Hey everyone,
I had my surgery with Dr. Hsieh. Admittedly I did agree to put a testimonial up for a small discount. However, I then waited a year to put it up. So suffice it to say all opinions are my own. Photos not included for privacy purposes but you can message me if you'd like more info. I'm thrilled with my procedures.
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From the start my jaw surgery journey was a surprise. In 2012 I visited a new dentist, who then told me what my dentist and orthodontist had failed to. I had a class II occlusion with a normal bite. I was being told this at age 25 and my parents and insurance were unwilling to cover the costs. Still, I shoved it back into my mind.
When Korean jaw surgery became more popular, I did interested research. However, I kept hearing horror stories of untrustworthy clinics and deaths intraoperatively. I work in the medical field, so I am extra paranoid about these things. Still I contacted some clinics with little to no luck. I was not enthused by the responses or the possibility of surgery in Korea.
I did more reading online and found a few mentions of Dr. Hsieh. I heard nothing but positive things about the clinic. When I contacted him by email, I could sense his professionalism, talent, and thoroughness. The clinic coordinator Juliana, Dr. Hsieh and myself were in contact for almost 2 years by email, checking in about the cost, the recovery time (which was an issue for me as I had only 1 break in my schooling), and the safety and planning. He was able to provide me with a rough plan for my surgery after having seen my photos. I was able to have some time to save money. Looking back, I am shocked and grateful that they continued to correspond with me about the surgery even when at times it did not seem like I would ever come. They took the time to consult with me, just out of professionalism and kindness.
Finally the time for my trip arrived. I was doing this alone- no one would be going with me to take care of me. We coordinated the appointment day ahead of time, I spent the money I had saved on a bare bones airline ticket and hostel accommodations (Airbnb ftw!), and off I went on my big trip. Because I also wanted an implant placed, my time in Taiwan would be 1 month (need time to design and print it). If well coordinated, I have heard that patients have stayed much shorter. However, because of my careful personality I wanted to have time to recover before boarding a plane alone (tiring journey).
So, first I arrived in Taiwan itself. What a phenomenal place, I am still homesick for it. I bought a sim card, took a taxi to my hostel and no one ripped me off despite the fact that I am clearly not Taiwanese. I had a few days before my appointment with Dr. Hsieh and I got my bearings of the neighborhood. I stayed very close to the clinic for strategic reasons, and the area is so nice. On one side was the bustling, commercial MRT Main Station Taipei, on the other a beautiful scenic memorial park and hundreds of food stalls. I ate my fill of delicious (solid) food. I recommend egg pancake and fried chicken, and nothing beats the convenience stores in Taiwan.
On the day of my appointment I walked into the very modern and clean clinic called “Charm Clinic” where Dr. Hsieh owns and operates. There are a lot of pretty ladies working in the reception area but Juli is the most comfortable speaking English and she was the one who greeted me right away. I waited for a while, drank some nice green tea and then met with Dr. Hsieh. The first thing he did was take photos of my face from various angles. He prefers to do this himself for consistency (this is about the time that I began to get an idea of how meticulous a doctor I am dealing with). During this time we also had some conversation and he got to know some basic things about me. He has a great personality and laughs, listens, etc. I don’t know about you but I have met many surgeons through work, many are very intelligent but do not have appropriate social cues and behavior. Not so with Dr. Hsieh. From the start he was incredibly personable, great listener and I was frankly very impressed with him as a doctor overall.
After this I was taken to get an MRI and a blood draw upstairs, in the non-office part of the clinic. In the consultation room Dr. Hsieh pulled up the pictures he had just taken on an enormous monitor. First we looked at the pictures and he asked me what I would like changed. Then he very tactfully pointed out some things that he saw as opportunities to improve. Some, such as my large chin, were obvious to me. But he took it a step further and told me that my lips could have much more support and I could have something called “incisor show”. I had some asymmetry which he also discussed fixing. Note this was all in the same surgery- he was not trying to shill extra procedures, it was all stuff we had discussed via email. He noted all these in the surgical plan laid out in front of us, and this went into my file. We also went over my medical history again. It was frankly more organized and professional than some doctors appts I have had in the US. The cheek implant, Dr. Hsieh said he would design from MRI by 3D printer and I could come in again to view and sign off on. This sounded good to me! Afterward Juli and I met about the pricing and payment, again all very professional.
