Rhinoplasty: Experiences and recovery tips?

Betty Gonzalez41 said:Hey everyone—so, I actually went under the knife today for a nose job with Dr. Toncic. I’ve got a few questions, even though I spent most of my prep time digging through a massive chunk of this forum.😁
So, even with this mold on, I still feel like my nose isn't short enough—and yeah, I know everything is still going to settle and deflate a ton—but I'm curious about the theory here. Does the nose just flatten out in width, or does it lose length too? Like, does it actually end up looking shorter over time after the surgery?
I hope you guys can figure out what I was getting at—hehe.

Your nose is going to shrink in both length and width—the only difference is how it happens. When it shrinks in width, everything just looks smaller, but when it settles in length, it actually ends up looking longer, not shorter. Basically, your nose is probably going to look a bit longer than it does right now, simply because you just took the mold and the tampons out.

mellowgull51 said:Hey, could you please send those photos to me too? I'm really curious to see the difference.

Sent 'em. 👍

I decided to put in a little effort and make use of all this downtime I've been having lately—honestly, most of my days have just been drifting aimlessly—to mark up this photo. I wanted to indicate exactly what I meant by that "length" I was talking about, since I couldn't quite find the right words to explain it before...😁

http://img841.imageshack.us/i/preflipnoseprofile.jpg/
So, this red line represents what I consider to be the "length"...
(just a quick note, the image was pulled from the web)

Hey everyone!

I’ve been following this group for a while now, and I know I might have been a bit of a pest in the private messages to rustygardener172 earlier... but after seeing her results 😍 — especially since she’s heading in for a revision just like I am — I’ve finally decided to go with Dr. Glusca.
Since I’m coming from Washington, D.C., my plan is to head out for the initial consultation first, and then I’ll probably look into renting a place in Santa Monica for a bit afterward.

Since I don't have my own car, I was wondering how folks traveling from the D.C. area or nearby managed their transportation for the trip down to Santa Monica—specifically for a quick one-day round trip for that first appointment. Also, would anyone else be interested in making the trip to Santa Monica sometime soon? If we coordinate our schedules, maybe we could share the ride and split the travel costs!

@stormyharbor2/">@@stormyharbor2, how was your experience with Dr. Glusca? Did you also make the trek from D.C.? Are you happy with how everything turned out?

Sophia Hill22 said:@stormyharbor2/">@@stormyharbor2 how was your experience with Dr. Glusca? Did you fly in from D.C. too? Are you happy with the results?

I'm not from D.C., and I ended up staying at a hotel for a few days that Dr. Glusca will probably suggest to you... So far, I'm really happy, but I want to wait until everything settles down before I give my full take.

Hey everyone! It’s me popping back onto the forum again. So, I’ve actually scheduled a consultation with Dr. Kincl, and I was wondering if anyone here has personally seen him? Please reach out and share your experiences with me!!! Honestly, I never imagined making a decision about who should handle my rhinoplasty would be this difficult. 😠I'm planning to undergo surgery pretty soon, but I'm still stuck on which surgeon to choose... So, what do we think about Kincl????

Hey everyone!
I wanted to share a quick rundown of my experience—both functional and aesthetic—just in case it helps anyone else out here. I know for a fact that reading other people's stories helped me get through this.
The surgery was about a month ago. My old nose was at least two sizes too big for my face—wide and way too long. Because of that, my expectations were pretty low: things couldn't possibly get worse, so if they just made it shorter or narrower, I’d be thrilled. My nose isn't some airbrushed magazine model look, but it's nearly an inch shorter, looks much better, feels more natural, and honestly, I am over the moon 🙂)
I should mention that recovery isn't exactly a walk in the park. The bleeding I dealt with after the packing was removed actually spooked me. I wasn't expecting that at all—I genuinely thought my stitches had popped or that something had gone wrong internally—but turns out, it's totally normal. Even though I knew there would be massive swelling once the packing came out, seeing how gnarly everything looked was still a shock. In moments like that, having family there to back you up is everything 🙂 But yeah, that part passes and you eventually forget it happened.
Interestingly, nobody has even noticed my new nose—not my coworkers, not even my extended family. It just goes to show that people react to your personality, not your nose, but it also proves the surgeon did a solid job. I don't look drastically different than I did a month ago, but I feel a whole lot better. That’s what matters most, and that's why it was worth it 🙂 I was operated on by Bastaić, and seriously, kudos to him!!!
Wishing the best of luck to everyone getting ready for their procedure!!!

