Rhinoplasty recovery: What to expect?

I’m planning to get my nasal structure corrected this October, but honestly, I’ve been struggling with breathing issues lately. Every single night, I find myself having to use nasal spray just to get through. It makes me wonder—when I sit down for my consultation, will the doctor actually perform a physical exam and tell me if I need a septoplasty? Or am I supposed to have that assessment handled beforehand? I mean, that whole diagnostic process... thanks.

Susan Scott5 said:Actually, I visited Ostojić about two weeks ago myself. I was quite happy with how everything went; I slept right through the entire procedure and didn't feel a thing. We were just focusing on the aesthetic side of things...

I have my surgery scheduled with Ostojić in about ten days... purely aesthetic work under enhanced local anesthesia. It would be super if someone who has actually been there—maybe Susan Scott5 or Brit Macke... 🙏—could walk me through how they handle the anesthesia process and what that semi-conscious state actually feels like during the operation. Of course, this is only for those who avoided general anesthesia, which isn't an option for me at all. I'm really just hoping I won't have to endure any sounds of bone cracking or anything else unpleasant like that...😁
thanks so much 👍

I would most warmly suggest that you steer clear of Klapan; word on the street is that instead of him actually performing the rhinoplasties at KB Salata, they’re mostly being handled by residents and junior specialists. If you find that hard to believe, feel free to test the theory yourself!

Joshua Murphy7 said:I have heard that Dr. Klapan Ivica is actually quite talented, having completed advanced training right here in the USA and worked at KB Salata, where he received a great deal of praise for his work;
I am looking to undergo surgery myself for a deviated septum and rhinoplasty; otherwise, I suffer from frequent inflammations—specifically chronic sinus and throat issues—which seem to trigger a whole cascade of secondary problems, including bacterial issues in my urinary tract and a weakened immune system, among other things!!!

Does anyone else happen to struggle with similar health complications??

Joseph Edwards31 said:I’d strongly suggest you steer clear of Klapan. Word on the street is that instead of him, they just have residents and junior specialists handling the rhinoplasties over at KB Salata. If you don't believe me, feel free to find out for yourself!

What do you mean "everyone knows"? I haven't heard a thing about that, so maybe give me some actual details?😲 And if he isn't doing them, then who's actually performing the rhinoplasties at the Klapan clinic? Is his aesthetic work just that bad, or... what? Honestly, I’m just trying to figure out who to go to so I can fix my nose without making it look like a total disaster...🤷

This really speaks more to those folks down South... I wouldn't dream of traveling all the way to New York or Chicago just because I feel this doctor is superior to the specialists there, but I am genuinely curious to hear some concrete experiences from fellow forum members here..
Has anyone actually visited Dr. Glušac in Miami?? I have heard nothing but glowing praise regarding his expertise and those cutting-edge techniques he employs during rhinoplasty; besides, he even posts his surgical procedures on YouTube for everyone to see.

Look, Lawrence Turner4, please don't let this get to you too much. Honestly, this whole thread is basically just one big game of telephone at this point. You’ll notice that the only posts with any actual weight are the ones where someone says, "Yeah, my surgeon totally screwed me up because he did X, Y, and Z." Just ignore all this endless, aimless whining that lacks any real substance.
My best friend actually went to see Dr. Klapan Ivica for surgery—just a deviated septum, nothing crazy—paid him about $10,000, and she was super happy with the results. As for me, I had both functional and cosmetic work done at a major public hospital, and I was super satisfied too. Plus, I didn't even deal with that nasty post-op nausea from the general anesthesia 🙂

swiftwolf52 said:I'm heading in for surgery with Ostojić in about ten days... aesthetic work under enhanced local anesthesia. It would be super if someone who's actually been through it with him (Susan Scott5, Brit Macke... 🙏 ) could walk me through how they handle the anesthesia process and that semi-conscious state you're in during the procedure. Obviously, this is only if you didn't go under general anesthesia (which is totally off the table for me). I'm really hoping I won't have to listen to any bone cracking or skull grinding sounds or anything equally horrific😁
danke sehr 👍

Well honey,

I don't know if everyone reacts the same way, but personally? I was out cold.
First, they give you a sedative shot in the butt, then you just lie on the bed for about half an hour. After that, they ask if you need to use the restroom, and honestly, even just getting up to leave the room, you start feeling a little lightheaded.

Then you lie down on the operating table in the surgical suite. The doctor chats with you while they insert the IV, and they inject one liquid—this painkiller so you don't feel a thing—and then the second liquid, which is the actual sedative. I managed to squeeze out exactly one sentence before I just drifted off 😉, so I didn't feel a single thing. Literally nothing. I don't even know if I woke myself up or how, I just remember the nurse telling me I could move back to my bed in the recovery room. Everything was already done and I was all wrapped up.

So, if you react the way I did, it’s going to be completely painless and you won't feel a thing 😁! Good luck!

Hey everyone, just checking in from another girl who’s dealing with a bit of a bump😉—so, after thinking about this for what feels like forever, I've finally decided to pull the trigger on nose surgery.
I've been lurking here and reading through all your posts since the very beginning, mostly just trying to work up the nerve to see if I could actually go through with it... and now, honestly? I'm more certain than ever that it's what I want. I'm just currently in that phase where I'm aggressively saving up every cent I can to make it happen.😁

Hey there! So, I've got this tiny little bump on my nose, and I was just wondering if it's actually worth getting surgery done for something like that? To be honest, nobody has ever really made fun of my nose or anything...

