Rhinoplasty: Stories

I've been thinking of getting a nose job for a VERY long time. I've always known I've had a more prominent nose and have wanted one since I was considerably younger (12ish).





I thought I would grow into it, and for a while I did. I hit 18 and was ok with my nose. But it didn't take long for it to pick up the pace again (I read somewhere the nose never stops growing). It got to the point where I had to take front angle shots to be happy with it, and anytime someone tagged me in a facebook picture from the side, I cringed at the sight.





It got to the point a where enough was enough, and I didn't want to deal with being so embarrassed any longer. Of course my close friends, family, and even boyfriend tried to convince me out of it. "You don't need it!" To which I replied, "How many of your purchases are needs? I'm willing to bet less than 5%. And it's easy for you to say that, I know it could be worse, but it could also be better - and I'm not one to settle for less."





I started saving, and being a college student that was really hard to do. I was initially saving to buy a house, but due to me being a student and having an unstable work schedule, I couldn't get approved for anything I wanted. I figured, I have a year left to graduate, I'll worry about getting a house then. For now, I'm in school and with my 25th birthday this year, and I decided I'd do something to make me happy.





I started to do some research and found realself.com. I was getting irritated because it was becoming increasingly difficult to find a plastic surgeon whose work I liked, who was in my price range, and who wasn't terribly far away.





I looked at several surgeons, but for many something was compromised - either the distance, the cost, or the quality of their work. And considering this was my nose we're talking here, I was unwilling to settle.





I then looked here on realself and saw some postings about Dr. Theodore Golden. A quick trip to his website and I saw several noses he worked on - and not just the noses with the large dorsal humps (which I later discovered are the easiest to fix). I loved the outcome of his noses. For one - there was a drastic difference, and I'm not interested in a small change (equivalent to what I can accomplish with cosmetics for considerably less money). For another - he gets the nose shape down beautifully from what I'm seeing. A google search showed just one poor review of him, and that was due to him being botched by 2 separate rhinoplasties earlier.





I emailed Dr. Golden, then called me and we spoke briefly. He told me he only does facial plastic surgery and especially noses. One statement he made in particular resonated with me: "Ever wonder why so many surgeons have tons of pictures of all their surgeries and only one or two of rhinoplasties? Because rhinoplasty is THE hardest procedure to do." I definitely noticed this, and even when they did post pics, it was simply the type of pics with a dorsal hump, which isn't really my problem.





October 22, 2011 - Pre-op Consultation: I drove out to see Dr. Golden (5 hours!). He showed me how booked he is with primarily rhinoplasties. He showed me his famous binder of noses and went through it to show me the work done. He's extremely honest and forward. To some, this may be intimidating but I appreciated it. We discussed and he told me one thing he cannot change is my thick skin.





The rest of the consultation was spent discussing cost, post-op visits, and specifically what I wanted done. We decided narrowing the nose, deprojecting the tip, smoothing the left plane, refining the tip, and straightening the nostrils (one leans in on a more drastic angle than the other). He said he MAY have to break my nose but regardless it will all remain closed as he only does closed rhinoplasties.





He also mentioned a woman had a near identical nose to mine and he'd be taking off her cast this week. He said he'd ask her permission to share her before and after pictures with me so I'm keeping my fingers crossed!





I will post more as I have more!

Surgery's tomorrow and I am soooo excited!





I was getting nervous with the weather being in the winter - Michigan snow storms could result in a nightmare of a drive there (and I'm already 5 hours away!). But I was pleased to learn the weather is to be in the 40s all the way until Tuesday, which just so happens to be the day I'm returning!! Feeling so blessed ^_^





In addition, the receptionist called to say the person who had an appointment after me canceled. Meaning I'll be the only focus that day and get an unlimited amount of time spent (and the appointment was moved an hour later so I get an extra hour's sleep!) oot!





If everyone could please keep me in your prayers tomorrow morning I would so appreciate it (and comment below and I'll make a note to do the same for you!) - love you all and see you all with my new nose!

I did it! Today's only Day 1 so I'm sure the worst of the swelling is yet to come. My mouth is very dry and I'm just wobbly when getting up, walking around, etc. Dr. Golden doesn't pack the nostrils, so I'm forced to keep changing the 'gauze roll' under my nose.





Other than that I feel great! Barely any pain at all - just feeling super sleepy with a stuffy nose.





Will update again soon!





The receptionists and nurse were all very kind! I asked Dr Golden about a miniscule black mole I have on my right nostril (crease between nostril meeting the face face). He said, "Sure I dont mind!"

Day 2 of healing! I went for my first post op and he cleaned out my nose, removed some of the stitches (the ones within my nose and at the very top of my nose between my eyes) as well as some "gunk". THAT HURT. He packed it with cotton soaked in medication and it was just an awful feeling - like a stabbing with a metal dull stick and in the meantime the meds from the cotton are running through your nose down the back of your throat so you're tasting the grossness too. Deff wasn't prepared for that.





