Posts by rustygardener172

Anthony White3 said:I used to rely on Operil all the time, but honestly, it’s been a minute since I stopped using it. I’m guessing my nasal lining took a massive hit from those drops, so I was wondering—how long does it actually take to heal? It’s been about a month and a half since my surgery, and I’m still struggling with tasting and smelling things properly. Is that just a lingering side effect from the mucotomy, or am I just suffering because this winter air is so incredibly dry and brutal?

Look, if you've absolutely wrecked your nasal mucosa with those decongestant drops, you're looking at about 3 years before things really start getting back to normal.

I’m not really looking to go under the knife for a full rhinoplasty, but honestly, I’d kill for a profile that doesn't involve looking at my nose from the side and feeling like it's way too prominent.
I was just wondering if this specific procedure could actually fix that. Don't get me wrong, I'm not rushing out to book a surgeon tomorrow, but I am definitely weighing my options 😁

I don't know who's behind this site, but honestly? It looks like one of those sketchy corners of the internet you only stumble upon at 3 AM when you're too tired to make good decisions. If you're looking for actual medical advice or reliable products, I'd steer clear. There's nothing about that link that screams "trustworthy" to me—it feels more like a digital trap than anything useful. Just be careful out there; the web is full of junk that promises the world and delivers absolutely nothing. LMAO, give me a break! 😂 😂 😂

So, here’s a bit of a heavy question for the group... does anyone actually know the deal with non-surgical nose jobs? I was doing some deep diving on Google and stumbled across this article about using Botox and hyaluronic acid fillers to tweak things out. Anyone here actually tried it? )
So, who’s actually doing this stuff in America, what kind of damage am I looking at for my wallet, and is it even worth the hassle?

vividangler69 said:That’s exactly what I’m trying to do, but I’ve emailed them a few times and haven't heard a single word back. Typical. -.-

Honestly, this forum is pretty much my only way to get any real intel. I know a couple of people who went under the knife, but it was all for bone issues—nobody I know has done it just for those minor aesthetic tweaks.

Look, you're starting off on the wrong foot here... fixing a hump or dealing with bone restructuring is actually a "lighter lift" for a surgeon than tweaking a nasal tip. Or, as you put it, those "minor aesthetic reasons."
The tiny details are always the hardest part to nail down surgically.

Hannah Turner46 said:Has anyone actually had a decent experience with our doctors when it comes to reducing or specifically reshaping the nasal hump? Honestly, my gut feeling is that they’re all great at just smoothing out the bump—which is basically the easiest part of the surgery—but whenever I look at the before-and-after photos on their websites, I don't see anything particularly impressive or detailed. It feels like they just sand down the surface and call it a day. Anyone dealt with this?

I started having serious doubts about whether these guys actually knew what they were doing, so I decided to go down a bit of a rabbit hole on some US beauty forums like MakeMeHeal and RealSelf. Honestly, after scrolling through all that, I actually stumbled upon two doctors here in the States whose work looks incredible. Their results are on a whole different level—might be worth a look if anyone else is feeling skeptical like I was. 🙂

Dr. Vladimir Grigoryants

So, I was just scrolling through this nose surgery gallery on the VG Plasticsurgery site, and man, it really makes you think. You look at these before-and-after shots and it’s wild how much a surgeon can actually change someone's entire vibe just by tweaking a few millimeters of cartilage. It’s heavy stuff when you realize how much people are willing to go under the knife just to feel more comfortable in their own skin. I remember back in college, my buddy used to joke about getting a "fixer-upper" nose, but seeing these clinical photos really brings home the reality of it. It isn't just some light cosmetic tweak; it's a whole process. Some of these transformations are pretty dramatic—like, you almost don't recognize the person in the second photo. But then again, that's clearly what they were paying for, right? It’s a strange rabbit hole to fall down. One minute you're looking at one person's profile, and the next, you're deep into the technicalities of nasal symmetry. It definitely gives you a different perspective on the industry here in the States. It's all there in black and white—literally. Just a lot to process if you aren't expecting it.

I’m Dr. Ashkan Ghavami.

