Why Was I So Nervous One Week Before Facial Contouring Surgery?

Facial contouring surgery involves bone reduction, and even after years of preparation, I felt extremely anxious.

One week before my facial contouring surgery, I was honestly very nervous. I had wanted this surgery since high school, and over the years, I joined many online communities and spent a long time researching before finally deciding to go through with it. I don’t know why I felt so shaky, but maybe it was because this is a surgery that actually involves cutting bone. I felt scared and anxious, and recently watching a drama related to plastic surgery made me even more nervous.

Still, I tried to calm myself down by thinking about the results I was hoping for my square jaw and prominent cheekbones disappearing, my dark circles becoming lighter, and having a smoother facial shape without deep contours. At first, I only wanted to reduce unevenness in my face, but as the surgery date got closer, I started thinking that if I was doing this anyway, I wanted a more “doll-like” facial line. Whenever I look at people who are considered pretty, their face shape always looks clean and doll-like, and that made me want the same result.

I planned to tell the surgeon exactly what I wanted before surgery. I also read that showing reference photos of the desired face shape is helpful, so I prepared photos to show during the consultation. Unlike breast surgery, where you can roughly estimate size and fit using padding or implants, facial contouring surgery, fat grafting, and under-eye fat repositioning are impossible to predict beforehand. That uncertainty actually made me even more curious and excited. I wanted to get the surgery done quickly, see how I would look once the swelling went down, and also see how swollen I would get on day 3, which is said to be the peak of swelling during facial contouring recovery.

What Was Facial Contouring Surgery and Day 3 Recovery Really Like?

Day 3 after facial contouring surgery is physically exhausting, with severe swelling and discomfort.

I finally underwent three-type facial contouring surgery along with under-eye fat repositioning and facial fat grafting. Before surgery, my emotions were about 90% fear and 10% excitement. After surgery, it felt like 0% excitement and 100% exhaustion.

Because of the anesthesia, I felt nauseous, like I was about to throw up, and my throat was extremely dry. I had to keep taking deep breaths to help clear the anesthesia gas, but even breathing felt very difficult. I was told I could drink water six hours later, but time passed painfully slowly, and I kept thinking that I wanted to go back to before surgery.

Around 10 p.m., a nurse told me to walk for about 10 minutes, and if I felt okay, I could drink water. When I stood up to walk, I suddenly had a nosebleed, felt dizzy, and had to sit down again. The day of surgery was extremely difficult. The next day, on post-op day 1, I had heavy swelling and bruising on my forehead. I had to fast again from 4 a.m. until seeing the doctor. Since it was discharge day, the urinary catheter and drains were removed in the morning. Because my bruising was very severe, I received 6–7 bruising injections. Removing the drains was more painful than the injections themselves.

After seeing the doctor, I was discharged, received my medication, and went home. I followed the compression routine strictly—two hours on, one hour off—and did cold compresses diligently. Eating was very difficult, but hunger was worse, so I forced myself to eat ice cream, sponge cake with milk, and porridge. I took my medication properly and went for a short 10-minute walk.

On post-op day 2, I continued the same routine with meals, medication, compression, and cold packs, but increased walking to one hour. The bruising became darker and spread over the upper half of my face. My lips were extremely swollen, and my cheeks were puffed up like a puppy stung by bees. I kept having bloody phlegm and nosebleeds and wished at least those would stop soon.

On post-op day 3, the bruising on my forehead started turning slightly yellow, while bruises spread down to my lower cheeks. Swelling was similar to day 2. Nosebleeds decreased a bit, but bloody phlegm continued. Eating was still hard in the morning, but because I was hungry, I mashed dumplings and eggs and swallowed them without chewing properly, since using my front teeth was still impossible. I planned to take another one-hour walk that evening and desperately hoped time would pass faster so the bruising and swelling would start going down.

Is One Week After Facial Contouring Surgery Still Very Swollen?

