Why I Got Double Jaw Surgery

I found out about my facial asymmetry when I took a school ID picture in middle school. My parents and others around me expressed concern about my facial asymmetry, but I didn’t care too much about it. The facial asymmetry became more pronounced when I got to high school, and I realized the severity of it when I took my graduation pictures. After that realization, I kept worrying about my appearance and my confidence went down. I was initially reluctant to undergo double jaw surgery, as I was unfamiliar with it and under the impression that it was a dangerous procedure. Instead, I opted for Botox and massages, but the effects were minimal or temporary. Ultimately, I decided that double jaw surgery would be the cure for my facial asymmetry.

Why I Chose EU

I considered many different clinics because this is a major surgery. I decided to get a consultation at EU because of an EU patient review. The after photos looked so natural—there were no signs of surgery. EU was the first clinic I visited, but the consultant was really friendly, and the surgeon gave thorough explanations, which solidified my trust in EU.

Day 1

When I woke up from the anesthesia, my face only hurt briefly, but mostly it was hard to breathe. I knew I wasn’t going to die, but I was really scared because I couldn’t breathe all of a sudden. My nose was fine during the day but got congested at night—I couldn’t really sleep on this first night.

Day 2

I got my mouth suctioned this morning. It hurt while I got it, but I caught up on my sleep since I feel a bit better. I don’t know if I bounce back quickly from things, but I’ve gotten much better this afternoon. It was still uncomfortable to breathe, but breathing slowly helped. I watched some TV at night and I didn’t wake up in the middle of the night, except for when the nurse came in to check on me.

Day 3

Today wasn’t bad, either. I worried that a lot of things would bother me after I was discharged. My bed at home can’t be adjusted into the upright position like the one at EU, so that was uncomfortable. I slept while sitting down, with a cushion against my back, but I kept falling forwards, so that was hard. I was able to sleep through the night except for when I woke up being unable to breathe.

Day 4

Maybe it’s because I slept with my head tilted forwards, but my face is really swollen… I kept laughing after I saw my face in the mirror. My nose was already on the bigger side, but the post-surgical swelling made it massive—I was flustered. I didn’t worry about it since the swelling will go down, but my face felt heavy and hot. I slept through the entire day, except for when I walked for an hour and a half to go grocery shopping with my mom.

Day 5

The swelling’s similar to yesterday… My face still feels weighed down and warm. I went for an hour-long walk around my neighborhood. I finally took a shower—it was so refreshing!!!

Day 6

The swelling went down a bit compared to yesterday. I feel that I’ve completely recovered, so I went for a walk during the day and night for two hours. My days are boring, but I feel good when I go out for a stroll: it feels like the cool air is lifting a weight off my chest. 

Day 7

The swelling goes down little by little every day. The yellow bruise on my face has extended down to my neck. Now that my symptoms have eased, I feel hungry. Except my mouth is wired shut, so I can only eat through a syringe. It annoys me every time :’( But I make sure to eat three times a day since I have medicines to take. 

Day 8

The swelling went down a lot. I went to the clinic to get my surgical site disinfected, and I also got the laser treatment to reduce swelling. I didn’t do anything I wasn’t supposed to, but since it was a pretty major surgery, I worried a bit about whether I am doing okay. I feel more at ease after listening to my surgeon confirm that I am on the right track to recovery! I’m into going on walks lately; I think I’m walking at least 10,000 steps a day…? It’s kind of bothersome to go out, but it’s so refreshing once I’m outside.

Day 9

It’s sad that I’m spending Christmas at home. It’d be really sad if I were the only one spending it at home, but since everyone’s staying home for Christmas this year, I’m a little less sad… I did a lot of cleaning for the first time in a while and watched my family have cake and meat. I really wanted to eat, too. I should’ve eaten more before I had the surgery… I went out for a stroll late at night, just in case there were too many people out and about during the day.

Day 10

The swelling went down considerably… If only the swelling in my chin will go down! I went to the clinic today for the laser treatment and took the bus on the way back, and it was tolerable. As of today, I don’t have to take any more of the medicines—I’m so happy! I walked 10,000 steps today, too. On my way back home, I saw a street vendor selling steamed buns. I wanted to eat it so badly, I bought it for my mom and watched her eat it. When will the time go by…

Day 11

It’s Day 11 already… Other people’s reviews mention how time flies; while it goes by quickly, I want time to pass by faster. Perhaps it’s because I didn’t eat enough today, but I had no energy. My legs were trembling on the way back from my stroll. I want to eat some porridge, but it’s hard to eat it out of a syringe, no matter how much you thin it out… I got irritated and resorted to consuming liquids only—I’m tired. Having something sweet like chocolate milk helps a lot when I get dizzy. I just want to get the wires in my mouth removed and have some porridge.

Day 12

I went on a fairly long stroll; it made me quite dizzy—I almost passed out. I barely made it home; I had two bottles of Nucare and fell asleep. I should go on shorter walks depending on how I’m feeling tomorrow.

Day 13

I feel better than I did yesterday. I went on a short stroll, ate well, and I got lots of sleep, too!

Day 14

I’m finally getting my sutures out tomorrow! I’m guessing the wires will also be taken off as well? I’m looking forward to tomorrow but scared at the same time. 

