Plastic and cosmetic surgery abroad

[la vie en rose]

How shaped is ear cartilage compare to the other materials?
Well, ear cartilage looks shaped since the first day （I mean the first day when I saw my nose, when the bandage was out）and very natural, really hope it will stay forever like this. Silicone looked shaped too, but then became “hard”

[la vie en rose]

How height did you ask him? How you make the doctor understand what kind of nose you want?

I think the most important is to have a nose fit to your face and your personality, and not ONLY to focuse on a height nose. It's true that the high straight pointy nose is quite fashion now, but not sure that it fit to everyone.

Look at the top model Gemma Ward, she has now her face shaved and nose done, but she doesn’t look better, she looses her personality and looks 15 years older

What I did for my first surgery: I prepared some pictures from magazines and asked the doctor how height the implant should be to get the same result, he said 3mm, so I asked him to put a 3mm implant. Then he shown me some pictures in his computer and told me that 5mm would make me look more beautiful, but I kept my idea, as the model I had chosen had the same face shape like me and she looked good even her nose was not that high. Result: I liked my nose.

2sd surgery is a special case: I wanted the same nose: long shaped with a small tip, just to correct the deviation. Kim turned it to a short flat nose with a big collapsed tip.

For this surgery I showed Dr. Hsu, pictures of my initial nose without surgery, pictures of my nose with silicone implant and the pictures of Maggie Q in different views. I told him that I would like to have my long and shaped nose back like the one of my silicone implant, would like to have the bridge of Maggie Q, but a little wider to fit my face and requested that the tip should be more curved and more defined.

Why Maggie Q?
- Cause my first implant gave me a long nose shape which fit me very much, and quite similar to Maggy’s.
- I have a slim face like Maggie Q.
- I look like Vietnamese and Maggie Q is a mix of American and Vietnamese.

And Dr. Hsu brought the picture with him to the surgery room.

Now I don’t look like Maggie Q, but Dr. Hsu gives me the nose I wanted.
…

[dimensionspectrum]

Hi all!

Happy 2008!

I just did my Rhinoplasty (incl. alar) with Dr. Hsu last Fri using rib cartilage, nothing else. He removed my goretex implant done last Jun.

Why did I go to Dr. Hsu for revision and not Dr. Jung (despite no complication, no further charges for revison with Dr. Jung and no issue with the doc - I genuinely like Jung)? Well, I decided I do not want to live with foreign implant at all. I am in my late 30s. I may have courage to go for revisions now but may not have threhold for furture possible cmplications due to foreign implant.

Also, my tip is crooked inherently, and the donor's cartilage used for my tip projection is not long enuf (mind you I have a short nose so not easy for 1st rhinoplasty).

Lastly, I want to do a ONE-OFF major re-structuring of my nose to fulfill what I want in Mian xiang. If minor revision is required later - fine.


On examination and after op, this is what I found out this trip:
1. the (2pieces of goretex) together hv shrunk from more than 3mm to 2-3mm. You may see attached photo - blood stain on them so my tissues have grown on it and Dr. Hsu did a good job for removal cos I am healing fine.

2. swelling or rather de-swelling is much much much faster for 100% autologuous material! 6th day, yes still swell but the swell is about 3 times lesser than goretex implant leh!!!
(suck! why did I not go to Dr. Hsu?........... Anyway, my own fault, Jung was my own choice despite Dr. Hsu being my second....)

I appreciate the way Dr. Hsu communicate with his patients. He is patient and honest with his view. Thoughtful in that he would think about reducing risk and pain for his patients. (He gave me very detailed info on Kaohsiung to make my stay here better.)

It (of cos) helps that I can speak good Mandarin and his can understand perfect English especially on email. There is no -> "hmmm....maybe he understand, maybe he does not kind, let's repeat what I said......ok, does he understand when I repeat?" kind of experience I had with Dr. Jung.

For those interested in learning about rib cartilage as material:
1. It is not that painful (vs. the pain I imagined). Now, 6th day, I can get up on my own with minor discomfort.

2. During the 2 days which I was hospitalised, it was in daze for me cos Dr. Hsu did give me good dose of painkiller which really appreciate cos my threshold to pain is very very low. He got a 24hr caretaker for me, which really help heaps when I need to bathe, wash my hair, and eat.

3. The cut is under my right breast to conceal the scar. I think the stitches was nicely done. Will let you know how my scar heals.

4. Something to note: my right arm was numb for 3-4 days. During op, it was lift at odd position. My op was abt 6hrs under GA. So after such long time, the nerves become numb. Was worried initially but Dr. Hsu did a good job to assure me and now completely back to normal.