Yes, at one week after facial contouring surgery, swelling and bruising are still significant but begin to improve.

I visited the hospital for a follow-up on my fat grafting and under-eye fat repositioning. On days 2–3, my face was covered in dark purple bruises, making me look almost blackened, but surprisingly, by day 4, the dark bruises faded and turned greenish-yellow. The doctor said my bruising had improved a lot, which made me very happy.

Although swelling was still severe on day 4, my bruising had been worse than average, so hearing that it was improving was reassuring. After seeing the doctor, I finally washed my hair for the first time in four days, which felt incredibly refreshing. Later that evening, my eyes started to feel sore and watery. I used eye drops regularly, but the discomfort continued. Even so, I didn’t skip walking and continued walking for over an hour each day.

On day 5, I noticed in the mirror that swelling and bruising had slightly improved, which made me feel excited and more confident. I went to a large supermarket wearing a mask and a hat, walked around, and went shopping. In the evening, I even went for a one-hour walk alone for the first time. Until then, I had always walked with my boyfriend because I felt embarrassed going out alone after surgery.

By day 6, I walked alone again for about 40 minutes. The eye soreness continued, and swelling and bruising were similar to day 5. On day 7, I visited the hospital again, had a short consultation, received aftercare treatment, and had my stitches removed. I was told that I could start brushing with a baby toothbrush. I was also told that the stitches inside my mouth would be removed at two weeks, and I couldn’t wait for that day. Nosebleeds and bloody phlegm had stopped, swelling had started to move downward making my chin look fuller, and although most bruising had faded, dark bruises along my nasolabial folds made me look like I had a mustache.

Is It Painful to Remove Stitches Two Weeks After Facial Contouring Surgery?

With local anesthesia, stitch removal at two weeks is manageable and less painful than expected.

Exactly two weeks after facial contouring surgery, I went to the hospital to remove the stitches inside my mouth. I was very nervous because the gargle anesthesia made my tongue feel numb, and I worried it wouldn’t numb the stitched areas. Thankfully, the anesthesia worked on the stitched areas as well. Removing the upper and chin stitches caused only slight stinging, and the rest were not very painful.

There was some bleeding immediately afterward, and I worried the pain would start once the anesthesia wore off, but it didn’t hurt at all. Most of the purple bruises were gone, leaving only slight yellow bruising under my eyes and on the lower face. However, swelling was still severe—enough to make me look like I had gained a lot of weight. I was scheduled to return to work the following Monday, so I planned to walk more aggressively over the next few days to reduce swelling as much as possible.

Why Did My Face Still Look Very Swollen 3 Weeks After Facial Contouring Surgery?

At three weeks after facial contouring surgery, swelling often feels unchanged because recovery progresses slowly and unevenly.

It has now been three weeks since my facial contouring surgery, and honestly, it didn’t feel very different from week two. I think this is because I look at my face every day. On December 23rd, which was post-op day 18, I returned to work. I felt like I absolutely could not go to work looking like this, so I wore a mask and covered the cheekbone incision areas with baby hairs.

I had never worn a mask to work before, so coworkers kept asking why I was wearing one and whether I had caught a cold. I just said I had a cold, and they believed me. I personally felt that my swollen face was very obvious even with a mask, but it seems other people didn’t notice as much. However, two people did say that I looked like I had gained weight, which caught me off guard.

Thankfully, no one suspected surgery. Before surgery, I thought that by two weeks, the swelling would be mostly gone like other facial contouring recovery reviews, and that by Christmas, major swelling would be gone. That was not the case at all. My cheeks were still extremely swollen, making my face look like I had gained 30 kg. People say facial contouring recovery is a long-term process for a reason.

Because of work, I couldn’t wear the compression band as much during the day, but I put it on immediately after getting home. I continued cold compresses and walked as much as possible. I also noticed that the skin on the areas where fat grafting was done started breaking out badly, and wearing a mask seemed to make it worse. I really wanted the swelling to go down so I could stop wearing a mask.

