<Before Surgery>
Reasons for Surgery and Choosing a Clinic
Even though I had orthodontic treatment in high school, my jaw become misaligned, causing a gap between my front teeth. While considering re-orthodontics, I decided to opt for double jaw surgery. As I grew, the asymmetry worsened, and I began to experience strain on my temporomandibular joint. In my case, the asymmetry was due to the different lengths of my jawbones on each side, so double jaw surgery was the only solution. After consultations at four different oral and maxillofacial surgery clinics, I received a diagnosis at all four that double jaw surgery was necessary, which solidified my decision to proceed with surgery rather than orthodontic treatment.
Of the four clinics, the last consultation I had was at WHY Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery Clinic. I chose to have surgery there for two main reasons: first, the clinic allows guardians to view the surgery in real-time through CCTV; and second, the surgeon's experience and approach aligned well with what I was looking for.
 
Day of Surgery (April 15): I arrived at the clinic around 9:30 AM and had a pre-surgery consultation with the surgeon. I wanted a natural look with a remaining slight angle under the ear, so we reviewed the photos I had sent to the consultant and discussed the surgery plan, including how many millimeters to adjust the jaw. Although I was a bit disappointed to learn that the improvement might be less dramatic since I had previous orthodontic treatment, the surgeon assured me that they would do their best to achieve the desired result, so I placed my trust in them and proceeded with the surgery. The surgery finished faster than expected and went well with minimal bleeding. Some people mentioned feeling groggy and uncomfortable when waking up from general anesthesia, but I woke up completely alert and didn’t feel sleepy at all. However, this made the facial pain and headaches quite intense, and I struggled with them throughout the night. The surgeon mentioned that about 2 out of 10 patients experience headaches, and unfortunately, I was one of them. because there was a tube in my nose, I didn’t have much difficulty breathing, but the pain and headaches made the night challenging.
 
Day 2:
Around 8 AM, the urinary catheter was removed, and I started walking around the clinic a bit. After the surgeon arrived, the drains were removed, and the wafer was checked. There wasn’t any significant pain, and after the drains and catheter were out, I felt much better than the previous day! They gave me Newcare (liquid nutrition) and water to drink, but my throat was so sore that even swallowing a sip of water was difficult, so I could only drink about half a container of Newcare using a syringe. After removing the nasal tube, I found it harder to breathe through my nose, and when phlegm would accumulate in my throat, breathing became difficult. Fortunately, the nurses were very supportive, helping me stay calm whenever this happened. Just like the previous day, I had headaches and facial pain, and I developed a fever at night. The nurses were great, constantly checking my temperature and replacing my ice packs throughout the night.
 
Day 3:
On the morning of my discharge, I received laser treatment to reduce swelling and had my progress checked by the surgeon before leaving. I was a bit nervous about switching from injections to oral medications, but taking pills wasn’t as difficult as I had feared. I used a pill dispenser I had previously used for my dog, placing the pills toward the back of my throat and drinking water, which made swallowing them much easier! The day before, I couldn’t even finish one container of Newcare, but I noticed gradual improvement as the day went on, and the pain in my throat subsided significantly. I managed to consume four containers of Newcare along with some strained porridge and pureed fruit, spending the day eating, taking medication, and gargling.
 
Day 4:
Because I’m tall and quite thin, I was worried about losing weight, so I made an effort to eat as much as possible. I alternated between one container of Newcare, soup, and pureed fruit every four hours. I also went for 30-minute walks in the afternoon and evening, and surprisingly, I didn’t feel too fatigued. However, I still had some discomfort, including a blocked nose that woke me up every 2-3 hours, facial tenderness, and mild headaches.
 
Day 5:
When I woke up in the morning, my face was extremely swollen, and the tightness all over was quite painful. It was the first time I truly understood what people meant by facial tenderness. I managed to eat four containers of Newcare, porridge, soup, and fruit juice every four hours and took a 1.5-hour walk on my own, but I overexerted myself and nearly crawled back home, feeling dizzy. I realized I had overestimated my strength just five days after surgery and regretted not having a companion with me.
 
