Rhinoplasty: Experiences and recovery tips?

briskmason42 said:Local from Miami 👎

Can you tell me why? Like, have you actually dealt with them before or know anything about that specific doctor?

Hey everyone. Since June, I’ve been bouncing between hospitals—Rockefeller, Mount Sinai, and so on—dealing with breathing issues. The diagnosis is allergic rhinitis combined with allergic asthma. I finally saw an ENT who sent me for a CT scan of my paranasal sinuses. The images show polypoid mucosal thickening in the right maxillary sinus up to 1 cm near the roof, and about 0.8 cm at the base of the left one. There's also hypoplasia of the right frontal sinus, though both remain clear. My doctor is putting me back on Avamys—a corticosteroid therapy I used a while back, but it didn't do squat. Breathing is a struggle, and since I'm an athlete, this is killing me. My sleep is a total disaster and I'm dead tired during the day. This mess has been following me for over 15 years. I’m convinced this mucosal thickening and these nasal polyps are primarily triggered by allergens—pine, dust, ragweed, etc. My body reacts with asthma while my nose just runs constantly. For me, these allergens are basically chemical weapons. I've been dealing with this for ages, but I finally know what's going on. I believe I can turn things around if I start with nasal surgery. I know my triggers, I have allergy meds for the season, and I know what to avoid, but I want to get the surgery done because, frankly, I can't live like this anymore. Who do you recommend for the procedure? What are people's experiences like after surgery, and what methods are typically used? THANKS!

placidwolf7 said:Can you tell me if you've had any experience with them? Do you know anything about this particular doctor?

I certainly have! I look terrible and I've got a hump on my nose—he was the one who operated on me, so let me tell you, stay far away from KBC Firule! Look, he might be a decent guy as a doctor, but his actual work? Not so much.👎

briskmason42 said:I absolutely do! I look terrible and have this hump on my nose. He was actually the one who operated on me, which is why I’m telling you—he’s at KBC Firule! Look, he’s a great doctor, don't get me wrong, but I wouldn't say his surgical results are all that impressive. 👎

Do they handle rhinoplasty over at the Miami plastic surgery clinic?
From what I understand about Dr. Cikojević, he once actually pulled a bullet out of a guy's head through his nose; there was even an article about it in the news. My take is that the ENT department in Miami doesn't really specialize in nose jobs—it seems like some junior doctor is mostly tasked with that. Maybe try reaching out to the plastic surgery department instead; I'm not entirely sure how their workflow is set up.

Hey, if you're dealing with sinus issues, you should really look into Dr. Baudoin over on Vinogradski—it's a bit of an unusual last name, I know. He primarily focuses on pediatrics, but he actually performs surgery on adults as well, so he might be exactly what you need. Definitely give his office a call and see what he says.

Ryan Ruiz7 said:Hello everyone. Since June, I’ve been bouncing between hospitals—specifically Rockefeller and Mount Sinai—dealing with some pretty serious breathing issues. The official diagnosis is allergic rhinitis coupled with allergic asthma. After finally seeing an ENT specialist, they sent me for a CT scan of my paranasal sinuses. The results show polypoid mucosal thickening in the right maxillary sinus reaching about 1 cm near the roof, and about 0.8 cm at the base of the left one. There is also hypoplasia of the right frontal sinus, though both sides maintain transparency. My doctor is putting me back on Avamys, a corticosteroid therapy I’ve used before, but honestly, it didn't do much last time. It’s getting tough because I’m an active person who loves sports, but right now, my breathing is labored, my sleep is a total disaster, and I feel completely wiped out during the day. I’ve actually been struggling with this kind of condition for over 15 years. I truly believe this mucosal thickening and these nasal polyps are primarily triggered by allergens—things like pine, dust, and ragweed are huge culprits for me. My body reacts with asthma attacks while my nose stays constantly congested; for me, these allergens might as well be lethal poison. I have been dragging this problem along for such a long time, but I finally feel like I understand the root cause, and I’m hopeful that I can turn things around starting with sinus surgery. I know exactly what triggers me, I have my allergy season medication ready, and I know what to avoid and when, but I really want to move forward with the operation. Factually speaking, this is my biggest obstacle right now; I simply cannot live like this. Does anyone have recommendations for surgeons, or can you share your experiences regarding which surgical methods tend to work best? THANK YOU!

Betty Edwards22 said:That's basically what Prof. Kalogjera does. The whole idea is to trim down the cartilaginous part of the nasal valve without messing up how you actually breathe.
But from what I've heard—he does his surgeries at the hospital and handles exams in a super crowded clinic every single week.

