Rhinoplasty: Experiences and recovery tips?

Hey everyone. My sister just had nose surgery over in Miami—I actually posted before about how incredible the work was and how much she loves her new look! She needed it because of some old kickboxing injuries we both picked up back in the day; she had a deviated septum and could barely breathe. Since it was functional, the hospital covered everything, even the bone reshaping. I don't have any breathing issues at all, but I’m looking into getting it done just for the aesthetics—it’s got this slight C-shape curve. I know since it's purely cosmetic, insurance won't touch it, so I'm wondering if anyone knows what the typical out-of-pocket cost looks like for something like this.

It really all depends on which surgeon you’re looking to go with. You didn't even mention which city you're planning to have the surgery in! Honestly, just start hitting up different outpatient clinics to see how their pricing stacks up. Most places charge for consultations, so why not just fire off some emails first? Get them to give you a ballpark price range before you waste your time and gas driving around for in-person visits.

Amanda Lewis66 said:It really depends on which doctor you're looking at—you didn't mention which city you're planning to be in. I'd suggest checking out some local outpatient clinics to get a feel for their pricing. Most places charge for consultations, so maybe just shoot them a few emails first to get a ballpark range before you go driving around in person.

Yeah, looks like I wasn't super clear there 😁. She wants to do it at a hospital in Miami—specifically at Fenway Park, where her sister actually had her surgery done.
I'm just not sure how the pricing works... I assume private clinics vary, but since we're talking about a public hospital, is there like a set standard price used by all hospitals across the country?

rustygardener172 said:You’re clearly just part of that group of people who don't care if the doctor messed up... or maybe you just cared more about how you looked than actually being able to breathe, so you went to some plastic surgeon instead of an ENT...
Can I ask how you decided my breathing was worse than before the surgery? And when exactly did you decide that?

Functionality was always more important to me, obviously, then comes the aesthetics. I went to the guy who claims he can do everything, and it turns out he's just a decent plastic surgeon😢. I guess I'm to blame because I didn't ask enough questions; I just went to the big-name celebrity doctor and called it a day. My mistake for not doing my homework.

The looks aren't really the issue, even if the nose isn't "perfect"—not that I need it to be. But now there are consequences, because the deviated septum wasn't fixed, and whether you believe it or not, it’s staying that way.

So, I was in a car accident about six days ago—total wreck. My nose ended up broken in the crash. The day after everything went down, I had surgery to get the bone reset. Everything went smoothly, and I actually just got my nasal packing removed today!
About half an hour ago, this awesome song came on the radio and I couldn't help myself—I started dancing with my boyfriend, even though he’s rocking a broken arm from the same accident. I did a few little head movements—maybe twisted my head two or three times—but I didn't actually hit my nose or anything. Still, now I'm totally freaking out... is it possible that those quick movements could have messed things up? Like, could my nose shift back to how it was before the surgery? It isn't bleeding and it doesn't hurt—honestly—it just feels a little weird inside my nasal cavity, but I can't tell if that's from the dancing or just from crying for the last fifteen minutes (emotions, ugh). The surgery was five days ago. Please help me out, guys—I am such a massive worrier by nature! 😢

Sandra Morales6 said:I was in a car wreck about 6 days ago. My nose ended up broken in the crash. The day after the accident, I had surgery to reset it. Everything went fine, and I just got my nasal packing removed today.
About half an hour ago, this awesome song came on the radio and I started dancing around with my boyfriend—even though he’s got a broken arm from the same accident. I did a few head movements (like, twirled my head maybe 2 or 3 times), didn't hit my nose or anything, nothing. But now I'm freaking out thinking maybe those movements could have caused damage... like, what if my nose shifts back to how it was before the surgery? It's not bleeding, it doesn't hurt, honestly, though there's a weird sensation in my sinus area, but I can't tell if that's from the dancing or just from crying for the last 15 minutes (just emotions, you know...). The surgery was 5 days ago. Please help, I am such a massive worrier by nature and I really need some reassurance. 😢

Your nose isn't just gonna jump out of place on its own, but you shouldn't be exposing it to accidental bumps either—do you have a bandage over it or something?

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Donna Johnson16 said:Your nose isn't just going to jump out of place on its own—but you definitely shouldn't be exposing it to random bumps! Don't you have a bandage over it?

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I didn't actually hit myself—I just gave my head a little shake... I'm being super careful not to bump it... I've even started sleeping in the guest room just so my boyfriend doesn't accidentally swing his cast into my nose while he's moving around!
Yeah, I've got a "mask" or a bandage on—whatever you want to call it... the thing with the plastic/metal inside... I don't get to take it off until Friday! Btw, one side of my nose is stinging a little bit right now...

