Rhinoplasty: Experiences and recovery tips?

I spent that entire morning cramming for an exam scheduled in two weeks 🙂—I had absolutely no idea I was heading into surgery 😁

Me 🙂
And I made a conscious effort to stay off the forums for a few days, just trying my absolute best to stay out of that whole mess 🙂
Maybe that’s why I hit such a massive wall that night after the surgery—it was like this sudden, jarring realization 😉, but hey, at least it didn't last too long

restlesspuma15 said:I was foolish and followed what people were saying online instead of listening to my actual doctor.
It seems everyone here gets worked up about blowing your nose after having a tampon removed. I did the same thing, and it caused the lining in one of my nostrils to seal up completely. Everything just crusted over.
Now I have to go back to the hospital for a nasal debridement. Thank God they’re able to fix this!

So, use some common sense. Everyone’s anatomy is different and recovery varies, so maybe just listen to the professional who actually examined you.

I was also pretty confused because I felt like I was being way too aggressive with my nose compared to what other people on these forums were doing. Eventually, I just decided to do what felt right for me. I started blowing my nose as soon as the drainage stopped. One day, maybe because I blew too hard, there was a bit more bleeding, but I just cleared out a massive clot and kept going—just moderate pressure. From day six until now, three weeks post-op, my breathing and nose blowing have been perfect. I apply olive oil inside twice a day using a Q-tip, and it really seems to help, so maybe give it a shot. It shouldn't hurt since my doctor recommended it to soften any crusting (which I hadn't even noticed) and help the internal tissue heal.

Sarah White79 said:I took my cast off this morning, and I wish I felt as good as you do... I knew there would be swelling, but maybe not quite this much... I don't look like myself at all; my face is just terribly swollen. So, I wanted to ask, how long did they tell you it would take before you'd look normal again, and what did they say about the nasal "cleaning" process? (

So many people end up unhappy with their nose right after the splint comes off, so don't worry too much..
When I first got my splint removed, I was actually thrilled with the profile because it looked perfectly straight, even though everything else felt way too big and incredibly swollen. Right after the splint comes off, you can really only judge if the shape/profile is okay; you can't really judge anything else yet.. They say it takes at least 8 weeks to see what the nose will actually look like, and the tip usually needs even more time to settle down..
For me, it’s been 23 days and the tip has settled nicely and looks small, though there is still quite a bit of swelling.. For the first 20 days, it looked absolutely massive, but now it's noticeably smaller, so people around me can't even tell I had surgery.
It’ll just keep getting better, but it definitely needs time. 😉
I was swollen for two weeks, and after that, I didn't even need foundation or concealer or anything like that..

I am seriously losing my mind over these damn hematomas 😢! Look, the swelling on my nose is one thing—honestly, I can live with that, and I’m fine with my face looking a bit wonky for now—but how on earth am I supposed to hide this disgusting purple bruising? Is there even a way? My breathing is perfect, I feel healthy, and I've got plenty of energy to get back to my life, but walking around looking like a bruised blueberry is driving me insane. If I have to stay isolated because of this, I’m actually going to lose it 🙂

wanderingnomad13 said:I was actually pretty confused myself at first—I felt like I was being way too aggressive with my nose compared to how everyone else on the forum was acting... So, I just decided to do what felt right for me. Basically, once the leaking stopped, I started blowing my nose, though one day I think I went a little too hard because there was a bit of blood, but then I just blew out this huge chunk of stuff and felt so much better, so I just kept going with a medium pressure. From day six until now—which is three weeks post-op—my breathing and blowing are totally perfect. I also use a Q-tip to apply some olive oil inside twice a day, which has been working wonders, so maybe give that a shot. It shouldn't hurt anything since my doctor suggested it to help soften any crusting (though I haven't really noticed any) and help the lining heal up.

Thanks for the tip. I've got some saline drops and some moisturizing ointment for the membranes, so things are feeling okay for now.

It's been five days since they took my cast off, and honestly, I'm still clearing out all kinds of weird stuff from my nose 😁
Is that kind of normal?

restlesspuma15 said:Thanks for the advice. I've got some paraffin drops and some ointment for moisturizing the membranes, so things are okay for now.

It’s been five days since they took my cast off, and I'm still blowing all kinds of weird stuff out of my nose 😁
Is that normal?

Yeah, that's completely normal. For me, it was leaking quite a bit until day six, and once I started cleaning it out, everything just kept coming out for the next few days. I was probably blowing out all sorts of things for two full weeks—sometimes even little tiny bits of bloody mucus.
I used saline rinses both morning and night, plus whenever I felt the need during the day, and I'd apply some olive oil once or twice when the inside felt dry or tight.

When do the scabs usually fall out?

wanderingnomad13 said:Yeah, that’s totally normal. For me, there was quite a bit of discharge until about day six—and once I actually started cleaning everything out, it felt like there was more coming out for several days after that. I definitely spent at least two weeks clearing stuff out... sometimes it looked like little red "threads" of blood or something.
I’ve been using saline rinses every morning and night, plus whenever I feel like I need it during the day, and I apply some olive oil once or twice when things start feeling dry or tight inside.

