Mark Nelson46 said:Hey everyone,
Look, I’m not trying to start any drama or point fingers at anyone specifically, but honestly, the absolute nightmare I went through is something I wouldn't wish on my worst enemy. It started with this tiny little bump on my nose, and whenever I laughed, the tip would just droop downward. My first surgeon was John Doe. I was incredibly clear about what I wanted—just to smooth out that bump and lift the tip slightly—but he ended up giving me this weird, pointy "bird beak" look instead.
If I had possessed even a shred of foresight to know that was his absolute peak performance, I never would have let him touch me, because it was nowhere near what we discussed. A year later, he performed a revision under local anesthesia, and let me tell you, he absolutely mangled me. He claimed he was thinning the skin by working from the inside, which sounds insane. When he finally took the mold off, my nose was purple, flattened, and once the swelling went down, it looked like a damn pear. He completely destroyed my cartilage; it was deformed, lacked a defined tip, and was totally asymmetrical. It was just... horrific. Every time I caught a glimpse of myself in the mirror, I felt like I was losing my mind. And the "doctor"? He didn't even offer an apology, and he wouldn't even think about refunding my money until I threatened to blast him all over the news. I was a wreck, truly, and once I finally found some strength, I went to see a high-profile Actor and begged him to fix the mess.
By then, it wasn't just about the shape anymore; my nose was covered in broken capillaries, so now I basically have the nose of a lifelong alcoholic. I explained everything to the Actor, and during our consultation, I actually felt like I could trust him. He seemed so self-assured. But when I asked if he could actually fix the damage and if he’d be willing to operate, he straight-up told me, "I can't fix this; I wouldn't even agree to operate on you because I know exactly what you've been through."
At the time, I felt such a sense of relief because I was convinced he was just being honest
with me; he seemed like a decent man.
So, he did go ahead with the surgery, but unfortunately, I have to say it doesn't look much better than before. The asymmetry is still there, there’s no defined tip, and overall, it’s just a CATASTROPHE. Of course, he took all my money upfront—partly before I even arrived in NYC and the rest right before the procedure. His excuse at the first follow-up? "We really struggled with your nose, but you just need new cartilage." That is such blatant disrespect to me. I have so much more to say, especially since he told me *before* the operation that not much could be done, yet he takes the money anyway and then uses that as an excuse!
The last thirteen years of my life have been effectively ruined because of a seemingly harmless procedure meant to enhance my face and fix a problem I've dealt with since childhood. Instead, I got a lifetime of suffering that I paid for, and I don't even have a receipt for the misery.
Please, if anyone knows an honest, highly skilled surgeon who could help me—specifically someone who can reconstruct the cartilage—let me know. I don't want to walk around this world looking like this anymore.
Thank you,😉
From my own experience, I’d highly recommend Smith if you need grafts... Honestly, after having my nose traumatized multiple times, a tertiary reconstruction was my saving grace...
The first time I went under the knife was back in 2007 at a major hospital here in the States for a severe deviated septum. I could barely breathe without using nasal sprays; the deviation was so bad you could literally see an "S" shape where my nose should be. I didn't have any connections, and while that surgery partially solved the breathing issue, the pain was absolutely unbearable. And don't even get me started on the hospital staff. To make matters worse, I found out later through reading up on it that the surgeon was technically a researcher who hadn't even finished her formal residency/specialization. It’s such a shame that patients aren't informed about things like that...
Fast forward five years to 2012, and I’m back sitting in Actor's office, desperately trying to fix this breathing issue on my left side—my nose had this weird indentation on the left that was basically choking off my airflow... well, the result was just a total disaster. He ended up cracking the cartilage at the tip, leaving me with this nasty little lump, and my nose became so unnaturally short and upturned that it was actually eerie to look at in the mirror. It looked filed down and tear-shaped to the point where the side with the indentation just sort of collapsed inward along with the nasal bridge, completely blocking my airway... and the kicker? The plan was to implant new cartilage, but instead, he just kept filing away at what was left. I mean, sure, I always had a slightly upturned nose, and all we ever agreed on was to straighten it out, but this surgery went anywhere but according to plan. Even during all my follow-up appointments, he just refused to admit that he’d cracked the cartilage at the tip. He even tried to push some fillers on me to hide the lump, which wouldn't have even fixed half the mess he made.
So, I went out and sought second opinions from specialists over at the Mayo Clinic and Smith, and they both told me the exact same thing: the cartilage at the tip had cracked because of excessive filing, and I needed a heavy stack of grafts to fix it. Because of that, I went under the knife again in 2013 and had ear cartilage grafted into that left-side indentation I've actually had since birth, as well as to the bridge where the over-filing happened, and right at the tip where the cracked cartilage was sliced. They used the graft to fill that gap so it wouldn't be an indentation anymore... and honestly, the results? My breathing and my appearance are significantly better now.
I guess what I'm really trying to say is: please, don't go undergoing surgery for tiny imperfections if you aren't having major breathing issues, because there's such a massive chance you'll end up a victim of an incompetent surgeon's mistakes. Actor did offer to do the corrective work for free, but why on earth would I expose myself to that kind of incompetence all over again? I decided to take my chances elsewhere, just like anyone else who falls into this trap. Your nose might not turn out exactly how you envisioned, but if you end up with a cracked tip and the doctor tries to deny it happened? That's a serious failure... isn't it?