5. about 6cm was cut from my rib. Abt 4cm used for my bridge and for projection. (hmm...I forogt the details must ask again tonight.) Abt 1-2mm for covering my nostrils. (he did internal stitches to lift my drooping.hanging alar. Again, I like his thoughts cos if he cut from exterior it wld create new scar on my alar. Hopefully, it helps cos Dr. Jung did same but it hang again!)

Others:
I hv abt 2cm of cartilage 'stored' under my hairline at my right lower brain area. This is becos cartilage is live tissue and survive best in my own body. It can be used later if & when I want to cover more of my nostrils.

Yeah, I heard about the lady who came 3 weeks ago. It was funny cos when me and the caretaker went to wash my hair in salon we dropped by a Shao Rou Fan stall and the lady boss there said, "ya! 2 ladies were here 2-3 weeks ago. One of them also, went to Dr. Hsu Ying-Che!"

Then, I heard from Dr. Hsu the other lady is also going to have her op this week - good luck to her!!!

cheers,
dmn

Hi so happy for u!
Im going to him soon...but still waiting for his confirmation on the date..

How did u end up with rib cartilage? I heard he doesnt favor using ribs for foreigners bcos of the slower healing rate! Were your 2 ear cartilage used?

And how long do you need to stay there b4 coming back? Since it's a more complicated surgery?

Wishing u a quick recovery soon!

[DMN]

la vie en rose: hi hi! great to hear from you too! great to see yr inputs cos u hv experienced all 3 types of implants.

Isnt Dr. Hsu amazing?!! I can tell he is really passionate about rhinoplasty cos every detail is not missed and he genuinely wants to know we are all recovering well and his op meet expectations discussed with his patients. THIS IS SOMETHING MANY VETERAN DOC MUST RE-LEARN.

I hv been to doc's clinic which r as posh as 6 star hotels but the volume these celebrity docs handle is simply too high to give minimal care for patients. What we need is information, clear communication before op and real follow-up after op.

dimensionspectrum: thanks! thanks! good choice with Dr. Hsu. pls do remember to be as clear as possible as Dr. Hsu will give u all the time in order to understnad yr needs. so pls take the time with him before op.

will post more. am tired from the excitment of removing the stitches tonight. i can only say for now, my nos eis already looking better than 7 days ago. more to report when it deswell further.

[velvet_ice]

hi hi, any idea whats e website for dr hsu? how much did u spend in total for ur nose? still looking ard for a reliable doc as it seems that there are raves and rants for most doctors...

la vie en rose: hi hi! great to hear from you too! great to see yr inputs cos u hv experienced all 3 types of implants.

Isnt Dr. Hsu amazing?!! I can tell he is really passionate about rhinoplasty cos every detail is not missed and he genuinely wants to know we are all recovering well and his op meet expectations discussed with his patients. THIS IS SOMETHING MANY VETERAN DOC MUST RE-LEARN.

I hv been to doc's clinic which r as posh as 6 star hotels but the volume these celebrity docs handle is simply too high to give minimal care for patients. What we need is information, clear communication before op and real follow-up after op.

dimensionspectrum: thanks! thanks! good choice with Dr. Hsu. pls do remember to be as clear as possible as Dr. Hsu will give u all the time in order to understnad yr needs. so pls take the time with him before op.

will post more. am tired from the excitment of removing the stitches tonight. i can only say for now, my nos eis already looking better than 7 days ago. more to report when it deswell further.

[dimensionspectrum]

hi hi, any idea whats e website for dr hsu? how much did u spend in total for ur nose? still looking ard for a reliable doc as it seems that there are raves and rants for most doctors...

la vie en rose: hi hi! great to hear from you too! great to see yr inputs cos u hv experienced all 3 types of implants.

Isnt Dr. Hsu amazing?!! I can tell he is really passionate about rhinoplasty cos every detail is not missed and he genuinely wants to know we are all recovering well and his op meet expectations discussed with his patients. THIS IS SOMETHING MANY VETERAN DOC MUST RE-LEARN.

I hv been to doc's clinic which r as posh as 6 star hotels but the volume these celebrity docs handle is simply too high to give minimal care for patients. What we need is information, clear communication before op and real follow-up after op.

dimensionspectrum: thanks! thanks! good choice with Dr. Hsu. pls do remember to be as clear as possible as Dr. Hsu will give u all the time in order to understnad yr needs. so pls take the time with him before op.

will post more. am tired from the excitment of removing the stitches tonight. i can only say for now, my nos eis already looking better than 7 days ago. more to report when it deswell further.

