Rhinoplasty: Experiences and recovery tips?

How long does it take for the nose swelling to go down, like, to the point where it's just visible to you and not everyone else? Because right now, mine looks absolutely massive...
After they took the mold off, I broke out in this rash that was itching like crazy, so the doctor just wiped the skin off with alcohol and handed me some topical Coldrex cream to deal with it...
I also ended up with some inflammation in the mucous membrane, so I've been applying that same cream inside my nose too...
But hey, at least I can finally breathe properly, so I'm counting my blessings.
Can anyone please help me out here?
Has anyone else dealt with being totally miserable right after the mold came off, only to end up actually loving the results a little while later? 🙂

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restlessfox3 says: how long does it take for the nose swelling to go down... like, when will it be at a stage where only I can notice the swelling? because right now, it feels absolutely massive... I mean, has anyone here ever been unhappy immediately after removing the splint, only to end up being totally satisfied after a little while passed? 🙂>

If you take a moment to scroll back through even just a few pages, you’ll see that almost everyone in your shoes felt the exact same way... 🙂
it's called swelling for a reason... it goes up, and then eventually, it settles down... 😉you just need some time and a lot of patience...

Maybe this sounds a bit silly, but... has anyone ever taken a taxi home where someone actually showed up to meet you? 🙂

Ashley Wells16 said:This might sound like a silly question—but seriously—has anyone actually taken a taxi home after this? Or did someone naturally just come to pick you up? 🙂

I honestly don't see the point of even asking this.🤷

It really doesn't matter how you get back—whether it’s by bus, tram, taxi, or a private car—what matters is the principle. Just like any other surgery, the absolute priority is ensuring the patient has someone there to look after them. Your body is going to be weak, period. How you physically navigate the trip home is secondary to having that support system in place.

Sam Kim12, thanks! Does anyone have a recommendation for a private clinic where I can get some lab work done? 🙂))

So, here’s the situation: I’m 16 years old and dealing with a deviated septum. It isn't incredibly extreme, but I really need to get it fixed because I’m constantly battling acute sinus infections, throat issues, and ear problems. Honestly, I’ve been missing so much school lately that it’s becoming impossible to just live my life normally—it feels like this thing is just sucking the life right out of me! My doctors mentioned that surgery is the way to go, but they suggested it might be better to wait until I turn 18. But here is the real kicker: because of all those intense examinations and previous procedures, my nostrils have actually been widened. On top of that, my nose is quite large, it has a prominent bump, and it's pretty wide. For all these reasons, if I’m going under the knife anyway, I’d love to get some cosmetic work done at the same time. To me, it’s easily my biggest insecurity, and it honestly holds me back in life. A few of you probably know that awful feeling when someone is constantly picking at your nose or when you get those "compliments" that just plunge you straight into a depression. This week, I have to head to the doctor to get scheduled for the procedure in NYC. I’ve been reading through everyone's experiences online, and I honestly don't know whether to laugh or cry about it :'). Since this will be at a public hospital, I was wondering if anyone here has had any positive experiences at any of the major hospitals in NYC? (Though, I’m definitely open to hearing the horror stories too). I am fully prepared for the pain and everything else that comes bundled in that "package" :3. Please, please share your experiences, opinions, and anything else you can. Also, if you could recommend a specific public hospital in NYC, that would be amazing, because even my parents are totally clueless about which one to pick for me. Thanks in advance! 😁

Eric Sanchez5 said:So, I’m 16 and I have a deviated septum. It isn’t super extreme, but I need surgery because I deal with constant sinus infections, throat issues, ear problems, and I end up missing a ton of school. I just can't live like this anymore; it’s honestly draining the life out of me. The doctors suggested surgery would be good, but they mentioned it might be better to wait until I'm 18. The thing is, because of all the intense exams and previous procedures, my nostrils have been widened. My nose is large, has a significant bump, and is quite wide. For those reasons, I’d want to go for a Rhinoplasty at the same time since it's the biggest insecurity holding me back. A few of you probably know that feeling when someone constantly stares at your nose or gives you those "compliments" that just send you into a depression. I have to see a doctor this week to get scheduled for surgery in NYC. I’ve read all kinds of stories online and I don't know whether to laugh or cry :'). Since this will be at a public hospital, I was wondering if anyone has had positive experiences at any of the public hospitals in NYC (though I'm open to hearing about the bad ones too). I'm ready for the pain and whatever else comes with the package :3. Please let me know your experiences, opinions, and anything else. If you could also recommend a specific public hospital in NYC, that would be great, because my parents aren't sure where to send me. Thanks in advance. 😁

