Rhinoplasty recovery: What to expect?

😲 And now we’re talking about little pills??🙄 Good grief... does everyone actually end up needing one of those things? Because I’m thinking maybe I’ll be the exception to the rule.😉
I finally managed to pull through $667, haha, just a little bit more to go.😂😂And then there's me, just drifting along.

Greetings, everyone!
I had my nose surgery performed by Dr. Glušac about 10 days ago. Everything went absolutely super; I have nothing but praise for the doctor! I didn't experience any pain at all—which was surprising, because I was fully expecting at least a little discomfort once the anesthesia wore off. Honestly, it felt like I hadn't even undergone surgery. We didn't use general anesthesia, just enhanced local, so there was no nausea or vomiting when I woke up; I felt perfectly fine. I drifted off lightly, woke up gently, and even had some vivid dreams! And mind you, I hadn't eaten or drunk anything for two hours before the procedure. My doctor explained that he utilizes modern anesthetic techniques specifically designed to prevent nausea, paired with a top-tier anesthesiologist... I also want to give a shout-out to the entire staff; they were super! 👍
As soon as I woke up and "came to," I headed straight home.

The very next day, I returned to the clinic to have the packing removed, which was an absolute lifesaver because breathing through your mouth is miserable—it dries everything out... 😠 It’s great that they can remove the packing so quickly; in my opinion, that's a huge relief! If I was afraid of anything regarding this procedure, it was definitely the packing—having two meters of gauze shoved up your nose sounds terrifying—but this doctor uses a specialized sponge instead of bulky gauze, which is much easier and faster to extract. It’s a little awkward, but it doesn't hurt since the sponge is only about 8 inches long (I actually saw it when he pulled it out). So, that part went super as well!
My cast was removed after five days, though he left a few small bandages on my nose that I took off two days later.

I should emphasize that Dr. Glušac performs the rhinoplasty using a closed technique, meaning he doesn't open the entire nose but works through a single nostril using specialized instruments. It's a super technique: faster recovery times and less bruising.

You guys probably care about the bruising... it's inevitable, but the severity varies from person to person. On a scale of 1 to 5, I would say I was a 3. I had bruising, but nothing extreme! Today is my tenth day, and there's still a tiny bit left; I can just cover it with concealer, and it should definitely vanish in a few days. My nose is still swollen, too. From a profile view, I look super, but when I look in the mirror, I look like Miss Piggy. I'm hoping that clears up in about ten days.
The price was $10 $0.00, and the follow-up appointments are free! I didn't even pay for the initial consultation, and I don't have any special connections or anything.
If you have any questions, feel free to ask! I hope I've been helpful!

steelangler88 said:I’ve been feeling it in my nose for quite a while now; I think after maybe just a week, things felt somewhat back to normal. I’m working on stretching out my muscles... 😂

But here's the thing... my stupid nose looks different every single day. I am being completely serious. Over the last three or four days, I've started noticing this bump on the left side—a bump that definitely wasn't there before! It's enough to drive me absolutely insane.😕

steelangler88, I noticed a lump on the right side of my nose today.. what’s going on with yours now? Has it gone away?

redridge15 said:steelangler88—I noticed a bump on the right side of my nose today... what's going on with yours now? Has it cleared up yet?

Dammit. I’m only a month out from surgery, and this damn thing just showed up five or six days ago. That’s why it feels so weird—I was under the impression that if there was cartilage damage, it would have been visible immediately following the procedure. Wouldn't it?
I went in for my checkup yesterday, and the doctor is insisting it’s just swelling. Well, fine—whatever he says. We'll just have to wait and see how it plays out.🤷

What’s your experience been like with Dr. Boric or Dr. Glumičić?
Which one is better, and who’s more expensive?

redridge15 said:Hey everyone!
I had my nose job with Dr. Glušac about 10 days ago. Everything went super, honestly, huge props to the doctor! I didn't feel any pain at all (which was weird because I expected at least a little bit once the anesthesia wore off—but miracle of miracles, nothing). It wasn't general anesthesia, just enhanced local, so I didn't deal with any nausea when I woke up, nothing at all. I just drifted off, woke up gently, and even had some dreams! And get this, I hadn't eaten or drunk anything for two hours before the surgery. The doctor explained he uses modern anesthesia techniques so you don't get sick, plus he has a great anesthesiologist... shoutout to the whole staff too, they were awesome! 👍
Once I woke up and finally felt human again, I headed straight home.

The next day, I went back to the clinic to have the packing removed, and man, was that a lifesaver. Breathing through your mouth is just brutal, everything gets so dry... 😠 It’s actually great that they take it out the very next day; for me, it was a total relief. If I was scared of anything regarding this procedure, it was the packing—having two feet of gauze shoved up your nose sounds terrifying—but this doctor doesn't use those bulky gauze strips. He uses this little sponge thing that’s way easier and faster to pull out. It’s a little awkward, but it doesn't hurt since the sponge is only about 8 inches long (I actually saw it when he pulled it out). So that went super smoothly too!
My cast came off after five days, though he left a few small patches on my nose which I took off two days later.

I should mention that Dr. Glušac performs the rhinoplasty using closed technique. He doesn't open the whole nose; he just works through one nostril with his instruments—it's a super technique because recovery is faster and there's less bruising.