At this point, bruising was completely gone. I could open my mouth wide enough to fit two fingers stacked together, and I could eat most foods normally. I tried not to open my mouth wide when yawning, and bloody phlegm only appeared occasionally, so I didn’t worry too much. My doctor said I could start using high-frequency devices after 2–3 weeks and decide on supplements later. I planned to bring my supplements at the one-month visit to ask if they were okay to take.

Is It Normal to Still Feel Very Puffy 1 Month After Facial Contouring Surgery?

Yes, at one month after facial contouring surgery, noticeable swelling is still common, especially in the lower face.

It has finally been one month since my facial contouring surgery. Bloody phlegm had completely stopped, but my face was still very swollen. I continued wearing a mask to work and whenever I went out. I was told that I could start applying scar ointment to the cheekbone incision area, so I diligently applied it to help the scars fade faster.

I visited the hospital for my one-month follow-up on December 3rd. The doctor said the fixation pins were holding well, and after reviewing my CT scan, I felt incredibly happy seeing that my square jaw was gone. Before surgery, I didn’t have much facial fat, but because of swelling, my face looked very full on the CT scan. The space between my bones and soft tissue looked about 2.5 times larger than before, which honestly made me laugh—but also worry.

The doctor said I could start using my radiofrequency device, so I planned to use it diligently once it arrived. I was also cleared to take supplements again starting the next day. I was told not to gain weight, so I decided to start going back to the gym again in February.

Even though I see my face every day and felt like swelling wasn’t improving, I noticed something interesting my company’s face recognition system started recognizing me again. Before surgery, it wouldn’t work because of swelling unless I covered my chin with a mask. That made me realize that swelling was slowly improving, even if I couldn’t see it clearly myself.

Why Did I Still Feel Anxious About Swelling 2 Months After Facial Contouring Surgery?

At two months after facial contouring surgery, lower-face swelling often remains and can cause anxiety when comparing progress to others.

At two months post-op, when I looked in the mirror, I still felt that there was a lot of swelling in my lower face. I continued wearing a mask to work. Compared to the beginning, swelling had gone down significantly, but human greed has no end. I kept comparing myself to other facial contouring recovery reviews and wondered why other people seemed to have no swelling at two months while mine was still noticeable.

Because of this, I didn’t feel like taking photos even when I put on makeup. No matter how I took pictures, my face looked strange, and the swelling made me look like I had just had surgery a few days ago, even though it had already been two months. The doctor had confirmed at my one-month visit that the pins were stable, but I still worried constantly.

I was careful when yawning so my mouth wouldn’t open too wide. I still couldn’t eat very large bites of food in one go, so I avoided wraps and ate food piece by piece instead. Chewing meat and most foods was fine. One thing I noticed was that when I bent forward, blood rushed to my face, making me feel dizzy or hot, so I tried to avoid bending down whenever possible.

Why Did My Chin Still Look Puffy 3 Months After Facial Contouring Surgery?

At three months after facial contouring surgery, upper-face swelling often improves first while chin swelling lingers longer.

When I looked at my face at three months post-op, the upper part of my face looked much slimmer, but swelling was still concentrated in my chin area. Because of this, my jaw and cheeks didn’t connect smoothly, creating a dented look that bothered me in photos. Sometimes it even reminded me of a bulldog jaw.

My mouth opening felt similar to before—still uncomfortable when yawning, and I couldn’t eat large bites. I still had to eat wraps and even bananas in small pieces. I think this limitation might be related to the fixation pins, and once pin removal becomes possible, I plan to remove them immediately.

Despite this, every time my boyfriend told me that my swelling had gone down a lot and that I looked pretty, my mood improved significantly. I felt more motivated to wear makeup and go out. Although I’ve been busy and haven’t gone out much lately, there are so many places I want to visit once work slows down.

