Rhinoplasty: Experiences and recovery tips?

wanderingorca4 said:Klapan is definitely out. I’ve had several people tell me after paying for his expensive consultations that the guy genuinely doesn't have a clue—he just knows the theory. It makes sense, though; he’s a regular professor at a medical school, which basically means he has near-zero clinical experience.

Now you or someone else will probably jump in to disagree, but honestly, I don't know if you're using a fake profile. That's why this forum is risky; anyone can make an account, even private individuals. But I'm telling you based on conversations with people I've spoken to in person. Search his name in the threads, but most of what you'll find aligns with my view. The guy hasn't actually solved anything for anyone with serious issues, whether it was sinuses or a deviated septum.

lenas,
If you're looking for functional surgery, you're better off going to a major hospital system like Mount Sinai, Mayo Clinic, or Johns Hopkins. They have specialists there with massive amounts of experience and top-tier ENT surgeons. Trust me, that’s your best and most cost-effective bet. Private practitioners like Glumičić or Glušac are more geared toward aesthetics, whereas the big hospitals focus on function. If you go with Mount Sinai or Mayo, you won't go wrong.

Well, I personally know plenty of people he helped, myself included. But hey, have it your way.

copperraven5 said:How do you actually coordinate with your surgeon regarding the end goal (verbal descriptions, photos, or something else entirely)?

During my last consultation, my surgeon walked me through a computer simulation of my nose—showing me what I had then versus his vision for the result.
I honestly thought he was dreaming, but looking in the mirror now, I have exactly the nose he drew up. 😁😁

Melissa Martinez5 said:Trying to convince him that he'll feel better and finally be able to breathe normally again...

Well, I definitely wouldn't want anyone messing up his nose...

How long does an operation like that usually take?

And do they put the patient under with anesthesia?

Neither he nor I have ever had any surgery done...

It really depends on what needs to be fixed, but it could take anywhere from 45 to 90 minutes.
And of course—that old-school way of doing things went out of style decades ago. 🙂
Still, he really needs to learn how to manage his anxiety at a basic level. If he doesn't, he'll be the first one in the family to go through this. 😉

crimsonpanther8 said:During my last consultation, the surgeon actually pulled up this computer simulation of my nose, showing me exactly what I looked like before and his specific vision for the result.
I honestly thought there was no way it could look like that, but now I actually have the exact nose he mapped out.😁😁

So, who is he?

I'm looking into getting septoplasty surgery soon—does anyone know what the wait times are like in Chicago, specifically over at Rebro? I'm really hoping to get this knocked out while it's still fall/winter weather... just trying to figure out if that's even realistic right now.

If you head over to Rebro, prepare to wait six months. If you aren't exactly fond of sitting around, you're better off hitting up Dubrava or Vinogradski instead.

William Robinson80, do you have any recommendations for a doctor in Chicago or near Vinogradski?

William Robinson80 said:If you go to Rebro, you're looking at a six-month wait. If you don't want to be stuck waiting forever, you're better off heading over to Dubrava or Vinogradski.

At Vinogradski, you're usually looking at about 3 to 4 months, depending on when they do that final checkup and make the call on the procedure.

I can't tell if it was just me, but I didn't feel heard during my consultation with Tončić. Every time I ask a specific question, instead of a direct answer, I get these vague, sweeping generalizations. For instance, when I asked about how to address my nasal tip, he just covered the hump on my nose with his finger. And trying to get him to dive into any actual surgical details? Forget about it. Honestly, given what people say about him on these forums, the whole experience was pretty disappointing.

It feels like a total waste of $83 and all that travel to NYC 👎

Hey everyone, so I’ve got this issue with nasal kyphosis—basically, my doctor says my nasal pyramid is shifted to the right. My nose is basically veering off to one side. It all started because I took two hits to the face a few years back. Lately, it’s actually started messing with my breathing on one side, which is the main reason I’m looking into this. Of course, there's the aesthetic part too, but since they have to straighten it out for functional reasons anyway, we might as well fix how it looks at the same time.

I was wondering if anyone here has dealt with nasal kyphosis themselves? You know, that technical term where the nasal pyramid shifts?

And most importantly, does anyone know how much downtime I should expect after being discharged from the hospital (probably around day 5 or 6)?

😛

Hi 🙂)))

After spending a few days lurking on the forums, I finally decided to go ahead and register.
While reading through everything, I noticed a lot of praise for Dr. Tončić, which is why I've decided to have my procedure done by him.
The surgery is scheduled for November 17th. It’s purely cosmetic; I just really want to fix how my nose looks in profile.
I realize that no surgeon out of a hundred procedures is going to have a hundred perfect results, but if anyone has any critiques or bad experiences, please feel free to post them here or send me a private message.

Also, if anyone has advice on what I should buy for before or after the surgery, I would really appreciate it.