Well, look, I was scheduled at Mount Sinai with Dr. Bilic. There isn't much posted here regarding his specific work, but I went in for a consultation and I liked the doctor-patient dynamic right away. He actually suggested the aesthetic side of things himself, which I appreciated. From what I hear, Mount Sinai is pretty well-known for nose surgeries and their specialists are top-notch. As for your age, I’d suggest waiting. The final result might not be what you want because your facial bones are still developing and haven't fully matured for the procedure yet. I guess you should see what your doctor says, but my advice is to hold off until you're 18, maybe even 20.
Good luck.

Okay, I seriously need someone to talk me off this ledge! So, I went under the knife for a Rhinoplasty because, honestly, my nose tip was just way too much to handle. Fast forward to two weeks post-op, and instead of finally looking slimmer, my nose tip looks TWICE as big as it did before! 🙂 And yeah, I’m totally spiraling right now. I’m terrified it’s never going to go down because, let’s be real, it looks absolutely horrendous and there’s zero sign of progress as the days crawl by. It’s like it's flat-out refusing to shrink, or even just return to its original size—which, believe me, would actually make me thrilled at this point. To top it all off, the whole thing feels super stiff and swollen, but I wouldn't even mind the stiffness if it wasn't twice the size it was before surgery! I went in to get it slimmed down, for crying out loud! Please, please tell me things are going to get better????? 😕😕😕

driftingbadger12 said:Okay, I seriously need someone to talk me down right now! I went in for Rhinoplasty because my nose tip was honestly just way too big. Now, two weeks post-op, instead of the tip actually looking smaller, it looks TWICE as big as it did before! 🙂 And of course, I’m totally panicking that it’s never going to shrink... it looks absolutely terrible and feels like there’s zero progress as the days go by. It just refuses to get smaller, or even go back to its original size—honestly, even that would make me happy at this point. Plus, the whole thing feels so stiff and weirdly numb... though I wouldn't even mind the numbness if it wasn't twice the size it used to be, especially since I literally went under the knife to slim it down! Please, please tell me things are going to get better????? 😕😕😕

Oh my God, honey!?!
I'm sitting here reading your posts and what swiftheron55 wrote, and I honestly can't believe it. Ladies, you *just* had surgery! Your nose is going to look massive and swollen for months. You guys know this yourselves—you don't see the final result until 6 months or even a full year has passed. Seriously, before at least two or three months have gone by, there is absolutely no reason to spiral or worry. I had my procedure about six months ago, and my tip is still a little numb, even though the swelling finally died down after four months! Once the swelling actually starts to subside, *that's* when you can start seeing potential mistakes, leftover bumps, and stuff like that. My best advice? Stop staring in the mirror so much and just let time do its thing.
Best,

Has anyone else felt a little bump right by their eye on the nasal bone after surgery?
Both sides feel totally different to me—one side feels perfectly level, while the other feels like a damn slide. It’s driving me absolutely insane... anyone else?

driftingbadger12 said:Alright, I need someone to talk me off the ledge here. I finally went through with rhinoplasty because my nose tip was honestly just way too big. Fast forward two weeks post-op, and instead of things actually shrinking like they were supposed to, the tip looks TWICE as big as it did before! 🙂 And now I’m starting to panic, obviously. What if it never actually shrinks? It looks honestly terrible right now, and it feels like there’s zero progress being made no matter how many days go by. It just refuses to downsize—or even just return to its original size, which, let’s be real, would actually make me happy at this point. On top of that, everything feels all stiff and woody. Honestly, I wouldn't even mind if it stayed bigger than it was before the surgery, but I specifically went in for a reduction! Please, someone, tell me things are going to get better? 😕😕😕