Taylor Chase3 said:I just wanted to say that recovery isn't exactly a walk in the park.

Yeah, tell me about it—I’m honestly baffled by people who claim the whole thing was a piece of cake... you know, those folks who were back to smoking(😳) or heading straight back to work just a few days after surgery. 😕

Maybe this sounds dumb, but how long does it take for my nose to stop feeling all soft and rubbery? Right now, it swells up like a frog whenever I blow my nose.🤣 Since I've had to wrap it myself at home because they took everything off earlier than expected, I'm low-key terrified I'll mess up the shape or something... even though I'm being super careful with it.

Alright, checking back in. It’s been about 10 days since my surgery with Dr. Toncic, and I took the mold off two days ago. Honestly, I am beyond happy with how my nose turned out—really no complaints at all 🙏🙏 My nose is still pretty swollen, especially on the right side, but I know that'll settle down. Dr. Toncic mentioned that about 30% of the swelling usually subsides within the first two months. Anyway, I told you guys I’d post some photos here, so here they are, just keeping my word. I wanted to share because reading through this Forum actually gave me the courage to go through with it when I was on the fence. Looking back, it was definitely the right call. Like I mentioned in my last post, having family support is huge; I totally agree that without their blessing and encouragement, this whole process would have been way more overwhelming 😍😍
So, that's the update from me...
P.S. I also went and got a new hairstyle today 😁😁

http://img192.imageshack.us/img192/5829/nosma.jpg

mellowgull51 said:So, I'm checking back in. It’s been about 10 days since my surgery with Dr. Toncic, and I took the cast off two days ago. Honestly, I am beyond happy with my nose—really, no complaints at all 🙏🙏 The only thing is that it's still pretty swollen, especially on the right side, but he mentioned that about 30% of the swelling should subside within the first two months. Anyway, I promised I’d post some photos here, so here they are. I'm sharing this because reading through the forums gave me the courage to actually go through with it when I was on the fence. Looking back, it was definitely the right call... and like I said in my last post, having family support is everything. I totally agree with that—without their blessing and encouragement, this whole process would have been way, way harder 😍😍
That's all from me for now...
P.S. I also went and got a new hairstyle today 😁😁

http://img192.imageshack.us/img192/5829/nosma.jpg

👍

mellowgull51 said:http://img192.imageshack.us/img192/5829/nosma.jpg

Honestly, even your old nose wasn't half bad... just had that little bump on the bridge when looking from the front.🙂
Seriously though, the new nose looks amazing on you!! It didn't totally change your face shape, it just shrunk it down a bit and made everything look more symmetrical, which honestly suits you perfectly! 👍

stormyharbor2 said:Yeah, I’m saying the exact same thing. Honestly, I’m baffled by people who claim the whole thing was just a total piece of cake—like they were smoking (😳) right after surgery or heading back to work just a few days later. It's wild. 😕

Maybe this sounds like a dumb question, but how long does the nose take to stop feeling all soft and gummy? Right now, when I blow my nose, it swells up like a freaking frog. 🤣 Since I’ve already had the splint taken off early, I’ve been wrapping it myself at home. I’m low-key terrified I’m going to mess up the shape or something, even though I’m being super careful about it.

