hi all! i've been yet another silent reader of this forum for quite some time now. thanks to all the wonderful post, i decided to get a nose revision from dr. kao. it's been about two weeks post-op and i'm feeling more myself therefore i'd like to share with you all my experience to inform, enhance & aid anyone else thinking of getting a rib graft with dr. kao in taiwan.
background: i'm a 28yo asian male. my original nose was short, bulbous, amorphous (typical piggy). i had my first rhinoplasty approx 3 years ago in thailand (dr. preechat @ bnh bnh hospital) which was a simple i-shape silicon implant. needless to say he just heightened the bridge. the nose looked somewhat decent for the first few months bc the tip was swollen which gave it more extension and shape, but afterwards the implant shifted and my nose looked horrible. needless to say i wouldn't recommend neither that dr. or any sort of complex cosmetic surgery from bnh hospital or thailand even if the prices are ridiculously cheap.
a year later i got a revision with goretex from dr. langsuan in the philippines (it was recommended by an acquaintance due to low cost). dr. langsuan (an understudy of dr. jung in korea) performed an alar reduction/rotation in the attempts to lessen the appearance of the nostrils, rebuild the bridge with goretex and used both sepal and ear cartilage for the tip. he also recommended that i get a chin implant to balance it all out. upon removing the cast, i thought the bridge was too high and slightly off centered, the tip was not long and protruding enuff and even the silicon chin implant was somewhat shifted to the right. but the dr. said that that wasn't the case and that it was balance itself out when swelling subsided. i have him the benefit of the doubt. my nose overall was looking ok for about 6 months or so but then when all the swelling had gone down, the goretex implant became very apparent and my nose looked completely artificial. it looked like a bad nose job nose and the chin was just pointy and crooked. again, i would never recommend dr. langsuan even though I have to give his nurses probs bc they are all lovely.
so after about 1.5 years of that horrible fake looking nose, i finally decided to get a rib graft revision with dr. kao.
consultation: i arrived into taipei in mid feb and checked into the nanying (sp?) serviced apts which is attached to the hospital. the apts are quite spacious and nice although the temperature was a bit on the chilly side. i had my consultation with dr. kao. at first he was quite formal and short in his responses to me but overall he's a very nice and young looking dr. we spent about 2 hrs going over the process with his recommendations accompanied by a computer simulation. unfortunately i don't speak any chinese but overall i think there was an accurate exchange of information. he recommended that i do a rib graft where he would rebuild the structure of my nose, and increase and extend out my tip. the simulation looked pretty decent but i really should've brought in sample pictures. after that i did my lab test. note that aside from the rhinoplasty rib graft revision, i also got a goretex/silicone chin implant revision, paranasal implants with rib graft and an otoplasty.
surgery day: aside the good dr. set me up in a single room. the nurses prepared me for the operation. i downloaded a few pics off the internet of some korean popstars whose noses i liked to show dr. kao at the last minute. i got the IV drop needle stuck into my veins and was rolled into the ER, said hi to the doctors, followed by a quick prayer, had o2 turned out and then passed out..... to be awaken a few hours later as they wheeled my drugged out body back to the room. let me say that i was sorta prepared for this surgery but i had no idea. gosh, i was in all sorts of odd feeling pain for the next 24 hrs. thank gawd for the nice nurses who prob felt sorry for me with my nonexistent mandarin. all of them were super nice and accommodating, giving me shots, painkillers, and even helping me on my first trip to the bathroom. i wasn't expecting them to be soo nice due to other posters experience. anyway, back to the pain. yeah it was bad and it just felt weird. after 6 hrs they finally gave me water and then some instant noodles. i brought along some sleeping pills so i just passed out until the next day.
week 1 recovery: i eventually got back to the apt with mask on and all. i just felt weird and uncomfortable. it was little painful, especially getting in and out of bed but manageable. so for the next week i just stayed in the apt with the occasional trips down to the 7-11 for some food. i actually think i gained weight from just sitting around and eating all of that greasy delicious microwaved food. the good dr. would call up every day to check in. i would go over to the hospital every other day where dr. kao would personally change my bandages and all of that stuff. and yes, i also notice that he didn't stitch up the rib wound. there was only tape on it. day 6, the cast finally came off and my nose looked big but def better. dr. kao told me that tons of the swelling well go down after the first 2-3 weeks. my face was still numb and swollen and in all sorts of manageable pain: nose, paranasal area, chin, ears. my rib area had gotten more painful which is due to the fact, according to the dr, bc my body has more muscle than avg therefore it'll take more time for the muscles to heal around the wound.
week 2: my nose looks pretty decent although the area bt my eyes is still pretty swollen making the bridge look super high. the tip however is pretty nice. i just hope that it doesn't look too sharp or unnatural once most of the swelling subsides. my face is still pretty much numb will minimal pain in my nose. my rib area is still quite uncomfortable.
i'll be sure to update everyone on the healing progress within the upcoming weeks. sorry for the long post. hope it was somewhat insightful. all the best!
