I'll be 37 after this year. T_T
I’ll be 37 once this year passes. T_T
Personally, from the moment I was born until now, I have never once touched my face with anything related to "plastic surgery," whether it be a surgical operation or a minor procedure.
Unless you are a celebrity or a broadcaster, I believe the general sentiment in our country is still that for men my age who are working professionals—especially those who are the breadwinners of a household with children—grooming one's face through plastic surgery or procedures is still considered something close to a "luxury."
On the other hand, while living in society, I have also felt deeply that the lookist concept of "appearance is competitiveness" is by no means an empty statement.
Even if the government implements many restrictive measures to curb and guard against this social climate of prioritizing superior looks, I have felt that the reality is inevitably different.
I’m supposed to be posting a review, but here I am rambling about the bitter climate of this look-oriented society~ ^^
The review starts now.
First of all, I am a 37-year-old male.
In the past, I had a face shape and appearance that wasn't as bad as you might think (^^), but as I aged, I began to feel that my face was becoming asymmetrical at some point.
When I look in the mirror, it seems okay, but when I see photos or videos of myself taken unintentionally, my right cheek looks significantly more swollen than my left.
Since that look wasn't exactly pleasant to see, I found myself losing confidence in my appearance and becoming increasingly withdrawn.
Is this excessive self-deprecation?
Absolutely not. I think any man or woman in the same situation as me would relate, even if they don't show it.
It’s not about fixing a tiny blemish on the face; it’s a case where a specific area looks physically abnormal compared to an average, healthy person.
In my case, I often heard people say things like,
"Your right face is swollen. Did someone hit you? Is something wrong?"
Hearing it once or twice is fine, but hearing it repeatedly became annoying and made my confidence disappear.
For a while, I used massage devices and creams from the internet, and I even took the plunge and bought a monthly pass for facial meridian (kyung-rak) massages.
At the time, I psychologically felt like it was working,
but in the end, it took quite a while to realize that objectively, it had no effect.
I tried to lose facial fat through dieting and exercise,
but the asymmetrical shape of my face didn't change much.
In fact, due to "eating light" and "excessive exercise," the elasticity of my skin sagged; while my facial contours became a bit more defined, I ended up looking more gaunt and sickly.
The biggest reason I hesitated to visit a plastic surgery clinic was the "cost,"
but when I calculated the money I had spent on online massage creams, devices, and offline skin shop meridian massages, I felt a sense of regret that I should have just used that money for a procedure instead of wasting time and money.
Also, it’s not an easy thing for a man to open the door and walk into a plastic surgery clinic.
My wife (she is 33) gave birth to our second child last November. Because she was breastfeeding, she kept eating healthy food and didn't manage her figure, so her weight increased to 70kg.
Why am I suddenly talking about my wife?
The reason I came to this hospital is that my wife recommended it.
My wife, who had gained quite a bit of weight, went to a local Oriental medicine clinic, paid about 1.8 million won, and lost about 15–20kg in 40–50 days.
It was a very expensive amount, but we thought it was an unavoidable choice for her to return to normal social activities, and now that we've seen the results, we are both satisfied.
But the problem was her face. Facial fat doesn't go away easily.
Personally, I found that the hardest areas to lose fat while dieting were the face and the belly.
About a month ago, my wife came to this very clinic and got a lifting treatment.
It’s an ultrasound laser lifting called Ultra-Formo.
She said she got a discount because the clinic was having an opening event. She said she also got Botox.
My wife’s face has changed beyond recognition.
On the day of the procedure, it didn't look much different, so I asked her if she actually got it done properly.
She said the effect appears 2–3 months later, so I chuckled to myself and scoffed, asking what basis she had to believe in an effect that shows up months later.
Now, my wife’s round facial contours have been almost restored to how they were when she was single.
This is how my wife looks now. (I am posting this photo with her consent.)
Seeing my wife transformed like this (no, "restored" would be a more accurate expression), I decided to trust it for once.
Yesterday, December 23, 2014, two days before Christmas, I decided to get the Ultra-Formo lifting at Apex Plastic Surgery instead of a Christmas gift and visited the clinic.
I agreed to receive the event benefits on the condition of posting a "sincere review" on this message board...
I can really write a sincere review, right?
Since it was a clinic recommended by my wife, I had trust,
but since the price was still significant, I searched a lot for "Ultra-Formo" on Naver and Daum.
To be honest, the event price here isn't significantly cheaper than events at other clinics.
It’s about in the middle?
However, I realized there is a price difference between clinics where a board-certified plastic surgeon treats you and clinics with non-specialists (I learned for the first time that non-specialists who only have a medical license are called GPs).
I thought any place with a "Plastic Surgery" sign had a board-certified specialist,
but it turns out you can open a plastic surgery practice with just a medical license.
(Non-specialists cannot put "OOO Plastic Surgery" on their sign; they must write "OOO Clinic, Department: Plastic Surgery.")
Actually, I did want to get the procedure at a cheaper place,
but I felt I couldn't leave this "ugly face"—which I consider so important for social life—to just anyone, so I opened the door to Apex Plastic Surgery.
This is the view of the clinic.
When I tried to take a photo of the interior, everyone was suddenly startled.
