Rhinoplasty: Experiences and recovery tips?

wanderingbadger94 said:







Hi everyone!
I had my rhinoplasty last August at a private clinic in Arcadia.
I'm happy with the results, especially regarding my profile. However, I've always had wide nostrils, and they still bother me. I’m curious about your thoughts—should I go through with narrowing them?
The surgeon mentioned this would be free since it's already included in the initial price.
My only hesitation is that the procedure involves small incisions that leave tiny scars... but honestly, I feel they are just too large; they look like gaping holes!
I value honest opinions and feedback. How does my nose look to you, and would you personally opt for that additional procedure?

Hey! Looking from the front, your nose looks perfectly fine; I'm glad it isn't hooked. From the profile view, though, the nostrils do appear a bit wider. Personally, I'm not sure if I'd go for the narrowing. I suspect the width of the nostrils dictates much of the overall look, so the change might be quite noticeable. Regarding the overall shape, comparing it to my own nose, yours definitely looks better now that the hump is gone. One thing I've noticed as a pattern in rhinoplasties—which I personally dislike, and was my experience as well—is that surgeons tend to create slightly concave noses. In my opinion, they drop the tip a bit too low and lack depth in profile because they aren't straight. Again, that's strictly subjective, and I hope there's a surgeon whose aesthetic aligns more with mine. 🙄 As for the nostrils themselves, that's your call. Go for a consultation and decide; if you want narrower nostrils, I think they would complement your smaller nose well, even if it looks good as is. Just don't let them make them drastically narrow—aim for the middle ground. My nostrils are naturally narrow and fit my nose well, which is actually somewhat similar to yours. On another note, I'm generally not thrilled with my overall nose shape either (again, purely a matter of taste). Cheers.

Sue, how long did you actually deal with swelling after the procedure? I mean, realistically, how much time had to pass before you felt comfortable enough to actually head out and be around people again?

I've been mulling over nose surgery for a while now—honestly, I'm a regular reader here—but I just haven't been able to pull the trigger and actually book a consultation.
The second issue is the sheer noise online; with all the endless praise and constant complaints, picking a surgeon feels impossible. Every doctor has their pros and cons—that’s just how it works—but it's definitely making my decision harder.
Anyway, enough stalling. I'm sending out emails tomorrow to finally get some appointments on the books. I've decided to check out Toncic, Ostojic, and Kincl first, then I'll see who I actually vibe with.

Oh, by the way—which one is the specialist for that muscle between the nose and the lip?

Sue, don't overthink it... honestly, I didn't even notice your piercings were meant to be a statement. Trust me, people aren't staring at everyone else's nose piercings that closely. Yours looks totally fine.

Yeah, that muscle cutting thing... why on earth would you let them do that to you? It sounds honestly terrifying and totally unnecessary to me. I had nose surgery once, and nobody even mentioned anything like this to me—I didn't even know it was an option. That whole explanation about how your nose won't move while you're talking or laughing is just laughable to me. I’ve never actually noticed anyone's nose moving when they talk 🤔

I wouldn't let anyone do that to me. It seems completely pointless.

Rachel Barnes5 said:Hey! Honestly, looking at you from the front, I think your nose looks perfectly fine—it’s definitely not bulbous. From the profile view, though, the nasal bridge does look a bit wider. Personally? I wouldn't jump into a narrowing procedure if I were in your shoes. The shape of the bridge dictates so much of the overall aesthetic, so any change there would be incredibly obvious. Regarding the full profile, comparing yours to my own, your nose actually looks improved now that the hump is gone. However—and this is just my observation based on what I see often in rhinoplasty—surgeons tend to favor a slightly concave look. In my opinion, they drop the tip a bit too low, and the profile lacks depth because it isn't straight. Again, that is purely a matter of taste, and I hope you find a surgeon whose vision aligns more with mine. 🙄 As for the width of the bridge, that's entirely up to you. You should probably get a consultation to decide; if you want narrower bridges, I think it would complement your smaller nose quite well, even though it looks good as is. Just a word of advice: don't let them narrow it too drastically—aim for that golden middle ground. My bridges are naturally narrow, which works well with my nose, which is actually quite similar to yours. On a separate note, I'm not entirely thrilled with my overall nose shape either (again, just my personal preference). Best,

hey, my nose isn't concave; it has a very slight drop because that is exactly what I requested. I believe you really have to be explicit with the doctor about what you specifically want and what you don't.

