18 Years Old Bulbous Tip Hatred!! - Ireland, IE

Thanks a million! X

I don't feel like makeup would help me really I have tried contouring before but doesn't seem to have a huge effect and it's not that I want the bridge or anything narrower I am happy with that it's just the tip really

Dear Melinda, couldn't agree more. By the way, you too seem to be having problems with your nose years after your primary (as you wrote you "hated" your nose now in your original post)...so, it is confirmed that the outcomes of a rhinoplasty are not guaranteed even if you were happy with your nose at the beginning! Therefore...even a good rhinoplasty has the potential to turn into disaster down the road. Good luck with your revision. Cheers :)

Yes, that's why I stress that finding a good surgeon matters. I was yound when I had my primary and did no research. That's right.. None. I went to someone cheaper than average. Although I'm not disfigured I'm not satisfied. So a lot is luck but the rest is homework.

I really think the lines between "luck" and "doing homework" are blurred in plastic surgery. My surgeon was double-board certified with excellent credentials and numerous hospital affiliations, in addition to tons of flawless B/A photo gallery and known as a top rhinoplasty surgeon in Toronto, a detailed website, a mobile app(!), etc., etc. At the end, I am left with a mess and every revision surgeon I consult is telling me it was due to pure negligence. I thought I did my homework. This time I am going with contacting real patients' stories and mostly "intuition". How do you think people should choose their surgeon? I am very curious to see how people do their research because the first time around I focused on professional recommendations and credentials and obviously it didn't work.

If that's the case and he still has mostly happy patients even now then don't you think you were unlucky? I know that sounds unfair but no one is perfect even with numerous awards or even if he had his own hospital named after him. If it was negligence though couldn't you seek legal help? I'm no advocate I'm just trying see things in a balanced way having been through surgery it's a bitter sweet kind of venture.

1) My "bad" luck was due to his negligence or lack of basic literacy skills (mistook alar-plasty for tip-plasty!! Either way, it couldn't be my luck since it could have been and should have been avoided. 2) I never said most of his patients were happy. On the contrary, he has more negative online reviews than any other surgeon (even then, many aren't published because his propaganda machine manages to get them removed: see ratemd and realself here). I brushed those reviews as comments from competitors (isn't that what most of them claim?!), 3) I thought about taking legal action. Three problems here: first, he doesn't mention what he did on my medical records, only that he did "septoplasty".(if you don't live in Canada, it's a long story, it has everything to do with the flaws in our universal healthcare--so, I won't get into it). Second, filing a lawsuit and court costs cause aggravation and losing too much money ($350/hour lawyer fees). And last but not least, the signed consent form relieves them from most negative consequences during or after a surgery (facts are that ‘money talks’ and again, the Canadian flawed universal healthcare uses taxpayers money to protect the healthcare providers in these situations), 3) I am no advocate either, but strongly believe that it makes no sense to "do homework" when so many negligent surgeons get away with botched PS jobs and there is no remedy for the patients. This is not about luck or doing homework, it is about a group of surgeons who see vulnerable, trusting women (and men) as the financial resource to fund their luxurious lifestyles. As long as plastic surgery victims are too embarrassed to speak up and continue to go from one doctor to another to fix the last surgeon's mistakes, this cycle will continue. Revision rhinoplasty has been turned into a "BIG" moneymaking machine for these overpaid surgeons who should be doing their job the first time around. I hope I don't sound too argumentative here but I find it very strange (and kind of insensitive) to even bring in “luck” into this unequal equation….If a surgeon is so incompetent that he or she has to rely on “luck” to predict surgical outcomes, then his/her license should be revoked and surgical fees (+ cost of revision + pain and suffering) returned to the ‘unlucky’ patient.

And I would like to take the opportunity to correct you on another 'fact': despite what you say in your earlier post, and I quote: "your case is not that difficult because you are having a primary," rhinoplasty is one of the MOST DIFFICULT plastic surgeries out there. It has the highest rate of: 1) failure to achieve desirable results, 2) need for a revision, 3) changes in facial symmetry and facial expressions. Just because it's a primary, it doesn't make it an easy operation. Primary rhinoplasties are difficult and revision rhinoplasties are even more difficult because they are aimed at fixing a mess that someone else left behind. Dear Melinda, this is not a personal attack against you but please, before giving out unfounded and mismatched information to other potential patients who are seeking information and knowledge, educate yourself first. You will definitely need that when you are doing your revision. Good 'luck' with that, by the way.

