Rhinoplasty: Experiences and recovery tips?

Sophia Brown34 said:So, after thinking about it forever, lurking on forums, researching doctors, and all that, I finally decided to get my nose fixed. And I did it. Two weeks ago. Honestly, the surgery itself didn't hurt at all—not during, not when they pulled out the packing, nothing. Absolutely zero pain. The bruising under my eyes cleared up after ten days, though I could mask it with a little concealer by day five. I was so stoked with how smoothly everything was going. When the cast came off, I was on cloud nine. But today is day 14, and I’m definitely not feeling that vibe anymore... I actually ended up complaining to the doctor today that my nose looks like it's growing lol, I felt so ridiculous saying that... The tip, which was what I was most worried about, is sticking out too much. Okay, look, I get it—the bridge has thinned out, the swelling is down, but the tip hasn't caught up yet. I understand the logic, but I'm still spiraling. Another thing: I can't laugh the way I used to, and I miss that so much! WHEN WILL I BE ABLE TO LAUGH AGAIN? HOW LONG DOES THIS LAST?! And worst of all, I just don't feel like myself... it's like my whole facial structure has shifted. My eyes—the best feature on my face—just don't look the same anymore. I look in the mirror and see someone else. I thought I was just being paranoid, but even my hairstylist mentioned it the second she saw me... I am totally losing it over this. The nose itself is fine, the tip is just a bit prominent right now, but I guess it'll settle once the healing is done... but MY EYES, will they ever go back to looking normal?????!!!!! Please tell me, has anyone else dealt with this... maybe once everything settles, things will return to normal... I feel so weird because even though the nose looks good, I'm just not happy!!!

Which surgeon did you go with? 🙂

Sophia Brown34 said:Ugh, I feel a little better now... though honestly, I felt totally fine about myself until my hairstylist mentioned I was looking a bit different lately. And here I was thinking I always looked great—I just thought I’d been tightening my nose a bit too much. 🙂
And then there's the tip... the tip was an issue for me too, it seemed a tad too long. Now it’s almost the same, just a bit more lifted. Some people say the profile looks fine, and from the front it does too, 🙂
but then I have to go through this whole explanation of how it swelled up, even if you can't tell from the outside, and how everything is going to settle down eventually, blah blah blah...
Gosh, it would have been so much better if I hadn't said anything to anyone at all...
And it really bothers me that I can't smile properly; my upper lip kind of tucks in when I laugh... it looks terrible...
Ashley Gomez, did you have issues with your upper lip and smiling? When will that part actually resolve?

I didn't have any problems with my lip; the only thing is when I smile, I get this strange sensation, almost like my nose gets congested.

Rachel Martinez94 said:Which surgeon did you see? 🙂

I was seeing Bastaic. Honestly, huge props to the doctor and the whole staff... I'm just a bit in shock right now. I figured the surgery itself and those first few days would be the hardest part, but this is actually tougher. I thought once they took the mold off, it would be smooth sailing... but yeah, I guess it takes more time than I expected. ☕

Sophia Brown34 said:I just saw Dr. Bastaic. Seriously, huge props to the doctor and the whole staff... I'm honestly a bit in shock, though. I thought the surgery itself and those first few days would be the hardest part... but this is actually worse. I expected that once they took the cast off, it would just be over... but man, it takes more time than you think.☕

My top pick is Dr. Toncic. I was leaning toward Dr. Glumicic at first because I really want a smaller nose and was worried Toncic wouldn't shrink it enough🤷 😱 😵 ,but after reading everything on here, I decided to go with Toncic instead. Fingers crossed I made the right call. Since I'm not planning the surgery until June, I still have some time to make the final move. The thing is, my nose looks relatively straight from the side—even if it is big—but from the front, it looks like a potato.🙂

I'm sure everything will turn out fine and you'll end up loving the results. I'm rooting for you!🙂 🙂

@Rachel Martinez94/">@@Rachel Martinez94, you still have plenty of time... I actually ruled out Glumicic right from the jump. Two of my girlfriends saw him too, and neither one was happy with the results... honestly, he just doesn't give off the right vibe for me. I had Toncic on my list of options too, but I guess my gut feeling just pushed me toward Bastaic... I’d recommend him to anyone, really. The guy is a legit expert when it comes to both breathing function and aesthetics, but he leans toward a natural look, which I absolutely love—we're totally on the same page there. Meanwhile, Glumicic doesn't seem to care much about how things actually function... plus, he's way more expensive, and let's be real, why bother?

