Rhinoplasty: Experiences and recovery tips?

George Ramos11 said:From the consultation to the actual surgery, you don't have to wait forever. You just coordinate with the doctor, but basically, it could be in a day, two, or however long you want... at least, that's how it seems to me.

That doesn't seem right to me. I scheduled my procedure immediately following the consultation, and I don't think there is anything wrong with that. It means I show up in a day or two, and honestly, the doctor isn't going to spend those 24 hours obsessing over my case, nor will he do a better job if I wait longer. Plus, I feel like overthinking this might just make things harder and increase my anxiety. Personally, I think my conversation will go something like this: I won't get bogged down in every tiny detail—that's your job—just make sure it looks damn good. That's pretty much all I plan on saying... so, yeah.

Hahaha,
Well, look, it was the same for me; I had my surgery the same day as my consultation. I showed up in the afternoon, we talked, then he finished one surgery and it was my turn.
Everything is fine, but you really should contact the doctor ahead of time to find out which tests you need to complete. For instance, you have to get blood work done and wait for the results before anything can happen. My point was simply that the doctor is flexible when it comes to scheduling. I thought I made that clear.

I did the exact same thing. The doctor asked what I wanted, and I just told him I wanted it smaller and more attractive.😂
However, you really have to agree on the aesthetic. Beyond just the tip, you have to consider the width, the length, the curvature, and so on. To be honest, I wasn't sure if I wanted a narrower nose, so I just left that decision up to him at the table.😛 It's all about millimeters here; the doctor is very meticulous and cares a lot about the details.👍

My nose is still taped up, so I can't really say how it looks yet. I can only see a little bit of the tip and the bridge, and since everything is quite swollen, I have no idea how it will turn out. But I am looking forward to Saturday when they take everything off and do the cleaning... so I can finally breathe normally and get some decent sleep.🙂

Hey, how many days after surgery can I hit the tanning salon?😍

To be honest, I haven't heard anything but bad things about Smith😢
I even know someone who had nose surgery with him—it looks terrible now. Like, what’s the point of trying to fix things in NYC?
I hope once you finally get those casts and bandages off, you're just as happy as you are right now.

When things go wrong, we usually find someone else to blame—be it the doctor, the hairstylist, or some other professional. We rarely ever take responsibility for our own actions!!!!!!
Take my friend, for example. She underwent laser treatment to clear up the capillaries and veins on her legs. Her doctor gave her very explicit instructions: absolutely no sunbathing for several months, and she was required to wear bandages and apply specific dressings regularly. Naturally, she ignored every single one of those precautions, and now her skin looks like a topographical map of the USA. And yet, people still try to point the finger at the doctor.
I wouldn't say your acquaintance is entirely blameless, though I suppose people sometimes let their desires get ahead of their common sense. I truly hope she can get everything sorted out in NYC so she can finally be happy with the results.
slymarlin382, please, once you finish your treatment, let us know how it turned out...

Her nose looks totally caricatured now—it’s like this long slide that suddenly drops off into a tiny little ping pong ball at the tip. Honestly, it’s just not working... it doesn't look "artificial" or even "piggy," it just looks weird and, frankly, pretty bad.
The doctor told her that when he started the procedure, her nose practically fell apart because she probably had some massive weight loss crash during her diet—but let's be real, who hasn't struggled with their weight at some point in their life?
I feel for my friend because she's absolutely devastated by all this, and honestly, none of us can lie about how it looks.
I guess anything can happen unexpectedly, and at the end of the day, doctors are just people who can make mistakes too...
I really hope this doesn't happen to me; I have my own surgery coming up in five days, and I'm just praying everything turns out smooth and beautiful.🙂

Rebecca Gomez37 said:The way her nose looks now after the contouring—it’s like a slide that suddenly drops off into this tiny little ping-pong ball at the tip. It really isn't aesthetic... it doesn't look artificial or even "piggy," it just looks plain weird and unattractive.
Her surgeon mentioned that her nose practically fell apart during the procedure because she must have had some massive weight loss from dieting that he couldn't have anticipated, but honestly, who hasn't dealt with some unexpected setbacks in life???
I feel for my friend because she’s so heartbroken over all this, and none of us can pretend otherwise.
I suppose unpredictable things can happen to anyone, and doctors are ultimately just humans prone to making mistakes...
I just hope nothing like this happens to me; I have my surgery scheduled in five days and I'm praying everything turns out perfect.🙂

Look, there isn't one single doctor out there that everyone is perfectly happy with. Don't let someone else's experience get in your head. Everything will be fine...🙂

Hey there! I’m curious—has anyone on this forum actually gone through a secondary nose job because they weren't happy with how the first one turned out? Or maybe you know someone who went that route? I'm personally pretty unhappy with my results right now and I'm seriously weighing my options for a "revision."