The website is: http://mypaper.pchome.com.tw/search/sea ... _id=hsuyc1

velvet_ice..it really depends on was u want...silicone? goretex? or 100% autologous? This will help u narrow down which doctors to look for.
If u want to use your own body's cartilage, then look for Dr Hsu. In my opinion, it's the safest among the other 2..

Take a look at his website and read La Vie En Rose's personal experiences with the 3 types of implants!
Hope this helps!

[la vie en rose]

Hi Grace,

The email I sent you yesterday morning was returned to me, have just sent you again, let me know if you still don’t receive it.

Hi DMN,

You couldn’t sleep last night? Me too! I ‘ve been traveling through whole China for 12 years now, but still can’t sleep out of my home, even in a 4 star hotel – executive room. So I spent my night posting in the forum. Now I am in the airport waiting for my flight.

How comes you decided on the rib cartilage. Actually 4mm increase can be achieved with ear cartilage. I used to ask Dr. Hsu “how much increase for the cases posted in his forum”

[la vie en rose]

How was the process? how did the whole thing go? Like putting u to sleep n the recovery..the wounds cant touch water right?

About the whole process:
The 1st day: arrival at night, fill paper, blood test, check in patient room – 6th floor, then consultation and confirmation of the surgery

The 2sd day: arrival at 8AM, IV drip, tension checking, heart checking, change of the surgery cloth, anesthesia + injection to make you sleep the surgery (3 hours).
I must specify here that the nurse asked me my weight in order to inject the right dose to help me to sleep. It was not the case for the previous surgeries.

The 3rd day:
-IV drip, consultation with dr. Hsu. Clean the nose and ears. Check out.

The 6th days: take out the stitches from the ears

The 9th days: move out bandage and stitches of the nose.

I must say that the process is long but I really feel safe to be in an hospital.
My other 2 surgeries were in Korean Clinics, it was fast. After the consultation, I was put in the bed, tension checking and anesthesia at once (no surgery robe provided, no blood test, no heart checking…).
For my first surgery with silicone implant, from the time I got in the clinic - for consultation and surgery - to the time I left, it only lasted 1hour and 20 minutes. Crazy!!!

[la vie en rose]

How long was the consultation with Dr. Hsu?
Well, I arrived in his office at 9.15PM and I left at 11PM. Like DMN said Dr. Hsu will give you the all the time you need. Actually before the consultation we had communicated to each other a lot by email and I sent him pictures too. But he needed to see my face shape and my ears and to get agreement on the spot. Even after clear explanation with pictures. He still asked me to draw the nose I wished to have on the paper (there was a drawing of a head on the paper). He is really detail.

Here are my recommendations
-If a doctor doesn’t answer properly to all your questions by email, don’t think that he will do it during the consultation.
Kim was very polite in answering email, but very simple and always forgot to answer to some questions. I was thinking that he was busy and I would get all the answers during the consultation. Actually the consultation with Kim was schedule at 4PM and surgery at 5PM, but he put me out of the door of his office 10 minutes after…

-Better to plan the consultation and surgery in 2 separate days, you can have a night to decide after the consultation.

[la vie en rose]

Was it tough?
I feel no pain during the whole process. But after the surgery the nose was full of cotton to stop the bleeding, I couldn’t breath during the whole day and can’t sleep. And even there was cotton in the nose, it was still bleeding… so you have to prepare a box of tissue…The cotton was removed the day 3. Then I felt better.
For the one who will use ear cartilage like me will not feel comfortable to sleep, because the ears are banded.

How to do for the cleaning/shower?
You can wash yourself and take shower, but don’t put water on your face and head.
Can’t not put water on the nose and ear until the bandage will be taken out.
So How I clean myself:
I put the mineral water on the cotton (make-up removal cotton) and clean slowly my face and eyes. For the hair I go to the hair salon on the day 6th just before to go to the hospital, as the doctor will help clean my ears again and put new bandage.

[velvet_ice]

actually would prefer to use just ear cartilage. went to e website as suggested but cant read chinese seems like dr hsu is pretty highly recommended for this type of surgery

hi hi, any idea whats e website for dr hsu? how much did u spend in total for ur nose? still looking ard for a reliable doc as it seems that there are raves and rants for most doctors...

la vie en rose: hi hi! great to hear from you too! great to see yr inputs cos u hv experienced all 3 types of implants.