We clearly just got luckier than most 😛 That’s exactly my point... everyone is built differently and everyone heals on their own timeline. That’s why listening to someone else's recovery story doesn't really help much—it's all subjective. 😁

Gummy? Ugh, I don't know... definitely during that first month, for sure. I’ve honestly forgotten what that feels like by now... but I totally get what you mean. 🙄

rustygardener172 said:We clearly just got luckier than most 😛 That’s exactly my point... everyone is different and everyone heals differently... so someone else's experience with pain or recovery doesn't really help much since it's all subjective 😁

Gomast? I have no idea what she's talking about... maybe the first month or so... honestly, I've already forgotten... but I get what you mean 🙄

Everything went great for me, except I had the rotten luck of catching a cold—still haven't fully recovered—and running a fever right alongside that post-op fever before they take the tampons out. The whole thing lasted about five days and it absolutely wiped me out.

Yeah, Gomast is basically rubber. 😬 I know you guys were discussing here how the nose shape keeps shifting during those first few months...

Well, that’s all from me for now...
P:S. I actually went out and got a new hairstyle today 😁😁

http://img192.imageshack.us/img192/5829/nosma.jpg

It looks great; they really changed it up from the front and the profile view too 🙏

Way to go, girl!

Thanks 😍😍

Hey everyone... for a few years now, I’ve absolutely loathed my nose whenever I see myself in photos... honestly, it makes me tear up quite often. I have such terrible complexes about it... when I look in the mirror, I don't really notice it, but the second I see a picture, I just spiral into a depression. I'm only 18, and I know I'm being a total coward... but it bothers me so much that I'd even consider surgery. I've never had any procedures done before, and I'm terrified that the recovery will be painful or that I'll lose my mind from the nerves. I just don't know how I'd handle not being able to breathe through my nose during the process... :O

mellowgull51 said:Thanks 😍😍

I wanted to jump in and give your new nose a huge compliment too... It looks absolutely stunning! Did Dr. Toncic go for a more youthful look or something more classic?

Kate Taylor59 said:I look in the mirror and don't see that bump at all, but when I look at photos, I just fall into a depression...

Photoshop usually makes every flaw look way worse.

but it bothers me so much that I'd even go through with surgery...

Do other people actually see that bump, or is it just you?

and I'm terrified it'll hurt afterward and I'll lose my mind from the nerves—I don't know how I'll manage without being able to breathe through my nose... :O

The only part that really hurts is getting the tampons pulled out, everything else is manageable. Breathing through your mouth just happens naturally, kind of like when you have a nasty cold.

Hey everyone, just wanted to hop on here and let you all know that I finally took my mold off today, and honestly, I have never been a happier person 🙂
. It turned out perfectly—absolutely perfect—which actually surprised me since I couldn't quite put into words exactly what I wanted during my consultation... but you can really tell when a surgeon has true experience and... well, what can I say? It's perfect!

@Kate Taylor59/">@@Kate Taylor59 — I'm also 18 🙂. If you do decide to go through with the surgery, please don't let the recovery scare you. It's true that those first few days with the binders is absolutely brutal, and you'll honestly feel like you aren't going to make it 🤣, but once you take them off after about three days, everything feels okay again (for me, even the removal wasn't painful...). You can finally breathe and get back to your normal self. And trust me, once that mold comes off, every single bit of it is worth it 😍

mellowgull51 said:So, I'm checking back in. It's been about 10 days since my surgery with Dr. Toncic, and I finally took the mold off two days ago. Honestly, I am beyond thrilled with how my nose turned out—I really have zero complaints at all 🙏🙏 The only thing is, there’s still quite a bit of swelling, especially on the right side, though he mentioned that about 30% of that should subside within the first couple of months. Anyway, I promised I'd post some photos here, so here they are—keeping my word! I wanted to share because reading through this forum gave me so much courage when I was sitting on the fence about whether or not to pull the trigger on this... and looking back, it was truly one of the best decisions I've made. As I mentioned in my previous post, having family support is absolutely vital—I couldn't agree more—because without their blessing and encouragement, this whole journey would have been so much, much harder 😍😍
Well, that's all from me for now...
P.S. I also treated myself to a new hairstyle today 😁😁

http://img192.imageshack.us/img192/5829/nosma.jpg

Your nose looks absolutely stunning 🙂 🙂
I completely agree—this forum helped me make my decision, and I know I'll never regret it 😍