Rhinoplasty: Experiences and recovery tips?

Gerald Cruz71 said:It’s not exactly "uncanny valley" territory, but yeah, it’s definitely heading in that direction.

I sent the photos out to everyone who asked, so feel free to drop your thoughts right here.

Honestly, I dig it... it didn't totally overhaul her face, which is the biggest thing... and it didn't even mess with her nose too much, just smoothed out the bumps and slimmed it down a bit... it looks great on her! 👍

Sarah Booth11 said:If the surgeon actually did their job right, there shouldn't be any obvious changes to the shape of the nose.For me, my nose looks exactly the same now as it did ten days after the surgery.I just waited for all the swelling to go down, and once that was over, that was it—it’s always had this same shape.

That's what I thought too... that it should stay the same.

Adam Smith77 (and rustygardener172, obviously)—everyone has their own thing, beautiful noses for different faces. 🙂But I really loved the look of rustygardener172's nose when she sent me those second round photos, even if that specific style wouldn't suit me. 😢

I'm guessing my surgeon from that boutique clinic wouldn't be the right fit for me, since I'm looking to shrink my nose by half, maybe even two-thirds...

Hey Kljukica and rustygardener172, any chance you could shoot those photos over to my inbox?

Sarah Booth11 said:If the surgeon actually did their job right, nothing visible on the nose should change. My nose looks exactly how it did ten days after surgery. I just waited for the swelling to go down, and once that was over, that was it. It's always had this shape.

...mine turned out great, but it definitely changed over time. Don't speak for me—the changes are obvious.☕

If you're using the closed method, things will shift around, but if you're going with the open one, you'll see the final result in about 10 days or so.

Hey, big thanks to rustygardener172 for the photos. Honestly, you totally surprised me—you look like a completely different person! It really suits you, though; it looks so natural and balanced, and you’ve got such a great glow. I’m actually a little envious because my skin is incredibly sensitive and prone to issues, so I can't help but worry about what a recovery process would even look like for someone like me... ugh...
I'm wondering, though—how is it that one person's nose might shift or change shape "years" after surgery, while someone else's stays exactly the same? What's the deal with that?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Is99OOwzMrI

How many of you actually ended up looking like this after surgery?

I definitely am, if not maybe even a little bit worse than that

On top of that, my right eye stayed bloodshot for about five weeks after the surgery

Hi everyone!

I’ve been scrolling through this thread, but I haven't found anyone dealing with anything quite like my situation—so I'm turning to you all for some advice. My ENT exam revealed a deviated septum with a significant spike pressing right against the lateral wall near the back of my nasal turbinate. To make matters worse, my entire right ethmoid area and middle turbinate are curved. Interestingly, breathing isn't actually the issue for me; it's these brutal headaches. My doctor suggested a functional procedure on the nasal septum and the lateral wall to remove that "spike"—which is likely the culprit behind the pain. Since I saw a specialist in private practice, he mentioned that the procedure could be done painlessly without any bone-breaking or traditional nasal reconstruction. He says they use modern sponges instead of those old-school packing tampons, meaning just one day in the hospital and a much smoother recovery... rather than the standard hospital route. I’m assuming the "standard" way is what most people here describe—that 5 to 7-day recovery period involving painful tampons. Has anyone here gone through a similar surgery? Or perhaps dealt with these types of headaches and found relief afterward? Also, does anyone know roughly what the cost looks like for a private procedure? And if you have any experiences with ENTs in Seattle, I’d love to hear them!

Thanks in advance for any insight! I'm genuinely interested in anything related to this issue!

Gerald Cruz71 said:I actually am—maybe even a little more than that...

Are you kidding me? And after they supposedly finished the procedure? Here’s a girl saying, "My doctor redesigned the splint he used because of me. It did not put enough pressure on the bridge." Well, yeah—no wonder it looks like that. 🤷

When I saw that video and this one, I honestly felt sick to my stomach.

stormyharbor2 said:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Is99OOwzMrI

How many of you guys actually looked like this after surgery?

OMG!!!!! I am literally shaking right now!! I definitely did NOT look like that... not even close... someone call 911 please help me😁

Michelle Williams5 said:Hey everyone!

I’ve been scrolling through this thread forever, but I haven't found anyone dealing with anything even remotely close to my situation, so I'm coming to you guys for some real talk. My ENT just gave me the news: I've got a deviated septum with a massive spike hitting the lateral wall right near the back of my nasal turbinate. Basically, my whole right ethmoid area and middle turbinate are totally warped. The weird thing is, breathing isn't actually the issue—my sinuses feel fine. It's the killer headaches that are ruining my life. My doctor suggested a functional procedure on the septum and the lateral wall to shave down that little spike, which he thinks is the culprit behind the head pain. Since I went to a private specialist, he told me it could be done "the easy way"—painless, no nose-breaking, no heavy-duty packing, just using those fancy modern sponges. He said I'd be in and out of the hospital in a single day without a brutal recovery period. I’m assuming that’s the "luxury" version, whereas most people here seem to be describing the classic hospital experience involving a week of misery and stuffed-up nose with old-school packing. Has anyone actually gone through a similar surgery? Or dealt with those specific headaches and found relief afterward? Also, does anyone know what a private procedure like this runs for? And honestly, what’s the reputation like for ENTs over in Seattle?

Thanks in advance for any help! Seriously, I'll take any info you've got on this!

