have to pay the Doctor to get it scrapped off before you get your Rhinoplasty done. My personal advice is to wait for it to go off first so that the doctor could see your natural nose shape and work better to get you your ideal nose. One last thing, do not be greedy! You may risk injecting too much and getting a thick bridge instead of a high one (that was what happened to me when I went back for more the next day and I had to live with a chunky bridge for one year!). 

                                      

                                      

     (What Doctor Prinya used)

 (Me on the left before fillers & Botox)

                             

(After fillers & Botox, not much diff huh?)

Hope this is enough information for you out there who are thinking of enhancing your looks. Do stay tuned for my experiences on PS. Feel free to leave a comment if there's any questions. Cheers & be beautiful. ;)

                               Stay tuned for Plastically Prettified: Part III- Epicanthoplasty