Rhinoplasty: Experiences and recovery tips?

goldenangler82 said:Maybe they bumped up the prices. 🙂 Had you checked with them recently?

About a month ago, via email.

Kate Taylor59 said:plus my nose looks totally ridiculous in photos (I just finished taking some), though it looks way different in person..

Honestly, just keep taking those pictures for yourself so you can track the progress, and once you feel like the shots actually look decent, send me a little before-and-after 😁

God, I am absolutely loving scrolling through this forum lately now that there are so many happy people posting!!
At the end of the day, the specific doctor doesn't matter as much as you'd think—anyone can sculpt a pretty nose, and unfortunately, anyone can mess up too. It’s all about picking the person who actually clicks with you. We aren't clones; we don't all want the same look. So Carl Price10, just go with whoever gave you the best vibe and made you feel confident. If you haven't felt that spark during your consultations yet, keep going. Go see someone else.
Sarah Myers21...I can already tell you're going to have a hard time with this 😁 John Doe types are never satisfied with their results because let's be real: no nose is ever going to be "perfect." There is no such thing as a perfect nose! There is only a satisfied state of mind. Please don't take this the wrong way, I'm saying this with nothing but good intentions 👍

Exactly, rustygardener172 😉 ladies... just listen to your gut... I know I certainly did, and things worked out fine for me...

Kate Taylor59 said:You're absolutely right, rustygardener172. 😉 Ladies, please... trust your gut. I’ve learned that the hard way, and honestly, following my intuition is exactly what brought me all this good luck.

Thanks. Honestly, there’s one thing that’s really weighing on my mind—the lack of guarantees from plastic surgeons. What happens if things don't go according to plan and you end up with some kind of asymmetry or deviation? I can't help but wonder what my recourse would be. Is there any actual assurance that the same doctor will step in to fix it, or am I going to get hit with a massive bill for a "revision" surgery? Has anyone here actually gone through this? Does a surgeon out there actually offer a guarantee?

My doctor is an ENT who doesn't care one bit about how things look if they don't work right first. For him, functionality is everything; he’ll only touch the aesthetics if it actually serves the purpose of breathing better.

Sarah Myers21 said:Thanks! Listen, there's one thing eating at me—plastic surgeons don't offer any kind of guarantee, right? Like, what happens if things go sideways and you end up with some weird deviations? What's my assurance that the same doctor will actually help fix it, or are they just going to charge me for a whole separate surgery? Has anyone dealt with this? Is there even a surgeon out there who offers a guarantee?

There’s no such thing as a guarantee when it comes to people. 😁 If there were, maybe some of these former patients could get their money back for their moms, or at least have someone compensate them for all that wasted time. 😂

Look, you never truly know how things are gonna play out once you're on the table. Even the surgeons themselves don't fully know what your nose is capable of until they actually start cutting. That’s why nobody is going to give you a 100% guarantee on success. Every single one of them is going to tell you there's a risk of failure, but that they'll "do everything in their power." Basically, you’re giving them the green light knowing full well that things could go wrong.
I mean, maybe there are rare cases where they fix their own screw-ups for free... but personally, I haven't heard a single story about it. 🤷

Not too long ago, some girl was posting here saying she was planning to sue her surgeon because he absolutely wrecked her nose... either she gets a redo or she gets her cash back.
I'm still holding out hope she pops back up to tell us how that tragic mess ended up turning out...

I'm interested in this too... and if things end up getting complicated, I'd really like to hear directly from him that he'll perform any necessary follow-up surgery—God forbid it comes to that—and that, OF COURSE, there won't be a charge if it turns out to be his mistake.

Kate Taylor59 said:My doctor is an ENT who’s never once messed up someone's breathing. For him, making sure you can actually breathe is the top priority—everything else is secondary. If he does anything for aesthetics, he puts in the work to make sure it fits perfectly with how the body actually functions.

It's the same deal with Smith... function comes first, looks come second.

Rachel Fisher97 said:That’s exactly what I’m worried about too... if things actually go south, I want to hear straight from him that he’ll fix it. Like, if there are complications, I need a guarantee that he’ll redo the whole thing if necessary—and obviously, if he screwed up, there shouldn't be a damn cent charged for the correction.