I'm sorry if I offended you. Reason why I said luck is because a surgeon can do fantastic work and have real genuine good reviews and yet someone else with the same surgeon will not get the result they hoped for and post bad reviews. There is absolutely no surgeon on this planet that has 100% positive feedback. I feel sorry for those that get botched surgeries I really do. I know a lot of surgeons have expert marketing and tough legal backing so its difficult to get compensated. For my revision rhino I am staying away from the commercialised, self publicising, empire building, god ego complex type surgeons. Instead I'm using forums like lookyourbest where real people have had surgery and recommend good surgeons even though there are always the ones that are disgruntled. I'm taking a risk whoever I find and I'm prepared to live with it.

I agree to disagree with you. It has changed lives for the better. Maybe not mine but lots of people I know. It's aesthetically challenging for surgeons i know that, but a lot of people do take their cast off and love their new nose! I am not giving unfounded info, I am entitled to inform people about the benefits of rhinoplasty that's my choice.

No worries, Melinda. You didn't offend me. I, actually, agree with you: Rhinoplasty is a fantastic procedure for some people--given that you have a noticeable hump, were disfigured in an accident or by cancer, rhinophyma, or have some kind of congenital deformity. Other than that, even with a successful rhinoplasty, your nose will keep changing all the time. Your own story is a testimony to that fact. As for men and women who want to change a bulbous nose: It can rarely be achieved... an unwanted (more) bulbous tip is one of the most common consequences of rhinoplasty. Your nose will be wide and more bulbous than before. My nose wasn’t even bulbous pre-op and now it is. If you are searching the internet and find B/A photos of celebrities and think they are REAL, be warned that these photos are: altered (airbrushed, photoshopped, etc.), contoured by expert makeup artists and the right lightening, and most probably ONE great photo was chosen for publication from amongst 100's of not-so-great ones. These are the oldest tricks used in the fashion industry. The past 4 years of my life have been filled with pain and agony, but something absolutely good came out of it: I learned to search for and learn about the TRUTH about plastic surgery.

I agree with a lot you have to say. Revisions are extremely profitable, one surgeon's mistake is another surgeon's profit. Victims are often too embarrassed to speak out but they always should if they think they were treated unethically. This could have something to do with people wanting to keep the fact they had plastic surgery private but remember you can remain anonymous online and if they reveal your identity that is against the law. When people do speak out, online reputation management firms also make lots of money from the surgeons to clean up reviews. It really is an industry which needs a lot more regulation. Good reputations NEED to be earned, not paid for. If a rich surgeon pays for negative reviews to be removed, some unfortunate candidate will end up getting a bad result again. On the other hand there are some very nice, kind and skilled surgeons out there.

I agree that you can't trust the after photos and guarantee that your results will turn out beautiful. My primary surgeon had the most amazing after photos and I was naive to think that my results would be the same. Not only my nose didn't turn out the way I wanted it but in the last few years I had trouble breathing and eventually my nose collapsed. Please do your homework before deciding on the surgeon.

I have the same problem. Couldnt breathe more perfectly and now am stuck with nasal valve collapse, can barely breathe, and now i need another rhinoplasty to fix my breathing!

Hi Nano91. After my revision last month I'm able to breathe better through my nose. I hope you get to fix your nose soon.

I agree with Kiwibird. Trust it from the people who made the mistake! Your nose is fine. Unless people stop on the street and point at your nose because its so hideous, which I'm sure this is not the case, you should leave it the way it is. If I was you and was set of getting this operation, I would only let the doctor do tip work to make is slightly narrower. Of course he will say he wants to remove the small hump, that way he can make more money. Removal of your hump will drain you of character, it suits you, and its not big. You are very pretty and you are looking for a problem.