Rhinoplasty: Stories

Just got home from getting my cast off.......and I am THRILLED. I have wanted this surgery since I was 12 ( 20 years) and only held off so long because I was afraid of the actual procedure and the recovery. It was SOOOOOO much easier and less traumatic than I thought it would be. NO pain whatsoever; just felt like I had a bad cold. I actually needed to deliberately relax, because I felt great a couple of hours after surgery and was tryting to do too much.

I went to about 8 surgeons before deciding on "my guy", and he was GREAT. The best advice I can give, is to go to a plastic surgeon that specializes in noses. All of them do the procedure, but very few make it their "specialty". My Dr. did 3 noses the day of my surgery and that is a "normal" day for him.

I was very concerned that I would not get enough of a result. The doctor under-promised and over-delivered. He was extremely honest and straight forward about what to expect.

I am already ecstatic, and it will only get better as the swelling goes down over the next 6-12 months. I would tell anyone to "go for it"

Well 11 months later, I am happier than ever with the results of my sugery. Believe it or not, the swelling still goes up and down a little depending on the weather, if I am in the sun, or if I fly, eat salty foods etc. But that is normal for the first two years.

Overall I cannot say anything negative about my experience. The surgery was a breeze, I am thrilled with the final result and a close friend even went to get her nose done by my doc after seeing the work he did on me.

The work I had done on my nose was different than the typical rhinoplasty surgery. I did not have the standard bump or beak appearance. My nose was simply too wide for my face and lacked definition. I felt like my nose was front and center of every picture I took!  I added some pictures. Hopefully you will be able to see the difference in the bridge and tip of my nose- those were my biggest issues!

Dr. C is extremly experienced and precise and was able to give me exactly what I was hoping for. After working at a plastic surgery group for years- I saw way too many "typical nose job" results and did not want that at all. When deciding on my surgeon ( I saw 8 others), I looked at so many before and afters that just looked so typical. I feel that Dr. C did a great job of giving me a natural ( not "done") looking nose, that fits my face.

Alot of you have written asking about a website for the doctor. As of now he does not have one and his business is strongly based on referrals. His office number is {edited - click the provider's name at the top of the review for full contact details}.

Go for it- trust me you will be pleased!!

Here I am more than 2 years later and still posting on this website! lol
I love hearing from everyone and answering questions for people who are considering surgery.
I have built a really close relationship with Dr. C and his staff from all the people I have sent to him. So I am happy to help in any way I can. For all of you who want to see a website, he now has one, due to me convincing him to do so! The address is www.RobertCiardulloMD.com
I am still happier than ever and everyone who I have sent to his office, has been thrilled as well. Feel free to write. Best of Luck to you all :)

GREAT NEWS EVERYONE!! I met with Dr. C and he was able to give me some other before and afters, from patients who gave their consent. So for all of you who have been waiting for the website...I now have the pictures to share. Message me seperately and I am happy to send along.

Hey Everyone! I posted a few new pictures for a reason( make sure to scroll over to read the text on the pics). So many of you write me about what to expect after surgery, swelling,bruising etc. So I tried to pick pictures that really show you the ups and downs. I will say it again...surgery and recovery was a breeze...so have no fear :) The hardest part ( which I do my best to warn people about), is the swelling you will experience AFTER you get your cast off. It is not painful...it just hides the true results you will eventually have from finally going through the surgery you have wanted for so long!Everyone is very different and reacts differently- but EVERYONE WILL HAVE SWELLING. Picture this... Your nose is being held down for a week under plaster. Doctor removes the cast and your nose basically explodes at the opportunity to be able to swell, without being held down. So your nose will NOT look how you want it to, it WILL be swollen and it WILL look 1000 times better as the weeks go on. Personally, I was thrilled within about 2 weeks. But I also didn't realize how much more improvement I would experience over the following months. I remember looking in the mirror in April ( my surgery was 12/31) and saying to myself
" Wow. My nose looks much more defined!". It kind of happens slowly and then all of a sudden, you notice a huge change. So again...my best advice is not to panic, realize your nose went through alot of trauma, and be PATIENT!! It takes time, but you will be fabulous soon enough :) I love hearing from everyone and answering all of your questions...so please don't hesitate to write

A few of you have emailed or commented, asking for more recent pictures. I am now 2+ years post-rhinoplasty...so it is a FINAL result :) It's crazy, but I still feel like my nose goes up and down sometimes, but I don't think it has anything to do with my surgery; probably just normal water or salt retention as I get older! lol As I stated so clearly in my previous posts...I am SO happy with my results! What I love most about my new nose, is that I think it looks very natural. keep the questions and emails coming! I love hearing from you :)

If anyone would like me to send pictures until the website is finished, please private message me with a personal email. Please use a non-gmail address, as for some reason, they never go through. Thanks!

Great news everyone!!! The before and afters for rhinoplasty are now up on the website!!! Please continue to email me, even if not for pictures. Lol. I still love answering questions and talking about my experience with the surgery.

Wow. It's so exciting how many people are going to Dr. C from this website. He really is an excellent surgeon and does amazing work! Many of you write to me that you can't find much information on the web about the doctor. To some, that is a concern. But also remember to look at it this way...he has run a very successful and busy practice for 20+ years, with NO advertising. That says a lot for a doctor! His reputation has been based solely on word of mouth, not by paying for fancy ads in fancy magazines. To me...that speaks volumes :) When you see a review on Real Self- this means that a real person; a real patient, took time out of their day, simply because they wanted to, to say nice things about their doctor; Not because they are being paid. That is in my opinion, much more valuable than any ad or fancy website. Keep the questions and emails coming! I'm so happy that I can be of any help to anyone considering surgery.

Well it's been a while since I have updated, but just figured I would post to let anyone know that I am still active on the site and am happy to answer any questions or assist anyone. I have spoken to so many people who have gotten their noses done with Dr.C, and all are thrilled. He really does incredible work; and every person who I have seen who has had surgery with him, has a distinct nose for THEIR face. None of them look "done" or "typical". I love seeing the new reviews pop up from people who I have spoken to. Keep the messages coming; I'm happy to share anything about my experience.