Rhinoplasty: Experiences and recovery tips?

rowdyrider21 said:I sent you a DM too, but I guess it didn't go through because I keep getting an error message.
I just had my mold removed today, and honestly, Google, 😲 😲 I'm stoked!!! My nose is a bit swollen, everything feels tight, and I've got massive dark circles under my eyes from the swelling, but that'll settle down soon. Even now, I'm already loving the results! 🎉 🎉

rowdyrider21 said:Honey, you can start doing your makeup the second they take the mold off. And as for the stitches? When did they come out?

Jeffrey Perez;23371179 said:Once you get that mold off, you can finally start wearing makeup! Unless it just feels too weird—I personally couldn't bring myself to touch my nose, it felt super awkward, almost like I was touching someone else's property 🙂

That’s such a spot-on way to put it. I totally get that vibe, though I wasn't quite sure how I'd even wrap my head around your idea initially ; ) but yeah, that feeling of touching something that doesn't feel like yours... it's real.

Nicole Nguyen34 said:Every local clinic is basically the same thing—you already know how local anesthesia works, right? You get muscle relaxation and analgesia (that means you won't feel the pain). It really just comes down to your own judgment on whether you want local or general anesthesia. If you're terrified of the local stuff—the sounds, the potential pain, the whole ordeal—just go with general and call it a day (though if you ask me, most of that fear is just an ego trip). But look, once you've committed to the surgery, don't let the nerves get to you. For surgeons, this is routine work; they’ve done this so many times they could probably do it in their sleep, so they'll get the job done flawlessly. As for the bruising and swelling around the eyes, just grab some heparin gel and rub it on—it'll clear up twice as fast! Once the packing is out, clean your nose carefully every day with Q-tips, and use antibiotic drops—or if you don't need antibiotics, just any nasal spray with a vasoconstrictor. Give it two weeks and everything will be back in place and you'll be happy. Though, your nose might stay swollen for a bit—keep in mind it takes about six months to fully define itself.

ketamine;23372188 said:

Nicole Nguyen34 said:If someone finally peels back that mask, you might actually be able to put some makeup on. But honestly, if it makes you feel awkward, I get it. I couldn't bring myself to touch that nose either—it just felt weird, like I was reaching out and touching something that didn't belong to me. 🙂

This is a great description. It hits on exactly what I’ve been feeling, though I hadn't quite figured out how to interpret that specific idea of yours yet ;) It's almost as if you're tapping into something else entirely.

I’m still feeling a bit of a strange sensation right at the root—where the bone was most heavily broken down and shaped during the procedure. It’s been about ten months since my surgery, but I can't shake the feeling. A friend of mine had the same operation two years ago, and she mentioned that she still feels a slight discomfort whenever someone touches the area. Is this just something that lingers? I'm really hoping it eventually passes. 🤷

Rebecca Gomez37 said:I was looking absolutely terrible—just a mess of deep purple and sickly greenish-yellow bruises. After about a week, I started using a heparin cream on them. The pharmacist actually recommended the cream over the gel, saying the gel is more for legs while the cream works better for the face. And honestly? It worked. The discoloration vanished within two days. The problem is, my skin reacted terribly. Those spots became so swollen and irritated that even though the bruising was gone, it looked like I’d been stung by a wasp. Is it worth trading the discoloration for skin that looks like this?😉
I’ve been using cotton swabs to clean myself too, and honestly, I still find myself using saline solution every single day. Is there any other way to stay on top of things?
It’s been three weeks since I finally stepped back into the workforce—I just wasn't quite ready to face the world before then. Honestly, though, those dark circles under my eyes are still as stubborn as ever.
It’s been four weeks since my surgery, and honestly, I look pretty rough right now. I've broken out in a hundred spots, my complexion is deathly pale with dark circles under my eyes, and my nose feels massive. When I try to lift my brows, it feels like my nose might actually crack. Plus, whenever I touch the areas that feel raw, everything just feels numb and slightly stinging. Is this just part of the process?
It just goes to show that no two people are exactly the same. I had such a minor procedure, yet somehow my recovery is taking much longer than expected. Why does it always seem to work that way?😢