But by the end an amazing thing happened - I could breathe for about 30 mins and it was probably the best I ever breathed in my entire life. Duno if he improved my breathing or if it just seemed that way in comparison to going 2 days straight without any breathing at all. Dr Golden said, "Things are going to swell back up in an hour or so and you won't be able to breathe again until healing is completed in another week or 2"





Anyway - super swollen today. From what I understand, 2 days is the peak of the swelling. My cheeks swelled up, my nose ballooned up, my undereyes and eyelids are purple. I kept saying I thought I had a pig nose, but he assured me this was the worst it gets and I need to wait until the swelling went down (which would be weeks at the least) to make an accurate observation. He actually said he added a piece to the lowest point of my profile between my eyes to make the nose appear less projected, narrowed my nostrils with Weir Incisions, and deprojected and refined the tip. I'll post pics when I can but for now it just looks like a huge ballooned mess.

So I went back today to get my cast removed and the doctor explained I would need to wait til tomorrow to take the sutures out from the Weir incisions. Cast was removed and I'm seeing the shape coming out, but swelling is still pretty extreme. Though the dr and receptionist both said this is the best it can be for only 4 days out. I remember the day following the surgery I went to the MAC store in the mall and the employee there asked me about it. She said she used to work for a plastic surgeon and asked how many days ago I had it done. I told her yesterday and she was very surprised I looked as good as I did for the following day.





I think now that the cast was removed my nose swelled up even MORE - I say that because immediately after it was taped, my skin is now bulging out from beyond the tape.





The dr explained after swelling comes down, the bottom middle piece will drop down a bit, nostrils and tip will shrink and narrow, and the center bone will become defined as the skin will shrinkwrap as swelling decreases.





In addition, he showed me an email from a patient from Spain who would email him monthly complaining about the swelling. Her email stated that 11 months later, the swelling had finally gone down and she loved the result. I have a feeling the swelling will be a similar issue for me as well, since I had more cartilage work performed than bone shaving.

I'm 9 days post op and there's a few things I've noticed:





-Swelling has gone down considerably


-There are 2 remaining red bruises beneath my eyes for that are taking FOREVER to go away


-I now see 2 raised bumps on either side of my nose (this is where the osteotomy was performed - aka where the bone was cut into to make the nose narrower)


-When I look up my nostrils I see a piece of skin protruding at the inner forefront of my nostrils


-My breathing recovery is 60% complete. I can breathe closed mouthed, but it's strenuous as there's so much congestion and mucus blocking the airway. Occasionally I'll squat, lean over, or tilt my head back and my breathing returns completely for a minute or two, but then plugs right back up again.


-My left nostril is bigger than my right (most likely due to uneven swelling - the right nostril has almost NO swelling compared to the left).





I called my doctor about the 2 bumps as that is the most concerning to me. He said what probably happened was my swelling went down very quickly** so I'm noticing the bumps moreso than a person who would still have swelling. Gota think of it like a baby born with more bones than an adult - the bones need to ossify (connect and harden). It's the same in a person who had their bones broken for a rhinoplasty - which will result in a smoothed appearance.


(**I've religiously taken bromelain supplement and Arnica Montana as well as Vitamin C, biotin, and Super-B complex vitamins to help heal faster. The last 2 were more for faster hair growth - but as it turns out they speed cellular regeneration so I'm sure they had something to do with helping the speedy swelling decrease.)





Doctor said, "If your nose is 95% better and we need to wait to correct the remaining 5% - not a big deal, we can do that." He said those are easily fixable things as they're very minor. My post op is Jan 3, so crossing my fingers he can do something quickly then but who am I kidding? I realize we'll probly need to wait til more healing has taken place to make a correct assessment. I'm probly being a overly neurotic and obsessing about every minor triviality I see, but I need to look at the reality - and that's that I'm only 9 days post op and not in any shape to start assuming I'm anywhere NEAR done healing, let alone seeing a final result.





Despite these things, how do I feel about my nose? Let's just say, pre-rhinoplasty - I was always jealous of girls with the nose I have now - - and that's only after 9 days! I love it and how adorably cute it is (pics are coming as soon as the face bruising is down enough to cover with makeup!) It's incredible how much my nose changes each morning I wake up and take a look at it. Pre-rhinoplasty, I'd catch a glimpse of my reflection and cringe, "Ugh still there..." And now I look with a sense of happiness like, "Oh hi nose - you're still mine

(continued...)

Something interesting to note was I went out for dinner last night and wore makeup for the first time. My boyfriend would not stop staring and smiling at me, telling me how pretty I look, etc. This could mean 1 of 3 things: (1) after spending 5 days of seeing me at my absolute worst he appreciates me being back to normal, (2) he's being a supportive and sweet boyfriend to reassure me, or (3) my nose has genuinely changed my appearance for the better. I'm sure it's a combination of all 3 of those things ^_^

Will update again soon. Thanks to everyone who kept me in your prayers and Merry Christmas!

