Rhinoplasty: Experiences and recovery tips?

And just imagine the mental toll if things don't turn out the way you wanted your face to look.

It’s honestly more likely than not. I mean, anyone who wasn't thrilled with their appearance before surgery has a pretty good chance of finding something to complain about afterward. Even when the results are actually great, you still have to go through that weird phase of getting used to your new face.

Also, you really need to keep one major thing in mind: here in the States, people can still be incredibly judgmental about plastic surgery. They tend to associate it with reality TV stars or social media influencers. So, if you aren't part of that crowd, brace yourself for some pretty harsh comments.
Believe me, I'm speaking from experience. Even though I only went under the knife because of an accident, nobody gave me any credit for it.

So, when you really step back and look at the big picture, the actual physical pain isn't even the worst part.

I’ve gone through the general anesthesia experience myself—and I think everyone processes it a bit differently—but personally, the actual transition from being put under to waking up was seamless. I was out in a heartbeat and woke up in bed feeling surprisingly great. Honestly, if I hadn't had that nasal splint on my face, I wouldn't have even realized I’d been under surgery. For the most part, that specific moment was the part I dreaded most, when in reality, the recovery process is a hundred times more grueling—especially those first seven days while you're stuck with the splint.
As for the reaction, everyone has been incredibly positive so far; they keep telling me it looks amazing and that I look adorable. But at the end of the day, the only opinion that truly matters is my own.

If anyone has any questions, just ask. I know exactly what you're going through right now.

Angela Bailey6 said:Oh man, honestly, this isn't just some routine little thing. You're still so young, and I think your parents are actually right on this one—you aren't exactly heading out to pick up a new pair of sneakers; you're going under general anesthesia for surgery, followed by a whole recovery process. It’s a big deal. Personally, it took me four months to get back to normal after my surgery, and I still see blood whenever I blow my nose. So, dear, maybe try to tone down the intensity a bit and just play it safe?🙄

So, I think you mentioned you were heading in for some kind of surgery... I honestly can't remember exactly what it was.
I wonder how many people have actually gone through with nose surgery... I know from experience just how long the recovery takes, and honestly, good luck to anyone dealing with broken bones and all those nasty bruises.
You're really digging your heels in on this one... I mean, when are you going to let it go? Maybe try scrolling through the forum a bit—honestly, everyone else seems to have survived just fine. 🙄🙄

I didn't even have a single drop of blood in my system. I’ll say it again—it all comes down to the individual case.

Has anyone here had surgery done at the hospital under the care of their specialist?

So, here I am—just got my nasal packing removed today and I’m still dealing with some nosebleeds. It's pretty constant and honestly, I'm feeling pretty wiped out. I've got my mold removal scheduled for this Friday, so
we'll see how that goes.
My doctor mentioned I could start using Aquamaris nasal spray to help things along, so I was wondering if anyone here has tried that? Any idea how many days post-op I should wait before starting?

You can start using the spray right away, but honestly, it didn't do much for me. I've got it sitting right here...
I actually have a better trick involving making your own saline solution at home!

Anyway, did you end up tearing the muscle?

wanderingangler8 said:As for my own situation, I went in today to have the nasal packing removed, and I am still dealing with some nosebleeds. There is quite a bit of congestion as well, and frankly, I feel pretty miserable. I have my mold removal scheduled for this coming Friday,
so we shall see how things progress.
My doctor suggested that I could use an Aquamaris spray to rinse my nasal passages, so I was wondering if anyone here has experience with that, and specifically, how many days after surgery is it safe to start?

Please, walk us through the details—how did your surgery actually go?

Adam Johnson my threads completely unraveled after just three weeks

Alex Campbell54 said:Well, you can start using a spray right away—it didn't do much for me, though. It’s just sitting there...
There's actually a better way to go about it using a homemade saline solution!

Anyway, did you actually slice the muscle?

Yeah, I sliced the muscle. It had to happen because my nose was sagging quite a bit, so I wasn't really against it.
The swelling is still there, but now it’s starting to drift down toward my cheeks. Is that normal?
And how did you clean out all that dried blood from your nose? Mine is still all crusty.

boldeagle3 said:What do you mean, "harder to pull off"?
Personally, I spent most of my time just sleeping through the day... but hey, that’s not exactly a bad thing. I mean, what else are you even going to do over there anyway... 😁

Honestly, I think people are mostly terrified of waking up to find out they were just part of some massive, faceless crowd, whereas with local stuff, at least you know who you're dealing with. To be real, that's exactly what scares me the most...😢

Bryan Gomez27 said:Tell us a bit about how your surgery went...

