Rhinoplasty: Experiences and recovery tips?

Sam Grant5 said:So, should I be buying those too? 🤷
It’s been five days since they took my tampons out... the doctor checked inside my nose today and everything looked fine. 🤷

Do you think there's any chance something could go wrong in my nose?

I don't really get why they'd prescribe this specific therapy at the hospital if it wasn't necessary... just saline plus Operil... surely they aren't that clueless. 🤷

I'm just trying to help you understand the logic behind using one thing and not the other—the swelling in your nasal lining is going to last much longer than the window of time you're actually allowed to use those decongestant drops. So what happens then? Honestly, feel free to ask your surgeon directly about it. But just a heads up: nasal spray drops should only be used for a maximum of 5 days. That's the part a lot of people fail to realize.

Betty Edwards22 said:I’m just trying to make sure you get why one works and the other doesn't—that mucosal swelling is gonna hang around way longer than you can actually use those drops. So then what? Seriously, feel free to ask the pharmacist too. Nasal sprays have a limit! 5 days max. That's the part everyone misses.

Look, I know about the 5-day rule for the drops; they literally told me that and wrote it down... 🙂
I'll just see how my nose feels starting today. If the saline isn't cutting it, then I'll grab the stuff you're recommending. 😉

Sam Grant5 said:I know those drops are only supposed to be used for five days—that’s what they told me and wrote down... 🙂
I'm going to see how my nose feels starting today, and if just using saline isn't cutting it, then I'll go ahead and pick up the stuff you suggested. 😉

Exactly! And then what? You end up with a nose that's totally raw on the inside—it's basically like pouring a bucket of water directly onto an open wound and calling it a day.
Also, you really have to follow a prescription, even for private doctors. They have to specifically recommend it before the pharmacist will even give it to you.

after that, it’s just physiological 😬

it's Saturday anyway, so there's nobody even around to write this down 🤷

and btw, are you some kind of technician or surgeon at an ENT Specialist or something?

Betty Edwards22 said:I appreciate everything you wrote—really—but I just don't get why you even saw him in the first place. What was actually wrong with your nose?
And—it’s not exactly true that you should never, ever touch the cartilage at the tip of your nose. You just have to know how to handle it, which most people don't.

I had this bump on my nose that was super obvious in profile. Back then, I was starting to get into modeling, so some industry people suggested I go see Dr. Smith for an opinion. Now, look—you *can* touch the nasal tip cartilage, but you never, ever cut into it the way he did to me. That’s been confirmed by other doctors, especially when they had to go back in to reopen my nose. They told me it was total chaos in there. Honestly, given how insanely swollen I stayed for months, I guess I shouldn't be surprised by what he did.😢 Just to be clear, Dr. Smith never once tried to talk me out of the surgery or tell me to wait until I was older; if anything, he kept pushing me to do it, acting like it was no big deal...

frozennomad25 said:I had this bump on my nose that was really noticeable in profile. At the time, I was just starting out in modeling, so some people in the industry suggested I go see Dr. Bedeković to get his professional opinion. Now, sure, surgeons do work on the cartilage at the tip of the nose, but they never literally cut it the way he did to me. That’s actually been confirmed by other doctors, especially when they had to go back in to open up my nose again. They told me it was a total mess inside. And considering how incredibly swollen I stayed for months, I guess I shouldn't be surprised by what he was doing 😢 I should also mention that Dr. Bedeković never once tried to talk me out of the surgery or suggest I wait until I was older—if anything, he kept encouraging me to go through with it, saying it was a minor thing and all that...

I’m not going to speculate on things I didn't witness personally, but I will break down a few specific points that don't quite seem right:
So, they *are* working on the cartilage after all. Nowadays, even with minors, the septum is addressed, though they don't mess with the nasal pyramid or perform osteotomies, which are much more serious nasal procedures.

I can't comment on surgical results I haven't seen myself, but if these details are accurate, then something is seriously off—very few surgeons pay as much attention to detail as he does. It's also rare to find someone trained in nasal aesthetics quite like him, especially since it's hard to name a major figure in this field who didn't study in NY.
I'm not saying these comments are meant to justify him specifically—your account isn't consistent with how everyone else views his work.
On the other hand, since you brought up Prof. Uglešić, I could probably tell a whole story about my own nose and individual expertise without needing any extra input.
It's pretty clear there was a massive breakdown in communication regarding the procedure, but calling it a complete mess-up...🤔

Sam Grant5 said:after that, it's just a matter of basic physiological 😬

It's Saturday anyway, so I don't even have anyone to transcribe this for me right now 🤷

And by the way, are you some kind of technician or surgeon working over at Oracle?

