Rhinoplasty: Experiences and recovery tips?

Hi everyone... I’ve been lurking here and reading through your posts for a bit—don't worry, I don't actually have any issues with my nose myself. It's just that I was falling down a rabbit hole on YouTube last night and stumbled upon this surgeon based out in Santa Monica.

If you take the time to watch the whole thing, you'll see it's actually a pretty unique approach to sinus surgery. Based on everything I read on his official site after seeing the clip, he seems incredibly skilled and highly regarded in his field—it really caught my attention.🙂

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fCrNXzU1frQ

I’m not even holding a grudge if a mistake slipped through. But this whole attempt at persuasion? It’s honestly ridiculous—and frankly, it feels worse than just admitting the error and explaining what happened. If he didn't do it, he should just explain why it ended up there in the first place. I'm not going to just take his word for it blindly.🙄
If it was his fault, he should fix it; if it wasn't, then there's really nothing to worry about.

steelangler88, if we’re talking about dealing with a private contractor, I honestly feel like you should be demanding a full refund at the very least. I’ve heard through the grapevine that getting everything audited and fixed up can end up costing twice as much as the original job... You could certainly take them to court, but if you aren't willing to at least threaten them with some bad PR, then you're basically just letting someone sell you faulty goods and walking away empty-handed.
For companies in the plastics industry, their reputation is half the battle, if not more.

Amanda Ramirez42 said:Just whatever you do, don't go following the exact same legal route. I'm planning on heading straight to the auditors myself.

And who exactly are you planning to take this to?

I get it. But honestly, that’s exactly why I don’t want any part in dragging someone down. I’m not looking for lawsuits, nor am I interested in trashing anyone's reputation. If I hadn't been happy at first—during those initial two weeks when you could barely see any change yet—I wouldn't have even mentioned who my surgeon was. Now? I actually regret posting it. Although, his behavior got under my skin so much that I've lost confidence in everything else too...
I'm incredibly unhappy about this whole situation, but I won't find any satisfaction in seeing someone get screwed over. At the end of the day, I just want my nose fixed, and nothing more.

Lisa Ross6 said:Hi everyone... I've been reading through your posts. I don't actually have any issues with my nose, but last night I was searching on YouTube and stumbled upon this doctor you all mention in Santa Monica..

Anyone who watches this until the end will realize we're looking at a brand new surgical method. Based on his website and what I just saw, he seems incredibly skilled and highly reputable. It really caught my attention..🙂

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fCrNXzU1frQ

I’ve actually been a patient of his. I have nothing but praise. From the surgery itself to the follow-ups, the cleaning, the bandaging, and the medical advice—everything was handled by the doctor personally. No nurses or assistants hovering over you. I am beyond satisfied.👍

steelangler88 said:I totally get it. But honestly, that’s exactly why I’m hesitating—I don't want to be the reason someone’s life gets ruined. I’m really not about the whole lawsuit thing or trying to tear down someone's reputation. If I hadn't been happy at first (like during those first two weeks when everything seemed fine), I wouldn't have even mentioned which surgeon operated on me. Now, I’m actually starting to regret posting. To be honest, his behavior has rubbed me the wrong way so much that I don't even know what to believe anymore...
I am absolutely devastated by all of this, but seeing someone else get screwed over isn't going to bring me any peace. At the end of the day, I just want my nose fixed and nothing more.

But look, by sharing your bad experience and naming the doctor who treated another woman, you’re essentially helping people in the same boat, so you're doing something good... incompetent doctors are dangerous and harmful, and they really need to be called out. Besides, if he had actually been willing to make things right, he could have saved his own reputation. Instead, he’s basically responsible for this himself, not to mention how arrogant and rude he's been.
Sharing stories about bad experiences serves as a guide for others—it's how we figure out how to pick a competent doctor in the first place, right?

Tamic book! How are things? I just got back from my facial lymphatic drainage session. Honestly, my girlfriend gave me a thirty-minute face massage—which feels absolutely incredible, by the way—but then she decided to zap me with some microcurrent device to "drain" everything. So, yeah, that’s my version of lymphatic drainage today:-). The swelling under my eyes has finally gone down, though I’m still looking a little puffy.

Jesse Taylor7, you headed home the very same day they cleared you after the surgery, right? And what time was that—did anyone actually stay behind to wait for you the whole time, or what?

Laura Castillo7 said:Jesse Taylor7, you went home the very same day after the surgery, right? What time was that exactly? And did someone actually wait for you the entire time?

Hey, did you make it to the consultation? What was your take on it? I walked into the clinic at 10:30 AM, so I definitely kept you waiting until about 11:30 AM 🙂. I believe my procedure started around 12:30 or 1:00 PM. I finally headed out around 4:00 PM. My husband dropped me off, went to work, and then came back to pick me up.

Emily Campbell36 said:Does it just handle the functional stuff and throw this in as an afterthought, or what?

From what I understand, they cover both the functional and aesthetic aspects through insurance, so there’s no out-of-pocket cost for it.