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My little potato... 🙂

I actually had some work done by Dr. Toncic, so I trust him, but let’s be real—a nose is still a pretty huge deal (in every sense of the word 🤣) 😂

Look, this other user here has an absolutely gorgeous nose 🙂

Sophia Brown34 said:Rachel Martinez94, you still have plenty of time... I actually ruled out Glumicic right from the start. Two of my friends went to him, and honestly, neither was happy with the results. For some reason, he just doesn't give off the right vibe to me. I had considered Toncic as an option too, but my gut feeling kept pulling me toward Bastaic... I’d recommend him to anyone, really. He is truly an expert when it comes to both nasal function and aesthetics, but what I love most is how much he prioritizes a natural look—we definitely see eye-to-eye on that. Glumicic, on the other hand, doesn't seem to care nearly as much about functionality... plus, he's way more expensive, ugh...

What makes you think Glumicic is more expensive? 😕

Bastaic is absolutely wonderful, though I’ll admit I spent a long time worrying that my nose wouldn't end up looking natural enough.😁

Toncic 10 $0.00; Glumicic 14 $0.00 - data pulled from the forum

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Ashley Gomez said:How can you say Glumicic is more expensive? 😕

Bastaic is honestly amazing, but I was terrified for the longest time that he’d give me a nose that looked way too "natural." 😁

So, are you still worried about the nose looking too natural? To be honest, I am a little bit too... but it’s my 15th day now, so I'm guessing the swelling will finally chill out soon. 🙂

As for Glumicic... his base price is basically $2,000, except he adds an extra $150 for the overnight stay 🙄, and then he sends you off to get tests done with someone he knows who charges for that too $500 🙂, plus whatever meds he prescribes that you have to buy. It’s not a huge deal, really... but with Bastaic, you won't spend a penny over $2,000. ☕

Sophia Brown34 said:Rachel Martinez94, you've still got plenty of time... I actually ruled out Glumicic right from the jump—I had two friends go to him, and neither was happy with the results. Honestly, he just doesn't give off the right vibe for me. I was also considering Toncic, but my gut told me to go with Bastaic instead... I’d recommend him to anyone, really. He’s a total pro when it comes to both functionality and aesthetics, but he prioritizes a natural look, which is exactly what I'm after—we're totally on the same page there. Glumicic, on the other hand, doesn't seem to care much about how things actually function... plus, he's way more expensive, so no thanks!

What specifically were they unhappy with? Was it the function or the aesthetics?

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Sophia Brown34 says: : Are you still worried that he might have left you with a nose that looks a bit too natural??? To be honest, I’m feeling a little anxious myself... but I’m already on day 15, so I suppose the swelling should start to subside soon enough...🙂> As for Glumicic... he’s basically charging $2,000, though he adds an extra $150 for the overnight stay 🙄, and then he’ll send you off to get labs done with one of his associates who charges for that $500 🙂, plus whatever medications he prescribes that you have to buy yourself, but I guess that's not a huge deal... honestly, with Bastaic, nothing goes over $2,000 ☕.

To be perfectly honest, if it stays looking exactly like this right now, I wouldn't be entirely thrilled, but I imagine the swelling will eventually go down... the tip is still numb, feels woody, and is painful to the touch—and sometimes doesn't feel anything at all—so clearly it hasn't fully recovered yet. Plus, everyone on the forum seems to say it takes at least six months for the tip to settle...

Fifteen days is really quite early to be stressing out, even though I completely understand how you feel. If you'd like, I can send you a photo of my nose from when I was two weeks post-op versus two months post-op, just so you can see the difference...

Sophia Young73 said:And???? Are you happy with it????
They actually told you that you have to wait 3-4 months?! 😲😲I'm heading out in a few days, I'll let you know if I survived... 🙂I've waited long enough! 🙂 🙂Thanks for the reply. 🙂

I'm happy with it, but the tip of my nose still feels like a little ball and it's driving me crazy 😠Tiiii?

Yeah, that's way too long to wait... I still haven't decided whether to go. Did you go? How was it? 🙂

Ashley Gomez said:To be totally honest, if it stayed looking like this right now, I wouldn't be happy at all, but I guess things will soften up eventually... the tip still feels numb and woody and painful when touched—well, sometimes it doesn't even feel anything at all—so clearly it hasn't fully settled yet. Plus, everyone on the forums seems to say it takes at least 6 months for the tip to really soften down.

Fifteen days is honestly way too early to start stressing out, though I totally get why you would. If you want, I can send over some pics of my nose at the 2-week mark versus the 2-month mark just so you can see the difference...

Sure, send the pics, post them up so we can take a look....🙂
I don't even bother taking pictures myself; I'm just waiting until the swelling is completely gone... but I probably should, I guess, just for the sake of comparison.🙄

Kimberly Baker13 said:What exactly isn't she happy with? Is it how it works or just how it looks?

