Rhinoplasty: Stories

I was always too afraid of getting a nose job because I would often see over-projected or turned up noses and I didn’t want to look like someone else. I often found myself liking the before pictures better than the after. I was happy with my looks but did not like my bulbous tip.

One night I came across a website that had amazing before/after pictures and they were located in the bay area. I really appreciated these pictures because only the unattractive part of the nose was changed so these individuals still looked like themselves but better and with great results. I decided to make an appt. and during my first consultation, I spoke of these remarkable pictures and asked the doctor which ones were his and specifically if number 4 was his. He replied that he didn’t know because they paid someone else to create the website. I thought it was odd that he wasn’t familiar with his own website but didn’t think much of it. I told him that I didn’t like the upper section of the tip of my nose and wondered if it could be defined...contoured a little on each side so it didn’t have the ball appearance. He said he could fix that and also suggested he shave off a little of the sides of the dorsal hump area. This part of my nose has never bothered me but I figured he was the expert and knew best. I was still unsure if I wanted this surgery and had many more questions and reservations.

I had been communicating with their patient consultant and asked her which pictures belonged to this doctor as the website did not specify. She told me that she knew that number 4 was his and would ask him which others. She later emailed me and told me that 1, 4, and 6 were his work. I was very happy to hear that. Although I was nervous, I told myself the changes we were doing were very minimal and he and his website both said that he believes in a subtle approach. He made it sound like an easy fix and never mentioned any risks and his patient consultant kept telling me how happy I would be with the results and how great I would look so I decided to have it done after a couple of consultations and phone conversations with him.

He was over 3 hours late for the surgery, so by the time he took my before pictures, I had been crying for over 4 hours because of a terrible migraine. The aftercare instructions they gave me did not mention any packing and let’s just say I was not prepared for what lay ahead. It was a very emotional and depressing experience for me. This was certainly not the quick fix I thought it would be. Luckily a friend who had plastic surgery before told me that my emotions were normal and that her doctor had given her information and prepared her for this ahead of time. Unfortunately, I am unhappy with my new look and was surprised to find out that the doctor reshaped my entire nose, from between my eyes to the tip.

I can see my nostrils which resemble a snout and my profile is dramatically different. I've lost my ethnic look (Hispanic and Native American) which I had told my doctor I wanted to keep. My nose is now shorter and upturned. I looked again at the website’s before & after pictures and this time noticed that one of the patients had stated “My mom had cosmetic surgery with Dr. xxxx so I knew I was in good hands”. This implied that Dr. xxxx did her rhinoplasty, not my surgeon as I was told!! I printed these 3 pictures and during one of my following appts, I asked my doctor if these were his work. He said NO to number 4 and 6 but said number 1 was his. I told him but it references Dr. xxxx, not you. He said “umm….uh..she is a shared patient.” I sent both the doctor and his assistant an email telling them how hurt and disappointed I was to find out they had tricked me into this, and other surgeries. I mentioned my bad results because of their deception and I never got a response back from either one.

Another office assistant called me and asked if I would meet with both Doctors. I agreed but I ended up only meeting with the other doctor, who I believe may be the owner. Although he did say a few times that there were some things they needed to work on, he was very careful not to specifically admit any wrong doings from anyone in his office. He said “how do you know those patients are not his?” I told him that my Dr. told me. He said he had no recollection of what pictures were on the website and couldn’t say whose patients were whose. He said that I should be on “their team” and trust. Frankly, I would have much preferred they been on my team. At 3 months post, I’m still unable to breathe efficiently through my nose. I have an appt with an ENT. This has been a horrible experience for me and I feel like an idiot for trusting them.

At 7 months post, I’m still not happy with my results. Now that my tip is finally softening, I’m hopeful that it will decrease in projection. I’ve become a little self-conscious of my profile. As swelling decreases, the visible valleys/dents on the sides of my nose become more apparent. It’s hard to get a decent picture of this. I need to find out what my options are. It is my understanding that fillers are only temporary so I’m not sure how they go about building back when too much has been taken off. Now that more swelling is leaving the mid area, you can see the asymmetry which explains why the dent is deeper on the right side than on the left. This is so frustrating as I had no idea he would be narrowing my nose. He mentioned shaving a little off the sides of a small section of my dorsal where it was once slightly wider but he really carved a good portion of those areas. I am still unable to breathe properly from both sides of my nose but mainly my right. I had a consultation with another PS (facial) and was told I have to wait a year before he can help me. He was very kind and showed true empathy. He (and another doctor) said that I have collapsed valves and noted the dents where too much was taken off. He prescribed some nose spray to reduce inflammation but it doesn’t seem to help much.

It’s been 14 months since my primary and I wish I knew then what I know now. So many other things I would much rather be doing than searching for a surgeon to perform my revision. It scares me when I read reviews from people who haven’t done enough research and trust the first surgeon they consult with as I know that they could also be making the biggest mistake of their life.

Even worse than hating my new face, is what it’s done to me emotionally. I feel violated and victimized by the unethical plastic surgery office that sold me these surgeries. Makes you lose faith in your fellow man and yourself for falling for their marketing schemes and lies. Being depressed has not only hurt me but my loved ones and I hate that I allowed this to happen to my family because I was too trusting and didn’t spend enough time going on more consults and researching.

I realize that I can never get my original look back but hoping to find an honest and very skilled surgeon who can at least restore breathing. Restoring some of my old confidence back is a dream. I am afraid to hope for more as I don’t want to be let down again.