Rhinoplasty: Stories

So.. I remember back in 7th grade when I was 13 my nose suddenly got waaaay too big for my face, before I was totally happy with the way I looked, never wore makeup, it was all good. In 8th grade I started trying to distract from my nose, getting bangs, wearing poorly applied makeup etc. I admit I looked pretty awful haha. Some days I wouldn't really care about my nose.... thinking that I looked exotic or something (haha I really don't know) and other days I wouldn't even want to leave the house. As the years went by I noticed that my nose stayed the same size as my head grew, eventually it begun to fit my face a little bit more, but still I would have my good days and my bad days.

On top of this, when I was about 15 I finally realized that one side of my mouth (left side of bottom lip) is paralyzed ... in middle and lower school I just thought I didn't know how to smile or open my mouth right lol so I feel that my big nose draws attention to my small mouth and its inability to look completely normal. I've mostly gotten over my mouth dilemma solely because I've gone to 3 doctors and all of them didn't know what the diagnosis was or how to fix it.

So back to the topic of my nose. I'm 18 and going to college in New York this August! I currently live in Louisville, KY but when I searched for plastic surgeons in the area about 2 years ago, I wasn't too fond of their before and afters. I had a consultation in 10th grade where they showed me the result, and it looked very scooped and and didn't fit my facial features. After that I decided to wait a few years to be fully grown (or at least mostly done growing) before I'd research again. During this time, I definitely didn't hate the way I looked but I would still see photos on Facebook where the bad angles or just candid photos would kill my confidence- all I would notice is my big bumpy nasty weird hanging nose; it took the spot light. If I would decide to do the surgery, it would be for no one but myself; I just want to start fresh when I go to college and not be embarrassed of my appearance or be depressed because of something so insignificant. I want to move on.

I literally prayed that Dr. Rizk would have an opening before the start of my school year, and I was so lucky when he called to say that someone had cancelled and July 24th was open... this was back in April. The time went by so slowly, everyday I would watch rhinoplasty diaries on youtube over and over again, read reviews on this site, and google before and afters. And here I am now! 12 days before my surgery and 11 before I fly in to Manhattan. I had a Skype consultation with him back in June, he was very knowledgable and gave me an after that I really liked.... unfortunately I didn't get that after but I have photoshopped some pictures that look similar/ I'll give to him the day before my surgery.

Although I am thrilled that this is finally happening, I really am pretty scared. I mean right now, I just keep imagining the clean operating room with bright lights and walking in there knowing what is about to happen- I'm having open surgery which is grosser in my opinion. I feel like they'll have to give me some really strong anti anxiety meds... otherwise I might have a panic attack. I've never had surgery before. Actually no when the time comes I'll just be so ready to get it over with that I'll hop on the table and say "LETS DO THIS :D" I wish I wish....

Well, I'll post pics soon, I'm on vacation right now but that shouldn't stop me. Basically I have a bulbous tip that I would like refined because I have a very narrow bridge, it almost looks crooked too, which I inherited from my dad. My profile has a large hump and hanging columella (I think I have the terms right...); its very masculine, and very protrusive- once I turned my head and hit my nose on the wall... it always gets in the way haha

I'll keep you guys posted with everything! Sorry I wrote so much.... but thank you for reading :)

Hi again! I'm finally adding some photos... I've been lazy since I got back home. My surgery is in 5 days and my appointment is in 4. I'm not sure if I'm more or less nervous, I'm extremely excited now though! I've been taking 1000mg of Vitamin C every day, and I'll start putting bactroban ointment (or something like that) on my nose 3 days before the surgery.

Hi everyone! I can't believe my rhinoplasty is only 2 days away! Yesterday I started using the bactroban ointment on my nose, which is annoying because its very sticky and doesn't dissolve very well, but its ok. I apply that twice a day. I've continued taking 2000mg of Vitamin C (I got it wrong when I said I only needed to take 1000mg). My consultation is 4 pm tomorrow and I arrive in NYC at 930 am! I don't have much else to update you guys on... I'm less and less nervous as the days pass; I hope it stays that way :)

YES i'm so ready! I'm meeting Dr. Rizk at 4:30 today for my consultation, I have to admit I haven't bought any of the supplies that I probably should of, or foods that I can eat but its ok because I'm with my mom. I'll lounge for the next few days, watch plenty of movies, sleep, and read. I've actually been sitting here in the hotel room for 1 hour completely ready to go because I've been anticipating it for so long haha I'll update when I figure out what time I'm going in tomorrow morning. talk to ya'll later!