First off, you’ve gotta somehow bully him into actually admitting he messed up in the first place...

rustygardener172 said:First, you'd have to actually get him to admit he messed up in the first place...

I guess I could make him, no sweat. hehe😁

The main point here is functionality 🙂 doctors really push for keeping the packing in for those full five days—which, honestly, is a total pain—but it’s there to support the septum and keep everything stable so nothing shifts around inside. I actually thought I’d be completely wiped out for five whole days... but it actually turned out alright... the only thing was the sleep situation. I couldn't get more than an hour of shut-eye at a time during the night, which left me feeling absolutely trashed and sent my immune system into a tailspin... but nothing too crazy 😉

Kate Taylor59 said:Look, at the end of the day, if it doesn't actually work, nothing else matters. Period. You can have the flashiest interface, the slickest branding, and all the bells and whistles in the world, but if the core functionality is trash, you've got nothing. It’s all about performance first. Everything else is just window dressing. 🙂 So, doctors are out here insisting you have to keep that packing in there for the full five days—which, let’s be real, is absolutely brutal. But apparently, it’s necessary to support the septum and keep everything stabilized so nothing shifts around inside while it heals. Honestly, I was thinking there was no way I could survive five whole days like that... but you know what? It actually turned out great. The only catch was the sleep situation. I couldn't go more than an hour without waking up at night, which left me feeling like a complete zombie during the day. My immune system definitely took a hit from the exhaustion, but hey, it wasn't the end of the world. Just a rough ride. 😉

I only lasted a single day working for Smith. 😁 Man, I remember when I had to check into the hospital back in the day—I was on my public insurance at the time—and they kept me stuck there for like four or five days straight.

Sarah Myers21 said:Thanks. Honestly, there's one thing weighing on my mind—plastic surgeons don't offer any kind of guarantee, right? Like, what happens if some sort of deviation occurs? What assurance do I have that the same doctor will actually help me fix it, rather than just charging me for a whole separate procedure? Does anyone have experience with this? Is there such a thing as a surgeon who actually offers a guarantee?

Most plastic surgeons—not all of them, but most—are also specialists in Otolaryngology, so I guess your only real "guarantee" is choosing a specialist instead of just a general aesthetic surgeon. Though, even then, it isn't really a guarantee because, let's face it, no surgery is ever entirely risk-free.

As for those lawsuits where people claim someone ruined their nose, I honestly think patients rarely see any real outcome from that. Before you even go under the knife, you have to sign a consent form, and by signing, 👋 you're basically accepting the terms. If legal action actually worked easily, everyone would be suing just to get follow-up procedures for free.

So, really, it comes down to this: either you accept the risk—which is minimal if you have realistic expectations and find a solid surgeon—and you move forward... or you just don't do it. 🤷

Thanks, rustygardener172... I guess my gut feeling was totally off this time. Honestly, I’m just spinning my wheels here. I really want to get this nose job sorted by July 15th, but... I have no idea who to trust anymore. About three weeks ago, when I was scouring the forums to pick someone for a consultation with Thomas, everyone was freaking out about anesthesia issues. That really spooked me, especially since they don't seem to give you much of a guarantee during the initial meeting. I know Johnson and Davis do rhinoplasties, and that's the one thing I absolutely cannot afford to mess up... I saw nothing but glowing reviews for Smith, but traveling all the way to Makarska is just too much of a trek right now. And then yesterday, reading through the threads again, I realized there are actually two different Does out there. I'm losing it...🤷

Sarah Myers21 said:Thanks! Listen, there’s one thing weighing heavily on my mind—plastic surgeons don't really offer any kind of guarantee. Like, what happens if things don't turn out quite right or I end up with some unexpected irregularities? What's my assurance that the same doctor will actually help me fix it, rather than just hitting me with a massive bill for a "revision" surgery? Has anyone dealt with this before? Is there a surgeon out there who actually stands by their work with a guarantee?

When I spoke with Thomas, he was incredibly upfront about it. He told me straight out that if anything popped up after the procedure—like an unexpected lump or if my profile wasn't exactly what we planned—they would step in and fix it at their own expense. It felt very honest and reassuring.

