ITEM Plastic Surgery Clinic: 2017

Sunday 16 April 2017

Elasticum or V-Loc

Questions you may have:

Which is better?
What is Elasticum
What is V-Loc
What is the difference?
Which one should I choose?

Here's a comparison of the 2 different types of lifting for your reference.

We hope you have a better understanding of how Elasticum and V-Loc lifting works.

If there’s any doubts, please do not hesitate to contact us!

Thank you for choosing ITEM Plastic Surgery Clinic! ^^

Thread lifting has become a trend for patients who pursue non-invasive facial rejuvenation with a low risks and rapid recovery period.

Elasticum is approved by Korea KFDA, and applied under PCT, Patent Cooperation Treaty.

An elastic thread made of silicone sheathed with polyester in a weaving form - more elastic and more bonding effect to the tissues. The non-absorbable (impalpable) thread is used for traction and permanent suspension of the tissues which provides high elasticity effect and stable tissue bonding effect.

Surgery Method

Design in the direction to be pulled and the portion to be lifted the outer portion with minimum of 6 threads on each side.

Insert the thread during sleep under anesthesia with no pain, and pull it out (very small incision - almost unnoticeable)

Characteristic of Elasticum Lift

Implanted without dissecting the tissues - minimizing the damage of tissues

Soft as subcutaneous fat and has elasticity working as a natural ligament

Minimum downtime, daily activities can be resumed immediately.

If necessary, it is possible to be operated by subtracting from various directions, so the lifting effect is better

Can last about 5 - 10 years depending on individual skin laxity.

This procedure is suitable for …

Patient who has concern with saggy and loose undercheeks, neck and body like breast and hip

Patient who wishes to have V-line face without invasive contouring surgery

Patient who needs better effect for loose skin after facial contour surgery

Patient who worries about a conventional face-lifting surgery wound, recovery period and pain

Possible side-effects of Elasticum Lift

The most frequent minor complications of thread lifting are skin dimpling and puckering appearance, but they can be treated with massage or become natural over time.

Solution for Elasticum Lift side-effects

Elastic thread can easily be removed as the thread is not barbed within 2 weeks post-surgery if necessary due to side effects

PREPARING FOR YOUR ELASTICUM LIFTING

Pre and post-surgery conditioning of your body is important in order for your body to recover in the shortest time from the surgery, which will aid in producing the best results

It is very important to let us know if you have any allergies (drugs, herbs, food) which you may have, or suspected to have.

IMPORTANT REMINDER

Please keep us informed should you have any medical history (high blood pressure, heart problem or diabetes etc) and/or medication to us immediately and as well as any allergies (drugs, herbs, food), which you may have, or suspected to have.

Everyone heal at different pace, some may heal really fast without much signs of bruising and swelling while some may take a longer time to heal and recover. It is very important for patients to stay positive throughout the healing process.

Minimum of days required to stay in Seoul ~ 2 days 1 night

Stitch Removal ~ No stitch off required

Others ~ 2-3 hours stay in Clinic Recovery Room

Day of Your Procedure

Please arrive at our clinic 30 mins before your schedule appointment time.
Please DO NOT EAT OR DRINK ANYTHING 4 hours before your scheduled surgery time.
Please do not wear wigs, hairpins, jewelry, false eyelashes, or contact lenses.
Remove nail polish, gel nails, acrylic nails and nails extension.
DO NOT put on make up.
Wear loose and comfortable clothings and comfortable foot wear.
This Procedure will be conducted under local anesthesia, and it takes approximately 1 hour and it is normal to experience mild nausea and drowsiness right after surgery.
2-3 hours stay will be required in our recovery room after procedure and will be discharged once you regain conscious.

