Rhinoplasty: Experiences and recovery tips?

neonbadger43 said:So, that’s basically the deal. Just wanted to lay it all out there so I know exactly which specialist to hit up—and I mean a real surgeon, not some butcher—if I actually pull the trigger on this rhinoplasty. 🙂 You're welcome! Feel free to drop more whenever you need.

Trust me, I have absolutely no clue who I’d recommend to you. Honestly, I haven't even made up my mind yet. I’ve been stuck in a hospital once before, and let me tell you, the thought of stepping foot back in a place like that makes my skin crawl. You don't feel like a patient there; you just feel like another nameless product on a conveyor belt. Nobody actually talks to you, nobody looks you in the eye—it's just total clinical indifference. To make matters worse, even after everything, I still have zero clue what they actually operated on. My breathing feels even more labored now than it did before the surgery! It's a joke. So, this time around, I'm just going to pay out of pocket for a private specialist so I can finally have some peace of mind... well, hopefully.
I’m still stuck in this endless loop of trying to decide which surgeon to actually go with. Honestly, I’ve been scrolling through this entire forum like my life depends on it... I even went as far as making my own little mental tally, marking names with pluses and minuses just to try and separate the legends from the hacks. But man, did that even help? Not even a little bit. It’s absolute chaos in here—everyone is getting praised by one person and then dragged through the mud by the next. It's totally bipolar. From what I can gather, Dr. Bastajić seems to be the golden boy around here; he’s getting nothing but rave reviews and zero shade. Following him, you've got Zambelli, Tončić, Ostojić, and Glumičić... but even with them, it’s a mixed bag. You'll find someone swearing by their work one minute, and then reading a horror story about them the next. It's driving me crazy.
The more I sit here and chew on this, the harder it gets to actually pull the trigger. Honestly, I feel like I’m stuck in analysis paralysis. At this point, I probably just need to go hunt down some before-and-after photos of their rhinoplasty work. If I see their results and they don't make me cringe, then maybe—just maybe—I'll actually book the appointment. It feels like no matter which surgeon you pick, the risks are pretty much baked into the deal anyway. You can't win. 😁

rustygardener172 said:Trust me, I have no idea who I’d recommend to you. Honestly, I haven't even made up my mind yet. I've been to the hospital once already, and the thought of going back there doesn't even cross my mind. You just feel like a product on a conveyor belt; nobody even bothers to talk to you. To this day, I still don't actually know what they operated on, because my breathing feels even worse now than it did before the surgery. So, this time, I think I'll just pay out of pocket to have some peace of mind... hopefully...
I’m still trying to make up my mind on who to go with. I’ve scrolled through this entire forum... I even started marking names with pluses and minuses just to keep track of who people praise and who they criticize. It didn't really help, though. Everyone seems to have both fans and haters... Dr. Bastajić seems to get the most praise, with absolutely no complaints so far... followed by Zambelli, Tončić, Ostojić, and Glumičić... but even with them, you'll find plenty of good and bad opinions...
The more I think about it, the harder it gets to make a call... I guess the move is to just look at their before-and-after photos. If the results look good, then maybe that’s the one. Seems like the risk is pretty much the same everywhere anyway... 😁

Sure, you should listen to what people have to say, obviously. But honestly, it all comes down to how you handle yourself. If you’ve got a strong personality and you aren't about letting people push you around, that's how you'll react. At the end of the day, it's your nose and your health... so just show them you've still got some fight in you... 🙂 I just want you to be happy... 👍Well, as for me... I don't really need to do that, but still... mostly I just think everyone has the right to do whatever they want and whatever they feel is necessary for their own health...

stormyharbor2 said:Where do you all get so much love from, anyway? I’ve got a nose that would be a complex for just about anyone, but it feels like I'll never actually scrape together enough cash for a rhinoplasty... 😢