Honestly, it’s not even surprising... if you were messing around with it while it was still broken, it hasn't even finished healing yet. Plus, all that crying probably just made the membranes swell up, so now everything is super tender. Just chill out, shaking your head isn't going to kill you. But seriously, try to steer clear of anything where you might accidentally bump it for at least another month...

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Donna Johnson16 said:Honestly, it’s no wonder you're hurting—if you were messing with it while it was still healing, plus all that crying can make the tissue swell up—so just take a breath! You aren't going to hurt yourself by moving your head around too much.

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Thank you so much!!! Seriously, you have no idea how much I was panicking! I had a pretty rough time with the anesthesia last time, so I'm really hesitant about going under again just because I was being silly... :/

Sandra Morales6 said:thank you so much!!! seriously, you have no idea how much I was panicking! anesthesia didn't go great for me last time, so I'm just really dreading having to deal with it again because of my own stupid mistake... :/

ugh 🙂.

Make sure you note what I said about avoiding any hits or bumps for at least a month. Plus, rhinoplasty patients shouldn't even be blowing their noses for the first two weeks... looks like nobody bothered to tell you that

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Donna Johnson16 said:ugh 🙂.

Keep in mind what I said about avoiding any bumps or hits for at least a month—plus, rhinoplasty patients really shouldn't be blowing their noses for those first two weeks... sounds like nobody mentioned that to you,

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No, they definitely didn't tell me that... all I knew was to show up this Friday to get the cast removed! Thank goodness I know now—I actually just blew my nose because I was crying (there's a little scratch near my nose and I didn't want to make it bleed)... I knew I had to watch out for impacts, but I had no idea it would take that long! I just assumed things would heal super fast since the cast comes off Friday... is there anything else I should be looking out for?

Honestly, you’ll probably be rocking a Band-Aid over your nose instead of a mask for at least another week. It’s not that deep—just think about all those different layers of tissue that need time to knit back together... plus, you got incredibly lucky to walk away from that wreck in such good shape, so just be 🙂

p.s. I bet nobody's even gonna have to tell you, "buckle up" anymore

Trust me, I am beyond grateful... honestly—I just walked away with a broken nose, my boyfriend ended up with a broken arm, and my friend in the back seat cracked a rib hitting the seatbelt. The people in the other car were okay too, though one person had a fractured brow... but anyway, I won't ramble or go off-topic! Thanks again... I just totally panicked for a second, so I figured it was better to ask someone here who actually knows what they're talking about... and I promise, no more head shaking for at least a month! 😁

How long does it usually take to actually get nose surgery once you finally have a solid diagnosis? I’ve got a deviated septum, and my doctor basically just threw every pill in the book at me—told me if they don't cut it, then we can "start thinking about surgery"—but I really want to get this sorted out before summer hits...

Nicole Mitchell75 said:Hey everyone. I need some advice.
So, I'm from a small town in the Midwest and I need surgery for a deviated septum and my nasal bridge. I was recommended to see Dr. Bedeković at the Mayo Clinic, who apparently only sees patients on Tuesdays. I called the Mayo Clinic and they told me I could just show up on Tuesday with a referral and that I don't need an appointment. I'm wondering if that's actually true? Because I know that even for a regular ENT here in the States, you usually have to book ahead and wait a month or so for something like this. How does the whole process work? I'd be traveling to Chicago for the initial consultation with the professor, so what happens after that? Roughly how long is the wait until the actual surgery, and how does the whole thing play out? Thanks in advance. 😁

You definitely need to make an appointment. In fact, I'm trying to do mine right now. 😁

Hey everyone! So, I wanted to pick your brains about getting some nose surgery. Basically, about a year and a half ago, I was in a car accident and my nose ended up looking pretty crooked—it definitely veered off to one side now. The thing is, I don't actually have any trouble breathing or anything, I just really want to fix how it looks, you know? For the aesthetic side of things, do you think a place like a big hospital or maybe even the Dubrava Library area clinics could handle just the cosmetic part? Or am I better off just heading straight to a private specialist if I want it to look right? Thanks in advance for the help! 🙂

Hello to all my fellow patients!
I haven’t been posting here regularly, but I just scrolled through the last fifteen pages and thought I should chime in. Perhaps my experience might offer some comfort to someone currently going through the same thing... :-)
It has been exactly five months since my surgery, and I can hardly describe the transformations that have occurred in such a short window. To be honest, right at the start, I wasn't exactly thrilled with how things looked. I was satisfied only when comparing the result to my old nose, which was truly dreadful—though I only realize just how bad it actually was now, looking back at old photos... :-) Generally speaking, I looked as though I had a permanent ski jump stamped onto my face; I could feel these terrible bumps and irregularities under my fingertip... the tip was turned up so sharply it was frightening, there was swelling at the bridge, between my eyes, it was awful, one eye looking east and the other looking west...
BUT...
To everyone currently in recovery, if you are facing similar issues, or those of you just preparing and wondering what to expect: please, believe me, you simply must be patient. Don't spend every waking second staring into a magnifying mirror and crying... It is truly incredible how everything eventually settles. My "ski slope" smoothed out beautifully, the bumps seemed to "melt" across the entire length of my nose, and the bridge is twice as narrow as it used to be... and now, it looks absolutely wonderful!!!!

