26 posts shown.
Maria Doyle97 said:At what age did you guys get rhinoplasty? And what’s the absolute minimum age to consider surgery?
I had mine done at 22. Look, you can technically go whenever you want, but it isn't recommended until you're at least 18—and honestly, 20 is probably safer. Your nose is still growing and settling into its final shape during those years. If you rush into it at 16, they'll fix it, but then your face changes again later, and you might end up needing a revision because things shifted. Why deal with two surgeries when you can just wait?
Any decent surgeon will tell you the exact same thing during a consultation!
Yeah, I’ve been scrolling through quite a few previous pages here, so rather than quoting everyone individually, I'll just jump straight to my thoughts. For me, having the template removed wasn't painful at all—not even a little bit. In fact, it actually had me jumping around a bit more than anything else!
I noticed a few people mentioning that their cartilage feels swollen. It isn't actually swelling; the cartilage has simply grown back afterward, so that's how it's going to stay. That isn't the surgeon's fault; it's just the nature of the tissue itself. Cartilage behaves like its own little organ and has this inherent tendency to grow. In my case, they trimmed mine down, but once they removed the mold, everything seemed fine—only for the cartilage to grow again within a week! Now I have to go back in to get it fixed, though they'll just trim it under local anesthesia this time. It’s a shame, but nobody is really to blame here. Some people don't experience this, while others do. It's just due to that natural regrowth driven by chondroblasts and chondroclasts 🙂!
Rebecca Gomez37 said:I was looking absolutely terrible—just a mess of deep purple and sickly greenish-yellow bruises. After about a week, I started using a heparin cream on them. The pharmacist actually recommended the cream over the gel, saying the gel is more for legs while the cream works better for the face. And honestly? It worked. The discoloration vanished within two days. The problem is, my skin reacted terribly. Those spots became so swollen and irritated that even though the bruising was gone, it looked like I’d been stung by a wasp. Is it worth trading the discoloration for skin that looks like this?😉
I’ve been using cotton swabs to clean myself too, and honestly, I still find myself using saline solution every single day. Is there any other way to stay on top of things?
It’s been three weeks since I finally stepped back into the workforce—I just wasn't quite ready to face the world before then. Honestly, though, those dark circles under my eyes are still as stubborn as ever.
It’s been four weeks since my surgery, and honestly, I look pretty rough right now. I've broken out in a hundred spots, my complexion is deathly pale with dark circles under my eyes, and my nose feels massive. When I try to lift my brows, it feels like my nose might actually crack. Plus, whenever I touch the areas that feel raw, everything just feels numb and slightly stinging. Is this just part of the process?
It just goes to show that no two people are exactly the same. I had such a minor procedure, yet somehow my recovery is taking much longer than expected. Why does it always seem to work that way?😢
I started using heparin gel the very same day as my surgery. Unlike the standard cream, the gel penetrates much deeper, which made a massive difference—the swelling never really had a chance to get out of hand. My skin around the nose and nostrils was a total mess, though, all wrinkled and peeling, so I kept it hydrated with some Bepanthen ointment. That cleared up in just a couple of days. In principle, those first five days are absolute hell. Between the lingering effects of the anesthesia and the pain, it’s brutal. I actually dealt with some nausea and ended up vomiting blood from the anesthesia, which wasn't fun. Add in the fact that you can barely breathe because of the nasal packing, and there were moments where I genuinely asked myself, "What on earth was I thinking?" But once those critical five days passed, everything turned around. Everything is great now. Honestly? If I had to do it all over again, I would. No hesitation. 🙂 Is the current result worth it? I don't think there's any reason to panic just yet. The swelling on my nose is still pretty significant—about two months in—but it seems to be receding a little more every single day. Isn't that how it usually goes?
rowdyrider21 said:Honey, you can start doing your makeup the second they take the mold off. And as for the stitches? When did they come out?
Honestly, once the mold is removed, you're free to apply makeup! I personally felt a bit awkward trying to touch my nose at first—it just felt weird, like I was touching something that didn't belong to me. 🙂 But yeah, I started doing my makeup right away. 🙂 As for those stitches, it really just depends on how quickly your skin heals. You could always ask your doctor to snip them out since enough time has passed by now (judging by when they took the mold off, I’d guess it’s been about ten days), so there's no risk of anything "falling apart." You could technically just snap them yourself, though I wouldn't recommend it. You won't cause any major damage, but everything is still quite tender and sensitive, so you might end up irritating the area. For me, those thick, annoying threads were driving me crazy, so I ended up just snapping them myself.🙂
Local anesthesia is pretty much predictable; you already know the drill regarding muscle relaxation and pain relief. Ultimately, it comes down to your own judgment on whether to go local or general. If the idea of being awake, hearing the sounds, or feeling potential discomfort terrifies you, just opt for general anesthesia and call it a day—though, if you ask me, that fear is often just an ego trip. Once you've made your choice, though, there’s no reason to panic. For surgeons, this is just another Tuesday. They've done this enough times that it's second nature, and they’ll get the job done flawlessly. As for bruising and swelling around the eyes, pick up some heparin gel; applying that should help things clear up twice as fast. After the packing is removed, just be diligent about cleaning your nose daily with cotton swabs, and use antibiotic drops as prescribed—or if antibiotics aren't necessary, any standard decongestant spray will do. You'll be back to feeling like yourself in about two weeks. Just keep in mind that while there might still be some lingering swelling, it actually takes about six months for everything to fully settle and define itself perfectly.