I’m a student, and I expect to start working this fall. Once the money starts coming in, I'll build it up over time. While everyone else is out living it up on the coast, I don't really see the appeal... It's not exactly my idea of a good time. Others spend a fortune every weekend hitting up expensive bars just to wander from one pub to the next, but for me, nothing beats grabbing a couple of beers at my favorite local spot. I even pick up things on eBay. Honestly, I always give off the impression that I'm loaded, but trust me, I've been saving since I can remember. Eventually, I'll have enough for the big stuff, because I have quite a few plans in motion. Some of the things mentioned above aren't even necessary for me... Sure, someone might argue that I don't "need" rhinoplasty either, but... well... I'm the kind of person who would much rather spend two days in Rome than twenty days blowing cash on parties and stuff like that. You end up spending twice as much and seeing far fewer important things. But hey, if that's how people want to live, more power to them. Anyway, I'm getting a bit off-topic... The nose surgery is about $20,000. Let's say you set aside a little bit from your paycheck every month... $333And in about a year and a half... that's it... you'll have given up on certain things that you didn't even really need in the first place...
Look... I don't have any sponsors, and honestly, she could probably get them. Like, most girls could nowadays... but nope... 🙂

stormyharbor2 said:I don't quite get where all this sudden affection is coming from, by the way. I have a nose that most people would find a bit of a complex, but honestly, it feels like I'll never actually save up enough cash for a rhinoplasty. 😢

From what I've gathered through some friends, Dr. Tončić charges about 10 $0.00 for a nose job. That's actually who I'm planning to see... so you could definitely manage to save up over a few months; it really just comes down to your income and how much you're spending elsewhere. 😉

darkhawk10 said:I’ve heard from a few girls that Dr. Tončić charges 10 $0.00 per nose. I’m actually planning to go to him... so you could save up over a few months—really depends on what you make and what your bills look like 😉

Unemployed.😢 Just my luck... my old lady promised she'd help me out in the future as much as she can... But only 10,000?😕 I always assumed it was 15,000, and now I'm seeing people say it might even be 20,000 😳

neonbadger43 said:I am 24 years old... hehe. Well, I try my best to give off a younger impression 🙂 ...but I didn't want to sound like a know-it-all; I was simply looking for an answer. My nose looks fine from most "normal" angles or in a half-profile view, but when I look at my full profile, I am just not satisfied. It sticks out too much, and my face feels a bit too small and cute for this "aristocratic pointed nose," as I like to call it 🙂—that is the famous curve I am actually after View on flickr (I posted her photo because I really couldn't be bothered to hunt for other images... besides, she has a lovely nose, 😉 wouldn't you agree? Hehe...)
In any case... I realize this involves a lot of money, pain, and effort... essentially blood, sweat, and tears... but... if we are being blunt, perhaps my nose just needs to be slightly shortened and rounded. My chin is quite small, and in certain full-profile photos, I honestly don't even look like myself; it’s just a nose staring back at me :P which isn't exactly something to be proud of. People make things so complicated these days, so I thought to myself, why shouldn't I? I just want to finally stop avoiding those dreaded profiles, both in person and in photos :P Twenty grams of filler isn't all that much for something that has the same expiration date as you do. People spend money on all sorts of nonsense, though I suppose this certainly isn't one of them. On top of that, I have dealt with breathing issues for years, so maybe I could kill two birds with one stone 🙂 I constantly rely on nasal sprays... I can't even remember the last time I took a deep breath without feeling a bit "congested" 🙂

So, basically, I just want to know which specialist I should visit (and I mean a surgeon, not a butcher!) if I do eventually decide to fix my nose 🙂 !? Thank you

My nose used to be hooked, and instead of being pointed, it was more bulbous 😂. For the most part, the surgeon did a great job removing the hump—since that's bone, there's no connective tissue involved there—but the tip remained bulbous. I ended up having a revision surgery; he told me he had shortened it significantly, but some connective tissue had formed where the first surgery took place. Ultimately, even after the second procedure, my nose still isn't as perfect as the one you showed 🙄 At the end of the day, we are dealing with living tissue, and you never truly know how much scar tissue might develop or how your body will react. I won't discourage you from having the surgery—I believe it is better to undergo the procedure than to live with a complex your entire life—but perhaps the result won't be exactly what you envisioned... Go for a consultation and ask realistically what can actually be expected following the operation..