In my opinion, the nose begins to change immediately after the procedure, essentially as soon as that initial swelling starts to subside... and with every passing week, it kept getting better and better...
So, my friends—patience is key. :-)

By the way, I suspect it isn't even fully finished yet; I feel it will look even better... they say it takes a full year for everything to truly settle into place...
Sunglasses still feel a bit awkward, and the tip still feels slightly "wooden," but I've been blowing my nose like a heavy smoker for quite a while now and, most importantly, I am breathing perfectly...

And, lest I forget, I see many of you share similar anxieties... I actually had a few little accidents after my surgery. My boyfriend accidentally bumped me in his sleep (the man tosses and turns, what can you do? :-)), and I'd occasionally catch myself hitting my own face by mistake (likely out of pure panic that someone else might hit my nose, so I ended up hitting myself instead)... and so on... don't worry, nothing catastrophic will happen if you accidentally bump yourself after surgery (though I understand the fear; I was convinced something "shifted" inside after one of my little bumps, but as it turns out, nothing happened)

Best wishes to everyone!

Hey everyone!
I had my rhinoplasty about three weeks ago, and honestly, I feel amazing. I went to see dr. Tončić in Chicago, and I couldn't be happier with how everything turned out. My new look is exactly what I wanted.
The clinic was top-notch and the whole team was incredible. It really feels like I picked the right surgeon. I can't recommend him enough! If anyone has any questions at all, just ask! 😉

Thomas Alvarez90 said:How long does it actually take to get scheduled for nose surgery once you finally land on a definitive diagnosis? I’ve been dealing with a deviated septum, and my doctor—after cycling me through every single medication under the sun—basically told me that if these pills don't do the trick, we’ll "start thinking about surgery." Well, I'm done waiting around—I want this sorted out before summer hits.

Look, let’s be real—you aren't getting an appointment at the Mayo Clinic anytime soon unless you happen to have some high-level connection pulling strings behind the scenes. As for the private clinics? That entirely depends on how slammed they are with patients.😉

Lawrence Sanchez said:Greetings, everyone. I’m looking for some insight regarding rhinoplasty. About eighteen months ago, I was involved in a car accident—nothing life-threatening, but enough to knock my nose quite far out of alignment. Now, I don't have any functional issues with breathing or anything of that nature, but from an aesthetic standpoint, the deviation is pretty glaring. I'm trying to decide on the best route for a fix. Would a major institution like the Mayo Clinic be able to handle a purely cosmetic procedure, or am I better off seeking out a private specialist if I want the results to actually look good? I'd appreciate any perspectives you can share. Thanks in advance. 🙂

Look, let’s be realistic about how things work here—you can't exactly go through Medicare to get aesthetic procedures done unless you're dealing with the aftermath of a serious accident, and even then, you need a documented medical history to prove it wasn't just elective. As for the whole debate over choosing a facility or going private? Honestly, I’d much rather stick with a major hospital system—even if I have to shell out the cash myself because insurance won't touch it. There's just a level of institutional stability there that you don't get elsewhere.😉

rustygardener172 said:The nasal pyramid is made of bone... which means you definitely had them broken...

That doesn't have to be true😉,
To get that pyramid aligned, all you really need—to put it in layman's terms—is to shave down the bone slightly and remove some of the calcification. Now, if we're talking about a full reconstruction, that’s a whole different ballgame, but even then, we're discussing shaving and contouring, not necessarily breaking things—I mean, I honestly don't know who is still out there using such archaic surgical methods that they actually have to break bones just to get results.

My nose was completely reconstructed; I went through a massive, complicated procedure where they touched the entire pyramid structure. For instance, my roommate, Nine, also had a reconstruction, and they haven't even "ripped" or shaved much bone away yet, but they certainly fixed her pyramid shape😁. And interestingly enough—despite having a much more intensive surgery—my recovery was actually faster than hers
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It’s been a month since my surgery now, everything is going perfectly, the swelling is finally subsiding, it looks fantastic, and yippeeeee—I can finally wear sunglasses again😍