Booked Rhinoplasty & Birthmark Removal. Excited! - Australia, AU

Hello all,

Like everyone else here, I've appreciated reading others' experiences, thoughts and feelings on operations they have had, or even just toyed with the idea. As I've an active reader of this community, I owe it to share my journey too.

I actually have never had a huge problem with my nose. However a bump has protuded off one side of my bridge (since I finished puberty I believe - I'm 24 now) and it's become more noticable and prominent. It really sticks out in photos. The assymetry bothers me (perhaps it's because I'm an artist). I also realise that I have a slightly bulbous puffy nose at the front, so I can't just have my odd bump/hump shaved down, otherwise my nose will look unbalanced - so yes, this will be a full rhinoplasty procedure. I only have one life, and I want to enjoy it without holding back from minor insecurites. Yes it's quite a bit of money to pay for, but in return I'll get long-term confidence. I've often read people saying they wish they did it sooner, so to hell with it - I'll do it now.

I'm a digital marketing guru, so I've done my research. I'm a little detective on the internet. Living in Perth, Western Australia I didn't have too many options, but I could not look past Dr Pedram Imani. Wow, all I can say is this man is the real deal. He is an ENT facial specialist, and rhinoplasty's is his speciality. So I've booked with him for early December 2013.

I also have a birth mark on my eyelid that is a cosmetic nuisance. So this procedure is a double-whammy. Although my parents have always said "it's unique, embrace it" - I've always covered it up with foundation and dark eyeshadow. When I don't cover it up, people think it is a bruise - or even a 'clunk' of eyeshadow I forgot to wipe off. Once I went to the beauty salon to receive a facial, and the lady said "oh no, did I hurt you?" and I said ... it's a birthmark (and sighed). It's annoying, so I'm happy that I'm getting it surgically removed. The problem is that it's in the most unusual place - my eyelid. Luckily, I have 'fatty' eyelids, and so there is room for it to fold over. I'm not too sure of the technical aspects, but I've been reassured I won't have one eye after this procedure lol!

Anywho this is a pretty long post for my first attempt - I'll cut it short now and update you all in a month. Let's see if my mood is still excited (I think it will change to extremely nervous in a months time).

I'll upload photos soon.

Here are recent photos of myself that show my birthmark on my eyelid, and my nose from different angles (with and without makeup on).
I think I'm pretty good at covering up my birthmark with eyeshadow (years of practice) - but I'm over it now. I do love the natural look and want to feel confident without wearing makeup. I look forward to going to the gym and beach preparing my eyelid beforehand.
In regards to my nose - in some photos it may look fine, but it's the flattering lighting ;)
I believe myself to have a masculine nose, and would like it to be more feminine. Besides shaving down that bump and hump, the width will have to be a little bit narrower and the bulbous ‘puffy’ area at the front will need to be slightly reduced. The tip will probably need to be ever so slightly upright, but just slightly (to avoid the 'pig' effect). You can’t just shave down a bump and hump without it affecting the balance of the rest of the nose. So although my priority is shaving down that bump/hump – the other rhinoplasty procedures have to coincide along with it, in order for restoring balance.
Everyone close around me thinks I don't really need to go through with it. And they are right to an extent. I wasn't in a freak accident, I have no health problems - I’m a healthy young female that could probably spend this $10,000 on another car. So why go through it with? Because I seek long term confidence, I seek a more feminine nose to match my extremely girly girl style (I only ever wear dresses), because I’m tired of hiding behind make up, because I’m sick of having a bump stick out in photos. I’m going through with it because I have one life on planet earth (unless reincarnation exists). Life is spontaneous and who knows when your time is up. I can’t take money with me to the grave. I don’t want to wait and wait and before I know it I’m 40 years old with these same inhibitions about my nose and birthmark. We’re living in 2013: technology and surgery are more advanced than ever before in history. If I was 24 years old living in the1980s I wouldn’t go through with it. But times have changed.
There is still a stigma attached to people who have had plastic surgery, which is why a lot of people keep their procedures quiet, so they don’t get pre-judged. Some people just want one minor surgical operation, others want more and more. We are all on our own paths, and each has their own backstory, their own reasons. The way I see it is people are always going to be hypocrites. We all hold insecurities and fears - some just want to do something about it, others don’t. Each to their own, I say. People should just focus on their own life and those who interfere with others must have quite the boring life then.
I’m a strong minded girl who doesn’t seek perfection. I just seek a more aesthetic pleasing profile that suits my face. Perfection does not exist, and those who strive for it are the ones who end up on a more dangerous and self-destructive path. So I'm staying off that path.