But honestly, prices have shot up quite a bit when you factor in nose corrections; I paid for mine about five years ago $0.00 and back then, the rates seemed pretty consistent across the board

stormyharbor2 said:Unemployed.😢 All my luck, my old lady promised she'd help out whenever she could in the future... But only 10,000?😕 I always assumed it was 15,000, but now I'm seeing some people say even 20,000.😳

True, it's 10,000 because I was looking specifically into Tončić. Honestly, I find it incredibly silly that they don't just post price lists on their websites. I mean, what's the harm? It would at least help us calculate the costs... though I doubt they'll actually give us any straight answers anytime soon.😁

Tončić is on my list too, so that’s great... though I have to say, the price seems a little too good to be true 😳 Look, I'm not one of those people trying to turn a perfectly fine nose into some "perfect" masterpiece or tweaking a tiny tip or whatever... My nose is actually massive and pretty deformed. 😢

stormyharbor2 said:Tončić is also on my shortlist, which is great... though I am a bit suspicious about how cheap it is. 😳 I’m not really one of those people looking to turn a perfectly fine nose into some "perfect" fantasy by tweaking the tip or whatever... My nose is actually quite large and somewhat deformed. 😢

When I was messaging a girl who had her surgery done by him, she mentioned that a standard rhinoplasty is around $10,000. However, if things get complicated—like breathing issues or having to break bone—it gets more expensive depending on the complexity. But if it's just a straightforward aesthetic procedure involving cartilage work, they stay at $10,000, which is exactly what I'm planning to go for...😁

Well, it's affordable because you're under local anesthesia... but then again, Tončić has about 40 years of experience, so he definitely knows his stuff. That girl I spoke with spoke so highly of him; he shapes the nose to fit the facial structure and really aims for a natural look. He tells you everything upfront, too. He seems like a very steady, calm person...

You should head over to his website; everything regarding the rhinoplasty process is laid out there in great detail. Honestly, I'd say it's top-tier...

darkhawk10 said:When I was messaging this girl who had her surgery with him, she said a basic nose job is about $10,000—but if things get complicated, like breathing issues or needing bone work, the price jumps depending on how intense it is. Still, if it's just a simple aesthetic fix involving cartilage, they're at $10,000, which is what I'm aiming for...😁

Well, yeah, it's "cheap" because you're under local anesthesia... but Tončić has something like 40 years of experience, so he actually knows his stuff. That girl gave him a glowing review—apparently, he works with your actual facial structure to keep everything looking natural. She said he's upfront about everything, totally chill, just a normal, calm guy....

Just go check out his website; everything regarding the rhinoplasty is laid out there in detail. Top-tier, if you ask me...

I have a broken nose, so I'll definitely need the bone work 😁 I'm thinking that would definitely fall into the more difficult category... And local anesthesia? Yeah, no thanks. 😳

stormyharbor2 said:So, my nose is completely busted, which means I’m headed in for surgery to have the bone reset. Honestly, just thinking about the whole thing makes me want to crawl under my covers and stay there. It’s going to be a total mess. 😁 Honestly, if you ask me, that surgery definitely falls into the "heavy hitter" category. I mean, we're talking serious business here. Local anesthesia? Yeah, no thanks. Not a chance in hell. I've seen enough to know that when things get that intense, you don't want to be feeling every single second of it. You want to be out cold, far away from the drama. Passing on that one, for sure. 😳

I actually took photos of my nose from both angles—straight on and from that low profile view... then I put them all together in one shot with a few specific questions and blasted that email out to every surgeon on my list who actually had an address listed. 😁

Speaking of Dr. Tončić... man, that guy was actually incredibly helpful. Seriously, he answered every single one of my questions without skipping a beat. He didn't sugarcoat anything either—he told me straight up that because of the way my nose is shaped, the surgery is going to be pretty complicated, especially since it's functional. He made it clear I’ll definitely need to go under general anesthesia, and then he laid out exactly what the price tag for an operation like that looks like. $5000We’ll hash out all the nitty-gritty details during that first consultation—which, just so you know, isn't free. $83 Man, this guy’s got the most expensive consultation fees out of anyone I've ever seen. Seriously, you might as well just hand him your entire paycheck before you even sit down in the chair. It's absolutely wild. 🙂 So, here’s the deal with the scheduling: you’re looking at waiting a few days just to get a consultation on the books. Once you actually sit down and talk things through, you're stuck waiting another two or three weeks before they'll even schedule the surgery. It all really just boils down to how slammed he is with his current surgical lineup—if his calendar is packed, you're just sitting there twiddling your thumbs.