Rebecca Gomez37 said:Her nose looks caricatured now; it resembles a slide that suddenly transitions into a tiny little ping pong ball at the tip. It truly isn't aesthetically pleasing... it doesn't look artificial or even "piggy," it just looks strange and quite unappealing.
Her doctor mentioned that during the procedure, her nose essentially collapsed because she likely experienced some significant weight loss during her diet that she can't even recall, but realistically, who hasn't dealt with health setbacks when they were younger?
I feel for my friend because she is so heartbroken over all of this, and the rest of us can't bring ourselves to lie about it either.
I believe that unpredictable things can happen at any time, and doctors are ultimately just human beings capable of making mistakes...
I hope nothing like this happens to me; I have my surgery scheduled in five days, and I am praying that everything turns out beautiful and perfect.🙂

Oh dear!
I feel for you; we all had our clumsy moments growing up. Personally, I’m heading in for a repair because fifteen years ago I took a fall and ended up with a nose tilted wildly to the left... 😕 so this isn't exactly encouraging, though I remain hopeful.
I truly want you to be happy with the results and wish you a very speedy recovery.
Are you planning on seeing Smith???🙂🙂🙂

Just checking in for a sec—it’s been two and a half weeks since the surgery... and honestly? I’m firing on all cylinders in every single way 🙂
I don't know anything about those doctors you guys are bringing up, so I can't really weigh in on that, other than saying I am beyond thrilled with my choice, Dr. Johnson

Oh, and one more thing—clear out your inboxes already 😉

It’s honestly good to see everyone stepping up to support one another with such encouraging words. I’ll make sure to keep you all posted on every little detail—hopefully, it helps some of you along.
I’m actually skipping Smith; instead, Dr. Miller and Kurtovic are teaming up for the surgery. One is a top-tier ENT and the other is a specialist in plastic surgery.
I'm seriously crossing my fingers for a positive, happy outcome.🙂
The date is getting closer...

Rebecca Gomez37 said:It truly warms my heart to see everyone offering such wonderful support and encouraging words to one another. I intend to share every single detail with you all as things progress, hoping it might be of some help...
I won't be seeing Smith; instead, Dr. Miller and Kurtovic will be performing the surgery together. One is a top-tier ENT specialist and the other is a plastic surgeon.
I am sincerely hoping for a positive and joyful outcome...🙂
The date is drawing near....

I’ve heard of Dr. Miller—is he seeing patients privately, or are you heading to the hospital?
How did you end up finding him?
Everything will be 🙂 🙂 🙂

analogotter6 said:When "something" goes wrong, we usually blame doctors, hairstylists, and so on. We are never the ones at fault ourselves!!!!!!
For instance, a friend of mine had laser treatment to get rid of spider veins on her legs. Her doctor explicitly told her not to tan for the next few months, and she also had to wear bandages and use dressings. Of course, she didn't follow any of those instructions, and now her skin looks like a map of the USA. Who's the doctor's fault?
I don't think your acquaintance is to blame, but I guess people sometimes overdo it with their expectations. I hope they can fix things up for her in NYC and that she will be happy.
slymarlin382, please let us know the results once you're done.

hey hey
Here are the results: my nose is perfectly shaped! My family is thrilled. 😍 They say it looks great on me and that it already looks wonderful. Also, my brother and mom have friends who saw my nose, and they said it was much more swollen than mine—for example, one friend's nose was literally twice its original size after surgery.
To me, it still looks big; it really does look like a potato, kind of like a boxer's. 🙂
But as far as the shape goes, I am extremely satisfied! It's so sweet. 🙂
It isn't piggy, nor is it too small; it's just sweetly shaped and fits me perfectly. Yesterday when I went out (yay, I actually went out! 🙂), I put on some makeup and took photos. I compared those pictures to my old ones and, honestly, with this new nose—this is me... that's it... it's incredible because I'm almost 22 and I had completely accepted my old nose, to the point where I thought I might lose some of my charm because of it... but looking at the photos now, I have nothing to say except that this is it. 🙂 I haven't lost anything (except maybe a little bone, cartilage, and skin :P), but I've gained so much comfort and, I don't know... a sense of ease. You know, even though I had a large nose, I felt fine going out, but looking back at old photos, it was hard to find a single profile shot of myself... if one ever popped up on Facebook, of course, I would delete the tag immediately. ☕
That mental wall has been broken down now, and I really like that.

