“Edison, NJ- Rhino+Facial fat transfer, worth it for sure!!”

I was genetically blessed with a very Jewish/Mediterranean nose, and flat cheekbones. My nose projected too much from my face, was slightly crooked, and had a dorsal hump. Ever since my nose developed, I was always very self-conscious about it, and I felt like it was all people saw when they looked at my face. This was not how I wanted to stand out, and I dreaded any photos that showed me in profile.

I had rhinoplasty+facial fat transfer for undereye hollows and cheeks done. I am getting the fat transfer in stages, and only had a little bit so far. It has been 6 days since my surgery, and today I got my cast off. I visited 4 doctors before I chose mine. It had been recommended to me that I get a chin implant, but the idea of an implant in my body really bothered me, plus I don't think it's worth the price, so I decided against it. And I'm glad I did!

As for the surgery/recovery,

-immediately after the surgery, I was in a very good mood, lol. I was in some pain, but in good spirits.
-I had no swelling/bruising until later in the 2nd day. The little swelling I had disappeared by the 6th day and was worst the 3rd.
-I was able and felt comfortable putting contacts in by the 4th day. Keep in mind I actually just purchased contacts a week before the surgery, so they are pretty new to me.
-My teeth were pretty sore, which has gradually gotten better. They are still slightly.
-My top lip/nose tip were pretty numb, and still are slightly. This made my top lip barely rise when smiling. It is able to a little now, so I presume it will go back to normal pretty soon.
-I had an open rhino, so I had stitches put in. The cast removal/stitch removal were not as bad as I expected. I'd say having the stitches taken out is comparable to what it feels like to pluck your eyebrows, and the cast removal is like a really heavy band-aid being taken off.
-the worst part was the nasal packing. I cringed a little bit when I took it out, and it made me feel a little claustrophobic. I had to keep it in the first 24 hours after surgery, and I couldn't sleep the first night because of it.
-The 2nd and 3rd nights I was able to sleep intermittently, but it was still difficult.
Mouth breathing sucks! I have to say that the pain med helped a LOT with any and all pain I had, so don't hesitate to take it if you need!
Basically, it was about as bad as having the flu, and comparable to getting your wisdom teeth out. Most of my bruising has already gone away and all of the swelling has. TOTALLY WORTH IT!!

As for aftercare, there was no taping recommended as necessary, but my mom bought some skin tape and insists I use it as a warning to other people who get close to me, so I'm doing it anyway. I have to clean the inside of my nose out with hydrogen peroxide 2x/day, do pretty simple nose massages 3x/day, and spray saline spray in my nose 4x/day. Not too bad. The antibiotics will be done tomorrow, and I'm allowed to exercise in one more week. I can almost fully breathe through my nose now. I feel normal already. =)(=

I will try and update at least weekly as I heal!!

Updated on 31 May 2011:
Update (5 days after cast removed): Although the surgeon already said I'd notice little bumps around my nose, I've recently found a bigger one in the exact location of where I used to have a (much larger) bump. I am not particularly worried, and it is not noticeable unless you touch it, but I will bring that up at my next appointment, which is in two days. I am still very happy with the procedure, and almost all numbness went away other than some small areas in my tip. I see no swelling anymore.

Updated on 9 Jun 2011:
It has now been (1 day short of) 3 weeks since my surgery. When I saw the doctor last week and mentioned the bump on my nose, he said sometimes a tiny bit of silicone is put in later to smooth it out. However, Dr. Miller said it looks very good. I've realized what looks like a bump is not so much a bump but a very slight deficit of bone right UNDER the bump. This is not noticeable in profile view, and is only slightly noticeable in the front view. I can see it (and only on the left side) slightly in 3/4 view. This same side used to be my very worst and I refused to pose that way in pictures. The fact that it's even acceptable now to me in pictures is a miracle. I am otherwise VERY happy with my results, and even so I'd say 95%. I am pretty much recovered, have been able to smile normally for a week and a half now, and just have some minor numbness and hardness in the very tip of my nose. When I go back for my next round of fat transfer in August I will ask the doctor about having silicone put into that slight lacking spot, which I assume I'd have to wait a full year for (since that's how re-do rhinos tend to go). But even if I can't, nothing to fret over! I will put pictures up when I get a chance later showing this. Thanks for everyone's comments!

Updated on 22 Jul 2011:
I have a little dorsal bump that keeps coming up but I can push it back down. It's very small and almost looks like a bubble. From what I've read, I think things like that are fairly normal. And I have thin skin which probably doesn't help. It's not a big deal and I'm not fretting about it. Still waiting for my tip to completely refine itself, but I am very happy with my new nose. My parents say I don't look Jewish anymore, which is kind of sad, but oh well. Next Friday I have an appointment to see my plastic surgeon for my next fat transfer procedure. I will mention it to him then. I'll update here on what he says and with pictures then. Thanks everybody!