Hey everyone! My surgery went incredibly well, I had no pain or bruising afterwards and very little swelling. I had/have some discomfort in my nose but I haven't had to use any of my Percocet instead i've taken extra strength Tylenol. I even went for 4 hours with no pain medication and I felt nothing. Today its been a lot more swollen in my nose, my eyelids, and above my nose on my forehead. I'm already seeing a major difference with my profile and front view though and i'm very pleased so far :) I do look a little piggish but I expect that my nose will come more after a few weeks/months. Also, my nostrils are uneven but I believe thats from the swelling. Other than that, I've really just been laying in bed relaxing, staying on track with my meds, and keeping ice on my eyes/forehead. I must say I'm getting really bored because in our hotel I can't get the tv to work and I'm too lazy to read or do anything. And I don't like standing because it makes more blood come out- I've had to change my gauze mustache pretty often. I really just want these days to go by quickly because I don't even want to sleep; when I wake up my mouth is sooooo dry and I'm always afraid I'll fall over and hit my nose :( I even stayed awake from 7pm to 530am and then woke up at around 730am :/ and even with 2 hours of sleep I'm still not tired. grrr. My only excitement during the day is eating a bowl of oatmeal haha but this will all be worth it. I'll post some pics, although I really do look terrible with my eyes swollen but its ok lol

I woke up this morning at around 5:30 and wow I finally a) slept! and b) my mouth wasn't 100% dry and sore. In fact it was pretty moisturized and I could breathe a bit more through both nostrils! Such a relief. My right eye got a little bit more swollen but I expect that to go down starting tomorrow. The swelling on my forehead and under my left eye went down so I don't look as crazy haha. No bruising whatsoever thank God. I'm really feeling so much better this morning, I hope it lasts the whole day. The bleeding hasn't started yet so I went ahead and used saline spray, hydrogen peroxide, and Bactroban ointment. I cleaned my nostrils up a lot- yesterday my left nostril was completely filled with blood. I actually found out that its a mixture of blood and material they put in my nose to soak it up- today when I cleaned it up I was finally able to see that. Also, my nostrils have started evening out more, they seem to change for the better every day. Now, I'm just looking forward to my tip dropping a bit but I expect that to take a minimum of 3 weeks. I must say, I expected to be a lot more tired during recovery, but everyday I've had so much energy. Yesterday evening I brushed my teeth, washed my face to an extent, changed clothes, and put in my retainer. Now I just want to wash my hair because I haven't since Tuesday morning :/ but I'm so ok with it because my nose its making up for all of this. I'll probably leave the hotel room and go on a walk too just to get out. But anyways, I'll probably update later today and post more pics soon.

I forgot to add, I remember the day of surgery they told me I'd probably get some bruising because my skin is so pale. On top of that I had so much work done. It's really surprising how I look almost 100% normal after having my nose COMPLETELY redone. I even usually bruise and swell easily.

I came back from a walk with my mom about 30 minutes ago- we went about a block and a half up to TGI Fridays and I ate a chicken pecan salad with cranberries and goat cheese. It was sooo good to eat normal food, I had to take 5 minutes to eat each piece of chicken though haha chopping it into really tiny pieces. I did feel pressure on my nose when I walked, but afterwards we called the nose to ask about the very light purple color on the tip of my nose. She said that was normal and was also very happy to here that we had gone for a walk. Now I'm back in bed with ice on my eyes and I'm feeling much better from food the food in my stomach. I'm gonna go take 1000mg of vitamin C now, i'll post more tomorrow. have a happy thursday!

oops we called the nurse not the nose! I've obviously been thinking about my nose too much lately... hahaha

Hey! So I got almost 8 hours of sleep last night, I took my morning meds, ate turkey, mashed potatoes, and dressing (yum :D) and washed my face and brushed my teeth. More swelling under and above my eyes has gone down. I was actually able to breathe through my right nostril, and they've evened out a lot! I'm feeling really good I just wish I could wash my hair :/ If anyone has any recommendations for how I can do that without a bathtub I'd greatly appreciate it. I'm just afraid if I lay my head down on the sink I'll have a lot of pressure on my nose. Other than that it's all good :)

So I finally got brave enough to wash my hair! I started with sitting in a chair and leaning back in the sink and my mom poured water on my hair, but we weren't very successful so I thought screw this I'm taking a shower. I put a huge piece of cut out plastic bag over my cast and crouched under the shower head. Worked perfectly and I'm feeling fantastic!

Hey ya'll :) I just took a 2 hour nap but had to wake up to take my nighttime meds. For some reason the update page looks different and it won't allow me to add a photo? I haven't added one yet today :/ hmmm well not much has happened, just been sitting in bed and eating haha living the life ;) hopefully my computer won't be stupid tomorrow. Goodnight everyone!

Good morning! I slept really well last night. I still can't post pictures from yesterday, but hopefully realself will fix that problem sometime today. I think I might take a shower again and actually leave the hotel room lol I mean I left once before but it was only for about 2 hours. I know moving is good for swelling so I need to stop being so lazy :P I noticed a lot of the pressure in my nose has gone down and my skin feels a lot less sensitive when I wash my face. YAY!! so much improvement! My eyes are pretty much the right shape again too and my nostrils even out more everyday. Success! I still have to take vitamin c and medrol dose pack for the morning, so I'll go eat some jello to celebrate my rhinoplasty victory as of now. I feel good. This is a good day.