Oh, sorry for rambling, I guess I got a bit carried away. 😂

Anyway, regarding the doctor and that story about him messing up someone's nose because it was broken—well, in my opinion, the nose probably really was like that to begin with. From what I've heard about his work and what I've seen him do, Smith is truly an expert. 😉

Okay... I think that's enough from me on this thread for a while. 🙈

If you want to know anything else about the surgery or recovery, just ask... I won't write any more heart-wrenching stories, I promise. 😁

I am truly delighted to hear that you are satisfied with the results! Honestly, it is such wonderful news... I sincerely hope you have a very swift recovery. If it isn't too much trouble, perhaps you could post some photos of your braces on the forum for comparison purposes later on
It seems to me that your swelling isn't nearly as severe as what others have described after being out and about. As for my own situation, I am facing the exact same struggle; after seven years, I find myself feeling a certain apprehension about losing the sense of who I used to be. Regardless, I am once again so pleased that you are happy with everything. You have actually provided me with a great deal of comfort and encouragement in the process, so thank you so very much... I wish you nothing but the best with your healing

So, I actually went through with nose surgery myself. I didn't head to a private specialist—instead, I handled everything through my insurance provider. Everything went quite smoothly; there’s been just a tiny bit of bruising and some swelling, but nothing too major—it’ll pass in time, I'm sure. For anyone who isn't looking to pay out of pocket for a private surgeon, I highly recommend going through your insurance—it didn't cost me a dime, really. A huge shoutout to Dr. Bilic, by the way—I can't recommend him enough.

slymarlin382 said:Look, Jose James15, the cleaning itself didn't really hurt that much, but then the doctor got caught up chatting with my mom and completely forgot to tell me if he actually left a gauze strip in my nose... honestly, it freaked me out. Like, what does that even mean??? Am I just walking around with a piece of gauze somewhere hacking away inside my nose??? And anyway, when he did the first cleaning, he didn't see anything, but during the second one... well, then he pulled it out... it absolutely terrified me... what if there’s still more gauze stuck somewhere he couldn't find or something like that!!!
Basically, it was such a terrifying feeling because I was just panicking... the doctor told me it wouldn't matter either way and that the gauze stays in there to prevent things from drying out or being coughed up, and that it can't somehow travel into my sinuses or my brain because the nose is only connected to the throat, so I'd just end up coughing it up.

I have to say something about this. I really do. This exact same thing happened to the doctor mentioned here, just with a much more tragic ending. In my case, a tiny little piece was being dragged around my nose unnoticed for two whole weeks, and I kept going in for cleanings which obviously just pushed it deeper. And even now, eight months after my surgery, my right nostril is still deformed.
Maybe try talking a little less while you're actually working on patients? Just a thought.

slymarlin382 said:hey there

... it’s wild because I’m almost 22 now, and I had actually fully embraced my old nose. I really thought I’d lose some part of my charm along with it. But looking back at photos now? Honestly, nothing left to say. 🙂 I didn't lose anything (except maybe a tiny bit of bone, cartilage, and skin :P), but I gained so much more comfort and... I don't know... just a sense of ease. You know? Regardless of having a large nose, I felt fine going out and about. It was just that whenever I looked at old pictures, finding a profile shot was impossible. If one of those ever popped up on Facebook, I’d be deleting the tag immediately. ☕
That mental wall has finally crumbled, and I'm actually loving it.

Hey! That is exactly my story. Everything was fine, but now I feel lighter and just so much more satisfied with myself. It wasn't even about deep complexes or anything like that; it was just that there were zero profile shots. 😁 Now, I finally feel like the "real" me.😁

analogotter6 said:I’ve heard about Dr. Miller—is he doing private practice or are you heading to the hospital?
how did you find him?
It’ll all turn out 🙂🙂🙂

Hy,
I'm going private... though I'm a bit of a special case. My sinuses are completely packed with polyps, and I actually had surgery for them once before in NYC, over at Vinogradski.
On top of all that, I've got a deviated septum and a little bump on my profile, so this time around, I decided to go for an aesthetic correction too. Five years ago in NYC, I wasn't interested in touching the looks of it, but now I'm thinking—since I'm already under general anesthesia and they have to clear out the polyps anyway, why not make things look a little better?🙄
I actually asked them to do it so it doesn't look fake, just a bit more refined.😛
I'm hoping everything turns out exactly how I want—looking good, sure—but honestly, the main thing is just being able to breathe through my nose, smell things again, and stop having a tissue constantly glued to my hand.
I've always been a big fan of aesthetics, but when you can't even breathe properly, your looks become a secondary concern.
I'll let you guys know how it goes... my only real fear is that the nose might end up looking too small for my face and just won't fit.😕
POZZZZ

Susan Watson31 said:oh, and one more thing—clean out your inboxes 😉

Some of you sent me PMs that I actually replied to, but I never got those little "message received" notifications—so, yeah, I’m pretty sure you guys need to start deleting some old messages to make room

I have a few questions for the ladies who went through this surgery a while back 😁

How long did you guys deal with cartilage swelling?