It’s been a month for me, and while my tip still feels stiff and swollen, I am definitely noticing some small improvements. The doctor told us to expect things to settle over six months to a year, so I’m staying calm—and honestly, I’d suggest everyone else do the same.
But I’ll be honest: I am panicking because I feel like my procedure wasn't handled correctly. I understand that patience is necessary, but I can literally feel the shape of the cartilage under my skin, and it's quite large. Does that mean I shouldn't expect anything better than what I have now? My tip looks blunt and wide, and I can clearly distinguish the actual cartilage from just soft tissue swelling. Plus, my columella is drooping, and I can feel the cartilage structure there too. It really feels like a botched job. I fear that out of an abundance of caution, the surgeon took off far too little, leaving me with nothing special except a slightly improved tip and a massive amount of frustration during this recovery.
It’s been exactly five weeks since my surgery (open technique, tip work, and cartilage grafting), and I have to be honest—I’m not seeing much movement when it comes to the swelling. My nose still looks blunt and oversized, especially at the tip. I’m feeling pretty discouraged because, looking in the mirror right now, I don't feel like I've seen a significant change at all. I was really hoping to see some progress after the one-month mark, but nothing has happened yet. Is it possible it's just too early? 🤷 But then again, five weeks is a decent amount of time to wait...
Drew Perez11 said:Hey everyone! 🙂 I’ve been lurking here for a long time, so I figured it was finally time to share my experience with you all. 🙂 Basically, I had my surgery yesterday in St. Louis... performed by Boris Pegan, who traveled in from Chicago. Before we headed in, we sat down so I could explain exactly what I wanted, and he even took some photos for reference. I went into the OR at 11:00 AM, woke up in my hospital bed around 1:15 PM, and things started there. Honestly? The anesthesia was brutal—I was nauseous and vomiting all day yesterday. But today? I feel fantastic! There is absolutely no pain, aside from maybe a tiny bit at the tip of my nose, which is totally negligible. The swelling is minimal, too. 🙂 Anyway, just wanted to give you all an update on how it went! 🙂
You might get lucky and deal with minimal swelling, but in my experience, it takes a few days for everything to actually start settling. For me, nothing happened on the first day, then a little bit on the second... and after that, the swelling just kept growing! It wasn't until two weeks later that it finally faded enough for me to step out in public (with plenty of concealer, of course). I really hope you get a great result! There are unfortunately quite a few people out there who aren't happy with their outcomes. I currently fall into that group myself, but since I'm still so fresh from surgery, I don't think I have any "right to vote" on the final outcome just yet. 😁
steelangler88 said:Coma... what kind of complications could pop up two years after surgery? Could something like redness at the tip be an issue? 😁I'm honestly a total walking disaster here.
Is the tip still red, or has that cleared up? Is there anything specific you might have done to "irritate" the area?
Has anyone else dealt with this issue following surgery? I realize it’s still very early days, but I honestly find it hard to believe the columella will lift up by 4-5 mm. It just seems impossible, doesn't it? If anyone has faced this exact situation, could you please share your experiences? What steps did you take, when did you take them, and how did you handle it?
Nicole Ortiz34 said:She isn't quite sure what you mean? Well, one thing that hasn't left me satisfied with my surgery is how much my nose has dropped over the last five weeks and stretched out. I honestly thought it would shrink back down over time. 😢 I don't want to scare you—this is just my experience, and maybe yours will be different.
This part really scares me. My nose actually looked its shortest right after the cast was removed... but since then, it just keeps getting longer and longer. To be fair, the tip looks okay from a profile view (even though I feel it should have been lifted a bit more), but from the front, it looks like the tip has dropped. It’s not even the tip itself, but that area connecting the nostrils. I think it's called a "drooping columella," which is actually one of the main reasons people get these surgeries in the first place, right?🙂 I am desperately hoping everything will just shrink and pull back into place, and maybe the scarring will help with that... but I'm just not so sure. Did they use any cartilage grafting to lift your tip?