So I said, "Don't I need to post photos of the clinic to write a review later?"
But they discouraged me, saying I didn't need to do it like a professional blogger...
They told me it was fine to just write a few lines of an honest review.
However, it is my belief and principle to keep a promise when I receive a benefit!
The moment I lifted my phone camera, everyone disappeared from the frame with lightning speed...
I was surprised that the clinic was right there as soon as I stepped out of the elevator, but personally, I am very satisfied with the interior design.
On the other side, there are operating rooms and procedure rooms, but since I am a layman when it comes to interior design, all I can say is that it looks good.
I also had a consultation with the board-certified plastic surgeon, Chief Director Song Hyun-seok.
I asked for his permission to take just one photo,
and he kept saying I didn't have to lol. But I took it anyway.
Since this is a sincere review, I’ll be honest: this photo of Director Song is 100% staged.
I was dying of laughter while taking it.
When else would I be able to tell a doctor, "Please take this pose~ take that pose~" as much as I want?
But the Director's acting skills are truly terrible. lol.
Even during the consultation, he didn't use a single "salesy" or "hooking" comment.
Is it because I was just a lifting patient?
He’s handsome, has a down-to-earth personality, and seems a bit shy?
I came for a simple lifting, but just in case, I consulted him about everything I had been curious about, so the consultation lasted 40–50 minutes.
There were about three people waiting behind me,
and I would like to take this opportunity to apologize to them.
And I want to thank the Director once again.
My questions must have been the same cliché ones he hears every day, but he explained everything step by step, so I found myself immersed in his explanations,
and one question kept leading to another.
Thanks to him, I acquired a lot of information and knowledge about plastic surgery.
Actually, I secretly recorded some of it. (I'm saying this because it's a sincere review.)
Following the Director's advice, I will seriously consider getting epicanthoplasty and lateral canthoplasty soon.
Actually, my wife said it hurt a lot when she got Ultra-Formo,
so I kept asking the Director to make it painless.
They applied a generous amount of numbing cream to my face.
"Oho~ Does it not hurt if I get this?"
The Director said nonchalantly,
"No, it will hurt. We just do this for you anyway. Since the laser is fired inside the skin, there is some pain, and this only has a very slight effect. But if we fire it directly on bare skin, the patient feels more pain due to anxiety... There is an effect because there is pain. If there's no pain, there's no effect."
"Gasp! Then please do it under sleep anesthesia!"
"The pain isn't enough to require sleep anesthesia. It’s just a bit of a strong stinging."
Before starting the procedure, I took a selfie of my face.
Looking at the photo, the right cheek is definitely quite swollen.
Haha, he applied the problematic (not very effective) numbing cream to my face himself.
Perhaps because I was so tense about the pain, my fists were clenched tight once I sat on the treatment chair.
But the pain wasn't as bad as I had feared.
Is it because I have a lot of cheek fat?
He said the pain would be more intense when the laser passed over the cheekbones or jawline,
but I felt confident that I could handle this level of pain 100 more times.
I even wondered if the stage of pain the doctor mentioned hadn't arrived yet,
but from my perspective, the Ultra-Formo lifting was just a "slightly stronger version of stinging."
I think I only winced about twice.
As soon as it was over, I sent a KakaoTalk message to my wife saying, "It didn't hurt as much as I thought?"
When I asked if he had lowered the intensity on purpose because he was worried I'd be in pain,
the Director immediately fired the laser at a transparent plastic case right there!
(With a slightly shady, mischievous smile... lol)
The plastic panel was pierced by the laser.
That’s what he was firing at my face. lol.
This is 100% my face. lol. It didn't hurt as much as I thought, so I even had the composure to take a photo of the procedure with my phone camera during the treatment...
Usually, this procedure takes about 15 minutes, but I think I received it for almost 30 minutes.
This is how I looked right after the procedure.
They said the effect would appear in 2–3 months,
but even immediately after the procedure, I was quite surprised by the effect because my asymmetrical face felt neatly organized and balanced.
I sent the "immediately after" photo to my wife, and she said she could see a certain level of difference compared to before.
To be honest, I had some anxiety and doubts,
but in terms of cost-effectiveness, I felt that this procedure suited me best compared to all the methods I had tried before.
Because of me, the waiting time for the customers behind me was delayed a lot, so I just said a quick goodbye to the Director. I went back to the desk to pay,
and since I was satisfied with today's service, I tried to pay in cash.
But the person at the desk said I could use a "credit card."
I said, "Since you gave me a discount and took care of me for so long, wouldn't it be better to pay in cash?"
They replied that it was a normal promotional discount and that they have to report all taxes anyway even if they take cash, so I should do whatever is convenient for me.
This is my first time writing this kind of post, and it turned out to be very long.
Today, I feel a very high level of satisfaction with the Ultra-Formo lifting I received.
I truly, sincerely thank Director Song Hyun-seok of Apex Plastic Surgery.
It is true that I used to think all plastic surgeons were just money-hungry businessmen,
but what I felt visiting this place today was the feeling of being at a "hospital where there is a doctor."
This concludes my review.
PS -> I put a lot of effort into writing this. If I make a big decision and come back for another surgery next time, I hope you'll take good care of me.
