Rhinoplasty: Experiences and recovery tips?

Ashley Young34 said:I gotta take a selfie first, I'll post it once I've got the shot 😁
mwahhhhh 🙂

So, have you actually taken any more photos? 😁 😉 Come on, drop a few shots in this thread... or if you're feeling shy about everyone seeing... then please 🙏 🙏 🙏 🙏 just shoot me a private message... honestly, I feel like I'm constantly bouncing between three different doctors... including Dr. Smith, 👍 the guy you're always raving about... so it’d be great to see some actual recent work from him, instead of just staring at those same old stock photos on his website over and over again... 😍 thx

Thanks so much, rustygardener172, and thanks to everyone else here who clearly knows way more than the rest of us! This forum is honestly the best. 🙂
I actually stumbled upon these links if anyone else wants to take a look:
http://www.womenshealthmag.com/article/skin-care-basics_part1/
http://www.womenshealthmag.com/article/body-care-tips_part2/

rustygardener172 said:I hope you aren't offended... but it would be helpful if you actually read the full text instead of just glancing at the pictures. 🙂 Here is a snippet from Dr. Smith's page: "Additionally, one should measure the nasolabial angle (the angle between the nose and the upper lip) and determine if there is a downward tip drooping during facial animation." This means it isn't done for everyone—only for patients whose nasal tips drop while they speak. Try talking in front of a mirror; if your nose dips, you likely fall into that group where those muscle fibers need adjusting. Again, I'm repeating myself: this doesn't mean it will happen to you. You won't know until the first consultation when they examine you in person. All in all... even if you do need surgery... it isn't scary or painful, and there's no visible scarring afterward.

And those two nose photos... honestly, it looks like the exact same nose to me. 😁 Maybe my perception is off, but it looks like one nose photographed from two different angles and distances. The first shot is closer and more centered, while the second is taken from further away and more from the side... I'm probably just rambling now, so I'll stop.🙂 😁

It is indeed the same nose; the first photo is before, and the second is after surgery, even if it’s hard to tell. Mine looks like the first photo, and I want it to look like the second, though perhaps a bit narrower.

My nose doesn't drop at all when I talk, and the tip is flat—it lacks that extended lower part. "I wasn't angry, I just didn't read it because I was shocked the moment I saw the picture."

Does anyone here have a nose even remotely similar to mine? I'm curious how things turned out for them.🙂.

(thanks for the reply 🙂

I have another question. If anyone knows the answer, please let me know.

The thing is, I don't live in Washington, D.C., but I need to head there for surgery. I'm currently near 124 miles, so traveling back and forth constantly just doesn't make sense...

Once the surgery is over, how long am I expected to stay in the hospital room? Is it possible to extend the stay beyond what was originally planned, or can I just pay extra to stay in the ward longer? It really isn't worth the trip, and I don't have the budget for hotels in D.C.—I assume they're pretty pricey...

Can anyone give me some insight on this? Thanks.

Chloe Watson35 said:I have another question. If anyone knows the answer, please let me know.

The thing is, I don't live in Washington, D.C., but I need to go there for surgery. I'm actually out near 124 miles, so traveling back and forth constantly just doesn't make sense for me.

So, once the surgery is over, how long am I expected to stay in a hospital room? Is it possible to stay longer than originally planned, or can I just pay for an extended stay at the facility? It really isn't worth the hassle for me, and I definitely don't have the budget for hotels in Washington, D.C.—I assume they're pretty pricey.

Can anyone give me some insight on this? Thanks!

Well, if you're going to a hospital, you'll probably be there for about 5 or 6 days at most, which I think is better just to be safe in case things don't go perfectly🙂...but if you go through a private clinic, you might be able to head home the same day or maybe even the next, which has its own perks too...I guess.🙂

Dana Alvarez said:👍...man, that really does feel like an eternity, but I'm crossing my fingers that it'll be worth the wait... good luck...

Nah, it hasn't actually been that long; it just feels that way because it hasn't shown up yet... thanks.

Brenda Sanders16 said:That sounds great—definitely let us know how it goes. Are you going in for purely cosmetic stuff, or is there a functional reason too? And man, you got in so fast... did you see him for your initial consultation first? I haven't caught up on all your older posts if you've mentioned this before, sorry about that.

It wasn't actually that fast on my end; I had my first check-up back in November and they didn't get me scheduled until May... I'm looking at both cosmetic and functional work this time around. I’ve already had two procedures done by Dr. Mladin, but since I'm trying to build a bit of a "pyramid" with my results, I'm heading to Tončić because he's supposedly the specialist when it comes to the aesthetic side of things. At least, that's what everyone keeps recommending. I'll definitely give you guys an update, assuming people are still hanging around this forum...

How many days do you typically wait before peeling off the medical tape once they've removed the mold?

Sarah Brooks said:Honestly, I didn't get seen that quickly either—I had my exam at 11 AM and they didn't even get me in for an appointment until 7 PM... I'm working on both aesthetic and functional stuff right now. I've already had two surgeries with Dr. Mladin, but since I'm trying to build a perfect pyramid shape now, I’m going to see Poj because he's supposedly the specialist for aesthetics... at least that's what everyone recommended... Anyway, I'll definitely keep you guys posted if you're still hanging around this forum...