Emily Lopez said:Ha! I finally found my "problem area"—the left side. The base looks totally normal, but the tip spreads out almost twice as wide as it should, with this weird indentation down the middle—honestly, it looks more like a backside than a nose. 🙄

http://www.plasticsurgerypa.com/Disp...noplasty_1.jpg
If you listen to what American surgeons claim, all they have to do is pull the skin back and trim away the excess cartilage
(though looking at the photo, it seems like they were actually narrowing it even further...)

Does anyone know a specialist who actually handles this kind of thing? I’ve been scouring the websites of big-name clinics, but everyone just shows off results for fixing humps, crooked noses, or septal deviations—none of which apply to my situation.
To be honest, I'm a bit apprehensive... I really don't want to end up being someone's experimental subject. 😲

I suspect that's standard procedure for pretty much any plastic surgeon—they've seen it all by now, so I doubt your case is anything out of the ordinary.

Bryan Gomez27 said:Sue, how long did you deal with swelling after the procedure? Like, when could you actually start hanging out in public again?

Man, my surgery was actually one of the tougher ones because they weren't just shaving down the bone—they had to break it too—so I ended up with some pretty massive bruising... After about 14 days, I finally got the cast off and honestly, the bruising was barely even noticeable by then. Basically, give it about 2-3 weeks and you should be good to go outside, though it really depends on the person. For instance, this girl who was in the OR with me didn't have much bruising at all; hers cleared up in just 8 days. But personally, I think 3 weeks is the max. The swelling usually goes down about a week after the cast comes off, but the full recovery process takes anywhere from 6 months to a whole year. It’s been 7 months since my surgery and I’m only just now seeing what my nose actually looks like, plus my doctor mentioned it might still settle and look a bit flatter as time goes on.😁

Maria Fox6 said:Hey, so my husband and I just headed out to Washington, D.C. for some consultations, and honestly, we’re still debating if it’s a bit pricey. If you don't mind me asking, how much did he charge you? And more importantly, what’s your take on the doctor himself? Are you actually happy with his work? I'm only asking because we found him online and don't really know anyone who has gone through surgery with him—but man, your nose looks seriously amazing.🙂

So, I actually went ahead and paid for the full package—you know, the one that includes the inspection and all those deep-dive searches they do. It was like 10 bucks. $167Honestly, their rates are way more reasonable than what you'd see at other clinics around here. Plus, I’ve gotta say, I really dig how professional they are. They actually know what they're doing. 🙂

wanderingbadger94 said:Look, my procedure was actually one of the tougher ones—it wasn't just about filing down the bone, they had to deal with some fractures too, which meant I dealt with pretty massive bruising... After 14 days, once the cast came off, you could barely even see the bruising anymore. Honestly, depending on the person, you should be fine to go out in 2 or 3 weeks. For instance, the girl who was in surgery with me barely had any bruising at all; hers cleared up in about 8 days. But in my experience, give it a maximum of 3 weeks. The swelling from removing the cast usually goes down after a week, but let's be real—the full recovery takes anywhere from 6 months to a whole year. It’s been 7 months since my surgery and I’m only just now seeing the true shape of my nose, and even then, the doctor mentioned it might still look a bit flat or settle further over time. 😁

Hey, why did they have to break yours?
They only filed down the bumps for me... and now it feels like there's still this tiny bump visible, though it's probably just swelling—kind of feels like extra flesh sitting there...🙄
My surgery was about a month and a half ago... and I'm really hoping that bump disappears... at least, that's what the doctor promised...
They didn't do any kind of indentation on mine either...

Adam Johnson said:So, since you're asking, why exactly did they break my nose?
My skin is absolutely flaking off everywhere, and now I’ve even developed this tiny little bump that looks like a protrusion—it honestly looks like some sort of fleshy lump or an island on my skin.🙄
It has been a full month and a half since my surgery, and I am still holding onto the hope that this hump will finally vanish. At least, that was the firm assurance my surgeon gave me during our last consultation.
They didn't bother to perform any kind of deep dive for me either...

Does this mean that having a bump on your nose doesn't necessarily require breaking the bone, but rather they can just reshape it through sanding? And what does your nose look like now—is it completely flat?

Laura Castillo7 said:Look, my nose doesn't have a dip; I actually requested a slight slope. I think you really need to be explicit with your surgeon about what you want and what you don't.