Isnt Dr. Hsu amazing?!! I can tell he is really passionate about rhinoplasty cos every detail is not missed and he genuinely wants to know we are all recovering well and his op meet expectations discussed with his patients. THIS IS SOMETHING MANY VETERAN DOC MUST RE-LEARN.

I hv been to doc's clinic which r as posh as 6 star hotels but the volume these celebrity docs handle is simply too high to give minimal care for patients. What we need is information, clear communication before op and real follow-up after op.

dimensionspectrum: thanks! thanks! good choice with Dr. Hsu. pls do remember to be as clear as possible as Dr. Hsu will give u all the time in order to understnad yr needs. so pls take the time with him before op.

will post more. am tired from the excitment of removing the stitches tonight. i can only say for now, my nos eis already looking better than 7 days ago. more to report when it deswell further.

The website is: http://mypaper.pchome.com.tw/search/sea ... _id=hsuyc1

velvet_ice..it really depends on was u want...silicone? goretex? or 100% autologous? This will help u narrow down which doctors to look for.
If u want to use your own body's cartilage, then look for Dr Hsu. In my opinion, it's the safest among the other 2..

Take a look at his website and read La Vie En Rose's personal experiences with the 3 types of implants!
Hope this helps!

[dimensionspectrum]

actually would prefer to use just ear cartilage. went to e website as suggested but cant read chinese seems like dr hsu is pretty highly recommended for this type of surgery

hi hi, any idea whats e website for dr hsu? how much did u spend in total for ur nose? still looking ard for a reliable doc as it seems that there are raves and rants for most doctors...

The website is: http://mypaper.pchome.com.tw/search/sea ... _id=hsuyc1

velvet_ice..it really depends on was u want...silicone? goretex? or 100% autologous? This will help u narrow down which doctors to look for.
If u want to use your own body's cartilage, then look for Dr Hsu. In my opinion, it's the safest among the other 2..

Take a look at his website and read La Vie En Rose's personal experiences with the 3 types of implants!
Hope this helps!

Ya he's highly recommended. Even in Fashionguide.. If u cant read...mayb look at the pictures to see if you like his style?

[la vie en rose]

Where did u stay?
In Kashiong, actually I booked citizenhotel, which is located in the center of the city, 5 minutes by foot to the departments stores, but I didn’t like it (too old) so moved to Plaza Hotel, near by the train station. http://howard-ks.network.com.tw/ , it’s 10 minutes by foots to the night market where you can eat typical Taiwanese food at very cheap price.

In Taipei, I stayed at Taipeifullerton http://taipeifullerton-s.network.com.tw/
It’ s new, clean, great service. Small restaurants and Seven Eleven next to the hotel. 2 minutes by foot to the subway station, 15 minutes by foot to the commercial streets with departments stores.

You can choose the hotel according to your budget in this web. http://[email protected], but may sure about your trip before reservation, because you have to pay first.

How to go to Taipei from kaoshiong?
I traveled by high speed rail, very clean, modern and comfortable. I chose the fastest one NT1495/ticket with seat, departure at 1.30 and arrival at 3PM in the center of Taipei city. And it’s only 10 minutes by taxi to Taipeifullerton hotel.
Taipei’s taxi is a little more expensive than Kashiong but affordable.

Life is cheap and food is nice in Taiwan. Food is even cheaper than in Shanghai.

[la vie en rose]

About the hospital
-The hospital is well equipped and the nurses are very nice. But the patient rooms are quite old. Actually, I refused to spend the first night in the room of 4 which was arranged for me. I requested to move to a single room and the best one. The nurse was quite upset, she said that all are full and she asked “are the hospitals of Shanghai better?”

[la vie en rose]

So how is your nose like? Did your nose look like Dr Toriumi's vietnamese gal's nose? Can Dr. Hsu make a Caucasian nose?
No. I don’t look like Dr Toriumi's vietnamese gal's nose as I didn’t ask for it. I did mention several times in this forum that I don’t like that kind of pointy nose. But the first days after the bandage removal I did look like Eurasian with the nose which was swollen, high and very defined matching with my long eyes with big eyelid and my slim face with high cheekbones. Now the swollen has gone and the nose is less height, I look like a nice Vietnamese with a nice shaped nose.

For the ones who like Dr Toriumi's type of nose maybe you can ask Dr. Hsu whether he can do it. I think he will be honest enough not to do promises on things he couldn’t achieve.
But once again, before to go under the knife look at your face shape and eyes and imagine yourself with that nose… Will it fit to you?

I don’t like that nose, but I think “the Vietnamese”