Updated on 29 Jul 2011:
I had my second round of fat grafting today (first after rhinoplasty). The numbing needle hurt! It was like a tenderizing pain.
Anyway, I do like how it looks, but I'd rather it be more in the apple of my cheeks than on the sides. My under eye hollows are filled in well, though.
I asked Dr. Miller about the bump that keeps appearing on my nose that I am able to push down and he said I should try not to bother it, because it can irritate my nose. But it really is visible to me when it comes up so I will give it time and see what happens. If anyone has any advice about this please let me know. I am putting up a picture or two showing how I look today after fat grafting. It's hard to see in a picture though.

Updated on 8 Aug 2011:
Hi everyone! Well now a bump is revealing itself, I'm guessing since the swelling has gone down. It's not absolutely horrible, but it's definitely disappointing since my nose was so perfect. I'm calling my plastic surgeon tomorrow. I hope this is something that will go away on its own. I'm going to post a picture of it to give you an idea, and if anyone has any advice or ideas about it, please let me know!

Updated on 18 Aug 2011:
Hey again everyone! My nose is looking better. The new bump hasn't completely gone down, but now it's miniscule enough for me to be happy. I've left it alone almost completely, though every once in awhile I'm still tempted to push it down :P So I think it was mostly swelling. I realized that for some reason most of my pictures were deleted, so I'm going to see if I can find the old ones again to put up. I'm also going to put up more recent photos of my bump "de" progression, so you can see for yourselves. Hope this helps anyone with a similar problem!

Updated on 26 Aug 2011:
The bump now is virtually gone. I am attaching photos of pictures from today, as well as when the bump was at its worst. Sort of like an evolution timeline. So my advice to anyone else who notices dorsal bumps springing up is they are very likely just swelling, and LEAVE IT ALONE. This past week I was so busy I virtually forgot about my nose and my leaving it alone made it pretty much vanish. Hope this helps. I am 100% thrilled with my nose now. I kept realistic expectations and wound up with a nose that exceeded even my highest hopes.

Updated on 27 Nov 2011:
Well I have possibly bad news. Now that the swelling is gone, I am able to see some asymmetry. It looks like there might be some slight nasal valve collapse on my left side. There's cartiledge missing on the front- left, and the left versus right side is crooked. I am still having some trouble breathing through my nose, especially that left side (breathe right strips help). I am also noticing that the scarring on my butt/hip where the donor site was for my fat transfer has all but gone away. It looks like very red stretch marks, and you can feel them stick out slightly from my skin. I have NEVER heard of lipo scars this bad even from major lipo, nevermind something as small as 1 oz. by thin cannula for facial fat. I have new pictures on here. Let me know what you guys think.

Updated on 24 Jan 2012:
Well I did talk to the doctor about a month ago. Sorry for forgetting to update. The next time I go in for fat transfer, he is going to put silicone into the area that is indented on the left side of my nose. He says it's really not very noticeable.

Updated on 12 Feb 2012:
Got more fat transferred to under my eyes + cheeks and silicone to fill the indentation (on the left side) of my nose on Friday. The silicone is going to be put in a bit at a time, and Dr. Miller said there were also still 1-2 sessions left of fat transfer to do (yayy!). The fat looks really good this time, and I hope most of it stays. There's still some swelling, but most is gone. You can see some of the holes in my face from the needle though :P I gotta tell you guys that it hurts REALLY bad. I couldn't open my eyes for a few minutes afterwards because of it. I got a numbing needle before the actual fat, so i don't know what's standard for doctors to use in fat transfer + silicone/filler injections, or if perhaps more potent anesthesia is used. Having such a stinging pain on my nose is not a pain I've really felt, before, either.

Doctor was very very nice to me both this time and before when I needed reassurance, so my review stays good. He is very professional and intelligent. I am posting a few pictures from today. Nose looks a bit more symmetrical, but hopefully will be more so in future sessions. Hope this helps anyone who had questions. Good luck to all new patients!!

Updated on 23 Mar 2012:
This will probably be my last update. I just got my last fat transfer done. I definitely have high cheekbones now, which is awesome! Although I am overall happy with my results, I would like to have my mid-face (think the area that round out when smile) filled out to look more feminine (it's pretty flat, which still adds to the circles under my eyes), and for some reason Dr. Miller didn't seem to think that doing so was a good idea with the fat. I think I may go to Dr. Joseph (located in Orange, NJ I believe) who specializes in Silikon 1000 (a type of diluted silicone) to fill out that remaining facial area in a similar way that a fat transfer does. It seems much more permanent and predictable, as well as fast. He has great reviews, videos, and credibility, and his prices are very good. So if I do that you will likely see another review from me for Dr. J. Thanks everyone. I wish anyone who's considering or going through surgery the best of luck, and if you ever need any advice please send me a message on here!!