Pre-operative Guide for ELASTICUM Lifting

DO NOT ~

Do not smoke. If you smoke, you should stop for at least 2 weeks prior to surgery. Nicotine effects circulation and can slow down healing time.
Do not take aspirin or aspirin-containing product, or any Vitamin E for two weeks prior to or following your scheduled surgery. Aspirin has an effect on your blood’s ability to clot and could increase your tendency to bleed at the time of surgery and during the post-operative period.
Stop all medications (Except high blood pressure medications) including vitamin C at least 10 days prior to surgery. You may resume taking Vitamin C after surgery as it can help to speed up your recovery.
Do not take diet pills or herbal supplements 7 days prior to surgery. The below-mentioned Medication/Supplements should stop taking 7 days before the surgery. Weight-loss products and nutritional or herbal supplements (减肥产品或含有草药的补品): Alpha-lipoic acid (α-硫辛酸), Echinacea (松果), Gingko biloba (银杏), L-carnosine (L-肌肽), Omega-3 (欧米加3), Acetyl- l- carnitine (乙酰基L-肉毒碱), Ephedra (麻黄), Ginseng (人参), Licorice (甘草), Resveratrol (白藜芦醇), Cinnamon (肉桂), Camomile (甘菊), Fish Oil (鱼油), Garlic (大蒜), Glucosamine-glutamine (氨基葡萄糖谷氨酰胺), Chondroitin (软骨素), Kava (卡瓦), Milk thistle (水飞蓟), Skullcap (头盖骨), St. John’s wort (圣约翰草), Creatine (肌酸), Ginger (姜), Goldenseal (毛茛), Multivitamins (多种维生素), Vitamin C & E (维他命C和E), Evening Primrose Oil (月见草油), Royal Jelly (蜂王浆).
Do not drink alcoholic beverages for 5 days prior to surgery. Alcohol may create complications and increasing bruising.

DO (Optional) ~

You may wish to take Vitamin C two months before surgery for speedy healing for scar. However, please STOP taking them 10 days before surgery date. And continue to take after surgery as long as possible.
片仔癀 (Pian Zai Huang) ~ Traditional Chinese Medication according to Chinese Physician it aid healing, prevent inflammation before & after surgery, reduce swelling & pain. If you intend to consume this traditional chinese medication, take 2 capsules of 片仔癀 (Pian Zai Huang) 1 day before surgery. After surgery you should take the medicine prescribe by doctor 3 times daily 30 minutes after meal, and as for 片仔癀 (Pian Zai Huang) you should take it at night before you rest & should be taken 3-4hrs after you have taken doctor’s prescription. Please Do Not Mix it together with doctor’s prescription as片仔癀 (Pian Zai Huang) is a very strong chinese medication that will override all kind of medication.
何人可凉茶 (he ren ke liang cha/Herbal Tea) should be taken 1 week prior to surgery to relieve body heat, drink it every alternate day before & after surgery.

Here are some non-compulsory items/treatments that will help to condition your body.

Manuka Honey UMF 16 ~ Soothing, Conditioning and Boost up your Immunity
Nutritional or Meal Replacement Shake ~ Supplement your normal meals
REJURAN HEALER Treatment ~ Aid in Skin Regeneration & Repair Damage Cells

4. REJURAN ~ A Natural Healing Cosmetics Set ~ Please refer to our local consultant for more information. rejuran-set

Medication

You may be prescribed with medication that comes in a pre-packed form consisting of different tablets and capsules in each pack.

In most cases, our standard medication like Painkiller, antibiotic and digestive pill are prescribed at no additional cost. Should you required any other special medication, Doctor will provide the prescription for you and the medication may be purchase over any medical counter at your own cost.

The Pre-Packed Standard Medication to be taken 3 times a day, 30 mins after each meal, unless advised otherwise.
If there are Korean words on your medication such as 아침, 점심 and 저녁, please note that they mean that they should be taken after:

아침: breakfast
점심: lunch
저녁: dinner

If you develop a rash or think you are having an allergic reaction to the medication, please call our clinic immediately.

Post-Operative Care for Elasticum Lifting

For the first 24 to 48 hours, you should be bed-rest but you may start walking around when you do not feel dizzy as walking will helps blood circulation for speedy recovery.

No sports or exercise is allowed at this period of time but, if you feel up to it, you may go for an easy walk.

Patients may experience pain, numbness, bruises and swelling. Occasionally, patient may experience tightness and these symptoms are normal, usually last about 1-2 weeks depending on individual.