Susan Scott5, for heaven's sake... ladies, please tell me—how long do you actually have to sleep on your back after surgery? And when did you all manage to start eating normally again? Also, when do those first stitches start coming out and all that good stuff...
Basically, today is my second day post-op. I feel completely out of sorts, and this whole "sleeping on your back" thing is absolutely killing me.🙏

steelangler88, which surgeon did you go with for your surgery? Are you actually happy with how it turned out?

My sister just had surgery about a week ago; she originally had a nose that was slightly prominent in profile but relatively slim... now, she’s been in tears since they took the cast off yesterday because she feels like she looks like a pig. Her nose is significantly thicker now and the tip is turned up so much that even when she smiles, she looks like a pig, and her profile looks just as strange. I guess it's hard to say, but how much time usually needs to pass after an initial procedure before someone can go back in to get it fixed?

Oh man, looking back at my old bio!! 😂

Ugh, I went through the exact same thing your sister did—looking in the mirror thinking, "WTF was I thinking?"...
Anyway, today marks day three since they took the cast off. My first experience was absolutely brutal; I had the same reaction your sister did. But honestly? Today doesn't feel quite as terrifying. It’s only been a week, and let's face it, the cast was squeezing my face like crazy. I'm just crossing my fingers that the swelling goes down soon! I'm hoping everything is still just inflamed (fingers crossed). It might not look the best from the front right now, but the profile looks gorgeous.🙂

Mind you, I had a bit of a unique situation where the bridge of my nose was wider than the base, so even though the whole thing looks a little wide right now—well, damn, at least it actually looks like a nose!

Ostojić performed the surgery.
Basically, I'll probably head back for a revision if it stays this bulky, though I am starting to get used to it and really hope the swelling subsides over time. Even if it doesn't, I'm actually pretty happy. I was being very cautious from the start, making sure to tell them I didn't want massive changes (even though the change is obvious) and that I definitely didn't want a tiny, thin nose, so I didn't let them take too much off the base. If it stays thick, I can always go back later just to slim it down slightly—it wouldn't be nearly as intense as this current stage.

So, who knows how much more my nose is going to change??? It's been one week since the surgery; is there still a chance it'll slim down naturally?? I'd really love to avoid that revision if I can.

Eric Morris5 said:...my sister just had her surgery about a week ago; she used to have a slightly larger nose in profile, but it was quite thin... now she’s been in tears ever since they took the cast off yesterday because she feels like she looks like a pig... her nose is way thicker than before and the tip is turned up so much that even when she smiles, she looks like a pig, and the profile looks just plain strange too.... how long does one typically have to wait after the first procedure before they can go back to get it fixed?

Generally speaking, you would want to wait at least 6 to 12 months following the initial surgery. May I ask which surgeon she went to?

One more question... ladies who have undergone surgery where the muscle between the nose and the upper lip was excised... how is your recovery going??
I'm panicking a little because I feel like my whole face looks slightly "lower," and my smile is just way too wide!!! My teeth are showing much less than they used to. Sure, everything is still pretty stiff, but I'm terrified that the smile won't be able to move back up much further. Am I ever going to get my old smile back??!!🙏

Donna Nguyen65 said:Hey everyone, just checking in from someone else who’s been sitting on this idea for a while.😉 After thinking it over for ages, I've finally decided to go through with nose surgery.
I've been lurking here since the beginning, basically just gathering enough courage to pull the trigger... and now I’m more than certain this is what I want to do. I'm just in that phase where I'm saving up the cash right now.😁

Honestly, just go for it... I had my procedure done and I couldn't be happier. My insurance actually covered it because it was for a deviated septum—total win. I had it done by Dr. Racic at Mayo Clinic and everything went super smoothly. Six months later? I officially have the best nose in the world.

steelangler88 said:Just one more thing... for those of you who had surgery where they had to excise the muscle between the nose and the lip... how was your recovery?
I'm panicking just a little bit—I feel like my whole face looks a bit "lower" now, and my smile is just... weird. My teeth don't show nearly as much as they used to. I know things are still pretty stiff, but I'm terrified it won't move back up much further. Am I ever going to get my old smile back??!!🙏

You'll get it back, honestly, but you have to wait at least six months. It took that long for me, and once it did, both my sensation in my nose and my actual smile finally came back to normal.

I've been feeling it in my nose for quite a while now—honestly, I felt somewhat normal after just a week. I’m out here stretching my muscles constantly... 😂

But look... my stupid nose looks different every single day. I'm being serious. Over the last three or four days, I've noticed this lump on the left side—a lump that definitely wasn't there before! It's driving me absolutely crazy😕

steelangler88 said:I’ve had that sensation in my nose for quite a while now—honestly, maybe even after just a week I could feel it normally. Just stretching out the muscles...😂

But look... my stupid nose looks different every single day. Seriously. For the last three or four days, I've been noticing this little bump on the left side—a bump that definitely wasn't there before! It's driving me absolutely crazy.😕

That might actually be cartilage. In my case, right at the bridge of my nose, it feels like a tiny little ball—you can see it if you really lean in and look... since I had reconstructive surgery, my doctor told me that little bump actually has to be there because, in layman's terms, it helps hold the shape of my nose together... or something like that.

Are you actually serious right now? To just show up out of nowhere like that, a full month after the surgery?

Oh, lovely.