Nicole Nguyen34 said:I started using heparin gel the very day of my surgery—it penetrates way deeper than those standard creams—so the bruising cleared up incredibly fast. It didn't even get too swollen, though my skin around the nose was a total mess and peeling everywhere; I just kept slathering on some Bepanthen ointment, so that was sorted in a couple of days. Honestly, those first five days are pure hell. You're either groggy from the anesthesia, dealing with nauseating pain, or puking because of the meds (I actually threw up blood, which wasn't fun), and you can barely breathe because of the packing. I remember sitting there thinking, "What on earth was I thinking?!" But once you get past that initial five-day hump, everything turns around. Looking at how I look now? I’d do it all over again in a heartbeat 🙂 It's totally worth it for this result! Just don't freak out—your nose will still look swollen for a good two months, but it gets better every single day...

Nicole Nguyen34 said:Oh, by the way, I’ve been scrolling through quite a few previous pages here—I don't want to quote everyone individually, so I'll just jump in with my answer—but getting the packing removed didn't hurt at all. Not even a little bit. Honestly, it was more like being jolted around!
I noticed a few people mentioning that their cartilage feels swollen. It’s not actually swelling; it’s just overgrown afterward, which means it’s going to stay that way. That isn't the surgeon's fault—it's just how cartilage works. As an organ itself, it has this tendency to grow. In my case, they trimmed mine, but once they took the mold out, everything seemed fine, and then a week later, the cartilage had grown right back! Now I have to go back to get it fixed, though they'll just trim it again under local anesthesia. It sucks, but nobody is to blame. It happens to some people and not others; it’s just due to that natural cartilage growth—it's those chondroblasts and chondroclasts at work🙂!

Maria Doyle97 said:At what age did you guys get rhinoplasty? And what’s the absolute minimum age to consider surgery?

wanderingmason86 said:I’m dealing with a functional issue with my nose (not the septum—I’ve already taken care of that).
Since there's always that question of whether things go right the first time, does anyone know of a surgeon who is willing to perform a revision at their own expense if there's improper healing or an error on their part after a certain period? I get the sense that when things don't go as planned, everyone just tries to distance themselves from the outcome...
On top of that, since I'm strictly looking for functional improvement rather than cosmetic changes, I feel like I'm being treated like a second-class patient. 😉

Follow-up question:
Has anyone actually seen Louis Baxter? I read somewhere that he's highly regarded, but I can't seem to find any detailed, firsthand accounts...

Basically, I need someone who isn't overpriced but is actually willing to stand by their work. Or perhaps I'm asking for too much... 🤷

Nicole Nguyen34 said:Wait, why would you even question if getting it right "on the first try" is a gamble? Look, any surgeon out there is going to offer a "revision" at their own expense if they mess up, but you’ve got to sit down with them first to talk through the issue and get a real prognosis on how likely a fix actually is.

Nicole Nguyen34 said:Look, I'm 22. You can technically go whenever you want, but honestly? Don't do it before 18. Actually, better wait until at least 20. Your nose is still growing and shaping itself during those years. If you go at 16, they'll fix it, sure, but then your face keeps changing and you might end up needing another surgery just to fix what the first one did. Better to just wait so you don't have to do this twice!
And trust me, any surgeon you talk to during a consultation will tell you the exact same thing!

wanderingmason86 said:It’s because I’ve got this little issue that most ENT specialists don't even recognize as the actual cause of my breathing problems. Honestly—two of them didn't see it at all, though a third one did. But even that third guy can't guarantee any specific outcome. In other words, I’m fully aware of where things stand—I can take the risk and come out on top, or I could end up making things worse. It's entirely my call.
So, I’m asking if anyone knows a surgeon who will truly give it their all—at least based on first impressions—so I don't have to spend forever bouncing from clinic to clinic across the country.
Not everyone has little bumps or similar issues that get "snipped" away as part of a routine daily procedure. 😉