Do Not sleep too long as it will prolong swelling and best position to sleep is with head elevated at 45 degree for 1 week as this will helps to deswell faster.
Smoking should be strictly prohibited as nicotine affect blood circulation and can slow down healing time.
Take the prescribed medications as instructed (if given any)

Must Read Note

Apply ice pack for 5-10 minutes per side on a hourly basis for the first 48 hours after surgery to help deswell. (Freeze the Ice Pack before use)
Apply cold pack at least 3 times per day after 48hrs. (Chill the cold pack in the refrigerator)
Makeup is possible post surgery but makeup must be removed thoroughly upon cleansing.
Daily Sunblock is a must and we highly recommend to use Sunscreen with SPF 50+ PA+++ with thorough cleansing.
You may start to shower and wash your face gently on Day 1 post surgery.
Swelling and bruising are expected, both sides of the face heals differently but be assured the swelling and bruising will subside gradually after 2-3 days. Most patients are quite “presentable” within 1 week. You may feel some numbness around the ears and jaw areas which is normal and feeling will regain gradually after 3 months or longer subject to individual recovery.
Social activities, excessive/strenuous exercise and contact sports should be restricted for ONE MONTH after surgery. Gradual resumption of any athletic activity you are comfortable with is allowed
You can swim or resume your exercise 1 month post surgery but do not exert force on the surgical site as bleeding may occur. Sauna is not advisable when swelling has not subside.
Constipation is very common due to the pain medication and anesthesia. Please inform your condition to our clinic.
Do not compare your progress with other patients. Remember that everyone’s healing process varies. Also, if you have any questions or concerns, contact us directly.
Keep your emotion under control and Stay Positive for speedy recovery!

Complimentary ITEM Selfcare Pouch

Selfcare Pouch includes ice pack, mini ice pack, cosmetic facial mask, ointment, cotton swab and cotton pad.

Ice Pack & Mini Ice Pack

To reduce your swelling around your surgical site, you need to apply the ice pack as much as you can do. Mini ice pack can be used for patients who had rhinoplasty

Ointment

A day later from the surgery, you have to apply the ointment two times a day around your stitches area not make your scar dry.

Cotton Swab & Cotton

Whenever applying the ointment around your surgical site, you need to use cotton swab to apply them gently. After the surgery, the blood temporarily can be released. That is a very normal symptom and please wipes off the blood with cotton pad.

Cosmetic Facial Mask Pack

After removing stitches around your surgical site, you can apply the cosmetic facial mask to rejuvenate your skin condition. During your healing process, you may not wash your face as normal daily life.

Concentrated Pumpkin Juice

Drink it once a day and it helps to reduce swelling.

We hope this helps and good luck for your surgery. We wish you a speedy recovery!

If there’s any doubts, please do not hesitate to seek help from us.

Thank you for choosing ITEM Plastic Surgery Clinic! ^^

Monday 6 March 2017

SG Blogger Chua Huirong Camouflage Surgery

Huirong’sMake Over Story(Before)

Hello! Let me introduce myself first. I’m Chua Huirong from Singapore. I’m a chosen person as blogging ambassador for Shiseido’s Majolica Majorca for 3years, Clubcouture ambassador 2010, the199shop ambassador, Porcelain face spa, Chez Vous hair salon and last but not least-resident blogger for myfatpocket.com for 3years long.

Now, are you wondering why I am writing this?

I would like to tell you how my life has been changed after I met Item plastic surgery clinic.

The biggest reason why I decided to visit Item clinic was my overbite face line.

Actually many people around me are surprised or shocked about it.

Some said “You don’t need!! WHY?!”

WHY do I want to do the surgeries??

I’ve been bothered with my overbite since young. There are people in forums calling me “overbite girl” and it’s not very nice of them If it’s just strangers calling me “overbite”, I don’t mind it. But even my own friends make fun of me about it and my parents do that sometimes... You can’t imagine how stressful it is.

I know I’m overbite, but i don’t want to be reminded about it constantly. Usually I would smile or laugh along because it’s true but deep inside in my mind… i feel a little sad. If we are all given a choice, we all want to be born beautiful or handsome right?

My overbite isn’t that obvious on photos but it’s obvious in person.