Well, for the first one, they basically have to redo the whole functional side of things. She didn't even mention the look, though if you ask me, I'm not a fan either... the tip is lifted way too unnaturally and the nostrils aren't even symmetrical...
As for the second one, it’s not exactly great functionally either, but she’s mostly upset about the aesthetics...
The nostrils aren't even the same on her, and that tip is just lifted weirdly—like, when you look at her head-on, it's all you see, just the nose.🤣
Though, the first girl had her nose done maybe 5 or 6 years ago, while the second one just had hers done a year ago.

Rachel Martinez94 said:Toncic 10 $0.00; Glumicic 14 $0.00 - just some info from the forum

So, is Toncic capped at a 10,000? Like, both functionally and aesthetically, we're talking 10,000?

urbanowl13 said:So, is the cap at Dr. Toncic really $10,000? Like, both the functional and aesthetic parts together hit $10,000?

"The price for an aesthetic rhinoplasty is $3667 when paying by card (Maestro, Mastercard, Visa, Diners Club, or American Express), which you can split into monthly installments (between 2 and 12 months) or through consumer loans ranging from 2 to 60 installments, depending on your specific card. If you're paying cash, the total comes to $3333, since we offer a pretty significant discount for cash payments. If you decide to combine the aesthetic work with a functional procedure—specifically a septoplasty—the total price would be $4400 for card payments, or $4000 if you pay cash."

Rachel Martinez94 said:"The price for rhinoplasty is $3667 when paying by card (Maestro, Mastercard, Visa, Diners Club, American Express) via monthly installments (2-12 months) or through consumer loans over 2-60 installments, depending on your card provider. If you pay in cash, the total comes to $3333, since we offer a pretty significant discount for cash payments. If you need both cosmetic and functional work—like correcting a deviated septum—the total would be $4400 for card payments, or $4000 if you're paying cash."

Thanks so much!!
So, uh, is there any way I can figure out right now if I actually have a deviated septum and if I'll need the functional part? I mean, I really just want the cosmetic stuff... but what if the doctor decides I need the functional side too?

urbanowl13 said:Thanks so much!!
Hey, is there any way I can figure out if I actually have a deviated septum and if I need a functional repair? I’m really just looking for the aesthetic fix, but what if the doctor tells me I need the functional part too...

Hmm, I'm not entirely sure. But honestly, if you aren't having trouble breathing, it's probably not a major deviation issue.

"A deviated septum blocks the airways on one or both sides of the nose. It can also stop sinus drainage, leading to constant sinus infections, and might even mess with your hearing by affecting how the eustachian tube works."

Let me tell you something about deviated septums.

Most people on this planet have a deviation, but it only actually causes issues for a handful of folks. It only becomes an issue for breathing if your nose is shaped weirdly—like it’s unnaturally tilted or has been bumped around a few times.

When I went in for surgery, I was actually praying I'd have a deviation because I was going through Medicare, and sure enough, I ended up having one. But even then, I had some trouble breathing through my nose—not that I couldn't breathe, but you just feel like you could pull in way more air if you could.

During my exam, the doctor told me I have hyperactive mucous membranes. He said that feeling of not being able to get enough air comes from the lining reacting too aggressively. That can be caused by allergies (though I never bothered with those tests) or maybe from using too many nasal sprays in the past, which messes with the lining. So, according to him, it wasn't the deviation itself causing that sensation.

The doctor went ahead and fixed my nose and straightened the septum, but like he mentioned, it didn't really help much. I still have that feeling where I want to inhale through my nose like a dragon, but I just can't. It's not like I'm mouth-breathing, but when I'm doing sports or being active, I tire out faster because of the breathing.

So, my advice is this: if you're planning on seeing a private specialist, you should probably book an appointment with an ENT first to get a real diagnosis. They can figure out if you actually have a deviation and if it's even the reason you're struggling, or if it's something else entirely. If you go straight to a private clinic, they might just tell you that you have a deviation and offer to fix it for an extra fee $667, only for you to find out in the end that your breathing hasn't improved, or the change is so tiny you won't even notice.

I'd strongly suggest going to a hospital ENT first. Tell them you aren't breathing right, and they'll check you out and maybe prescribe something (like they did for my mucous membranes). It's honestly not worth the money to mess with a deviated septum if it isn't the actual source of your breathing problems.

Honestly, I'll be happy if I can just get a simple referral for blood work from my primary care doctor. They are being such a total Scrooge when it comes to handing out referrals 🤣