Hey all! Sorry for the lack of posts.
I had my last post op about a week ago so up to Michigan we drove for one last time!
Dr. Golden reassured me that the graft in my nose did NOT move and was fine. The uneven nostrils are swelling, and will even out over time. The protruding skin at the forefront of my nose are simply blood filled mucosa (I think he called them that) and they would drain and decrease in a few months. And lastly, he said the bumps on the top sides of my nose would also decrease as swelling goes down. Then he showed me a picture of a girl who had gone back to him after a year to bring a friend to get a rhinoplasty. She had the side bumps I did - and the difference between her one month post op and on year post op were HUGE! It looked like a completely different nose and was beautiful.
I posted a few pics - one 10 days and another 23 days post-op. Deff looking forward to that one year mark!

1 and a half months post op! Some serious healing must be going on because I feel a burning on the tops/sides of my nose when I scrunch my nose. I have this strange habit of scrunching my nose every time I yawn (as though I'm baring my teeth) and when I do so, there's a burning feeling that wasn't there before. In the mirror - the "bumps" on the side are definitely going down (thank God!) so that's what I'm guessing it is...

Everything was going so smoothly! I assumed it was just healing, but I have been waking the past several mornings and noticing it looks even more crooked than usual as the tip veers to my left. Also, my right nostril is like a slit compared to the left. I'm praying it is due to uneven tip swelling/healing, because even when I look head on at the mirror, the nose tip curves much further to my left side. My nostrils feel back to normal, the tip is still pretty numb (though I understand the tip is the last thing to heal) - more numb on the left side than the right, so I suppose uneven swelling is a possibility. My parents noticed it a few weeks ago but I wanted to wait a while before emailing, but since it's now been almost 3 months I figured I'd rather be safe than sorry and ask just in case, so I emailed Dr. Golden and asked. He called back as soon as Monday hit.
I apologize for the scary morning face, but I assumed it would be better to take the pictures pre-makeup to show an accurate portrayal of the issues.

(continued)
So Dr. Golden called back and told me from the photos I emailed, it LOOKS like my septum has shifted and would need to be popped back into position. So I will need to take a trip back up to Michigan in a week during my spring break for him to make the decision whether or not to do so - he said he will only decide that in person. Even if this is the case, it will be covered, because his patients are for life. Not looking forward to another 10 hour drive, but he said it won't be in vain - he will give me a cortisol shot to speed the healing, as I have thick skin so it'll take longer to show. And at least I get to enjoy Olga's Kitchen while I'm up there!! (we don't have them in IL)...sigh...bittersweet really.

So I had my visit to Dr. Golden this past Tuesday and all went well. He said that the nose is actually doing much better than the pictures I showed him - perhaps this is due to seeing him 10 days after taking them and the swelling has continued to decrease. He said everything is looking beautiful.

The only thing he said he would adjust-(and this was entirely optional and up to me) was carving a sliver out of the bottom of my septum's right side (the cartilage piece inside your nose between the nostrils). Mine was slightly curved, which is giving my nostrils that uneven appearance. Carving that sliver out would ensure the slimmer nostril will widen out to match its paired nostril - but he said it won't be noticeable to anyone unless they're looking up my nose and comparing nostrils - so it's totally up to me. He said he would do it in November or December or even the following year, so I have some time to debate whether I want to go through with it. I'm debating about the nostril - but I'm leaning more towards going through with it. I already paid a ton of money to have this done may as well have it done the right way - because knowing my luck I'll say it's fine, then decide in 15 years I DO want it done after all, only to discover Dr. Golden has retired or something...

He also injected cortisone into my nose which is the most miraculous thing - overnight my nose went from being a ball of swelling to refined and ALMOST as pliable as my nostrils. He also offered to do another cortisone injection if I wanted in June, when he has his college reunion dinner here in Chicago to save me driving 5 hours to Troy, MI back and forth, which was very kind of him!

Hello beautiful people!

Sorry haven't updated but there haven't been a whole lot of changes - just been slowly and steadily healing. Tip is still numb and becoming a touch softer. If I put a cold finger on the tip, I don't feel anything. However if I put some pressure, I do feel the cold sensation.

Also - May 15, exactly 5 months post-op, was the first time I noticed a significant change of the view of the nose head on. Like the swelling decreased from the sides. (Whereas before it was mostly noticeable from the side-view). Hope everyone's doing well and will update again soon!

8-25-12: I took some photos with a photographer friend of mine and did a shoot for business professional headshots - despite all the photoshop, one of the shots shows a clear outline of my new nose so I'm uploading it here.

So far no changes to note, swelling is pretty minimal. It's just progressing on its snails' pace of healing. No real complaints at this point (except those drasted uneven nostrils - which nobody sees unless I point it out and tilt my head backwards).

Hello lovelies! The 9 month point just flew past me (September 15, 2012) and I've been so busy with my last semester in school I didn't even notice! The nose DOES feel different at 9 months as the swelling is almost completely gone. It's basically just on the front underside of my nose - the little triangular part of skin in front of the nostrils. It looks like my septum shifted after all, and now that swelling is down I can see it more, but like I said I'll have that revision and I trust my doctor completely. I had to get a new driver's license photo taken and it's apparent so I will upload it here. Hope everyone's doing well!