I’m just sitting here hoping that, before I finally manage to scrape enough cash together, they don't decide to force me into retirement early.😁

rustygardener172 said:I took photos of my nose from both angles—front view and looking up from underneath... then I sent that exact photo along with a few questions to all the surgeons I’m actually interested in who have an email listed... 😁

That's a killer idea! Did everyone actually get back to them?...

darkhawk10 said:I’m just sitting here hoping—fingers crossed, really—that before I actually manage to scrape the cash together, they don't go and retire... 😁

Also. 😂

Has anyone ever gone through with just a tip job? Like, purely focusing on the tip without touching the actual bone structure?
I mean, the upper part of my nose is totally fine—it’s actually decent—but the bottom part? It looks like a potato. It drives me crazy, honestly. I can't stand looking at it from any angle because it just reminds me of http://news.makemeheal.com/images/sa...-nose-job2.jpg ((That's the first image, by the way, but just showing the tip area—I don't have a hump or anything))

stormyharbor2 said:That’s a killer idea! Did everyone get back to them?

Yeah, they did.👍

rustygardener172 said:they 👍

Oh man, thanks for the heads up!😳 I think I’ll do the same—even if taking profile shots is a total pain...🤦

ironsurfer10 said:Zachary Jackson5, thanks for the reply! I finally managed to talk to Dr. Kalodera today. He said braces won't be an issue as long as there isn't some massive, complicated procedure happening on the nose. I told him my referral specifically says septoplasty, and I even reminded him he "promised" to touch up the external look a bit—but honestly, it felt like he wasn't really interested in doing that... Anyway, my biggest fear is breathing through my mouth. How did you guys handle that? How did you eat? And the whole swallowing/vomiting blood thing... that terrifies me!

Me again. 🙂 Before surgery, I already struggled to breathe, so mouth-breathing wasn't actually a huge deal for me—just habit, I guess. Eating was the hard part; it feels pretty rude because you basically have to make noises and keep your mouth open just to catch a breath. As for swallowing blood, I didn't really feel it. The only thing was right after anesthesia when I woke up—I kept asking for water. They gave me a few sips, then I threw up blood, then more sips, then more blood. After a few times, they just got fed up and stopped giving me water. 😉 Basically, they told me it's good if you can just get it out, since not everyone vomits like that, but it feels like regular vomiting. The only thing that actually grossed out my mom when she saw me was my bloody collar; looked like the nurses had been beating me while they were dressing me. 😁

And btw, regarding the external appearance of the nose—he didn't do anything about it at all. I still have this tiny, tiny bump. It’s almost unnoticeable, so it doesn't bother me that much.

Zachary Jackson5 said:It’s me again. 🙂 Before my surgery, I already struggled quite a bit with breathing, so having to breathe through my mouth didn't feel like a massive shock—I guess I was just used to it. It did make eating pretty awkward, though; you end up looking a bit rude because you have to basically gasp and keep your mouth open slightly just to catch enough air. As for swallowing blood, I didn't really notice it myself. The only thing was right after the anesthesia wore off when I woke up; I kept asking for water. They gave me a few sips, then I threw up blood, then a few more sips, then blood again. This happened a few times until they finally got fed up and stopped giving me water. 😉 They mostly told me that it's actually a good sign if you can throw it up, since not everyone does, and that it's just standard vomiting. My mom was the one who was truly horrified when she saw me—she thought my collar was covered in blood, like the nurses had been rough with me while getting me dressed. 😁

Oh, and by the way, regarding any changes to the shape of my nose—he didn't actually change anything cosmetically. So, I still have that tiny, tiny bump. It’s almost invisible now, so it doesn't really bother me much anymore.

Oh boy... now I'm even more nervous! To be totally honest, I'm going in for this procedure more for the aesthetics than for health reasons, so I'm feeling really indecisive about it. My breathing issues aren't overwhelming; it's just that my left nostril doesn't function properly. I only really struggle when I'm playing sports or dancing, otherwise, I'm fine. I wonder if there's a connection to sinus headaches? I get them frequently, and the pain radiates around my eyebrows, but my doctor hasn't really given me a clear answer on that.
As for him not fixing the aesthetics, did you just not ask, or did he say he would and then forget? He strikes me as such a highly skilled specialist and a great doctor, so maybe he feels slightly insulted if I suggest treating him like a plastic surgeon by asking for cosmetic tweaks. 😍

How long does the mouth-breathing phase last? Is it until they remove the packing? How many days is that usually? And how soon after were you discharged from the hospital?

stormyharbor2 said:OMG, thanks for the heads-up!😳 I think I’ll do the same thing, even if taking profile shots of myself feels totally awkward. 🤦

My boyfriend actually took some photos of me, and we ended up just cropping them together into one shot where everything is clearly visible. Honestly, that’s the way to go. Trying to describe your nose through text is a nightmare... you just send the photo and they get it instantly. Case closed!☕