Fair point. That was my mistake—I wasn't specific enough about my goals. My nose was perfectly fine before, with a straight profile, but I gave the surgeon too much room to improvise. My advice to everyone: insist on being heard. It’s your face, after all. While my nose isn't deeply indented, I do feel the upper portion needs more volume. I have some reservations, and I might consider a revision in a few years, though I'll be weighing that very carefully since it would essentially be an upgrade. I'm honestly not sure if that can even be done successfully. After an experience that fell short of expectations, one tends to get skeptical.😢 On a positive note, credit to Sue's surgeon; they did an excellent job shaping the tip. In my case, however, the tip feels a bit too upturned—almost over-rotated—following the procedure.

So, I finally sent that email to Dr. Ostojic and I'm heading in for a consultation in a week. I mentioned earlier that I wanted to get input from both Toncic and Kincl, but honestly—I've changed my mind. At least for now. I heard a rumor that Toncic doesn't really listen to patients and just does whatever he wants anyway, which is a huge red flag for me.
Look, Ostojic is definitely going to cut that muscle, but we'll see how it goes.
Anyone else have some experiences to share? Please.
My mom and my boyfriend are totally freaking out. Even though I've been bringing up this surgery for a while, they thought I was just kidding around.

Bryan Gomez27 said:Does that mean they don't actually have to break your nose if you have a hump? Like, can they just reshape it by sanding it down? And what does your nose look like now—is it straight?

Look, the nose gets reset or broken when there was already an old fracture that healed crooked.
But if nothing was ever broken and you just have bumps from whatever reason, they basically just shave the hump off with a scalpel. You can find Dr. Smith's procedures on YouTube if you want to see.

Also, that muscle right above your upper lip doesn't get cut. They just detach it from the nose so it stops pulling everything downward. Otherwise, you end up looking like a potato whenever you smile.🤣

Alex Campbell54 said:The nose gets reshaped—or rather, fixed—if it was already broken and healed crooked.
But if it wasn't broken and there are just irregularities from whatever cause, those humps get simply shaved down with a scalpel (just look up Dr. Glusac's surgery on YouTube)

And that muscle sitting right above the upper lip? It doesn't get cut; they just detach it from the nose so it stops "pulling" the nose downward—otherwise, you end up looking like a potato whenever you smile.🤣

Wait, I don't know if I missed it or if you just didn't mention it, but who did your nose job?

wanderingangler8 said:So, I sent an email to Dr. Ostojic and I'm heading in for a consultation in a week. Although I mentioned earlier that I wanted to get input from both Toncic and Kincl, I've had second thoughts—at least for now. Someone mentioned that Toncic doesn't really listen to the patient and just does whatever he wants, which isn't my style.
Look, Ostojic is the one actually cutting that muscle, but we'll see how it goes.
Please, share some more of your experiences.
My mom and my boyfriend are in total shock. Even though I’ve been bringing up this surgery for a while now, they honestly thought I was just joking.

Do me a favor and ask him why he cuts that specific muscle in the mouth and why the nasal bridge ends up looking smaller from the outside. Everything in my case was done through the nose, and I still don't quite grasp why everyone else chooses a different approach. thanks

wanderingangler8 said:Hey, I'm not sure if I missed it or if you just haven't mentioned it yet, but which doctor did you go to for your nose surgery?

That's actually what I was wondering about too.🙂

It’s just like how a sudden downpour catches you without an umbrella when you're walking through downtown Chicago—you're just caught off guard by the intensity of it all. says:
I went under general anesthesia myself, and honestly, you won't feel a thing—you just drift off like a baby. I was chatting with this woman who had nose surgery at the Vineyard clinic using only local anesthesia; she had to sit there for two whole hours listening to the doctors talk about how they were filing and reshaping her nose. It sounds absolutely chilling.😱

I can totally relate to that feeling! About three years ago, I went under the knife to fix a deviated septum with Dr. Bilic, but honestly, the deviation is still there—my nose keeps veering to the left, and now it’s become an absolute Emergency to get it sorted out. I actually saw a specialist who gave me a referral for a rib graft, but then I heard through the grapevine that Bilic is back in practice there, and apparently, there's a Dr. Poje working as well. Has anyone here dealt with doctors who aren't in private practice? I'm really torn on which direction to take.

Laura Castillo7 said:Come on, please—tell me why that muscle keeps twitching in my mouth and why my nasal supports look smaller from the outside. My whole procedure was done through the nose, and I still don't get why nobody else does it that way. thanks

I'll ask 😉
Hopefully I won't miss anything. I'm gonna write all the questions down on a little note 😁

feralbadger102 said:That's what I'm wondering too 🙂

It was at Ostojic's 😉