One last update to thank all of you for being so supportive before and after my rhinoplasty. I can not thank you enough for being so nice and giving me so much advice. I posted my email in the comments section below (I probably shouldn't have for privacy reasons but what's done is done haha) so of course email me anytime for pictures or information. I'll continue to check back on everyone's reciews because I've appreciated and enjoyed reading them so much the last week! They've helped me immensely. I'm sorry I'm deleting my account so soon after I've started posting- I just don't want too many pictures and whatnot getting out on the Internet (I realize it was my fault for posting them in the first place lol) but I wish anyone having surgery soon good luck and a quick recovery, and one last time, I thank everyone whose been on this journey with me and hope all of you have a great result and an abundance of happiness!

xoxo
Juliette

Hey everyone! So I've continued to follow a few posts, and I know I went away for a few weeks but I really love this site too much to leave haha everyones' posts have been so helpful! Soooo I've decided to put pictures back up, befores and afters. Its now 1 month and 25 days since my surgery with Dr. Rizk, and every few weeks I compare pictures and I love my results even more! You can read my previous posts for information on how my surgery went and the days leading up to it. Right now I have to say my nose feels much stronger, no pressure or tightness, and the swelling in the bridge has subsided a ton. I'm just waiting for the swelling in the tip to shrink :D Also, the nostrils are uneven but thats because my nose was slightly curved to one side and now that side is more swollen from being broken and straightened (I believe). I look forward to the coming weeks to see how my nose will continue to change and improve. My surgery has given me so much more confidence. Oh yea, I forgot to include that the days following my cast removal, my nose was swollen beyond belief. I actually was horrified of what the surgeon had done to my nose. It took about 2-2.5 weeks before I even felt ok leaving the house, and during that time I was pretty depressed. So if you're in that situation right now, do not fear! Your nose will shrink and you won't look like an avatar forever! Also, my tip was pretty big after the surgery and I actually had the opposite of a pig nose. The columella has shrunk a lot and its more turned up now (thank god) but still, there are days when swelling is worse than others. Even now try to ice my nose every morning, and take 1000 mg of vitamin C. Best of luck to all of those who are having their surgery soon or are in recovery!
Juliette

Hey guys! So its now been 2 months 18 days since my rhinoplasty. Wow, I've noticed some major improvements just looking in the mirror recently, the swelling in the tip has gone down a lot (and it still has such a long way to go!) I'm so so so much happier, even more so than I was just 3 weeks ago. Super exciting! I'm still just waiting for the profile view bump to be fully gone, and I can still feel swelling in the sides of my nose, and the tip is hard. Its still sensitive when lightly bumped, but my God its really shrinking. I'm still so very thankful I got this surgery, and it was such an easy one too! I'll keep everyone posted, maybe I'll update in a month if I see anymore changes.

Have a happy Friday :D
Juliette

Hiya! It's been 3 months and 23 days since my surgery. I still see subtle results every few weeks and I am soooooo unbearably happy that I got it done.

Hello hello! It has now been 4.5 months since the surgery, really can't believe it was only that long ago, seems much longer. Anyways, the tip of my nose is still hard/swollen, I can tell its swollen because its fatter than the rest of the nose. That also makes it sensitive to being bumped yet, but in a way thats a positive because I'll still see it shrinking over time! Whoo! I love the results, I'm just playing the waiting game now for the months to pass to see final results. It's strange, some days its more swollen than others. When my nose is stuffed up I can blow it and I actually see it shrink, or maybe thats all in my mind haha, either way its constantly changing, at least from what I can tell. Still so thankful everyday that I was able to have the surgery. I can't believe I even doubted it at first. Oh yea and sorry I realized someone posted to have more front pictures, so I'll be posting more pictures now. Really rhinoplasty, in my opinion, is the best plastic surgery you can have. It really changed so much for me. I never think about my nose except in a positive light. It's really, really amazing. Those candid photos don't kill my confidence anymore, I don't focus on the trivial, and I almost feel more friendly to people because I don't have the suspicion that they're judging me for having a large nose. I don't know, does that make sense? I feel like I'm writing in a diary, hah. Well, I hope everyone has had a great weekend as of now. I'll update in a few weeks.

Hello! Hope everyone has had a great weekend and MLK day :) I'm just posting more pictures, I love my nose more and more every month, its just amazing how much it continues to change. It's now 5 months 28 days since rhinoplasty... well 28 days is 4 weeks so I guess you can say its 6 months haha. My nose is still hard on the end but just a bit softer than it was. When I blow my nose it tends to get smaller, too, unless that's all in my head. I just know the tip is still very swollen and I expect to see final results in 6 months to a year. Thank you to everyone who has been so kind and also those who have followed my post!

Best wishes to all,
Juliette

PS, in my photos you may or may not be able to tell, I got my lips injected a little over a week ago. Very slight and natural. I haven't made any review on Juvederm lip injections, and I didn't really plan to unless anybody wants one. I'll consider it :) but you can ask questions that you may have about it on this post.

Hi Hi! Hope everyone has had an excellent week and a great start to their weekend.
I'm going to post some pics of the underside of my nostrils before, immediately after surgery, and now to show how they've changed much for the better.