Alright, here’s the whole rundown from the start.
I rolled in there around 7:30 AM. My husband dropped me off and headed out. Then I had to swap into those surgical scrubs—pants and a top—and put on a diaper. Had to pull on those weird open-toe hospital socks, too...
I went back to have the doctor take some photos and mark up my nose to show exactly where the incisions would be.
After that, I got onto the operating table and they poked an IV into my left arm. The doctor warned me I’d feel dizzy, and honestly, within a few seconds, I was spinning. Then I just passed out—blackout. When I woke up, I was in a recovery room; it was 11:20 AM. I tried to grab my phone right away, but it took me about ten minutes just to actually feel human again. Once I could think straight, I called my husband and shot everyone a quick text to let them know I was awake...
A nurse brought me a cup of water with a straw—chugged that immediately—and asked if I wanted some pudding. I wasn't really feeling food, though, I just needed to hit the restroom. She walked me there and helped me back to bed.
Around 1:00 PM, I called my husband because the nurse mentioned I should call him if I wanted someone by my side to make things easier. He showed up right away, and we hung out until about 3:30 PM. That's when the doctor checked in, gave me all my results and discharge papers, and we finally headed home. I didn't have much bruising that first day—actually felt pretty okay—but around 10:30 at night, I almost passed out because I hadn't eaten anything all day. I finally caved and ate some pudding since I was getting worried about myself.
I slept pretty poorly that night; my throat was incredibly dry, so I kept waking up to drink water. The next day, I had to go back to get the packing removed. I had an appointment around 9:00 AM. It's not actually that bad... it's a little awkward, sure, but it literally takes five seconds.
Today is day three post-op. I'm still avoiding solid food—just sticking to pudding, yogurt, and broth.
The bruising isn't too intense, just some swelling. I've got some dried blood in my nose which looks pretty gross, but I'm going to try using a spray today and hope it cleans things up.
Anyway, if you guys have questions, fire away. And if you see any typos, it's just because I can't wear my glasses and I can't do contacts right now.😍

Laura Doyle9 said:Honestly, I think people’s biggest fear is waking up one day and realizing they've lost their national identity entirely—that sense of "who are we?"—whereas with local issues, you at least know where you stand. To be real, that's exactly what keeps me up at night.😢

I ended up going with general anesthesia because, honestly, I was freaking out. But like the doctor said—every surgery comes with its own set of risks. At the end of the day, it’s just on you to decide if you're ready to take that leap or not.

slymoose95 said:Has anyone actually seen the specialist?

Here’s my take—I’ve spent the last few days reading through this entire thread. I’m seriously considering the surgery myself. It’s been on my mind for ages, and now that I have a sinus polyp, I might just tackle everything at once. My main concern is the recovery time; I’m a bit older, so I need to be careful.
Actually, my son had his nose surgery done by that specialist, and I can tell you firsthand: he is top-tier. He’s an ENT, a Chief of Medicine, and a true pro. He always provides a proper receipt for every single service—I’ve personally gone to him for things like inhalations and mole removal. We couldn't be happier with his care, his approach, and how much time he spends with his patients. I noticed many of you mentioning those little bumps that pop up after surgery. Well, my son had to go back twice for exactly that. Each time, they cleared the bump with a needle, almost like a puncture. Two years later, his nose looks perfect—not a bump in sight. (On a side note, the surgery didn't fully solve his breathing issues—he had both a septum correction and adenoid removal since he deals with allergies, so there are likely other underlying issues.)
Bottom line: I highly recommend him. If I finally pull the trigger on my own surgery, he’s the one I’m going to. And don't worry, he never charged us extra for any follow-up post-op treatments. As for the total cost for the septum correction and adenoid removal, it came to $3667.

wanderingangler8 said:Yeah, he actually cut through the muscle. It was necessary in my case because my nose had started to sag quite a bit—I wasn't exactly protesting the procedure.
The swelling is still there, though it seems to be migrating downward toward my cheeks now. Is that normal?
Also, how did you manage to clear out all that dried blood from your nose? Mine is still stuck in there, completely dried up.

Just clean your nose using cotton swabs—but please, be extremely gentle; remember, you are dealing with an internal wound here.

Laura Castillo7 said:Just clean your nose with Q-tips—but be super careful and gentle, since it's still an open wound inside.

Honestly, I'm scared to even touch it when everything feels swollen and numb—I don't want to shove a Q-tip in too deep and cause more damage. Will my doctor handle the cleaning when they take the mold out?

wanderingangler8 said:Personally, I’m terrified of messing with it when everything feels swollen and I've lost all sensation—I don't want to push the swab too deep and cause an injury. Will the doctor handle the cleaning during the mold removal process?

I honestly can't say—it depends on which specialist you saw. In my case, they cleaned everything out, applied some sort of ointment, and instructed me not to blow my nose for a full month; I was told to stick strictly to gentle cleaning with swabs.

Laura Castillo7 said:I'm not sure which doctor you saw—they cleaned mine out, applied some kind of ointment, and told me not to blow my nose for a month. Just gentle cleaning with swabs only.

The specialist.
Did they do that cleaning and apply the ointment while they were removing the cast?

wanderingangler8 said:him.
Did they grease and clean it up for you while they were removing the mold?

Yes—and also when I was removing the tampons. At that point, they told me to use cotton swabs for cleaning. You just gently pull out whatever is bothering you. Honestly, you'll be terrified of hurting yourself at first (I felt exactly the same way), but eventually, you get the hang of it. Those swabs were a total lifesaver for me, because you can't really do anything with a pad.

I have a really peculiar nose... I feel like the tip is way too bulbous (not sure if that's the right word in English lol), and because my nostrils flare upward and I have those little bumps on the sides, it makes my whole nose look crooked :_ plus the bridge is quite narrow and even slightly humped :_
is surgery for a nose like this considered difficult or relatively straightforward?
thanks^^
(hope you guys could actually make sense of this ridiculous description _._)