Check out this link if you want to see what we're actually talking about: http://www.ghavamiplasticsurgery.com...and_after.html Honestly, if you haven't clicked through to see the before-and-after shots on Ashkan Ghavami’s site yet, you're missing the whole point of this discussion. I was scrolling through them the other night—probably way too late, because there I was at 2 AM staring at surgical transformations instead of sleeping—and it really puts things into perspective. It's one thing to talk big about results in a forum, but seeing the actual work done by a pro like Ashkan Ghavami is a different beast entirely. It’s easy to get cynical when everyone’s shouting opinions, but the photos don't lie. Take a look and decide for yourself.

There’s just no way to reach Amer. 😁

Neither one of them is actually an American... at least not by name. 🙂
Honestly, looking at these photos of Vladimir, I’m actually getting a little choked up. There is just something about that nose—it’s genuinely beautiful. It’s one of those things you don't realize until you really stare at the pictures, but man, it's striking. 😁 Man, some of them are just absolute perfection. I’m sitting here kicking myself, honestly—I really wish I hadn't gone with the profile look instead of just keeping things flat. Such a massive missed opportunity.
Honestly, looking at this second version of Ashkan, his nose is just a total disaster. I don't care if we're talking about the "before" or the "after"—it’s been hunched and awkward the whole time. Some things just can't be fixed, I guess.

silverfox912 said:What’s actually the difference between getting surgery in the summer versus the winter? I heard somewhere that summer is better for nose jobs. Is there any truth to that?

People claim winter is the way to go because of the swelling... the cold helps everything settle down faster. Plus, you don't have to worry about the heat causing infections. When you've just had work done on your nose, you absolutely cannot be out there baking in the sun for a while. So, winter sounds smarter... But... on the flip side, they suggest staying in more humid environments to help the mucous membranes recover, which helps you breathe better. And honestly, fewer people schedule surgeries during the summer, so you won't be stuck on some massive waiting list. So, summer might actually be better...
😁
Look, what I'm trying to tell you is that every option has its own set of headaches and perks. Honestly? The "best" time to get your nose done is whenever you can actually swing it—basically, whenever you can clear two or three weeks off your schedule and just deal with it. 😁

Elizabeth Fox57 said:I’ve got surgery scheduled with Dr. Zambelli on July 19th... since it totally slipped my mind to ask him, does anyone know if it's actually possible to fix it so your nose doesn't, you know, sag down when you smile (if you catch my drift 😉 )?

Yeah, definitely.

restlessraven12 said:Yeah, I get that it's basically just bone structure issues... I read somewhere that some people recommend massage, but honestly, I have no clue if that actually helps with the actual bone misalignment or if it’s just good for swelling.. 🤷

That's strictly for the swelling. When it comes to the bones themselves, you've just gotta have patience. Those alignment issues don't really settle down for anywhere from six months to a full year.

restlessraven12 said:...

The discharge papers say they performed an open Reconstructio on my nasal septum and the nasal pyramid.

We’ll just have to wait and see if the bump actually disappears... 🙂

The nasal pyramid is basically the bone structure... which means someone definitely broke your face at some point...

Adam Patel98 said:What are you gonna say when I tell you I was already miserable with how my nose looked—it had this huge hump and a massive deviation—so I go in for surgery thinking the doc will fix both, but he doesn't even touch the deviation and just makes the whole thing look way worse? I’m still totally unhappy, so I definitely don't think I fall into that "top 3" success story group.

Well, you're clearly in Group 4 if the doctor totally screwed you over... or maybe you just cared more about looking pretty than actually being able to breathe, so you went to some plastic surgeon who isn't even an ENT...
Mind if I ask how you figured out your breathing is actually worse now than before the surgery? When did you realize that?

Zachary Palmer56 said:Hey everyone, I’ve been lurking on this forum for a long time and I see a massive mix of horror stories and success stories. I’ve got my surgery scheduled for July 23rd and, honestly, you guys are scaring me a little. I really don't want to end up with a nose that looks worse than what I have now 😢 please tell me there are actually more happy patients out there than the ones who are pissed off, miserable, or just plain depressed...?

The thing is, the happy people usually don't bother coming back here to post... while the unhappy ones can't let it go, so they end up being much more vocal. That's why it feels like there are more of them.
Look, I don't mean to offend anyone—and obviously, there are exceptions to everything—but it all basically boils down to this:
The Happy Group... Type 1: These are the folks who started with a nightmare of a nose—usually huge or with a massive hump. The surgeon just shaved the hump and shortened it a bit, and boom, they're thrilled. Lower expectations lead to higher satisfaction.