I feel exactly the same way...
So, the doctor says it’ll take about four months before things start getting back to some kind of normal...
I’m definitely not brushing this off because I get that recovery takes time, but honestly, it's starting to bug me. When I look at my nose, it feels like I'm looking at two different noses depending on which side I check. One side just doesn't match the other, and that's what's really weighing on my mind.
Look, you don't even need to stress about that peak. Honestly, I feel like a freaking ping pong ball myself sometimes, so I'm not exactly losing my cool over it. It can't really get any worse than it already was... everything just takes time, I guess.

restlessfox3 said:Has anyone else felt a little bump near their eye on the nasal bone after surgery???
Both sides feel so uneven to me now—one side is perfectly flat while the other slopes down like a slide, and it’s honestly driving me crazy....??

I actually had one on the right side of my nose too, but after about two months, it just smoothed itself out completely... you couldn't see it near the eye, but I could definitely feel it under my finger, though thank God it's gone now...🙂)

driftingbadger12 said:So, I really need someone to talk me down right now! I just had Rhinoplasty because my nose tip was honestly way too large... but now, only two weeks out from surgery, instead of finally slimming down, it looks twice as big as it did before! 🙂 Naturally, I’m starting to panic that it’ll never actually shrink, because it looks absolutely terrible and there seems to be zero progress as the days go by. It just refuses to get smaller—or even return to its original size, which would actually make me happy at this point. On top of that, everything feels so swollen and stiff, though I wouldn't mind the stiffness if it wasn't so much bigger than before, especially since the whole goal was to slim it down! Please, can someone tell me that things will eventually look better????? 😕😕😕

Please don't worry... it's completely normal for the swelling to be intense when you're only two weeks post-op... I went through the exact same thing where my nose tip looked massive, but now that I'm three months out, it looks wonderful... just try to stay patient, and everything will settle into place exactly how it should...😉

Aaaahhh... so, my nose is almost hitting its one-year anniversary... and the tip still feels a bit stiff.🙂

But honestly, it’s looking really good right now—it feels like everything is finally settling into place, and even the size has leveled out nicely. If only I had the time to head back to the clinic to see the final result in person, that would be amazing.

Anyway, I know I've owed some of you photos for a long time now; I promise I'll send them over as soon as I get back home.👋

I’ve got these little bumps on my nose right by the eye—right on the bone... and it’s already been 10 months

So, here’s the situation: I am 17.5 years old, and I absolutely loathe my nose..
It would be wonderful if my entire face actually looked like something coherent, but instead, it’s just large and has this prominent hump.
It looks roughly like the one in this photo (the one on the left, obviously :P)

It honestly gets under my skin so much that I can't even stand it. I won't even let people look at my profile view. When I'm walking through town and I catch a guy glancing my way, I find myself frantically playing with my hair just so my hand can block his view of my nose. It is truly a massive blow to my self-confidence.
On top of all that, I’ve realized that I have a deviated septum as well... whenever I plug one nostril, I can't breathe at all through the other side (it's only like this on one side; the other feels fine).
I'm originally from Canada, and my goal is to get all of this taken care of as soon as possible...
However, I am facing several hurdles
firstly, I have no idea where to go (maybe somewhere in the US?)
secondly, I am absolutely terrified of the actual procedure—the recovery pain and the whole ordeal of having the Tampon removed sounds awful.
And frankly, I don't think I could survive having the whole thing done under local anesthesia (I am just too fragile to sit there hearing the sound of them scraping my nose 😢).
Also, does it actually make sense to undergo both septoplasty and Rhinoplasty at the same time, considering the combined cost?
Thank you all so much in advance for any help you can provide. 🙂