Somehow I always end up rambling on in these posts…. But thanks for reading, and I’ll update you all soon.

Hi all,

Well not long to go before the 3rd December, the day I go in for two surgical operations (and stay overnight) - the removal of my pea sized birthmark on my eyelid, and of course rhinoplasty - dun dun dunnnnnnnn!

So I'm still excited about it but I have my nervous moments. Here's a bullet list of what makes me nervous:

• The splint that's put inside the nostrils... I've stupidly watched many youtube videos of people getting their splints removed and it looks like their brain is about to come out. I understand the splint is necessary for reducing swelling and maintaining the nose shape, but the removal of the splint will no doubt be awkwardly uncomfortable…

• How big the swelling is – yes I understand the swelling goes down over time, and it does take up to a year for the nose to take shape, but I worry about funny looking swelling, like swelling that makes me look like Rudolph kind of swelling.

• How bruised I am – okay, well the majority of bruising generally goes down within 2 weeks, it’s just that I only got 2 weeks off work.. so the bruising better be down by then, if not, I will invest in dermablend make up to cover bruising, so I guess this point isn’t so bad after all.

• Breathing through mouth – I’ve read that I’ll have to breathe through my mouth (no choice I guess because of the splint) this slightly concerns me, but then again it’s only for a week or so right? It’s summertime here in Western Australia, which means lots of bugs and spiders will enter my mouth while I sleep… fantastic! (not) Ah the sacrifices to be made.

• sneezing – I’m prone to sneezing. When I sneeze, I sneeze crazy loud and dramatic. Can’t help it. But I’ve learned to sneeze out through my mouth and not nose (of course I cover my mouth, it’s just I read that if I sneeze through my nose, well I may sneeze everything out.. and that will be bad)

So the above are pretty much the main points that I randomly think about, besides the obvious “will I still look like me afterwards” thought.

I’m just more excited about getting this done! I really am excited. A new year, a new me! I still have lots of faith in Dr Imani and feel positive about it all.

5 days until my surgery! Wow. I'm still very excited but I know the night before I will not be able to sleep. When it comes down to it, I'm a little bit of a sook with pain, so I hope it's minimal.

I think I'm all prepared. I did a pretty good job avoiding Vitamin E creams etc, tea, bit harder avoiding coffee.

After googling and reading what others have prepared with, this is what I've put together for myself. Comment below if I'm missing anything vital:

1. Arnica Montana 30X Tablets (to reduce swelling and bruising. Taken a few weeks before surgery and a few weeks after, approved by my surgeon)

2. Straws (but they aren't bendable and I've read that straws aren't necessarily good to use because it's putting too much pressure on your your upper lip?. So I don't think I'll use these straws, but I have them here anyway)

3. Biotene Mouthwash (an alcohol-free rinse that cleans and relieves dry mouth symptoms. Considering I'll be breathing out of my mouth for the first week or so, this is essential. )

4. A u-shaped pillow that you use on airplanes (while sleeping at night, I have to be on my back so the u-shaped pillow will really support my neck)

5. A LCD digital thermometer (it was cheap to buy on Ebay, I bought it so to generally monitor health, in case any fevers came on, stuff like that)

6. Cooling eye gel mask (now I actually will NOT be wearing this in the first vital weeks of my nose recovering, because you're not supposed to have any pressure on your nose bridge, no glasses, nothing. But I suppose I'd be touching it on my upper cheeks for relief, and maybe wear it much later down the track? )

7. Lucas PawPaw ointment (the best for dry chapped lips, again breathing out the mouth alot... dry lips will be a problem)

8. Arnicare Cooling Cream (I thought why the hell not, got the tablets that are pretty well renowned so I'll get the cream too, and really combat the swelling/bruising!)