Well, it says it right there in my profile, so the conclusion is pretty easy—yes, Oracle is definitely my field of work and interest, though I tend to focus more on ears than on the nose.

okay, I haven't checked out the profile yet 🙂

Betty Edwards22 said:I’m not speculating on things I haven't seen personally—I am simply breaking down specific explanations that might be phrased incorrectly:
It is indeed about the cartilages. Nowadays, even with minors, they perform septoplasties, but they don't mess with the pyramid structure or perform osteotomies, which are part of much more serious nasal surgery.

I can't comment on work I haven't witnessed, but if we're talking technical details, then something major is off—very few people pay attention to detail quite like he does. And very few have had training in nasal aesthetics similar to his level—especially since it’s hard to find a significant figure in this field whom he hasn't studied under in NY.
These points aren't meant to justify him specifically—your reasoning isn't consistent with what everyone who knows his work thinks.
On the other hand, since you brought up Prof. Uglešić, my own nose could tell a whole story regarding individual competence without any outside help.
It seems there was just a misunderstanding about the procedure, but to call it a complete mess-up...🤔

It wasn't a "misunderstanding" over details or anything like that—he actually made my nose much worse than it was before. It was a total mess-up, unfortunately. That's been confirmed by several specialists after I went on a frantic search for doctors who could fix the damage he caused. It became painfully obvious when the nose was reopened to see what kind of... disaster he had created. There have been plenty of people on this forum stating that Bedeković ruined their noses too. Even if we set aside the fact that he turned a decent nose into something significantly worse—what kind of person lies and claims they didn't alter the nose when it's proven they certainly did? I don't care who he trained with in NY and all that; no one, not even a non-specialist, would have done what he did to my nose.

Haha, I know they’d probably opt for an open technique then—I was honestly just sharing my excitement about avoiding those scars! 😉 😉

One quick question for everyone else... is it actually possible for one side of my nose to be way more swollen than the other? It’s day 12 post-op, and I still look like a total piglet. -.-

Sam Grant5 said:Fair enough, I hadn't actually checked out their profile yet 🙂

Alright, look, I don't want to be one of those people who constantly nitpicks or pushes a specific point too hard, hmm... 😉

Elizabeth Fox57 said:Hahahaha, I know they’d be using the closed technique back then, I was just sharing how excited I am about avoiding scars! 😉 😉

Quick question for everyone else too... is it actually possible for one side of my nose to be way more swollen than the other? It's day 12 post-op today, and I still look like a total piglet. -.-

Well, that's a really important distinction to make because if they go with the closed technique, there won't be any visible scarring at all.

As for the swelling, you really have to prepare yourself for that to stick around for a while...
And honestly, everyone heals on their own timeline when it comes to that stuff.

frozennomad25 said:It’s not even about us having a misunderstanding over small details; the truth is he made my nose look way worse than it ever was. It was a complete mess, honestly. I’ve lost count of how many specialized rhinoplasty surgeons I’ve visited trying to fix the damage he caused. You could really see the extent of his mistake when they had to reopen my nose to deal with what he did. There have been plenty of people on this forum sharing stories about how Bedeković ruined their noses, too. Even if we just look at how much worse my nose became compared to before, it’s undeniable. What kind of person lies and claims they didn't alter someone's nose when the results clearly show otherwise? I don't really care who he saw in NY or anything else—no general surgeon, let alone someone who isn't a specialist, would have caused this kind of damage to my nose.

I’m not quite sure—I didn't catch the thread from the very beginning since there's just so much to read through. I can only say so much, but I will say that I watched him perform a few open septorhinoplasties (which is essentially the only way to do it), and the technique he used there was actually state of the art.
That being said, after digging through the posts, it seems everyone has their own horror story. I actually had no idea that Uglešić and Bedeković were buddies—maybe they went to school together or something?
Maybe they're part of the same generation?
From what I can gather, he seemed just as blindsided by the whole situation as anyone else—so, who ended up fixing everything?