Thanks

Amy Grant37 said:Hey everyone! 🙂)))

So, after lurking on this forum for a few days, I finally decided to just jump in and register.
While I was reading through everything, I noticed a ton of people raving about Tončić, which actually helped me make my decision to go with him for my surgery.
I've got my date set for November 17th. It's strictly cosmetic—I've just always been self-conscious about my profile and how my nose looks from the side.
Look, I'm realistic; I know no surgeon out of a hundred procedures is going to have a one-hundred percent perfect track record every single time, but if anyone here has any critiques or bad experiences they want to share, please feel free to post them or just shoot me a private message.

Also, if anyone has tips on what supplies or stuff I should grab to have ready before or after the surgery, I would seriously appreciate the help.

Thanks!

From what I've personally seen with my own eyes—and honestly, some total disasters—I've seen bad results from Glušac (twice) and Tončić (six times). So, I definitely wouldn't recommend either of them to anyone.

urbanbadger1 said:From what I've seen with my own eyes—total disasters—it was Glušac (twice) and Tončić (six times). I definitely wouldn't send anyone to them.

Auuuf, you really scared me there 🤔🤔🤔
I noticed a lot of girls go to him, but lately, I've been seeing some pretty bad reviews.
What do you mean by disaster? Is it the recovery process, or how things look after the surgery?😵😵😵

Well, I’m finally popping back in after being gone for ages to share an update on this thread!

It’s been two and a half years since my revision surgery with Zambell, and honestly? My nose looks exactly the same as it did right after the procedure. I have quite a bit of cartilage, so I was low-key hoping things might shift or settle—maybe with fewer deformities—over time, but nope, nothing at all. That said, the secondary surgery was absolutely masterfully done. But here is the real kicker—the most important part for me—I can actually breathe! I struggled with breathing issues for years—it was actually the whole reason I decided to get surgery in the first place—and I dealt with constant sinus infections and headaches. Even sleeping was a nightmare because I had to constantly hunt for that one perfect position just to catch my breath (especially after the primary surgery, which was supposed to fix everything but actually made it way worse). Now? I breathe like a normal human being, and I haven't had a single sinus issue since the revision.

I see some people posting total nonsense about Z.—and I say "nonsense" intentionally because I’ve actually sat in his chair for a secondary surgery, so I’m pretty qualified to weigh in here.

My nose looks totally natural now; if you didn't know I'd had work done, you would never guess. After that first surgery, I spent an entire year hiding from people because the bridge had completely collapsed in the middle, and the tip looked... well, let's just say it looked a bit like Blanka V.'s.🤦 Personally, I thought the tip was way too short after the first operation, even though I have what they call a "golden ratio" look now (though, personally, I think longer noses suit my face better). Zambell couldn't extend the tip any further, though—he told me the risk was just too high and that my nose wasn't actually too small to begin with.

My only regret is that I didn't go to Z. for the very first surgery. Long story short, I would recommend him to anyone.

Has anyone here gone under the knife with Dr. Glusac recently? I’m looking for some honest feedback regarding the actual procedure, how successful the repair turned out to be, and what the final damage to my wallet looked like. 🙂 I'm currently stuck in that exhausting decision-making phase, weighing up my options on where and how to go about this... he's the most convenient option nearby, and honestly, he seems like the best bet I've found so far. Thanks! 🙂

A friend of mine went to Zambell for her initial consultation, and honestly, she’s breathing any better than before. The work he did was anything but exceptional, despite all the self-proclaimed praise coming from Dr. Glušac. Even if you hear patients giving him glowing official reviews, I would never choose him after seeing my friend's experience. Zambell is simply not an option for me—plus, he's pricey, even compared to Glumičić and the other clinics.

I'm not here to trash anyone or give recommendations, but relying solely on internet forums is naive. Over the last two years, I've sat through several consultations and discussions, and unfortunately, I haven't found a single doctor I can actually trust. There's the arrogant Glušac, who spends the whole time boasting about himself and won't let anyone else get a word in. Then there's Tončić, who doesn't seem to listen to my questions and just gives me generic, scripted answers, which doesn't inspire any confidence. As for the others who remain anonymous, like the Mešter clinic, I won't even go there. It's clear they are all private practitioners making decent money off us, so they have to be extremely careful with how they word their responses. So now I'm left wondering: who do I see? Tončić isn't the right choice because I don't want to be his practice case, especially at a price tag of 10 $0.00. I also don't want to go to Dr. Glušac based on my impressions as a patient; he's had quite a few mistakes in his career. Besides, he's far away in a place like Miami, whereas I'd prefer someone closer to the big city.

Does anyone have a fourth option? That leaves Glumičić, though he also seems to have a million negative comments out there. Still, he has operated on most of the celebrities in the US and even those from across the border. I just wonder if I'll have bad luck, or if regular folks like us just don't stand a chance?