Go ahead, solve this one if you think you can... The truth is, you’re going to need a mountain of cash, plus an infinite supply of patience and the nerves of steel required to breathe through your mouth for five miserable days (don't even ask how I survived that)... But honestly, the surgery itself isn't the terrifying part since you're under anesthesia and won't feel a thing. It’s just incredibly uncomfortable overall. And for some people, it leads to real dissatisfaction because they end up chasing a version of perfection that simply doesn't exist, so they keep stacking surgeries until they don't even recognize themselves anymore... you know how that goes. If you want my advice, go see Dr. Davor Dzepina in Washington, D.C.... you won't regret it. I wouldn't recommend Toncic because of the local anesthesia, and definitely stay away from Glumicic since he isn't an ENT specialist... nor would I suggest Zgaljardica or Zambellia... or Glusca, because I find the idea of having Tampons pulled out after just one day absolutely unbearable... those Tampons are there to support the septum. Maybe Dr. Bastaic is an option! 😉)

Kate Taylor59 said:Go ahead and try to solve that one if you can... the reality is that it requires a massive amount of money, and of course, an incredible amount of patience and nerves of steel to endure five miserable days of breathing through your mouth (and please, don't even ask me how I managed to survive that)... but the actual surgery itself isn't terrifying because you're under anesthesia and there is absolutely no pain involved... however, the whole ordeal is incredibly uncomfortable, and for some people, it can actually lead to deep dissatisfaction because they chase after a standard of perfection that simply doesn't exist, which leads to a cycle of multiple surgeries until the person eventually looks nothing like themselves... you know exactly how that goes... I would strongly advise you to see Dr. Davor Dzepina in Washington, D.C.... you won't go wrong there... I wouldn't recommend Toncic to you due to his use of local anesthesia, and certainly not Glumicica because he isn't an ENT specialist... nor would I suggest Zgaljardica or Zambellia... and definitely skip Glusca, because the idea of having to pull out Tampons after just one day is simply unbelievable to me... since those Tampons are what support the septum... perhaps consider Dr. Bastaic! 😉)

Thank you so much for the response and all the information. 😁

Kate Taylor59 said:If you can handle this, then go for it... I suppose it’s true that you need quite a bit of money, plus an incredible amount of patience and the nerves to deal with five miserable days of breathing through your mouth (please don't ask how I managed to survive that)... but honestly, the surgery itself isn't terrifying since you're under anesthesia and won't feel any pain at all. It is just incredibly uncomfortable overall, and I think for some people, it can lead to real dissatisfaction because they chase after a perfection that simply doesn't exist, which leads to more surgeries until they don't even look like themselves anymore... you know how that goes. If I were you, I might suggest Dr. Davor Dzepina in Washington, D.C.... you really can't go wrong there. I probably wouldn't recommend Toncic because of the local anesthesia, and definitely stay away from Glumicic since he isn't an ENT specialist... nor would I suggest Zgaljardica or Zambellia... and I wouldn't go to Glusca because, goodness, having those Tampons removed after just one day is absolutely unbearable... since those Tampons are what support the septum. Maybe Dr. Bastaic is an option! 😉)

Hey, could you tell me why you wouldn't recommend Zambellia? I was actually thinking about going to him. Thanks! 🙂

Can anyone give me a breakdown on pricing? Also, looking for recommendations for a solid plastic surgeon—I'm thinking about getting a rhinoplasty to fix a bump on my nose.

Kate Taylor59 said:Answer this if you actually can... sure, it takes a mountain of cash, plus an endless supply of patience and nerves of steel—I spent five miserable days just struggling to breathe (don't even ask how I managed through that)... but the surgery itself isn't the terrifying part since you're under anesthesia and won't feel a thing. The real issue is how incredibly uncomfortable the whole ordeal is. It can drive some people to total dissatisfaction because they chase a version of "perfection" that simply doesn't exist, leading to a cycle of more surgeries until they don't even look like themselves anymore... you know how that goes. If you want my advice, go see Dr. Davor Dzepina in Washington, D.C.... you won't regret it. I wouldn't recommend Toncic because of the local anesthesia, and definitely stay away from Glumicic because he's not an ENT specialist... nor would I suggest Zgaljardica or Zambellia... or Glusca because pulling those tampons out after just one day is absolutely brutal... the tampons are there to support the septum.. maybe Dr. Bastaic is an option! 😉)

You're talking nonsense😉
Some facilities use those little tubes along with the tampons to hold everything in place so you can actually breathe through them😉.. the main job of a tampon is to absorb fluid, not to act as a structural support for your nose