How would anyone even get an appointment with that doctor if they don't live in New York City? Does he do any private practice?

wanderingstag9 said:How on earth does one manage to get an appointment with that doctor if you don't live in New York City? Does he have a private practice anywhere?

I’m actually wondering the exact same thing.

Has anyone here had any experience working with Ivo Dzepina or Bojan Ignatovski?

Joshua Murphy7 said:Hey! If you're looking for help with those sinus issues, you should check out Dr. Baudoin over on Vinogradska—well, the US equivalent would be somewhere like a specialist clinic in Manhattan. He has a bit of a unique last name, but he’s great. He primarily works with kids, but he actually performs surgeries on adults too. It might be worth giving him a shot!

To be honest, Professor Baudoin is a heavy hitter in the field of rhinology. Along with Professor Kalogjera, he’s actually one of the only experts in the country actively involved in developing the clinical guidelines for treating both non-allergic rhinitis and nasal polyposis.
His kids have completely turned on him. 🙂 He just has this incredible way with people. His interpersonal skills are top-notch, which is probably why his clinic is booked solid months in advance.
He specializes in functional endoscopic sinus surgery, functional rhinoplasty, and pediatric surgery of the face and neck. Most notably, he was the one who introduced navigational endoscopic sinus surgery to this region—and it’s not just some fancy new gadget sitting on a shelf; it’s a tool they use regularly to get real results.

wanderingstag9 said:How can someone get an appointment with that doctor if they aren't living in New York City? Does he have a private practice anywhere?

I'm not entirely sure, but there are two clinics open in the Vinogradski area on weekday afternoons.
You can either book an appointment in person, or your primary care physician can set one up for you through the online referral system.

Ryan Ruiz7 said:Hey everyone. I've been bouncing between hospitals—Rockefeller, Mount Sinai, and so on—since June because of some serious breathing issues. The diagnosis came back as allergic rhinitis paired with allergic asthma. I finally saw an ENT, and they sent me for a CT scan of my paranasal sinuses. The imaging shows polypoid mucosal thickening in the right maxillary sinus reaching up to 1 cm near the roof, and about 0.8 cm at the base of the left one. There’s also hypoplasia of the right frontal sinus, though transparency in both remains intact. My doctor is putting me on Avamys—a corticosteroid therapy I’ve actually used before, but it just hasn't done the trick this time. Breathing is a struggle, and since I'm an active person, this really hits hard; my sleep is a total disaster and I feel completely wiped out during the day. I've been dealing with these issues for over 15 years now. I'm pretty sure this mucosal thickening and those nasal polyps are primarily triggered by allergens—pine, dust, ragweed, and even certain grasses. My body reacts with asthma while my nose stays constantly congested. For me, these allergens basically feel like toxic gas. I've been dragging this problem along for a very long time, but I finally understand what's going on, and I believe I can turn things around starting with nasal surgery. I know exactly what triggers me, I have my allergy season meds ready, and I know what to avoid, but I’d really like to move forward with surgery because, honestly, it's become my biggest hurdle and I can't live like this. Does anyone have recommendations for surgeons, or any experiences regarding the different methods used? THANKS!

What you're describing is located specifically within the maxillary sinuses, which shouldn't be the primary cause of your breathing difficulties. There are several other factors we should look at here:
1. The current state of your nasal septum,
2. Since you're allergic to dust—which is essentially everywhere—how long have you been using Avamys on a continuous basis?
3. If I were in your shoes, I'd also be asking about potential sleep apnea. Given your sleep struggles, you should definitely undergo a polysomnography—that's a sleep study that would record whether apnea is present and determine how significant it actually is.

Hey everyone 🙂

I was wondering if anyone here has gone through nose surgery but still deals with chronic rhinitis? Like, did things actually get worse after the procedure? I'm really curious if the rhinitis issues persist or even flare up more once you've had the operation

Also, quick question for anyone who’s had rib surgery recently—I’m looking at my paperwork and I'm totally lost. My ORL report says septorhinoplasty, but then the hospital order says submucosal septal reconstruction? Why the discrepancy?

Come on, help a person out! 😁

Doctors, could someone please give me an answer here? Does Prof. Kalogjera perform paid procedures for rhinoplasty, specifically focusing on nose reduction and tip reshaping?