1 Month Post-Op

Much of the swelling went down, except for the side of my face that had greater asymmetry and the bottom of my chin. I first started to see improvement in the asymmetry of bone structure, but my lips were still fairly asymmetrical after the surgery. Perhaps it’s because the lips are soft tissue? I worried a lot over this :’( My lips started to appear more symmetrical as the swelling continued to go down. It was such a relief; I don’t worry about it anymore, lol. I had an appointment with my surgeon a few days ago. He showed me a side-by-side comparison of the pre-and post-surgery X-rays, and I was assured and glad to see the improvement in my facial asymmetry. I was also able to ask about anything I was curious or concerned about, and he was really friendly when explaining everything to me. The surgeon said that the asymmetry will get better with time, which really put my mind at ease. I also got approval to start chewing my food, so I was super happy about that, too. I can still only eat soft foods, so I can’t have tteokbokki, my favorite food. I can have bread and pastries as long as they aren’t hard or chewy! When I was fatigued from the surgery, the thought of being hungry didn’t occur to me, but as I’ve been recovering, my appetite has returned. Not being able to eat even if I wanted to has been quite hard to cope with. Oh, and the orthodontist checked in on me, too. After seeing how I open my mouth and bite, he said that the way I bite down tends to favor one side of my face and that I should practice biting uniformly. It’s probably because my muscles have made a habit of doing that pre-surgery. I’m actively working on biting properly for my teeth because I am scheduled to stop wearing my wafer and start orthodontic treatment two weeks from now. Sometimes I don’t want to practice doing this, but I had surgery to correct what I couldn’t do on my own—I should make a concerted effort to do what I can! After the appointment, I had risotto delivered to my house. I ate it as soon as I got home. Chewing felt a bit awkward, but it was nice, nonetheless. I’m really into pastries lately: I got a ton of them as a gift, so I’m eating them every day. It makes me happy, but I’m kind of worried I might gain weight, lol… I can eat rice mixed into soups, and if I’m craving meat, I can cut up Hamburg steak. I made plans to go eat sushi and udon next week, and I’m both excited and worried. Time has been going by fast, and I’ve just been happy getting the OK to start chewing! Although I can only eat soft foods, there are lots of them if you look for them. I want the next two months to quickly go by like this.

2 Months Post-Op

Now that I’m a month post-op and can chew my food, the time has been going by quickly. I’ve resumed working my part-time job, and I’ve been making a lot of plans to hang out with my friends. Except for the people I’m really close to, I haven’t told anyone that I underwent double jaw surgery. Everyone thinks I’ve lost weight after starting orthodontic treatment. My friends think it’s really cool how my lower jaw got much smaller after getting braces. That’s how natural I look after surgery! Nowadays, I don’t wear the wafer when I sleep, but I’m scared about my dental midline, so I check it first thing when I wake up. But it’s always all right, so I can put my mind at ease now! To discuss the results of the surgery, most of the bony asymmetry was corrected, but the asymmetry in the musculature, such as my lips, is somewhat there. However, I was informed about this before I underwent the surgery. The surgeon explained to me that I may have a greater degree of asymmetry left post-surgery compared to others because I had my facial asymmetry since I was young. That’s just how it is. I’d be lying if I said it doesn’t bother me at all, but I think I should be thankful for how much it has been corrected. I was told that soft tissues will get better with time, so I think letting time take its course is a good idea. I’m able to eat most foods, but not being able to have kimchi has been harder on me than I thought… I crave it every time I eat something greasy. I can have it once I hit the 3-month mark, so I should wait until then :( If it’s anything like the post-op period thus far, the time should go by quickly! 

3 Months Post-Op

When I first wake up in the morning, the swelling below my chin is definitely there. But much of it goes down by the afternoon after I’ve gone out and about my day! The swelling continues to go down, I’m still watching what I eat, but I’m doing well without medications.

5 Months Post-Op

I’ve gotten approval to stop wearing the wafer, and I’m able to eat like how I did before the surgery! I’m doing well~!

7 Months Post-Op

I’m doing well as usual! I had surgery in winter, and it’s already summer—time goes by really fast. My lower jaw was on the larger side, but after the surgery, it’s gotten smaller and slimmer—it’s cool yet awkward every time I look in the mirror. LOL. Since I had a severe case of facial asymmetry, I’m still somewhat self-conscious, but I’m thankful that it’s gotten so much better. The surgeon said he’ll work on enhancing my facial asymmetry when I go to get the plates removed, so I’m optimistic! I want to have the plates removed and complete the orthodontic treatment already!

8 Months Post-Op

At the beginning of the recovery period, I worried a lot about what might go wrong, but I’m much more at ease now that it’s been 8 months since my surgery. My facial symmetry is improving, as my soft tissues are continuing to adjust. It’s such a relief :)

10 Months Post-Op

I feel that time flies every time I write a post-surgery journal entry. Nowadays, I’m doing just as well as I was before the surgery! Now that my face shape is definitely prettier, hats I used to never wear look nice on me. I like how I look in pictures, too. My mom worried a lot before I underwent the surgery, but now she’s glad I did it.

11 Months Post-Op

I’m doing well like before! I want to get my braces off already, but I’m concerned because I haven’t been able to go in because I’ve been busy :(

12 Months Post-Op

It’s been a year since the surgery. At first, I was cautious about even the small movements, but now I can open my mouth as widely as I was able to before surgery. If I could go back to the past, I think I would have gotten the surgery sooner—when I turned 20, lol. My insecurities are gone, and I have more confidence, but every time I’m facing a hard time, I think to myself, “I was able to recover from a major surgery, what can’t I do?” My orthodontic treatment is going well, and my mind is at ease, so I’m just waiting to complete this entire process right now. I had a lot of concerns until I had the surgery, but I think it was a good decision based on the results!