I bet you guys want to know about the bruising... you're probably going to get some, but it varies depending on the person. On a scale of 1 to 5, I was a 3. I had bruising, but nothing crazy. Today is day ten and I still have a tiny bit left; I can just cover it with concealer and it'll definitely be gone in a few days. My nose is still swollen, too. From the profile, I look super, but when I look in the mirror, I look like Miss Piggy. I'm hoping that clears up in about 10 days.
The price was 10 $0.00, and the follow-up appointments are free! I didn't even pay for the first consultation, and it wasn't even through some special connection or anything.
If you have questions, hit me up! Hope this helps!

10 $0.00?😲 what isn't it more?

When you look at this, we’re talking about a price point between 10,000 and 11,000 $0.00—and that covers both aesthetics and functionality. In my experience, you rarely get one without the other...

steelangler88, please tell me, how does your nose look right now? Is there still any swelling??
I have about 15 days left until my wedding (I'm the maid of honor), and I'm honestly freaking out—is it going to be swollen by then?????
My doctor assured me it wouldn't be, but still... 🤷

So, what's the deal with Žgaljardić? Anyone actually have some firsthand experience with him?
He’s definitely arrogant, sure, but does he actually bring anything to the table?

Nancy Morgan81 said:Well, that sounds like your cartilage to me—for my part, it’s more like the septum; you can actually feel this little bump when you get close... since I had reconstructive surgery, my doctor told me that little nub has to stay right where it is because, in layman's terms, it basically holds the shape of my nose together... or something along those lines.

As for me, I went totally budget... everything was covered by my insurance... hehe. There isn't a soul alive who would let me just walk into some private clinic to get operated on without a full anesthesia team present... no way in hell.

redridge15 said:steelangler88, please tell me—how's your nose looking now? Is the swelling still there??
I've got about 15 days until I'm a bridesmaid at this wedding, and I'm honestly stressing about whether it'll still look puffy by then?????
My doctor told me it wouldn't be, but... well, you know how that goes. 🤷

When I had my surgery, things started feeling somewhat back to normal about a month later—but honestly, you don't really see the full result until the six-month mark when everything looks super.

In the States, people have actually been doing non-surgical nose jobs for a while now. Instead of going under the knife, they just inject a specific filler to smooth out bumps and reshape the profile. This whole thing was pioneered by Alexander Rivkin, so you should definitely look him up to see what he’s all about. I'm not totally convinced this works for everyone, but the sweet part is that the results last about two or three years. If you end up hating it, you aren't stuck with it forever—you can always just go for the actual surgery later if you still want it. The "procedure" runs about $1,000.
Maybe we'll see this kind of thing hitting the US market soon too. Check out this video to see how they actually pull it off:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=upVvuihmUI4

Nicole Grant7 said:In the States, they've been doing non-surgical nose jobs for a while now. They basically inject a specific type of filler to smooth out bumps and level everything out. This technique was pioneered by a doctor named Alexander Rivkin, so it might be worth looking up his work. I'm not entirely convinced this works for everyone, but the silver lining is that the results last about two to three years. If you end up hating how it looks, you aren't stuck with it—you can always just go through with actual surgery later if you still want to. These "liquid rhinoplasty" procedures cost around $1,000.
Maybe we'll see this kind of thing become available here in America soon. Here is a video showing how the process actually works:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=upVvuihmUI4

That kind of procedure is super effective for people with small noses who just have a little bump. I've looked into it before; they inject the filler and you get a perfectly straight profile. It essentially just straightens the nose.

Personally, though, I wouldn't get anything out of it. Sure, I had a tiny bump, but my nose was actually quite large/high when viewed from the side. I wanted to reduce the overall size, and you can only really achieve that through traditional surgery.

Nancy Morgan81, how was your stay at the hospital? How much weight did you lose? Was the pain manageable?
Personally, I'm leaning toward a choice somewhere between Rachi and Glušac. Your option looks pretty tempting since there's no cost involved.

redridge15 said:That kind of procedure is super for kids with a little bump. I’ve looked into it—they inject some liquid and you end up with a straight nose. Basically just straightening the bridge.

Personally, I wouldn't get anything out of that. Sure, I had a tiny bump, but my nose always looked too big from the side—like, way too high. I actually wanted to shrink the whole thing, and you can only do that with a real surgery.

I also have a large profile, and honestly, I've been thinking about surgery for ages. My mom is supportive even though she's a bit nervous, and I'm definitely not indifferent to it either. I'd deal with all the pain just to be happy with how I look afterward.

So, is Dr. Glušac actually in ZG? Which hospital is he at? Honestly, I don't care if it's free or not—I just want someone who's actually good.

wanderingangler8 said:So, is that Dr. Glušac based in Chicago? Which hospital? Honestly, I don't care if it's covered by insurance or free; I just want someone who actually knows what they're doing.

He's actually down in Miami!

redridge15 said:man, he's out there in Miami!

Thanks, but I'll pass on all that.😢>

Nancy Morgan81 said:After surgery, things started feeling somewhat normal again about a month later, but honestly, you don't really see how great it looks until the six-month mark hits.

I had my procedure on August 23rd.
Are they performing yours through an endonasal approach, or is there a visible incision between your nose and your lip?

Nancy Morgan81 said:I totally skipped out on that... socialized medicine covered everything for me... haha. There isn't a doctor in the world who'd operate on me without a full anesthesia team ready to go.... no way in hell.

Could you explain how that works through the public system? I'm pretty clueless about it. 😳