Days 6-7:
In the beginning, I was waking up every 1-2 hours at night, but as my nose gradually cleared, I could sleep for 3-4 hours at a time. Around this point, the swelling started to subside, and the facial tightness improved significantly. The headaches, which had been my biggest concern, also began to diminish. I continued to eat four containers of Newcare, porridge, soup, dongchimi (radish water kimchi) broth, and nurungji (scorched rice) broth throughout the day, and I made sure to walk for an hour each day.
 
First Follow-Up Appointment (April 23):
This was my first visit to the clinic since being discharged. I received laser treatment to reduce swelling and had the incisions inside my mouth disinfected. Thankfully, there were no signs of infection, although the disinfection process did sting a bit. The surgeon mentioned that while the swelling wasn’t severe, the bruising was more pronounced, so I immediately bought a cream for bruising on my way home.
 
Days 10-14:
There were no major changes, and I continued eating blended porridge from Bonjuk along with Newcare. After each meal, I applied steam towels for 30 minutes, three times a day, and continued my daily one-hour walks. Whether it was the bruise cream, the warm compresses, or the walks, I’m not sure, but the bruising on my face completely faded within a week, and I noticed a significant reduction in swelling during that time. As the swelling subsided, I started to wonder if I still had some asymmetry, but I was reassured that it would take time for the muscles and skin to adjust to the new bone structure, so I’m trying not to worry too much.
 
Two Weeks Post-Surgery:
Second Follow-Up Appointment (May 4):
Due to personal circumstances, I had to delay my second appointment, which made me anxious about how painful the stitch removal might be. After receiving laser treatment for swelling, the stitches were removed. Thankfully, it was only slightly painful when the front stitches were removed from both the upper and lower areas, and the rest of the process wasn’t painful at all! The surgeon also instructed me to start practicing opening my mouth, so I’ve been diligently exercising by opening my mouth wide. I’m a big fan of Pyongyang naengmyeon (cold noodles), so right after getting my stitches removed, I went to eat some, cutting the noodles into small pieces with scissors and enjoying my meal. Now, three weeks post-surgery, I’m not experiencing any major discomfort. After getting my stitches removed, I’ve been able to eat the foods I want by cutting them into small pieces and swallowing them without chewing. I can open my mouth about two finger-widths wide. I’ve lost about 3 kg, so I’m working on regaining the weight. Although the swelling seems to have plateaued, I believe that if you can endure the first week after surgery, it’s a manageable procedure. Given the differences in skin elasticity and healing capacity, I’m glad I had the surgery while I was still relatively young.
 
Three Months Post-Surgery:
It’s been three months since my surgery, and about 80% of the swelling has subsided. My appearance looks much more natural now, with much of the initial awkwardness gone.
 Up until the two-month mark, I still felt that my mouth looked a bit unnatural when talking or making facial expressions, but after diligently doing mouth exercises, my muscles have loosened up, and everything feels much more natural now.
Three Months Post-Surgery Follow-Up:
I visited WHY Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery Clinic for my three-month follow-up and took photos to compare the before and after. Compared to the one-month mark, the swelling has gone down significantly, and I’m feeling much more satisfied with the results. However, I still feel that the swelling is decreasing very slowly, so I’ll continue to monitor it up to the six-month mark.
My biggest concern was that I wouldn’t be able to close my mouth, but while it’s not perfectly closed yet, there’s no major issue when my lips are together. Nowadays, even when I meet new people, they don’t realize I’ve had surgery unless I tell them, which speaks to how natural the results are, and I’m very satisfied with that!
I can really feel that my face has become much smaller, and it feels like a dream that I’m recovering so well without any complications from the double jaw surgery. I’m incredibly happy!