A few days ago, I went to work without a mask for the first time since surgery. People said I looked like I had lost weight and that they didn’t recognize me at first because it had been so long since they saw my face without a mask. No one asked if I had surgery, which was a huge relief. I hope that by April or May, I can go to work comfortably without a mask and take lots of photos while traveling and going out.

Does Facial Contouring Recovery Feel More Stable at 4 Months After Surgery?

By four months after facial contouring surgery, most discomfort is mild and daily life becomes easier.

At four months post-op, I still felt slight pain around the sideburn scar area when touching it or pulling my ear. The cheekbone area felt fine most of the time but occasionally hurt when pressed. However, the discomfort was not severe enough to affect daily life.

At first, I was very conscious of the sideburn scar and kept my hair down or left baby hairs out at work. By four months, I realized I wasn’t paying attention to it anymore. I still hope the scar fades quickly and plan to ask whether scar laser treatment is possible after six months.

The doctor had warned me at one month not to gain weight, but I’ve been eating well and exercising, and I did gain some weight. Since swelling hadn’t fully gone down, the added weight made my chin look fuller. I restarted dieting because of this. Interestingly, while I felt like I gained facial fat, people around me said I looked slimmer, which still made me feel good.

Why Did I Feel More Confident 5 Months After Facial Contouring Surgery?

Around five months after facial contouring surgery, confidence often improves as swelling continues to settle.

Five months after surgery, I met former coworkers for the first time, not including my boyfriend or sister. I was worried it would be obvious, so I kept covering my face with my hair, but constantly worrying was uncomfortable. I decided to stop caring—what’s done is done, and the remaining swelling will fade with time.

I even took an ID photo for the first time in five years, and I was extremely satisfied with how it turned out. I felt like getting facial contouring surgery was the right decision. However, I felt nervous about meeting around 30 high school friends the following week. I planned to talk about that experience in my next update.

I still couldn’t open my mouth as wide as before, making dental treatment difficult. I planned to practice opening my mouth and also ask the hospital when pin removal would be possible. I was told it would show on a CT scan, and although that makes me a bit embarrassed, I really want the pins removed.

Is It Dangerous to Have an Accident 6 Months After Facial Contouring Surgery?

At six months after facial contouring surgery, accidents can be frightening, but healing bones are usually stable if no direct facial impact occurs.

At six months post-op, I was involved in a traffic accident. Since my bones hadn’t fully fused yet, I was extremely shocked and worried. Fortunately, I didn’t hit my face when I fell, which was a huge relief.

Because of severe dizziness, I had a brain CT scan, and the doctor was surprised to see a crack in my cheekbone, thinking it was caused by the accident. It turned out to be from the surgery, which was slightly embarrassing. I was also very worried during an MRI because of the metal pins in my face. I ended up explaining my surgery multiple times over two weeks, which made me realize once again how important it is to take care of my health.

I couldn’t exercise for three weeks and ate very well, which caused facial weight gain. Since swelling hadn’t fully gone down yet, the added weight made me feel disappointed. I hoped to recover quickly so I could resume exercising and return to my slimmer facial shape.

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When Did I Finally Realize My Facial Contouring Results at 8 Months?

By eight months after facial contouring surgery, changes often become noticeable through other people’s reactions.

Because I look at myself in the mirror every day, I couldn’t tell how much swelling had gone down. However, at a friend’s wedding in late July, people told me I had lost a lot of weight. They said that even when I was heavier before, my face didn’t have much fat, and now it looked even slimmer. Hearing that made me incredibly happy and relieved.

At work, people used to think my face was swollen because I gained weight. Recently, they said my jawline looked sharper again and asked if I had lost weight. It was funny and satisfying at the same time. I’ve always liked taking photos, but now I enjoy it even more. This month has been very busy, so I didn’t have much time to go out and take photos, but starting in August, I hope to travel more, take lots of pictures, and make good memories.

At the end of August, I’m going to Jeju Island and will be meeting relatives and my niece for the first time since surgery. Even though the changes aren’t dramatic, I still feel nervous.