33 Years Old, African-American Rhinoplasty - Boston, MA
You know that moment when it hits you that you...
You know that moment when it hits you that you actually have the power to change something you don't like? I'm 33 years old, and I've never liked my nose, but it didn't occur to me that I could get it fixed with rhinoplasty until last year. I've never met anyone who has had plastic surgery, so it never really crossed my mind as an option. I knew it was something that celebrities and rich people did, but normal people like me? Inconceivable! But last year I was looking in the mirror thinking, "Wow. My nose is really not sexy. And my profile is just awful. I wish I could get a nose job." And then, that moment. "Oh, my God... why CAN'T I get a nose job?!" And the decision was made.
The first thing I did, after finding this web site and reading tons of reviews, was get a copy of "Men Are Stupid and They Like Big Boobs" by the late Joan Rivers. I downloaded it onto my Kindle and read it in one day. You may not like what Mrs. Rivers had done to her face, but you cannot deny that she knows a heck of a lot more about plastic surgery than you do, and in this book she lays out everything you need to know about plastic surgery: how to choose a surgeon, red flags to look out for, etc. So right now, before you go any further, go get that book and read it. I'll wait.
Welcome back. The next thing I did was lay out a list of surgeons to visit, based on their profiles. I was willing to visit any office that I could reach by MegaBus in New England (I don't have a car). My first and only visit was to Dr. Del Vecchio at Back Bay Plastic Surgery in Boston. I kind of knew he was the surgeon for me before I even met him. Why? Because he had a lovely African-American receptionist manning (womanning) the front desk. I know that's completely superficial, but hear me out: how many black people were coming in to get plastic surgery on Newbury Street in Boston? I know every office claims to know all about ethnic rhinoplasty, but I had a lingering fear that no matter where I went my rhinoplasty would be the surgical equivalent of the first pancake. At Dr. Del Vecchio's office, I was calmed by the knowledge that his staff was ethnically diverse, and very professional. When Dr. Del Vecchio came in, he was dressed, in a word, sharp. That made me feel good-- the man has an eye for aesthetics! Excellent!
We talked about what I wanted, but I had a feeling he already knew: A smaller base, a pointier, more refined tip, and the all-important nasal "flip" (otherwise known as the tilt). I have a narrow face and my nose not only seems large in proportion, but I believe it adds a heck of a lot of masculinity to my face. At least a couple times a year, someone will slip and call me "sir". It doesn't matter if I'm in heels and full makeup. At that point I'm guessing they think I'm a drag queen. But it has happened again and again throughout my whole life, and I'm sick of it. I want a small, feminine nose, stat!
We made the appointment for March 11, 2015. I ended up changing it to May 18, 2015 because as March rolled around I was still $1000 short.
The next thing to do was lie to my family. They live in another state, but eventually I would have to visit, or they would see a picture of me and demand to know why I looked different. I had to head that off at the pass right away because telling them the truth--that I was getting plastic surgery for vanity and vanity alone-- would set off scoldings about messing with God's creation, accusations about trying to become Caucasian, and general shaming that would last a lifetime, believe me. So back in December I told them I had a deviated septum that I was saving up to have corrected. I know, not very original, but I doubt that they read Us Weekly enough to realize that that is the de facto bullcrap excuse for getting a nose job.
I also anticipate getting a lot of flak from my coworkers. I work in a holistic environment so I'm sure I will hear everything from "You looked fine the way you were" to "How could you do that to yourself! We're so disappointed!...But you look great" and everything in between. If the change isn't drastic, I'll tell them I just had a really good facial. If it is quite obvious that I've had work done, well, I'll just cop to it and deal with the flak.
My date is set for May 20! I'll put up some "before" photos (shudder) and wish pics. I know that doctors aren't going to carbon-copy some celebrity's nose onto my face, but there are characteristics of certain noses that I would like to see in my new nose. Wish me luck... will update in May!
MimiBB's provider
Pre-Op completed!
When I met with Dr. Del Vecchio after signing all my consent forms and receiving my prescriptions, I showed him the wish pics in order of importance: 1) The nasal tilt with a "ski-slope" on top. If you forget everything else, I said, please don't forget this. The thing I want the most is an improved profile. 2) The sharpness or "pointiness" of the tip. I want that ultra-refined look! Lastly, 3) The overall size/width of the nose. After studying my wish pics for hours, trying to figure out why certain noses looked more proportional on a narrow face, I discovered that a nose was the most proportional when it was the same size as the width between the eyes. Seriously. I even made a chart. You will notice that the two wish pics on the bottom of the chart have noses that fit almost entirely within the "safe zone"-- that white box that I drew marking the space between the inner corners of their eyes. Notice how my nose and Kelly Rowland's nose are nowhere close to fitting inside the "safe zone", and thus our noses look wide in proportion to our faces.
When I shared all this with the doctor, he was honest with me. Points 1 and 2 would be no problem, but my eyes were too close together to apply my "Inner Eye Theory". He would make my nose smaller for sure, but it most likely was not going to fit within that small space. That was okay with me, as anything smaller is bound to be an improvement. I also showed him some images I had made using a free plastic surgery simulation app (great fun to play with) and by the end of the meeting, I was 100% sure we were on the same page.
I left the office with a shiny black folder of pre-op and post-op information. One of the things I found to be interesting was that three separate entities were each owed a fraction of the $7500 fee: the doctor, the hospital, and the anesthesia. The latter two I had to call and pay over the phone. The phone number for anesthesia was disconnected for some reason, so next week I will contact Dr. Del Vecchio's office to see if they can give me another method of contact.
The second thing I found interesting was that I was not allowed to take a cab home from the hospital. This was tricky, because I didn't have anyone to pick me up. Well, that's not true. I could have asked my boyfriend, but I have no intention of telling him about this surgery until it's over and I have even less of an intention of letting him lay eyes on me until my cast is off. I am in awe of the RealSelfers who unabashedly let their boyfriends nurse them through the recovery stage while their faces are swaddled in bloody bandages, mucus, and face grease. I mean, that's sweet, but do you think Beyoncé allows Jay-Z in the room when she's getting fresh weave put in? Not a chance. Our lovers do not need to witness us looking crazy on the road to being beautiful. If any of your boyfriends/partners live with you, consider sending them far away for a couple weeks.
Anyway, the issue of transportation was solved before I even left the office. JaVonica, the lovely assistant, gave me the contact information for a private car service that they regularly use for getting patients back and forth from the hospital. The ride would be at my expense, of course, but I'm glad they were prepared with that information. I would have to be at the hospital by 6:00am, surgery would begin at 7:00am and finish around 8:00am, so it was suggested that I schedule the car service to pick me up at 10:30am (to allow a little recovery time).
I should also note that I regularly take about 6 different vitamins every day (women's multivitamin, vitamin c, fish oil, d3, b12, and fiber, ALL IN GUMMY FORM) so I'm hoping it will help with the recovery. I plan to stop taking the multivitamin the week of the surgery, because it contains vitamin e and vitamin e is on the "do not take" list along with like 100 other things, including aspirin.
I plan to purchase a neck pillow next week to help with sleeping upright, a first aid kit so I can change my own bandages, and some saline solution for gently cleaning the inside of my nose (I read from another RealSelfer that cleaning her nose regularly helped the stitches not hurt when it was time to take them out).
I took two weeks off from work, which is hopefully enough time to get the swelling down a little. I purchased some TheraPearl cold packs and they are chilling in the freezer as we speak.
I think that's all for now... I'll be back as the 20th gets closer! Wish me luck!
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