Kate Taylor59 said:Today, my sister and I finally took the cast off together... honestly, I'm speechless. We were both just tearing up from pure joy. It is absolutely incredible how amazing it looks. After all the hurdles I faced during my surgery—it was such a struggle, my whole nose felt like it was going through a marathon—seeing it look this natural and beautiful is just overwhelming. And my sister? She’s an absolute rock star...
I don't even know how to put it into words... the doctor is truly one of a kind. He is so incredibly skilled, gentle, and attentive. He walks you through every single step, and he's just such a wonderful, personable guy. Even though he works tirelessly from sunrise to sunset, he still manages to stay so upbeat and full of energy....
DAVID DOE RULES 🙂 anyone who trusts him is genuinely lucky...

Oh, and by the way... I can breathe like a freaking DRAGON! If you want more details, just shoot me a private message... I won't be following this thread much longer after this.

Huge congratulations!! 😁 😁 👍 !!!! 🤣

slyjackal14 said:Look, you head to your primary care doctor at the local clinic, tell them you’re struggling to breathe, and ask for an ENT referral.
Then you take that referral to a hospital, and they’ll put you on a waiting list. Depending on how backed up they are, you’re looking at anywhere from twelve days to a month for the actual exam. Since it's summer right now, the wait isn't too bad—though everyone is out on vacation, which complicates things.
When you finally show up for the appointment, the doctor examines you, you lay out all your symptoms, and you see what they have to say about it.
After that, you try to coordinate the surgery. Honestly, if I were you, I’d try to find an ENT who also specializes in facial and neck aesthetics—there’s someone great over in the suburbs who handles both.

I’ve actually already had my initial exam. Now I’m heading in for a CT scan, and then I have to go back for another follow-up... so I really just want to know: once that final consultation is done, how long does it typically take before they actually get you into surgery?

It’s been seven days since my surgery, and let me tell you, there is a massive amount of congestion in my nose... oh boy.
I make sure to clear it all out properly, though I try to be gentle and not squeeze too hard...

Maria Hall92 said:Thomas told me if anything pops up after the surgery, like a bump or an uneven profile, they'll fix it on their own dime. Seems fair enough.

I guess that’s a good move on his part. Honestly, that’s how any doctor should treat their patients.

John Doe, I just had my consultation, and as soon as I finished explaining what I wanted, he was all like, "Bravo! Great decision." He gave me a quick look and said we could get the surgery scheduled in less than two weeks.

I was honestly so exhausted that I could barely string a sentence together. I actually realized later that I forgot to ask one of the questions I had prepared—I feel a bit silly now—but I was just totally thrown off by the vibe. By the time I got to Washington, D.C., he was already handling the whole explanation while I just sat there staring at that massive pile of silicone implants sitting on his desk. 😂

The whole appointment lasted maybe ten minutes; he just showed me exactly how he’d approach the procedure, which was perfectly aligned with what I had in mind anyway. 👍

On a side note, I couldn't help but ask if that blonde girl in the waiting room was one of his patients. She had such an incredible nose, so I gave him a bit of a curious look until he told me that since I have soft facial features, I could definitely achieve a similar look. Regardless, I handed him the USB drive with the reference photos of exactly what I'm aiming for.

Just a heads-up on the prep: you aren't allowed to take ASPIRIN or ADVIL before the procedure. And on the day of the surgery itself, you can't eat anything after 7 PM the night before, and no liquids after noon. Basically, you're going in on an empty stomach.

Also, if you're on any antibiotics or other medications, you MUST let them know, because they'll be giving you antibiotics post-op too.

The surgery itself takes about an hour, and once it's over, they wake you up just to make sure you're doing okay, then you can drift back to sleep. The anesthesiologist mentioned that in about 90% of cases, patients wake up without feeling nauseous and can head straight home.

One thing I haven't seen anyone mention on this forum yet is the Doe, which is a 10% deposit you have to pay toward the total cost if you decide to pull the trigger right then or once you officially book your date.

I've been lurking on this forum for quite a while, and honestly, he's the one who made choosing a doctor a bit of a dilemma for me. In the end, I realized that risk is a constant factor regardless of which surgeon you pick. Best of luck to everyone! 🙂