I came back to clinic before surgery once more for my blood draw, and to look at the cheek implants with Dr. Hsieh. He had a 3D model of the middle 3rd of my face! He answered all my questions about the material in the implants, as I was quite paranoid about their safety. He was not one bit pushy about it! Even though they had already gone to a considerable amount of trouble, I still felt I was given room to decide what to do.
On the day of surgery I was told to bring juice for myself and plan to stay 1 night. I elected to pay to stay an extra night. In the end they let me stay like 2 extra days. They really did seem to understand that I was alone and I am so grateful for that. I met the anesthesiologist and nurse who would take care of me post op. They explained what I would feel like when I woke up, that I would have a foley and tubes in my mouth. I then changed into my gown (the hospital gowns in Taiwan are cuter, in case you wondered). I went into the OR with the scrub nurse, they took my vitals and EKG, made some small talk, started an IV, and the rest was all a dream.
When I woke up, I had tubes coming out of my mouth and I was lying down. (In some places they put ice packs and humidified air on you, but I think that would have been distracting). I don’t remember the name of my nurse but she was so sweet. I could not speak so we typed back and forth, and I had a buzzer which I used very liberally to call on her. I had some discomfort with my breathing since my nose got plugged up, but no localized pain in my jaw at all. Pain meds were given on the dot and I slept pretty well. I was able to syringe myself some juice and water after she showed me how. I can’t pretend I didn’t have regrets during the first night, though. It’s hard to think clearly when you are uncomfortable! My nurse must have been working for a full 12 hours, but before she finished her shift they moved me to a nicer room with a big TV and comfortable bed. At this point I was more independent and had the foley out, but I still had a little buzzer in case I needed anything.
Juli and Dr.Hsieh both checked in on me at the 24 hour mark, and another junior doctor checked on me earlier than that. To be honest I could have safely left but I was so nervous and scared that my swelling would impede my breathing. In retrospect that was a ridiculous fear but they were so nice about it and told me to stay rather than be alone in a hostel. In that time I was able to walk around the clinic a bit, to drink a lot of water and put on some ice packs.
When it did come time for me to leave, they wrote my address down for for me in Chinese characters to hand to the cab driver, walked me down to the street and physically put me in a taxi, haha. I was to come for follow up in 1 week.
The clinic sent me home with a big packet of stuff including hot/cold packs (incredibly convenient), mouthwash, q tips that were basically my toothbrush for the week. I messaged Juli on LINE a lot during this week, as we had already been in touch. She told me where to find protein shakes, ox broth, and answered other questions I had about my swelling and recovery. Sometimes she just sent me nice emojis and encouragement, which I really appreciated. I did swell a bit more and my first night at home was not easy, as I had to sleep sitting up. The first week was tough because there are a lot of meds to take on a schedule and while some are for pain, others are antibiotics so you don’t want to skip them!
At my follow up, they checked my bite, let me brush my teeth normally, and took out my rubber bands and screws. I am seriously SUCH a wimp about pain and they made it comfortable for me. I am telling you, this is a miracle and they pulled it off. They also answered all my questions thoroughly.
I think my swelling was worse than most peoples, because I didn’t start to get an idea of what I would look like until the 2 week mark. My flight home was at the 2 week mark and I remember looking at myself in the Japan airport admiring the results of the surgery.
Today I can say 85 to 90 percent of my swelling has subsided and I love my results. The incisor show is stunning and he didn’t cut down my mandible so much that I look like a potato face. My face was naturally a little angular and he gave me the perfect result. Sometimes I catch myself not even surprised at my reflection. My jaw never seemed right to me and he gave me the face I was *supposed* to be born with.
Something that I don’t feel my review conveys is the warmth shown by everyone I dealt with. As a single person going overseas for surgery, I was very scared and cautious. They managed to help me through everything and I felt so safe and cared for. I didn’t want to have my surgery at a ‘factory’ and while Dr. Hsieh certainly sees and operates on a ton of patients, I never felt like a number. This contrasts with stories I hear about jaw surgery in other Asian countries and quite frankly, what I have seen firsthand in some US doctors offices.