9. Sports instant cooling ice pack (just to press against the swelling on my cheeks)

10. Dermablend Cover Creme Make up! (I'm back to work after 2 weeks time, this is the best foundation/concealer for coverage of bruises or tattoos or anything... bit pricey but you get what you pay for. I've actually fallen in love with it, it's amazing)

11. Nasal Saline Spray (I won't be using this without approval from my surgeon of course, I just have it in supply in case I need it down the track)

12. Clothes that are easy to put on without having to put over your head - so clothes with buttons or zips

13. Painkiller meds - panadeine forte (make sure your stocked up beforehand)

I'm kind of looking forward to being in lock down for two weeks, like a butterfly in a cocoon :P

I might get a hair trim or style my hair differently when I go back to work too, try and distract people, but I have a feeling the result will be really natural and not many people will notice.... after all, people do tend to focus more on themselves than what other people do :P

Just been informed that I'm first on the list to be operated on and so I need to arrive at the hospital between 6:30am-7am in the morning! I have a feeling I'm going to be very tired in the morning :P But ah well, their going to drug me up anyway. I'll be staying the night in hospital - I got a shared room, and I hope there will be a TV for me haha (thinking about the important things)

So I'll be eating dinner Monday night - it shall be a glorious feast of a meal (maybe have steak haha), and then my body has to fast from midnight onwards.

I've stacked up on SO MANY SOUP CANS! Chicken & corn, pumpkin minestrone, winter vegetables...made sure I got a solid protein powder supply.... and I bought a new blender.... so the next month I'll be taking it easy on hard solid food and opting more for soups, yogurts, easy to chew foods. I also read that although strenuous exercise is to be avoided - walking is encouraged to facilitate blood flow and healing. As I live on a 3 acre property in a rural area where my house is surrounded by trees, I'll be walking around the property regularly (Without fear of the public noticing me yay!)

Oh and I booked for a dental clean this Monday (I've been due for one this year), so my teeth will get professionally examined and cleaned, already before the rhinoplasty.

:)

Surgery tomorrow. Have to get up at 5:30am in the morning, then I'm getting picked up at 5:45pm and taken to the hospital. I am not nervous now, but I will be on the way to the hospital. It's crazy to think.... that tomorrow....i'll have a different nose....and no birthmark on my eyelid.... wow............ i'm both excited and yet at the same time, strangely bittersweet about it. I suppose I'm just taking this time to appreciate these flaws now, because I'm going to say goodbye to them.

So thanks birthmark for making me always wear unnecessarily dark eye shadow and making me feel embarassed at the beach! and thanks bumpy nose for making me feel masculine in the face! Good times were still had, I put up with you both but time to enhance myself and continue enjoying life feeling more confident and sexier than ever!

Helloo everyone. Thank you for your support and for the nice comments. It's so nice we can rally together and support each other.

Here's a picture of me taken after surgery. I feel good but it's exactly like how others have described it. Painless, very mild headache, dry sore throat and dry lips. Bit sleepy. Just feels like a congested nose.

Haha so annoying how the day you have something special happening you get a pimples. Any questions for me post them below.

Hey everyone,

This week has gone by reasonably fast, I'm so glad tomorrow is when the cast/bandages come off. I'm eagerly awaiting to see my new nose. The recovery was painless. I kept on top of all the medicines, creams and nasal sprays/douches that were given to me, I also took arnica tablets and soothed arnica gel cream onto my cheeks. I never had any bruising from surgery at all. But of course, swelling is something I know I won't be able to avoid, so tomorrow I'm curious to see how swollen my nose looks. My main question to ask the surgeon is regarding the tip. I've done my research and apparently the tip gradually drops after surgery to a more natural position? So I just want to quiz him on that with mine...........

But yeh I never had ANY bruising! But I did get very swollen eyes, but by the next day my eyes returned to normal. What else... my nose leaked alot, the congestion at the start made it impossible for me to breathe through my nose so of course so I had quite a few sleepless nights. Good thing though is I've started to breathe through my nose again, not entirely clean airways, but getting there. Oh and another thing, when you get an itch on your nose IT'S SO FRUSTURATING because you can't itch it :P And you will get itchy. But the itch is good - it means everything is healing.

Steam is soothing for the nose too, cup it and inhale it in, feels good!

Now lets get emotional.... I cried once during my first recovery week. okay, so you know when Kim Kardashian cries she looked horrendously hilarious because of her botox making her face still? Well that's how I looked when I cried - I couldn't move anything :P I cried over being tired, drained, excited, nervous, scared, conjuring up what-if situations in my head...but that's it. I think that crying sesh was on Wednesday... when I had tiny swollen eyes :P But I've been feeling good ever since.