I'm feeling a bit bored, so what should I 😁 I wanted to ask you all: has anyone noticed their nose actually getting shorter after their island procedure? Most people say the nose will completely change its look in a month or two (honestly, I’m really hoping for that!), but my biggest concern right now is the length... my columella is positioned so low, and it looks quite unflattering. Is there any chance it will lift at all? Specifically, do you think that columella might become a bit thinner than it is currently? The surgeon used an open technique and inserted cartilage, but the columella stayed far too low, leaving the tip of my nose looking like a downward-pointing triangle 😢😢>
Chris Martin71 said:I had my rhinoplasty with Dr. Glumicic and I am beyond thrilled. I would recommend him to everyone! To all those of you bashing him—you honestly have no clue. You’re just spreading nonsense, claiming he's "overrated," which simply isn't true. Everything was top-tier, from the procedure to the service. My nose looks perfect; he did exactly what I asked for. I had a bump, and he straightened it, slightly shortening and lifting it just enough so it looks completely natural. No one even realizes I had surgery because it fits my face perfectly. Plus, two of my friends who went to him were equally happy... So, to those of you spreading lies: please stop. Dr. Glumicic really is the best. But honestly, some girls come in with noses that are just... wow, Lord help us, expecting him to work miracles. Get real! If you've decided to get surgery, I highly recommend him. It was virtually painless, and within a week, I felt like a new person. Even having the packing removed didn't hurt. Most importantly, my nose is flawless. 🙂
I can't help but wonder why they are so sweet to people arriving with "difficult" noses, promising everything can be fixed... only to make excuses afterward, saying "well, it couldn't be done," once the results are in. I think a major issue here is that most surgeons in America are incredibly charming when they're trying to convince you to book a procedure. But once it's over? Well, suddenly nobody is checking in on you. Also, if you do a little digging and look at what's being done abroad, you'll see that plastic surgery can achieve almost anything—but you have to be realistic and take plenty of time during the surgical process itself. The claim "like a new person in a week" after nose surgery sounds quite strange to me. Regardless of the type of surgery, it's a massive trauma to the face, which is a very sensitive area. Once the body reacts, it needs real time to recover.
I finally had the cast removed from my nose today... To be honest, it still looks quite long and wide, especially since the tip seems to droop slightly at the front😢 while looking a bit lifted from the profile view. I'm just not sure yet... I'm really just holding onto hope that everything will transform once all this swelling finally goes down!🤷
wanderingnomad13 said:I don't get it. I was breathing perfectly today, especially after cleaning everything out... But now I've cleaned it again and there's a little bleeding, and my right nostril is clogged up again, while the left one works just fine. It makes no sense.. Am I doing something wrong? How can I fix this right now?? 😢
Honestly, you aren't doing anything wrong at all. I think this is actually quite normal; it might take a few days where things clog up and then clear up again while the mucosa heals and fully clears out..
casualbison3 said:Hmhmm... I wouldn't want to let you down, but mine definitely dropped quite a bit. When I first took the cast off, it was incredibly, incredibly, incredibly bulbous—almost pig-like (if you know what I mean). Within a few weeks, it settled down (sort of stretched out), even though it stayed a little bulbous. I'm not sure how much that helps you. 🤷
Did you only have the tip operated on, or more? I’m really hoping that since only my tip was worked on, the whole nose won't be too swollen, so maybe the tip won't drop as much once the swelling finally subsides... it would look ideal (once the swelling is gone, obviously)... hopefully it won't, especially since that's exactly how we agreed it should look.. I know I sound ridiculous.. but this waiting game is seriously tough! 🙂
Karen Long35 said:As for the technique, I honestly don't know... My main concern is just getting a great result, regardless of how much it hurts. But here’s the thing: is one specific method easier for them? Does it depend on the patient's nose shape? And how much does the recovery time actually change based on the technique used?????!🤷 Plus, those are my main😕 questions . ...
The technique your surgeon chooses depends entirely on your specific needs—at least, that's how it should work. Nowadays, most corrections are done using the closed technique, which is super !! because it leaves no visible scarring. However, if you have issues with the tip of your nose, an open technique might be better since it gives the doctor full control over all the nasal structures. As for recovery, I think it's more or less the same... though it might actually take a little longer with the closed technique because the internal structures can get more "traumatized," meaning they need a bit more time to bring the swelling down.
Hello everyone! 🙂> It’s currently day five since my surgery. I’ve got some swelling (though it's already starting to subside) and my hematomas are changing colors by the day. Breathing is fine through one nostril, but a bit tougher through the other... all in all, it's the typical recovery process I prepared myself for after reading through this forum. Now, the tip of my nose is visible beneath the cast, and honestly, it looks completely different from what I started with since day one. I think I'm making the same mistake many others do—constantly researching everything—but what else is there to do when you're stuck at home all day? (Where else would you go with a swollen face and a cast on your nose?) I was wondering if anyone could share their experience: how much longer will the tip continue to drop, and how much will the overall nose settle down? If I hadn't been reading this forum, I wouldn't even know the tip settles further later on, because nobody ever told me that! I'm actually a little nervous that it won't drop much more, because the way it looks right now is quite lovely—slightly lifted—and I really hope it stays this way. 🤷> One more thing: does anyone know of a good cream or anything else effective for scars? Thanks!
