In my 50's, 2wks post-op - New Haven, CT

I told my PS that I thought that my nose had grown bigger as I aged (45) - he agreed that it does seem bigger as our faces lose volume. Anyway, congrats on your upcoming surgery. I also did not want a drastic change, and I am really happy with my results so far. As far as downtime, today is 15 days post op for me and I have already returned to yoga (no bending over) and am completely back to my daily routine.

Hi! I put a strip of tape across my nose at night, for the next four weeks. My nose is still tender if I touch it and the underside is pretty numb. My smile is not quite back to normal, but I had a LOT of tip work done. It was an open rhino, so I expect that the incision site will take some time to resume feeling. Even though it is still swollen, I LOVE it. I will definitely post an updated pic later today.
I was nervous as well :), but as it turned out, the worst part for me was just the discomfort of the cast and breathing through my mouth for a few days - and I also have a little trouble with claustrophobia, so that came into play.
It sounds like you already take really good care of yourself, so that will really help the healing process. For a few weeks beforehand, I really upped my health care regimen with extra vitamin c and as much whole foods as possible. That helped me go into surgery knowing that I was in the best physical shape I could be. Did your doctor show you what your nose will look like?

He showed me a computer program taking my photo and altering the image, mostly reducing the bump and the tissue underneath. I am bit suspicious of how accurate one can be in actual surgery - it's not photoshop! Vitamin C is a good idea. I have definately been exercising a lot more. Any thoughts about aloe vera? I definately relate to the claustrophobia. Its cool that you can do some yoga, glad you mentioned that.

I just added 2 pics from this morning...the front shot shows that I am lopsided due to swelling, but that's ok. Also a tiny bit of bruising left but not noticeable. I have heard that aloe is great for healing, and I bet that it would also feel very nice chilled in a pack on your eyes after surgery. My right eye swelled quite a bit on day 3! One thing that you may consider asking your PS is if he recommends taking arnica tabs for bruising and swelling. I took them for 5 days pre and 4 days post - op. I have no idea if it helped, but there are a lot of people who say that it does.
I agree with the altered image...at best, it gives you an idea what is possible. And it can take a year to see the final result. I can tell you, though, that my swollen and lopsided nose is a lot nicer than it ever was pre - op.

I have found that applying arnica cream helps in reducing swelling especially in the morning - your nose swells when you lie in a prone position. Taping with 3M micropore tape also helps in reducing swelling; removing the tape and the sticky glue was a real hassle until I discovered adhesive remover (you can buy this at the pharmacy) ! Best wishes.

Did you get a cool - mist humidifier? That really helped me keep things moist the first few nights - especially if you are breathing through your mouth for a bit. And something like a wedge pillow so you can prop up.
My tip was up but dropped pretty quickly :) Also, I have to take surgical tape and tape my glasses to my forehead. That is quite the interesting look.

Dont have a humidifier, but its very humid here these days!. I like the pillow idea. Have you returned to any outdoor or other exercise? You mentioned yoga before.
I got the arnica gel, I suppose that is the same as cream?

have not tried arnica gel ... either cream or gel should work

Hey, good luck today! Looking forward to hearing about your recovery and results!