Look, what you’re dealing with requires a top-tier ENT, not a plastic surgeon... Since you aren't looking for an aesthetic overhaul, the price should be significantly lower. Cosmetic stuff (plus fixing function) usually runs around 12-15 $0.00...so yours might be closer to $1,100...at least that's my best guess.
As for Seattle, I've heard Zambelli is great... he's in private practice. To be honest, I don't know much about the doctors working in the public hospitals, because when I was digging around for my own surgery, I wasn't looking at anyone covered by insurance...
I actually saw Glusac down in Memphis... he's a stellar ENT too, and I'm sure he could handle your situation easily.

rustygardener172 said:Honestly, what you’re dealing with requires a top-tier ENT specialist; an aesthetic surgeon isn't really your main focus here... Since you aren't looking for cosmetic changes, the price should actually be quite a bit lower. Usually, combined functional and cosmetic procedures run about 12-15 $0.00... so yours would probably land somewhere around $1,000... just my best guess.

The thing is, some private practices might not even want to take on cases that are strictly functional. It really varies by doctor, but I've noticed this growing trend where they charge pretty much the same for a purely functional fix as they do for a full makeover. Your best bet is to reach out to a few different specialists individually and see how they approach it.

rustygardener172 said:Regarding the Cleveland area, I've heard that Zambelli is excellent... he runs his own private practice...

I've also heard great things about him! Even though he isn't technically an ENT, I wouldn't sweat that too much—if anything, I'd trust someone like him over a "traditional" ENT when it comes to surgery, because they often have way more hands-on experience navigating all sorts of tricky situations. That said, you can expect his rates to be pretty... well, substantial.😉

rustygardener172 said:I actually saw Glušac down in Malibu... he’s a fantastic ENT as well, and I’m sure he could handle your situation easily.

That’s exactly what I thought (I think I actually told him that in writing!), but he's actually the one private doctor who never even got back to my email inquiry. So, I never even got the chance to see if he was a good fit. Since I wasn't interested in any of the cosmetic stuff and only cared about fixing the function, I felt like I might be treated like a second-class patient—which is funny, because that's exactly the part I put 😉 emphasis on!
🤷

wanderingmason86 said:Look, if a private practice actually wanted to focus strictly on functional stuff... well, it varies by doctor, but I’ve definitely noticed this weird trend where prices are leveling out. It feels like they aren't charging much less for a purely functional surgery compared to one that’s half-aesthetic. Honestly, your best bet is just to grill every single surgeon individually.

I know for a fact that Glušac wants to... because right after my procedure, this guy came in for surgery who was strictly there for function—specifically his turbinates... and when I saw him at the final follow-up, he’d had nothing done but the functional part...

wanderingmason86 said:That’s what I used to believe too (I think I literally told him that), but here’s the kicker: he’s the only private doc who hasn't even bothered to reply to my email inquiry. So, I haven't even had the chance to see if he's legit. I wasn't even interested in the cosmetic side of things, just the functional fix, so maybe that makes me a second-class patient in their eyes (which is funny, considering how much emphasis they put on the "functional" aspect 😉).
🤷

Ugh, I am so sorry to hear that... I don't get it. I sent him an email about ten days ago and he got back to me instantly. I’m even messaging a girl on PM right now who said he replied to her email immediately, too... Are you sure you sent it to the right address?

rustygardener172 said:I am so sorry to hear that... I honestly don't get it. I sent him an email about ten days ago and he got back to me right away! Plus, I’ve been chatting via DM with a girl who also got a quick reply to her email... Are you sure you sent it to the right address?

Oh, I am positive, the address is totally correct. The thing is, most people just won't bother replying if they don't feel like it, if they don't like what you're asking, or if they just don't know how to handle it—it's awkward to give someone a "no," you know? It's kind of like trying to get a straight answer from the folks over at the Mayo Clinic; you could practically jump through hoops and they still might not get back to you! (And I tried two different addresses, so it's not like they can't read their inbox.) Anyway, it's no big deal. I managed to find a doctor at a different hospital, so I'm headed there for my checkup right after New Year's Day.

wanderingmason86 said:That’s exactly what I thought too—I actually wrote him something along those lines—but he's the only private practitioner who hasn't bothered to reply to my email... so I haven't even had the chance to see if he's legit. I wasn't looking for anything cosmetic anyway, just purely functional, which makes me feel like some second-rate patient in his eyes—even though, funny enough, he specifically emphasized how much he focuses on function 😉.
🤷

Just give him a few days, the guy is busy. If it were me, I would've replied within two days, and that goes for the other women I've talked to, too. Either way, I'm looking at this from a functional standpoint, not an aesthetic one either.

Gerald Cruz71 said:plus my right eye stayed bloodshot for about five weeks after the surgery

..same thing happened to me. Tears for two days, then a bloody eye for about a month😲

Ashley Young34 said:..and I used to look just like that too

OK, now I’m actually getting a little spooked. I honestly thought that was some extreme outlier case—turns out you all looked exactly the same...

wanderingmason86 and rustygardener172, thanks so much for the input. I'm going to do some digging with those private practices.
I really hope they aren't conflating function with aesthetics—though, honestly, it wouldn't surprise me if they were... And $1,000 is quite a hit to the wallet. 😲
Does anyone happen to know what the deal is with procedures over at Medica? I was just there seeing an ENT for a checkup.

Gosh, I'm really crossing my fingers that this can all be sorted out without needing surgery.