Hey ladies, I was wondering if any of you have experience with this... will it be an issue if I'm on the fifth day of my cycle on the day of my surgery? It’s basically winding down, but I didn't plan for things to happen this way—everything just got a little thrown off schedule... Thanks in advance!
goldenridge5 said:I took the mold off yesterday and I am absolutely thrilled with how everything looks! The doctor did a super !! job. He explained that because of some swelling, I can't breathe through my left nostril just yet, but told me not to worry since it should clear up in a few days.
Oh, what wonderful news! It sounds like you are really happy with the results 🙂🙂 ...and that swelling will definitely subside. Tell me, is the change significant?
goldenridge5 said:Hi everyone! I've been lurking here for a while now, so I finally decided to jump in and share my own experience. I had nose surgery 7 days ago with Dr. Zambelli, and so far, I'm really happy with how the procedure went. I'm actually scheduled to have the cast removed in just three days! After the surgery, I dealt with some pretty intense bruising—my eyes were practically swollen shut—but by day 4, most of the bruising had cleared up. Even though I had the packing removed 4 days ago, breathing still isn't quite back to normal yet. I've been cleaning my nose with saline solution three times a day, following my doctor's advice not to overdo it. I really hope this helps someone out, because reading these posts was what finally gave me the courage to go through with the surgery myself.
I'm wishing you a speedy recovery and a fantastic result! It would be wonderful if you could check in occasionally to give us an update on your progress... especially once that cast comes off!🙂
Susan Cooper23 said:The only "visible" scar is just a thin, thread-like line on the columella that you can barely notice unless you tilt your head back. Honestly, practically no one will even see it. Don't sweat it, 😉
Did they use an open technique on yours? I’ve been told that the scar shows up quite a bit from the profile view... specifically where it breaks the line of the nose (the columella). Personally, I don't think I'd pass up the surgery just because of a scar. I feel like I could live with that much easier than dealing with this tip! Fingers crossed. 🤷
wanderingnomad13 said:Dr. Racic actually performed my tonsillectomy when I was just a kid, 🙂 and everything went perfectly.. However, I know a girl who went through private surgery with Dr. Kurtovic in Miami, where both Kurtovic and Racic worked together. It was an absolute disaster; her nose essentially collapsed, they completely ignored the deviation, and tiny bone fragments were left scattered everywhere, causing massive inflammation. They even left the nasal conchae untouched. The surgery itself was excruciating, and the recovery took forever. Honestly, the result looks worse than before she started. Dr. Kurtovic gave her a partial refund, but barely—mostly because she was threatening to sue him. Since Racic was part of the surgical team, I can't say much more. In Miami, he’s known as a great doctor, but certainly not for cosmetic work. Are you looking for purely functional repairs? He should be excellent at those. That girl chose him specifically for aesthetics, though, and look how that turned out. I don't want to discourage you, but I figured it was better to give you the full picture. Warm regards!
It looks like you're familiar with the "Miami crew," so let me ask you: do you know anything about Dr. Lisec? I've heard he's a fantastic ENT, but how is his aesthetic work? In my case, the two go hand-in-hand... I need tip surgery done, and it's proving incredibly difficult to find reliable feedback on someone who specializes in the nasal tip..
Large nasal tip—who should I trust for surgery? I hate to be a broken record, but I have to ask: has anyone here actually undergone surgery to fix a large or drooping nasal tip and walked away truly happy with the results?? It seems like most people are just dealing with humps, but surely there are others out there facing this exact same issue... right?
Sandra Green81 said:They just pulled my tampons out. Ugh, that was so uncomfortable—I almost gagged! The nurse was honestly wonderful and kept checking in to see if I needed her to stop at the slightest sign of discomfort, but since I’m being such a baby about it, I felt incredibly awkward. As for the drainage, I don't have anything running out of my nose yet, despite what some people are complaining about. It just feels like I inhaled a bit of menthol 🙂 and that's it. I can't wait until they take all this stuff off so I can finally see my nose in its entirety 🙂
super! It seems like everything is going quite "smoothly" for you. Are you still seeing any swelling or bruising? Did they apply one of those masks to you, and if so, when do they take it off? Since I realized you aren't from San Francisco either, I was wondering how long you're planning to stay? How much recovery time is usually required after the surgery?