The Happy Group... Type 2: These are people who had breathing issues and decided to touch up the look while they were at it, even though they didn't have a huge hump. Their breathing is fixed, so they're stoked because that was their main goal... though they might still wonder if the aesthetics could have been just a tiny bit better. (I fall into this category myself 😁 ) ...but that starts leaning into the third group, which is basically

The Unhappy Group... Type 3: These are the ones who wanted surgery purely for the looks, but they also happen to have a deviated septum (which, let's be real, about 80% of Americans have... so you get the idea)... so they use "breathing problems" as the legitimate excuse for the procedure. These people are almost always dissatisfied because their nose will never be "perfect" enough for them. They just don't grasp the fact that a perfect nose doesn't exist—it never will. After every single surgery, they’ll find some new flaw and want to fix that too. It's a never-ending cycle. If they could just accept themselves and realize that imperfections can be beautiful, they wouldn't have gone under the knife in the first place.

The Unhappy Group... Type 4: These are the rare cases where it doesn't matter what the nose looked like or why they did it... these are the people who have a legitimate reason to be upset because, unfortunately, they were the victim of a doctor's mistake.

Types 2 and 3 are the most common. Type 4 is incredibly rare... I'm crossing my fingers for you that you don't end up in that camp.
Use your head! Most dissatisfaction stems from unrealistic expectations and pure ignorance. If you do your homework before the surgery and stop expecting a "perfect" nose—because seriously, one DOES NOT EXIST—you're already halfway to being satisfied.
Good luck!

Emily Martinez12 said:That's exactly what I'm getting at. 🙂 Since I know Tončić charges for consultations, I was wondering if he'd even bother answering something like this over email...
Before I go embarrassing myself by firing off an email to him, I figured I'd check in here on the forum first. 😉

He’ll give you an answer, sure, but it'll be super vague. Honestly, his emails to everyone are probably just the same old copy-paste job. And wouldn't you know it? He'll always end it with some line about how you need to book a full consultation if you want any real info.

Karen Morgan93 which exfoliant are you actually recommending?

It’s always easy to brag about your wins. Everyone screws up eventually, but it takes some serious backbone to actually step up and own your mistakes.

Honestly, I’m really hoping John Smith finds that nerve...

swiftheron55 said:...
Honestly, listening to people whining about not getting a receipt just pisses me off.
If you’re so incompetent that someone doesn't hand you a slip of paper right then and there, why on earth are you demanding one later?....
Imagine dropping 2,000 bucks and just walking out without a receipt 🙂what a total moron.
...

... oh, so I'm the moron now? 🙈

...but if I'm being totally real with you... before surgery, you're too terrified to even think about stuff like that, and once it's over, you're just completely wiped out. The next day when I went back in to have my Tampon removed, my mom paid for it, and as far as I can remember, he didn't give her a receipt. I should probably ask her... He didn't even count the cash; he just tossed the envelope into a drawer along with some scraps of paper and kept on talking. 😁 It actually crossed my mind then how "cool" it was—like, he just doesn't care about the money and trusts us implicitly... It's such a shame it didn't occur to Tuki at the time that it was weird he didn't give us a receipt, especially since he clearly cares way more about the cash than his little persona suggests. 😁

Look, Glusac didn't even send me for a CT scan, nor did he say a single word about my sinuses... honestly, I’m still pretty happy with how things turned out.
Reading through all these horror stories gives me the absolute chills. I can't even begin to tell you how sorry I am that you guys had to go through that. 😢
It honestly feels like playing the Powerball in America—you just roll the dice and hope you actually walk away from nose surgery feeling satisfied.

rowdyfalcon35 At least you’ve got proof... you should call the Better Business Bureau or a consumer protection agency and see what you can do to get your money back. Don't just let them get away with this. Do it for yourself, but also for the next people who end up on his table. It’s obvious his ego has gotten so big he thinks he's walking on clouds, and he needs someone to knock him back down to earth. He needs to start focusing on the actual human beings he operates on instead of just chasing his own surgical stats...

darkmaker9 said:God, I honestly have no idea what to do here. 😢 Has anyone actually had surgery with Dr. Glusac? Can someone tell me how many days you can actually step outside before the bruising gets too intense?
P.S. This is a new profile; something went wrong with my old one. 😢 I used to be Brenda Green10.