I just keep telling myself that it takes 1 year for the nose to settle into its shape, and sometimes even after 1 year subtle changes may still occur. So when I see my swollen nose tomorrow, I'll remember that patience is required and to not be haste in my judgement. As I'm sure I'm more critical of myself than others would be of me anyway. So yes, patience................................

I will end this post with a joke.

Q. What do you call somebody with no body, and no nose?
.....
A: Nobody nose!

Hey everyone.
So today my cast came off and Dr Imani checked over my nose. He was extremely happy with my nose and everything's looking in order. How I'm feeling.. Well I'm happy and optimistic. I saw myself without the bandages for a minute in the mirror and indeed I'm swollen. Straight away I thought to myself my nostrils are too noticeable Lol but that's because previously my tip drooped over them. So of course I'm adjusting to the new me. He said the tip will naturally drop a little tiny bit but he personally hopes the tip doesn't drop as he said it looks perfect . the more I look at myself now the more I quite like it actually. And the more I look at other people's noses front on, the more I realise everyone's nostrils show Lol. Anyway I'm pretty happy! The side profile is lovely. When the swelling subsides more improvements will be seen. I have to take these new bandages off myself in seven days... That is when I'll upload pics without the bandages. Until then, i will be massaging my nose gently to decrease swelling and taking it easy.

I really like Dr. Imani. He is a fantastic surgeon. I know I'm still in the first phase of this rhinoplasty process but I have such strong confidence in his talent that I just know I'm going to be a happy girl months from now. There is a confident aura about him, no wonder he's so in demand in Perth. I'm glad I went with him. I got no bruises whatsoever. Even my swelling wasn't as horrific as I thought that would be. He is skilled.

Will update soon.

Hey!

MY NOSE IS FREE FROM THE BANDAGES

You should all know I have THICK skin. So thick skin may take a little longer with swelling to subside, my tip at the moment is hard when I touch it, and quite numb. Naturally, the tip is the last place for the swelling to subside, so I have to be patient with my tip. But I've been massaging my nose with arnica cream, taking arnica tablets and I just bought from the healthfood store the other day Bromelain tablets (pineapple extract) so I'll combat the swelling as much as I can!

It appears I have slightly uneven swelling. I've researched that this is normal, that as the swelling subsides, it can subside unevenly which is to be expected, I just have to wait it out for the nose to settle into its shape. My main concern is my tip, of course, and I eagerly await for the swelling to come off my tip so it can be a little more natural in it's position!!!!

So the timeline as follows:

Tuesday 3rd: Surgery
Tuesday 10th: Cast/bandages removed, then new bandages put on
Tuesday 17th: New bandages come off

I can breathe normal in and out of my nose, actually not long after surgery I was able to breathe through my nose. I had no splint put into my nose, just creams and such, which came out so easily with the use of consistent nasal sprays/douches and laying at an angle at night.

I have stitches on my nostrils which I attend to with cream prescribed to me by my surgeon. My nostrils are swollen on the inside too.

As for my birthmark on my eyelid, it's healed fast. I'll upload a photo soon without make up on.

So yeah................. swelling swelling swelling............. yep.... the journey of patience.

Oh and at work, people have treated me no differently. In fact those that did know, they said that it doesn't even look like my nose got operated on, and that some even said they "Forgot" what my old nose looked like. And that my swelling isn't even an 'obvious' type of swelling, like they can see the tip is swollen, but they reckon it looks more like I have a cold than anything else. And for those who didn't know I had surgery, they just said to me how was your two weeks holiday off - looking at me straight in the face - didn't even comment on my nose lol, i was like wow lol

I feel more feminine already, I feel happy, no regrets, this is what I wanted, and I'll stick with it to the end to see final results. I notice on Real Self there are soooooo many people who are only 3 days post op, or 1 week or 1 month post op really upset about their nose, saying they regret it and miss their old nose and it's not what they expected... but they haven't even waited it out! Surgeons aren't magicians, the body is healing and it has to heal on it's own accord. There is absolutely no point ruining ourselves with stress and constant crying over something. Stay positive, just keep focusing on the bigger picture! STRENGTH XOXOX