That's awesome! Please let us know how everything goes. And yeah, I'm sure I'll still be around here. Fingers crossed for you and good luckkkkkkkkk!!😉

Brenda Sanders16 said:Awesome, definitely let me know how it goes! I'm planning to be around the forum, so I'll be rooting for you. Good luck!😉

I'll definitely keep you posted👍 and thanks so much🙂

Dana Alvarez said:I don't know... I think I get where you're coming from. There's this idea that if you pay extra, you'll actually get better care, and honestly, in most cases, that's pretty much true. But the thing is, most of those surgeons at the major hospitals mostly run their own private practices on the side anyway. From what I've experienced going through various checkups—even with the really good specialists—they all have their own private clinics. So, at the end of the day, it all kind of ends up being the same thing.

I'm right there with you. I’ve seen doctors who pull double duty at both the hospital and their own private practice. When I finally asked my doctor about the actual difference between the two, she told me the only real distinction was the wait time. If you pay for the private visit, you're seen immediately; otherwise, you're just stuck waiting in line...

Sarah Brooks said:I couldn't agree more, honestly; I actually visited a specialist who maintains a private practice as well, and when I asked my own doctor about the actual difference between the two settings, she simply told me that the only real distinction is the wait time... because once you pay the premium, you're immediately seen, whereas otherwise, you're just stuck waiting...

Unfortunately, I don't think it’s quite that simple... in a public hospital, doctors rarely have the luxury of time to dwell on the finer details, primarily because they are working against strict quotas and are required to operate on a much higher volume of patients every single day. Consequently, their concentration inevitably wanes; they become exhausted and feel a constant sense of urgency because they are being rushed to complete the scheduled surgical program for that day. In a private practice, however, the environment functions in an entirely different manner—they are well-rested, refreshed, they work without being pressured by the clock, and they might only perform a single operation that entire day. To my endless misfortune, I know firsthand exactly what it entails to undergo rhinoplasty in a government-run hospital.

Joseph Edwards31 said:Unfortunately, it doesn't really work like that... doctors at public hospitals don't have much time for the little details because they're working against quotas and seeing way more patients every single day. Basically, their focus slips, they're exhausted, and they're always rushing because they're being pushed to finish the daily surgical schedule. In private practice, things operate completely differently—they're well-rested, they aren't rushed, and they might only see one patient that entire day. To my endless chagrin, I know exactly what it's like to undergo nose surgery in a state hospital.

Okay... if you don't mind me asking, which hospital did you have your surgery at?🙄...and was it cosmetic or something else? Come on, tell me! It's not awkward, I'm genuinely curious since I'm heading in for mine in three weeks, so I want to know everything about it...🙂🙂

rowdybison122 said:I wasn't seeing a private specialist—I was actually at the hospital in a place like Cleveland Clinic. So, I really don't know if my experience will be helpful to anyone else... but honestly, any similar stories would be welcome right now, because I am truly in a bad way... I just need to know if anyone else dealt with these kinds of complications and how things turned out for them.

Look, I don't want to scare you, but you can't really do much about the actual size through surgery... it’s more about changing the shape. If someone has an incredibly large nose to begin with, I don't think they're ever going to get that tiny, dainty look they're after.
The swelling will definitely go down, but in my experience, my nose actually looked better immediately after the procedure when it was all swollen up than it does now... it's been a year already and I'm already looking at getting back under the knife.🙄

Adam Johnson said:I don't mean to scare you, but rhinoplasty can't really change the overall scale of your nose... it's more about the shape. If someone starts with a massive nose, I don't think they can ever get one of those tiny, cute little button noses.
The swelling will definitely go down, but in my experience, my nose actually looked better right after the surgery when it was still puffy than it does now. It's been a full year and I honestly feel like I need to go back under the knife again.🙄

Oh man, why on earth would you have to do it again? Did something happen, or do you just not like how it turned out, or did the surgeon mess something up?

Back when my nose was still all swollen up, everything looked perfectly symmetrical and fine. But now that the swelling has finally gone down, I’m seeing these weird irregularities from the front—it’s almost like my nose has an "8" shape now. It starts narrow at the top, then widens out, then narrows again, then widens... it's just this constant undulating pattern. From the profile view, though, it actually looks okay.

Adam Johnson said:When my nose was all swollen up, it actually looked perfectly straight and pretty—but now that the swelling's gone, it’s like these weird irregularities just popped out of nowhere. From the front, it looks like an hourglass shape—narrow at the top, then widening, then narrowing again, then widening... though from the side, it looks fine.

Hey ladies!😉
Didn't you mention before that you didn't even have an osteotomy done? Just a reshaping? That might be why it looks like that... I mean, when they just reshape things, they tackle what we see as that little bump in profile, but they don't touch the sides. So that "hourglass" look stays because where the bump used to be, there's still width without any actual height left.
Kisses

Adam Johnson said:When my nose was still swollen, it looked perfectly symmetrical and nice, but now that the swelling has gone down, it feels like some irregularities have appeared from the front view. It's almost like an infinity symbol—narrow at the top, then widening, then narrowing again, then widening... though the profile looks fine.

Oof, that doesn't sound great🙄...did you have the procedure done privately or at a hospital?

Adam Johnson said:When my nose was still swollen, everything looked perfectly symmetrical—totally fine. But now that the swelling has gone down, I’m seeing these weird irregularities from the front view. It’s almost like an hourglass shape; it gets narrow, then widens, then narrows again... though it actually looks alright from the profile.

Which doctor did you see?

So, I have a quick question for any ladies who have worked with Dr. Tončić before.
Where do you typically go for the pre-op screenings, what kind of costs are we looking at, and is it possible to just get everything done through my regular hospital? 😉