Septoplasty: Stories

In 2011, after 2 years of not being able to breath, I found out I had a deviated septum. I went to an ENT and was told that I needed to see a plastic surgeon about having a septo-rhinoplasty. After having had a breast augmentation in 2006, I new exactly who my plastic surgeon would be for the rhinoplasty and made an appointment to see Dr. Loewenstein.

At the consult, we decided to do an open procedure where the dr. cuts just under the tip of the nose in order to get the best overall view and access. We also discussed how he would fix my nostrils and stop the non-deviated side from collapsing when I breathed in. I was reassured that I wouldn't be getting a new nose but rather a functioning version of my nose and that it would look very natural. Dr. Loewenstein worked with my insurance, got everything pre-approved and my surgery was scheduled.

Overall, the procedure went really well. I had a lot of swelling but almost no bruising and when I woke up, even with the packing in my nose, I was already able to breath better than before. The pain was very mild and controlled with tylenol. I chose to take two weeks off from work but one would have been adequate. I had heard a lot of horror stories about pain, bruising, and black eyes but in this instance, there weren't any problems.

It is now 6 months post-op and I couldn't be happier. I can breath and my nose looks really good; a bit straighter than before but otherwise it looks perfectly natural and like my nose. There is still a bit of swelling in the tip that will go down over the next couple months and the tip is just every so slightly still sensitive if it gets hit or poked hard. Otherwise, I have had no complications and barely even think about it anymore. Dr. Loewenstein did a great job and I would recommend the procedure to anyone in need. I believe the approximate cost of the procedure (all inclusive) was about $15,000 but as my insurance paid for it, my out of pocket costs only totaled about $1700. I would do it again.