Finally Did It! - Lake Oswego, OR

I have hated my nose since I was a teenager. I have an fraternal twin sister who ended up with my mother's cute little nose, while I got my dad's schnoz (as he likes to call it). I always thought that someday I would do it and then, after series of life changing events, I decided that time was now at 28 years old.

I began looking around for surgeons in the Portland area, reading reviews, etc, but was having trouble picking which one would be the best. Its hard to trust someone you don't know with your face, no matter how great their reviews may be.

Then my long time childhood friend took the plunge and got the procedure done by one of the surgeons I had been looking at. Her results looked fantastic. Not too much, not too little, so I made the consultation appointment.

My advice when going into a consult is to have as many questions as you can think of already written down. Make sure you know exactly what you want to be different about your nose so you can communicate that with your surgeon, so you get the best results. They will tell you if its doable or not. I went in wanting two things but after discussing the it with the doctor decided on three major changes: taking away the width from the bridge (my bridge was abnormally wide), making the bridge shorter and then my doctor suggested changing the tip so it wasn't pointed down so much, which I agreed with but not until he pointed it out. One good piece of advice he gave me to pass on is: almost always have an open procedure. If you don't the tip of your nose will not look right. Its very rare to change the bridge with out slightly altering the tip and having it look balanced.

I scheduled the surgery for December 10th (just yesterday!) and even though I am still in the beginning stages of recovery I am so glad I did it.
Here are some things to consider that I didn't at first:
-Anesthesia: if they give you an option go for the twilight anesthesia, its less risky. I was scared to do it this way at first but actually preferred it to general. I didn't feel sick and I could leave 30min after my procedure was done.
-Have someone that will take care of you for at least the first 24 if not 48 ( my twin sis was so helpful, I wouldn't have made it through that first day with out her). She changed all my nose "dressings," made me food and got me ice.
- Make sure you get all your loose ends tied up before surgery: clean your house, pay bills, get tons of movies, easy to make food, etc.
-Go into it knowing that having a couple days in which is feel depressed or regretful of your choice is totally normal.
-Ice, ice, ice! I don't think my face would be so swollen had I iced more in the beginning. Its one of those things you have to stay ahead of


Now that I am almost two days post surgery I am finally feeling a little less zombie like. My eyes are incredible black and swollen but I went in for my first post op visit and the doctor said that it was fine. He said that some people get all of their bleeding and swelling all at once, while other people have it come on later.

Even though the cast is still on, I can tell its so much smaller!!! I am so excited and will post pictures when my face calms down.

Also: My surgeon offered a vitamin program for surgery/trauma that helped so much. It was $100 but worth it!
If yours does not the main two that helped were:
Arnica Montana 30X HPUS
and
Bromelain w/ Quercetin

Thursday Dec 13th: Day Four

So far so good! Not too much pain BUT I am having a lot of trouble sleeping because I have to keep my head elevated. I went out in public yesterday, to the movie store, and felt very self conscious. The employee did a double take. Yet I am getting soooo restless. Tonight my girlfriends are coming over for a board game night, thank god, because being cooped up is driving me nuts!

Friday Dec 14th 2012

I am finally sleeping! But I am having the terrible "cabin fever!" One can only deep clean their house so many times before there is nothing left to do. I wish I would have stocked up on baking supplies! I would be making holiday cookie platters, if only.....:)

Monday Dec 17th

I just got my cast off!!!! Getting the stitches our was more painful than I had anticipated but overall not too bad. I love my new nose!! It's still VERY swollen but I think it will be perfect in a few more weeks/months. I was so excited when I saw it I cried a little:)

Wed Dec 19th,
Going on day 10 since surgery. Overall I am very happy with the results. I know that the tip is still very swollen and will change I just wish it was faster! I've been running around a lot with holiday shopping and I have noticed that my nose gets irritated if I'm "over doing it."
The tip is still numb and to me it kind of looks like a "nose job" nose, but I am sure that will decrease with time. So far my friends seem to like it. I've had a few say that it was subtle, which I'm not sure how to take yet. One of my nostrils is slightly smaller than the other, which I am hoping will change. One side of my nasal passages is much more swollen than the other so I am attributing it to that. So far so good!

Jan 5th 2013
Everything is almost back to normal. No more uneven nostrils and most of the dissolvable stitches are gone. Its finally looking less swollen which is a huge relief. I can already feel my confidence improving when I went out for new years!

Feb 10th, 2013
It's officially month two to the day! So far I love it. It takes at least a month and a half to look normal. I wish I would have known that going into it. But now that's less swollen and getting definition, I absolutely LOVE it!

Hello! It's been 1 and a half years since I had my procedure. I am happy with the results. I can honestly say that it took 1 solid year to get definition in the tip of my nose and for everything to settle.

Given the large amount of time, one thing to consider that has been an issue:
1. How will your new nose fit with the shape of your face?

I had an usual long space between my nose and lip. I never noticed with my old nose because it was much longer. Having a procedure in which they shorten your nose will cause this space to be much more prominent. If I could do it all over again I would have left more length on the end of my nose and not and the small slope that I did get. I think the work is great. I would have had my nose set in a way that it was straight instead of slightly curved. This at least provides a shadow for that area and less nostril exposure. Just some things I would have like to consider going in. Overall though, it is one of the BEST decisions I have ever made and I feel so much more comfortable in my skin. Good luck everyone!