From what I can see, everyone here has been absolutely roasted, one by one.

driftingheron34 said:A friend of mine actually went to Zambell for her primary surgery, and honestly, she’s barely breathing any better—plus, the work he did was pretty mediocre, despite all those self-proclaimed praises from Dr. G... And while they say patient reviews and official ratings are the best way to judge him, after my friend's experience, I would never choose him. So, Zambell is definitely out for me—not to mention he’s pricey, even more than Glumičić or the other clinics.

I'm not trying to bash anyone or play favorites here, but honestly, it’s just naive to make big decisions based solely on what you read on an internet forum! Over the last two years, I've sat through several consultations and deep dives, and unfortunately, I haven't been able to build any real trust—not with that overbearing Dr. G, who spends more time bragging about himself than actually listening to the patient. Or with Tončić junior, who seems to completely tune out my questions and just hands back these generic, canned responses—it just doesn't inspire confidence at all. And don't even get me started on the other anonymous names, like the Mešter clinic. It’s pretty obvious that since these are all private practices making decent money off us, they have to be incredibly careful about what they say. So now I'm left wondering: who do I actually go to? Tončić junior isn't quite the right choice for me because I really don't want to be his "practice case," especially when I'm paying $10 $0.00. As for Dr. Glusac, I'm also leaning away from him based on my own impressions as a patient—he’s had quite a few hiccups during his career, and since he's all the way out in a smaller city, it would probably make more sense to just find someone in a major metro area.

Is there a fourth option? That leaves Dr. Glumičić, though even he has a million negative comments floating around. Then again, he’s operated on most of the big celebrities in America and even some stars from across the border. I wonder if it’s just bad luck for me, or if us regular mortals just aren't meant to have good results?

Well, for some reason, you're getting pretty defensive regarding Zambell! 😁

I've spent a long time researching nose surgery because my case required a significant "upgrade" after my initial procedure. I looked at surgeons all over the country, and Zambell was really the only one who truly understood and could tackle my specific issue. I even looked into international specialists—but man, their prices are absolutely astronomical.

Around here, private practitioners vary in price depending on how complex the case is. My revision surgery with Zambell ended up costing $2,200, which actually included my overnight stay at the facility. To anyone thinking about getting nose surgery: I honestly suggest saving up a bit longer if you have to. It’s much better to go to someone you can trust completely and be happy for the rest of your life, rather than being stuck with regrets just because you tried to save $200 or $300. Price shouldn't be the deciding factor in something this permanent (though, obviously, a high price tag isn't a magic guarantee either).

Look, forums aren't always the most reliable source (there are fake posts and hidden ads everywhere), but there are also people like us who share real experiences to help others out. When I was actively posting about my situation, I had tons of people messaging me privately, and several of them ended up going to Zambell for their procedures. They were all thrilled with the results.

So, I'll say it again: I truly believe Zambell is the top specialist in the field here. He’s down-to-earth, professional, and he really knows his stuff.

People will always try to discredit him, but at the end of the day, the results speak for themselves. He saved singer Severina's nose, and it’s totally untrue that some "well-meaning" person posted the other day claiming she had to go back for corrections. She's perfectly happy with him—I know that from firsthand information.

Hey everyone! Quick question regarding nose surgery... I’m heading in for a septum deviation correction through my insurance provider in a few days. My surgeon mentioned he’ll be working strictly through the nostrils, so there won't be any bone breaking involved. Honestly, I felt a little awkward bringing it up, but I was wondering if he could just tweak the shape a bit while he's in there? It's nothing crazy—I don't have a massive hump—but my profile is bothering me because the tip points downward, and it really bugs me. Does anyone know if they actually even bother with cosmetic stuff during these procedures? And should I have asked sooner, or can I just bring it up right before the surgery starts?

Rachel Anderson said:Hey everyone! I have a quick question about nose surgery... I'm scheduled for a septum deviation repair through my insurance in a few days, and the doctor mentioned he’ll be working through the nostrils—so no breaking any bone or anything like that. Honestly, I felt kind of awkward asking at the time, but could he just tweak the look of my nose while he's in there? It’s not like I have a huge hump or anything, but my profile bothers me because the tip droops down, and it really gets to me. Does anyone know if they even do those kinds of adjustments? And should I have brought this up sooner, or can I just ask him right before the procedure?

Some surgeons will, some won't... but yeah, you definitely should've brought this up earlier. From his perspective, it's not as simple as just "fixing" a deviation versus doing an aesthetic reshape too. You can't exactly show up and tell him once you're already on the operating table that you want to add a few extra tweaks to the list... that's just not how it works. Plus, if I remember correctly, they have these strict surgical schedules set in stone, so nobody can guarantee that the OR won't be booked for something else immediately after yours...