Honestly, I have this nagging suspicion that I was just one more mistake on Bedeković’s long list. Right after my surgery, they moved me to the pediatric ward for the first night—I remember being in the restroom and catching a glimpse of my nose in the mirror. The base looked compressed, maybe because of the swelling, but it wasn't nearly as deformed or ugly as it looked once the cast was finally removed six or seven days later. A few other surgeons—specialists who actually know their way around a rhinoplasty—explained what happened: Bedeković cut way too much cartilage from the tip. Immediately after the procedure, the tip and the columella hadn't quite "settled" yet, but within just a few days (I can't recall the exact day, I was mostly just dealing with bandages and wasn't paying close attention), the columella started protruding and drooping significantly. The tip also retracted, and the whole result was just catastrophic. I’m not entirely sure if Uglešić and Bedeković are close friends, but I definitely got the impression they know each other well. The way Bedeković acted was honestly appalling; he seemed perfectly happy with the nose simply because the bump was gone. He didn't care that the bone structure was far too wide, or that what used to be a perfect base had been ruined. The tip was turned into a round clown nose, the nostrils were pinched and distorted, and the columella was left deformed and sagging.😢I ended up trekking around seeing various different doctors because he just wasn't man enough to admit he messed up the tip, cutting too much cartilage and narrowing the sides—heaven knows what else he tinkered with since the surgery dragged on for so long. One doctor even asked me point-blank if I had gone to Bedeković, as he recognized his specific style of work. I didn't want to say anything right away since the surgery took place at the hospital, and I'm not particularly looking to expose myself by naming exactly who performed my revision surgery. That said, one single procedure isn't usually enough to undo the damage done by V.B., but I will say that my nose looks much better now—and most importantly, it looks much more natural.

This is the space where we discuss both the surgeons you might want to avoid and those who truly excel. It would be wonderful if people could share some success stories too, especially for anyone considering revision rhinoplasty or looking for that specific "second-hand" aesthetic. That’s exactly why this forum exists.

Hmm... The pediatric ward is pretty intense right now; they're staying overnight.

Yeah, true. They moved me to the ICU overnight right after my surgery. I’ve no idea why—I guess they just ran out of beds elsewhere.🤷People come here to swap stories, which is exactly why I decided to chime in. I really wouldn't want anyone else to deal with what I went through just because of some silly oversight. Regarding the follow-up, I think Dr. Milton is quite good—he practices at Oakland General and also works at a private clinic.

frozennomad25 said:Well, yeah. They moved me over to the ICU overnight right after my surgery. I honestly have no idea why—I guess they just ran out of room elsewhere.🤷I wanted to jump in here because this is where we all swap stories and experiences. I really wouldn't want anyone else to go through what I went through just because of some silly oversight. Regarding the follow-up, I think Dr. Milton is a great physician; I believe he practices at the main University Hospital and also at a private clinic.

Standard procedure is to head to the ICU unless there’s absolutely no space left, since those cases are more complex and the unit has a capacity of about seven patients.
The main thing is that you're feeling satisfied with how things turned out now.

So, I finally went under the knife this past Friday for a rhinoplasty at Tony Bennett’s clinic. Honestly, I can't say enough good things about him; he actually did my aunt's nose a while back, too. I've been struggling with breathing issues my entire life, and while other surgeons kept insisting I needed some complicated procedure to fix my nasal mucosa, he shut that nonsense down immediately, explaining just how futile and unnecessary those extra steps would really be.
In the end, we decided to focus strictly on the aesthetics, which is more than enough for me.

Back when I was younger, I broke my nose in an accident, and ever since then, it’s been gradually tilting to one side. I’m just hoping it stays straight this time. They pulled the packing out of my nose this morning, and being able to breathe normally again is such a massive relief—plus, I can actually see the tip of my nose now (it used to droop even worse than Judy Garland's), and I am just incredibly, deeply happy.

Jamie Sullivan55 said:So, I finally had my rhinoplasty this past Friday at Tony Bennett’s clinic. Honestly, I can't say enough good things about him; he actually did my aunt's nose too. I've dealt with breathing issues my entire life, and while other surgeons kept insisting I needed sinus lining work, he shot that idea down immediately. He walked me through why that would be pointless and explained the actual consequences.
In the end, we decided to just focus on the aesthetics, which is honestly more than enough for me.

When I was younger, I broke my nose, and it’s been gradually tilting to the side ever since. Fingers crossed it stays straight now. They pulled the packing out this morning, and being able to breathe normally again feels incredible. Plus, I can actually see the tip of my nose now (it used to droop way more than Doris Day's), and I am just so, so happy.

Do you happen to have any photos of your nose? If you could send one over via PM, that would be great.🙂🙂