Honey, three people already answered your question on the main page.
But fine, I’ll say it again... It really depends on what procedure you're getting and just what kind of skin you have. Generally speaking, people with paler complexions tend to bruise more easily than those with darker skin. Though, that’s not a hard and fast rule...
Basically... bruising usually sticks around for about 7 to 15 days. You can pretty much hide the worst of it with makeup during those last few days.
Just think about how long it takes for a regular bruise to heal. All the stages—from red to purple, to blue, then green, and finally yellow... it takes time. Bruising works the exact same way. The first day or two after surgery are the absolute worst because everything swells up, and then it slowly starts to subside.
Personally, I was out in public with a splint and tape on my nose within the first week, and honestly, I didn't give a damn what people thought. 😁 Oh, and yeah... you’ll be wearing that splint and tape for about 7 days, so regardless of the bruising, you aren't exactly going to look "normal" right away. 🙂

If you want to speed up the healing process... use cold compresses (you can grab some at CVS or Walgreens for like five bucks) and apply a good cream. I used Heparin cream—you can pick it up at any pharmacy (it was over-the-counter a year and a half ago, not sure if that's still the case).

Look, the bruising is just a side effect. Focus on the actual surgery. Think long and hard about what you actually want and stick to your guns. Glusac is a bit of an odd character... Lately, I’ve been getting the feeling that he keeps pushing everyone toward the exact same nose shape, regardless of their natural features. Don't let him talk circles around you with that "I'm the best and I know everything" attitude. At the end of the day, you're paying him serious money for this, and you're the one who calls the shots. Use your head!

Brenda Green10 said:pleaseeeee help me out here 😢
I'm planning to get surgery with Glusac... or at least that's the plan. Look at my timeline: today is March 19th, tomorrow I'm grabbing my referral for X-rays, then ultrasound imaging, then by Friday the scans should be ready. After that, I take everything to him, he tells me what else I need—EKG, anesthesiologist stuff, you know the drill—and then he schedules the actual surgery, probably about ten days after that. Anyway, I have this wedding on April 28th or 29th. Do you guys honestly think I could show up to that? He told me I could go in on a Friday, have my Tampons removed on Saturday, and be back at school by Monday without any bruising or anything. Is that actually legit? I just really want to look in those wedding photos and not have a nose that looks totally crooked. 😢

What's the move here? If you have a massive nose, it’ll probably look much better after a month... but if your nose isn't even that big to begin with, you're gonna look super weird because the swelling will make it look way bigger than it was before the surgery. 😁 Honestly, you'll probably still have some stitches hanging out of your nose. It took me a few months for mine to finally fall out. 😁

Kimberly Thompson75 said:I honestly don't know if you actually read my previous posts. I saw Tony before I went to Frost, and let me tell you, he just wasn't my vibe as a doctor—if I were looking for someone else, maybe I would've checked out Ostojic. As for being "mature" enough for this, I feel like anyone seriously considering a procedure like this is already grown up enough... we shouldn't be trying to scare girls away with that nonsense. Honestly, the scariest part isn't the surgery itself, it's the anesthesia, yet nobody ever seems to talk about that...

User123, right there with you! I saw Tony first too, but his whole pitch just didn't sit right with me. My next move was supposed to be Ostojic, but somehow I ended up seeing Glusac first and decided on him immediately. 😁 For me, both initial consultations 🙂 were a total waste of time... I barely even noticed the recovery period, I just thought I looked pretty rough for a bit. 😁

rowdyfalcon35 said:Look, if it was done right, you wouldn't be feeling cursed! And I never said I wanted a hooked nose; I just wanted him to straighten it out. He told me it might cause some mild depression or whatever the hell you call it, but instead, he made it way too pointy. Now there’s this huge pit where that bump used to be—since he took the whole thing out—and it looks absolutely disgusting!! It looked amazing in profile when the swelling was gone, but now? It looks hideous and totally unnatural from every angle. There's this massive indentation, like someone literally punched me in the face.

Seriously, please, just send me a photo of your nose so I can see. I’m actually really curious because at one point, I was convinced my own nose was way too hooked... The swelling tends to settle toward the bridge of the nose (gravity is a beast 🙂 )... In my case, the upper part of my nose completely flattened out while the tip stayed looking like a giant ball... from the side, it looked horrific... honestly, it looked like someone took an axe to my face from my forehead down to the tip and then stuffed a marble into my nostril. It wasn't until the swelling at the tip finally died down after about 5 or 6 months that things actually started looking somewhat normal. Now, I love it.