Some of friends said “A little overbite is cute!.” I guess they are sensitive individuals, trying to be nice and tactful with their words.. I really appreciate it. Overbite around 3-5mm is normal but mine is around 7-8mm, hence mine is really NOT cute. It is skeletal overbite caused by the position of the jaw and the underlying skeleton, braces cannot fix it. Jaw surgery is required to physically move the jaw and so to prevent the protrusion. However, it is expensive and invasive procedure. I have a friend with 11mm overbite, did it and shared his experience with me, it sounds really painful and I don’t think I’m ready for it.

When i thought that my overbite is hopeless… Item clinic’s English website gave me hope.

I found this picture in the website and gave me an idea that fixing nose and chin can help the overbite face line.

Next concern is my BIG FAT NOSE!

Even I put make up, it still look so big and fat! I feel like to punch it.

My side view, can you see the hump on the nose?

It is so obvious.

I have natural high nose bridge though, the nose is too long and quite droopy.

Another concern is my eyes.

I have heard several times that I look different or tired without putting eye liner! In fact, my ex-classmates ask if I was sick when they saw me without eyeliner & concealer.

Since that time, I don’t dare to go out without eyeliner (unless it’s somewhere near by). I know it may sound crazy to many of you because people always “think” that i have big eyes. It’s not true!

Here’s the truth. The eye makeup and contact lens helped my eyes to be brightens up!

For your information, my left eye has always been much bigger than right eye.

Even with light makeup done by makeup artist, it is super obvious right?

Other area of concern..

Do you see the flat spot on my forehead?

I know I look okay with makeup on but I want to look okay without makeup as well.

Some told me that I’m naturally pretty, i don’t need it. Thank you for your kind words..

But makeup really does wonders.

These few photos were taken when i had makeup on. Without makeup, it is worse!

My ex-boyfriend and some of my friends used to tease me when i remove makeup. They asked me “where’s Huirong? Who are you?”

Moving on!!

On the very first day in Korea, I went to Item clinic to get a consultation with doctors.

Item clinic is located in very good area.

I was greeted by the friendly staff who speaks English.

While I was waiting to see a doctor, I was really excited and nervous!

Finally I met the famous doctors in person!

The first doctor I met was Dr. Kim Jin Sung.

He spoke English to me, there’s no communication barrier

He even drew out the diagram of my original nose shape from side view and the new nose shape that he’s going to make for me.

The following consultation was with Dr.Chung Woojin. He was very friendly and his smile made me feel comfortable and he speaks English very fluently. I felt really comfortable to talk to him.

Dr.Chung was very friendly and patient. He drew diagram to explain to me about partial incision that he will make for my eyes, to balance the size of my eyes and making them look more define.

Then he explained about fat graft.

He pointed out my flat forehead, hallow temple and cheeks. The fat graft will make my profile look more 3D.

Grafting fat on the chin will make more complete result for my overbite face line.

And It is going to help for V-shape looking! YEAH!!

Summary

1) Rhinoplasty (removing nose hump + tip reshaping of droopy tip using my own nasal septum + alar reduction)
There’s obvious nose bump on my nose bridge that will be removed. Doctor Kim has also pointed out my droopy nose tip, Hence tip-plasty is required. I’ve been complaining about how big my nose looks on my face, so yea.. alar reduction is going to make my nose base smaller .

As i have relatively high nose bridge, doctor suggested me to keep my nose bridge the same height otherwise it may look too drastic.

2) Double eyelid (partial incision method)

As I naturally have double eyelid but it’s not balanced and it’s not define enough, hence i look “sick” or “tired” without eye makeup. Doctor suggested to balance it up using partial incision method with no scaring and the chances of it disappearing is low

3) Fat-grafting (forehead, temples, laugh line, cheek, chin, eyelid)

Fat is obtained from the thigh, it is then purified carefully before re-injecting it with needles into the areas requiring augmentation.
I want to get rid of “dark patch” on my forehead. And as we age, it’s unavoidable to look tired. I want to regain my youthful look by getting rid of the sunken cheeks, laugh lines and the unevenness of the overall face shape, hence fat graft is the answer to it. The amount of fats that remains (usually only around 50%) works like fillers and it last.