Thanks for the replies. Here’s an update: The CT scan shows chronic changes, specifically thickening of the maxillary sinus mucosa, hypoplasia of the frontal sinus... there's more to it. It doesn't say anything about the nasal septum. Is that the part that separates the turbinates? If memory serves, mine is crooked—shaped like an "S." I was handed another round of Avamys, even though I used it years ago. Honestly, if you ask me, I'd rather skip this medication entirely. From what I can tell, it's a corticosteroid with contraindications, and so far, all I've felt is facial itching and visible redness. I don't like it, and it definitely doesn't give me any peace of mind.
Like I said before, I haven't felt like myself—physically or mentally—for a long damn time. I play sports recreationally, so I'm fully aware of my lung issues and allergies, but despite everything I know and all the treatments, I can't seem to make any real progress toward saying, "Alright, I'm healthy." Back in college, my physiology professor even pointed out that I talk through my nose. I go in for checkups, but it's always the same old story because they just keep running the same tests on my lungs and allergies. It wasn't until I finally got back to New York City that I actually saw an ORL. It feels like I'm finally on the right track, though. Ideally, I’d just jump straight into surgery (an endoscopy 🙂 ) and be done with this whole mess. But here's the catch: doctors say my condition isn't "bad enough" for surgery (or maybe it is?), so they just keep pushing more meds on me. I don't know anymore; I just want this over with.

You’ve hit the nail on the head with your conclusion—based strictly on what's been written, the current condition of your nose doesn't necessarily scream "surgery is required." That said, things really need to be evaluated in person during an actual exam. Nowadays, X-rays are pretty limited when it comes to evaluating paranasal sinuses and are being used less and less; a CT scan is far more informative here.

To play devil's advocate regarding your point
From a layman's perspective, corticosteroid sprays are actually fantastic tools—when prescribed for intranasal use, they have very minimal systemic absorption.
Your issue isn't something that can be solved through surgery right now, but rather through long-term (with occasional breaks) intranasal therapy.

But of course, the first step is determining just how clinically significant that septal deviation actually is.

These are all just different ways of looking at the situation, but without a formal physical exam, it's tough to make any definitive decisions.

Question for Betty Edwards22
So, here’s my situation—I’ve actually gone under the knife twice already for nose surgery. And honestly? The results are basically identical: I’ve still got that bump when viewed from the profile, and the bone structure on the left and right sides remains totally uneven. Neither of my previous procedures included an osteotomy—it was just smoothing out the surface—though during this second one, they did work on some structural stabilization. Since I’m still unhappy with how my nose looks (which is exactly why I'm doing this), I have to wonder: how safe is it to head into a third surgery? Is it significantly more complicated now that there's already surgical history involved? Also, does the fact that the overall shape hasn't changed much actually matter—would that make the procedure easier, or is it irrelevant at this stage?
Thanks

Hi everyone,
I’m honestly not sure why someone would consider appearance as a deciding factor for the number of procedures needed, though the total count definitely matters because of how much postoperative scarring and fibrosis you might deal with.

But from what I can gather about this case—it’s all still very recent following the surgery.
Determining the exact course of action really comes down to the surgeon's judgment and a thorough clinical evaluation. Generally speaking, osteotomies are indicated if the spinal pyramid shows scoliotic tendencies; however, for kyphosis specifically, a kyphectomy is often sufficient if the issue lies within the cartilaginous portion, or perhaps some minimal paramedial osteotomies if we're looking at the bony pyramid.

Betty Edwards22 said:Hi there,
I’m not entirely sure why appearance would be the deciding factor in determining the number of surgeries required—but their physical structure definitely plays a role due to the amount of post-op fibrosis involved.

However, from what I can gather—this is all still very recent following the surgery.
The exact course of action depends entirely on the surgeon's decision and the clinical examination. Osteotomies are usually indicated if the pyramid is scoliotic; meanwhile, for kyphosis, a kyphectomy is often sufficient if the cartilage is the issue, or perhaps minimal paramedial osteotomies if the bone pyramid itself is the problem.

It *is* recent. The swelling has gone down quite a bit and it's starting to take shape, but honestly? It's just too big for my face—and don't even get me started on these uneven bones. Good God, what on earth was I thinking doing this twice? I feel so sorry for myself because I clearly didn't end up in the right hands. I am genuinely terrified about whether they can actually reduce the size even a little bit or fix these jagged edges. Just the thought of a third surgery is paralyzing, so I'm trying to figure out how safe and realistic this all really is.

Anything is possible if you give it enough time. You just need to be patient and wait to see what the final outcome of this procedure looks like—it’ll take at least six months for the tissue to fully heal and settle back into place.

Betty Edwards22 said:Anything is possible—it just takes patience to see what the final result of this procedure actually looks like. You’re looking at a minimum of 6 months before the tissue fully recovers.

Look, I know I have to wait—and probably much longer than that—but honestly? As long as everything turns out right in the end, that's all that matters. Thanks a lot.