Joni Hesselgren asked surgeons in Turkey for a facelift.
They told him no. He was too young. So he flew to South Korea and had three surgeons operate on his face at once.
He lost a significant amount of blood on the table and went temporarily blind two days later.
He’s 30. He did this to celebrate his birthday.
Turkey said no. Seoul said yes.
Joni before. (Jam Press/@hesselgrenjoni)
Hesselgren, a Big Brother Finland star and influencer, had already undergone several procedures abroad without problems.
Rhinoplasty, 360 liposuction, dental work. All in Turkey. All fine.
But when he consulted Turkish surgeons about a lower facelift, they refused on the grounds of his age.
He respected the decision, he says, but didn’t accept it.
“I’ve always been unhappy with how my jawline looks,” he told CreatorZine.
Joni after facelift. (Jam Press/@hesselgrenjoni)
“V-line surgery had been a dream of mine for several years but I was absolutely terrified of going through with it. I was desperately trying to find an alternative, something easier and faster. But as time went on, I realised I just had to man up and go through with the surgery I originally wanted.”
He booked a clinic in Seoul. When he arrived, the surgeons suggested combining his V-line surgery with a deep plane facelift and a lip lift.
Three procedures. Three surgeons. One session.
“Of course I was thrilled,” he said.
“It meant I could get everything I ever wanted done in a single procedure.”
He lost a lot of blood
Joni after facelift. (Jam Press/@hesselgrenjoni)
The surgery was more complicated than anticipated. Hesselgren bled heavily during the operation.
Afterwards, he couldn’t close his mouth properly.
He was discharged the following morning and took a taxi back to his Airbnb.
“That’s when things really started to escalate,” he said.
“My swelling suddenly got much worse.”
Then he went blind
Joni after facelift. (Jam Press/@hesselgrenjoni)
On day two, Hesselgren started losing his eyesight. His eyelids swelled completely shut.
By the evening, he could see nothing at all. Not shadows, not light, not shapes.
His friends had to walk him to the bathroom, feed him and wash him.
“That second night, I barely slept,” he said.
“I was sitting there in the dark with my eyes completely swollen shut, unable to see anything.”
He tried to go to the bathroom alone during the night and walked into a wall. His friends heard the noise and came to help.
“I spent that night crying because I had to remain upright and couldn’t sleep,” he said.
Joni now. (Jam Press/@hesselgrenjoni)
By day three, he still couldn’t tell whether it was daytime or night.
“The only thing I could feel was the warmth of the sun on my face,” he said.
His friends got him into a taxi and guided him to a follow-up appointment at the clinic.
Staff put him into a hyperbaric chamber for oxygen therapy.
Within hours, the swelling began to subside and his vision started returning.
The total period of effective blindness lasted 12 to 15 hours.
He says he’d do it again
Despite everything, Hesselgren is not expressing regret.
He’s waiting for the final results, which he says will take around six months to fully emerge.
“I can’t wait to see the final results,” he said.
“I guess we’ll see them in about six months.”
His advice for anyone considering similar procedures abroad was practical rather than cautionary.
“If you ever consider going through this many procedures, please take a friend with you,” he said.
“The recovery process is physically exhausting, but it’s a lot to go through mentally as well. You really need love and support during that time.”
He did not advise against having the surgery itself.
Why it matters
Medical tourism for cosmetic procedures is a growing content category, and stories like Hesselgren’s occupy an uncomfortable space within it.
The detail that Turkish surgeons refused to perform the procedure and he simply went elsewhere is the part that should give audiences pause.
When one country’s medical professionals say no on clinical grounds and the patient’s response is to find a country that says yes, the content shifts from aspiration to warning.
For creators covering beauty, cosmetic surgery or medical tourism, this story is a reminder that the most engaging content in this space often involves the complications rather than the results.
Joni before. (Jam Press/@hesselgrenjoni)
Hesselgren’s honesty about the blood loss, the blindness and the nights spent crying is more valuable to his audience than any before-and-after photo.
The cosmetic surgery tourism market continues to expand, with South Korea positioning itself as a global leader in facial procedures.
Hesselgren’s experience won’t slow that growth, but it might make some viewers think twice about combining multiple surgeries in a single session.
Whether Hesselgren’s results justify what he went through depends on what his face looks like in six months.
Right now, all he has is the story of getting there.
