I spent too long staring at my chin in the mirror

Deciding on the chin contouring

It wasn’t a sudden decision, but it felt like one because I just kept obsessing over it for months. I kept looking at my profile in the mirror at work, especially when the fluorescent lights were hitting my face from above. My chin always looked a bit too prominent, or maybe just a little too long compared to the rest of my face. I looked into Braun Plastic Surgery because I’d heard names mentioned in forums, and it felt like a starting point. I spent probably about three months just scrolling through old threads and looking at photos before I even picked up the phone to book a consultation. The whole process of comparing different methods for jaw reduction and chin surgeries felt like studying for an exam I didn’t want to take.

The consultation day was exhausting

I remember arriving at the clinic and realizing how many people were there. It was busier than I expected. The waiting room had this sterile but expensive vibe, and the receptionists were extremely professional, maybe a little too much. I sat there for almost forty minutes before a consultant came to talk to me. We discussed the cost range, which was honestly a bit shocking—anywhere from 7 million to 12 million KRW depending on whether I wanted to do just the chin or if there were other complications like protruding mouth issues to address. I had brought a list of questions, but half of them felt silly once I was sitting there with the doctor. He was calm, but I felt like I was just another appointment slot on a very busy Tuesday.

The lingering doubt about the procedure

Even after the consultation, I didn’t book the surgery immediately. I went home and kept thinking about the risks. I read about complications in international forums—stories about people traveling overseas and things going wrong during complex surgeries—and it made me sweat. I kept comparing the recovery times. Some people said it was just a week of swelling, others mentioned months of numbness. I was worried about whether my jaw would ever feel ‘normal’ again. I tried to look for more casual, honest experiences, but most of what I found online felt like advertisements or people who were clearly paid to post. It’s frustrating when you just want to know if you’ll be able to eat normally within a month or if your smile will be different.

Small frustrations during the research process

One thing that annoyed me was how hard it was to get a straight answer on the exact price. It was always a range, or ‘it depends on the specific bone structure.’ I understand that medicine isn’t a retail shop where you buy a pre-made item, but the ambiguity made it hard to plan my savings. I also kept thinking about smaller details, like the post-op care. I read somewhere that some clinics use specific medical-grade tools for recovery, even down to the grooming devices for hair removal around the surgical area—like those Panasonic or Braun medical lines—which sounds ridiculous to worry about when you’re preparing for bone surgery, but it was all I could focus on to distract myself from the bigger, scarier aspects of the operation.

The weird feeling of being stuck

Eventually, I just stopped researching. I stopped looking at the clinic websites. I felt like I had enough information, but not enough peace of mind to actually go through with it. Maybe I’m just being too cautious, or maybe I’m waiting for a moment where I feel absolutely sure. My friend told me that if I’m this hesitant, maybe I should just wait another year. I haven’t decided yet. The mirror is still there, and my chin still looks the same, but for now, I’ve just stopped obsessing. It’s strange how much mental energy I poured into something I haven’t actually done. I still have the pamphlet from the clinic in a drawer, though. Sometimes I look at it and wonder what would have happened if I had just scheduled the surgery that day instead of walking out the front door.