I’m actually getting ready for surgery myself very soon 🙂
Namely—I had a bit of an accident recently, and even though my nose didn't look totally smashed at first, it turns out it actually was.
My septum is broken and sitting off to one side now, plus the bone itself fractured, so everything is just... misaligned.
I have to wait a while for everything to heal up properly before they can go back in, take it all apart, and put it back together correctly.
I've decided I'm going to have a septorhinoplasty done. I mean, it doesn't make much sense to just fix the septum now and then have to deal with the bone structure again later, right?
Based on some recommendations, I’ve settled on Dr. Uglešić over at the NBA, and I really liked his approach to the whole situation—though, to be honest, I'm not doing this for any psychological reasons or anything, I just genuinely need my nose fixed.

I was wondering if anyone here has any firsthand experience with Dr. Uglešić, or maybe just some general info regarding his work?

I’m heading in next Friday—though I have quite a mountain of prep work and research to tackle before then—and since they're planning on using general anesthesia, I suppose I’m feeling a little bit apprehensive about it all

Emily Campbell36 said:I'm actually headed in next Friday—but honestly, there is just so much prep work and research to get through before then. Plus, they’re doing general anesthesia, which, if I'm being totally honest, has me feeling a little bit anxious about the whole thing.

Lucky you! I think I might actually lose my mind while I'm waiting! And, well, I don't think you really need to worry about the anesthesia itself... Personally, I'm more terrified of the idea of not waking up during the surgery—I've read some pretty intense stories about people going through that.😢

Emily Campbell36 said:I’m heading in next Friday, but I’ve got a mountain of stuff to deal with first—mostly just endless research. Honestly, they're doing general anesthesia, and I'm low-key freaking out about it.

So, who are you actually seeing in the end??

So, I went in for a checkup at the Mayo Clinic yesterday—just a routine thing, really—and it turns out I have a slight deviation. Apparently, that’s been the whole reason behind all those sinus issues I've been dealing with lately... I guess that explains everything.

Maria Diaz79 said:Hey, did you make it to your consultation? How was the experience? I arrived at the clinic around 10:30 AM, so I'm certain I was waiting for you until about 11:30 🙂. My surgery went ahead roughly between 12:30 and 1:00 PM. I finally headed home around 4:00 PM. My husband dropped me off, went to work, and then came back to pick me up.

I had my consultation today—it was excellent. The doctor explained everything clearly and assured me I’ll have a beautiful nose. I really hope he's right. I've scheduled the surgery for March 3rd, and honestly, the wait is going to drive me insane—that’s easily the worst part of this whole process. If I have to deal with long waiting room delays on the actual day, too... well, let's just hope I don't lose my patience.
My only lingering concern is regarding potential complications—you know, those bumps or other minor issues people talk about—but hopefully, nothing like that occurs.
How is your recovery coming along?

Laura Castillo7 said:I went in for my consultation today, and it was great! He explained everything and promised I'll have a gorgeous nose. I really hope he's right. I scheduled the surgery for March 3rd, and honestly, the waiting is going to drive me insane. That's definitely the worst part. And what if there's a massive wait even once I actually get there? I don't know if I can handle the suspense...
My only real fear is the aftermath—you know, those weird lumps and other complications people talk about. I just hope nothing shows up.
How are things going for you?

I’m glad he gave you such a confidence boost regarding the results. Personally, I found everything he told me to be spot on (though, being as cautious and skeptical as I am, I took everything with a grain of salt 🙂). Don't assume you'll be stuck in a waiting room forever, either. The hardest part is just dealing with the anxiety before they give you the anti-anxiety meds. Once you have those, everything feels manageable. As for me, I still have a little swelling at the bridge of my nose. No lumps or anything like that so far; everything looks perfectly smooth. I couldn't be happier 😉.

Morgan Carter83 said:I am actually preparing myself for surgery quite soon too 🙂
Namely, I had a bit of an accident recently, and even though my nose didn't look broken at first glance, it turns out that it actually was.
My septum is fractured and now sits slightly to one side, and since there was also a fracture in the nasal bone, everything feels just a little bit misaligned.
Now, I have to wait a certain amount of time for everything to heal properly before they can go back in, reset things, and put it all back together.
I have decided that I will undergo a septorhinoplasty. It simply doesn't make sense to go through with a procedure just to fix the septum now, only to have to deal with those bones again after some time has passed.
Following several recommendations, I found my way to Dr. Uglešić at the Mayo Clinic, and I find his approach to the issue quite appealing; it isn't that I am seeking this for any psychological reasons, per se, but I really do need to get my nose straightened out.

I was wondering if anyone here might have some personal experience with Dr. Uglešić, or perhaps even just some general information regarding his surgical work?

Some people I know personally have had procedures performed by Prof. Uglešić, and they are remarkably satisfied with the results. Personally, I find his work quite impressive as well. They mention that he is extremely meticulous, patient, and easy to talk to—truly the right kind of person for aesthetic surgery.🙏

Thanks for the heads-up, Olivia Gonzalez11.

I’ve been scouring the internet—doing basically every bit of research I possibly can—to find out everything there is to know about this surgery.
The feedback I'm seeing is... well, it's all over the place, to say the least. But honestly, I suppose it’s hard for things to get much worse than they already are for me—both in terms of how it actually works and, you know, how it looks.
I had this idea in my head that once a nose is broken, it's going to look a million times worse, but strangely enough, it’s almost hard to even tell from the outside.

Does anyone here have any general experience with this kind of procedure through the NBA?