When do the stitches usually fall out?

Do you mean the Conan? 🙂
Mine were taken out the same day they removed my cast, and they told me to go grab some Contractubex for the scarring—but honestly, I don't see a single trace of anything?? Still, I went ahead and bought that pricey miracle cream ($40) just to be safe and keep an eye on it.

restlesspuma15 said:Are you talking about the Conan sutures? 🙂
They took mine out the same day they removed my cast, and they told me I should pick up some Contractubex for the scarring. Honestly, though, I don't see any trace of them at all. I went ahead and bought that expensive stuff anyway ($40) just to be safe and keep an eye on things.

Yeah, the Conan sutures, the dots, the stitches.🙂 I had my surgery done using the closed technique, so the little sutures are still in my nose. They told me they’d probably fall out on their own around day 20, so I guess I'm just waiting... Right now, they're all still right where they belong inside my nose.🙄

Anyone else dealing with a killer headache right now? I think mine just decided to kick in, 😢

I put my order in back on April 19th with Dr. Roger at Holy Spirit—so, quick question, does he actually dabble in aesthetics too? Also, if anyone here has gone under the knife with him and had results so good they’re practically life-changing... please, hit me up in the DMs. I've got a few things I need to ask. THANKS!

Maria Garcia81 said:I placed an order on April 19th with Dr. Roger at Holy Spirit so I was wondering if he does aesthetic work too? Also, if anyone here has had surgery with him and turned out looking really great, could you please shoot me a DM? I have a few things I want to ask. THANKS

I actually had my surgery at Holy Spirit, but with a different doctor.
But honestly, they all handle plastic surgery stuff—you just have to mention that you're looking for a nose job correction.
There’s no extra charge for that.

restlesspuma15 said:I actually had my procedure done by the Holy Spirit—but with a different doctor.
Honestly, though, those guys do cosmetic stuff too; you just gotta tell them straight up that you want a nose job.
That part doesn't cost extra.

THANKS for getting back to me 😉 so, are you actually happy with how it turned out? 🙂

Look, I didn't go to some random private clinic for my nose job; I had the procedure done at Mercury under Dr. MacArthur...

Does anyone know where I can go to get tested for Hep C and HIV I/II?
I've already got everything else covered.

silverorca6 said:Can someone point me toward where I can get tested for APTV and HIV I/II?
I've got everything else covered.

Hmhm... at a hospital? You'd usually head to a blood center—you'll need a referral from your primary care doctor first.

casualbison3 said:Hmhm... at the hospital? I usually just go to the blood donation center (you pretty much just need a referral from your primary care doctor).

THANKS for the heads up!

Maria Garcia81 said:thanks for getting back to me 😉 so, are you happy with how everything turned out? 🙂

It might be a little early to tell for sure, but I guess things aren't looking too bad so far 😉

Hi there,

Since it’s been over six months since my initial rhinoplasty, I thought I might share how everything has turned out for me.

I actually liked my nose overall, but there was this tiny bump that really bothered me. I wanted to get it fixed, so I spent some time reading through various American forums to see what other people had experienced. I noticed that the posts regarding Dr. Ignatovski were incredibly positive—I couldn't find a single negative comment, which felt reassuring. Later on, his American representative, N. S., mentioned to me that she actually wrote most of those reviews herself, but at the time, I just decided to go ahead with him based on the feedback. Everyone I met was so kind and professional. I made it very clear that I didn't want a whole new look; I just wanted my own nose without that little bump. The doctor told me he could definitely handle it, so we scheduled the surgery.

Unfortunately, my nose actually looks worse now than it did before the procedure. It feels way too dropped at the bridge, there's a noticeable dip in the middle, and the tip seems far too high and short—plus, when I look at it from the front, it appears overly wide and kind of distorted. To make matters worse, I've started having breathing issues that I never had before.

When I reached out to express that I wasn't happy, both the doctor and his representative became quite unprofessional. The doctor eventually stopped replying to my emails and started avoiding me altogether; he didn't even show up for my last scheduled follow-up appointment.

In the meantime, I've gone to consult with three different surgeons, and they all seem to agree about the situation. Because of some valve collapse, it looks like I'll need a reconstruction using ear cartilage, and they'll probably try to refine the tip using alar grafts to help it fit my face better. I am really just counting down the days until it has been a full year since my first surgery so I can finally get this sorted out.

I truly wish everyone who is planning a surgery the best of luck, and for anyone else who might be going through a tough time like I am, I hope you're able to find a successful solution to your problems.

Ashley Peterson44 said:Since my valve collapsed, I’m looking at a reconstruction using cartilage from my ear, while the specialist tries to manage things with some narrowing and autologous grafts.

I’m actually dealing with a very similar issue right now, and honestly, I’m struggling to find a doctor who truly understands how to fix this or even wants to take on the challenge. Are you heading over to a specialist in Canada or somewhere else? Or if you're staying here in the States, which surgeon are we talking about? Feel free to shoot me a DM if you'd rather talk privately!

THANKS!