Two-Week Review After Fully Autologous Rhinoplasty with Customized 3D DCF
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Before / 2w post-op
Hello! I had been considering rhinoplasty for more than ten years because I was self-conscious about having a small and short nose.
However, I kept hesitating because I was worried about potential complications such as nasal contracture or inflammation.
After thinking about it for such a long time, I finally decided to go through with surgery, and it has now been about two weeks since I underwent rhinoplasty using entirely autologous tissue.
While looking through before-and-after photos on cosmetic surgery communities, I came across a result that closely matched the natural nasal line I wanted, which led me to schedule a consultation at RU Plastic Surgery.
I visited several different clinics, but I think the consultation with Dr. Hyunju Kim was ultimately what convinced me to choose RU Plastic Surgery.
He went through each of my concerns carefully and explained the surgical plan in a way that made me feel much more reassured.
I was very clear from the beginning that I did not want to use silicone.
I wanted both the nasal bridge and tip to be reconstructed using only my own rib cartilage, and Dr. Kim planned the surgery around that preference.
We initially discussed constructing the bridge using a sliced rib cartilage technique, and I felt reassured by his extensive experience with autologous rib cartilage rhinoplasty.
I was particularly concerned about the possibility of cartilage warping.
When I asked about it, Dr. Kim did not simply focus on the positive aspects of the procedure. He also explained realistically what kinds of issues could occur and how they could potentially be managed, which made me trust his approach even more.
In the end, my nasal bridge was reconstructed using the customized 3D DCF technique.
Since this was my first rhinoplasty, I was very nervous about undergoing general anesthesia.
However, the clinic coordinator took good care of me throughout the process, and aside from some nausea afterward, I did not experience any major problems.
The autologous rib cartilage donor site was also less painful than I had expected.
In my case, I was still able to use the restroom and change positions without much difficulty.
Even on the day of surgery, while I still had the nasal splint in place, my boyfriend immediately commented that the shape already looked good.
Breathing was somewhat uncomfortable for about a day because of the nasal gauze and packing, but I felt much more comfortable after it was removed the following day.
I took the prescribed medications as directed for the first week and also drank pumpkin juice during recovery.
Over that period, I noticed that the swelling gradually became less visible.
When the nasal splint was removed on day seven, I was genuinely excited because the line looked very close to what I had hoped for.
At first, the nose looked slightly higher than I expected, but Dr. Kim had already explained that the shape had been intentionally set somewhat higher to account for the way it might settle during recovery.
That explanation helped me understand the early postoperative appearance.
Now that I am at the two-week stage, even more of the swelling has gone down, and people around me have been telling me that the result already looks very natural.
I had seen other recovery reviews showing significant bruising and swelling, but in my own case, both were relatively mild.
Since recovery can vary greatly from person to person, I am simply grateful that the early healing process has been more manageable than I expected.
I was told that the swelling should continue to change during the first month, so I am looking forward to seeing how the nose continues to settle at one month and again at three months.
