Rhinoplasty: Stories

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Rhinoplasty Poor Dr. Choice - New York

I just wanted my nose straightened and slightly...

I just wanted my nose straightened and slightly slimmed. Doctor went radically in different direction excessively shortening my nose, turning it up giving it a pig like appearance. It's devastating and embarrassing and the dr says it looks nice and doesn't admit to screwing up. It's a crapshoot regardless of how good their b4/after pictures look. I should've sought out a rhinoplasty specialist who does at least 3 per week for at least 25 years. It's what I would recommend to anyone out there.

I've since had a revision with a facial...

I've since had a revision with a facial surgeon specializing in shock trauma victims. He was able to restore my nose and improve the damage done by Michelle Copeland. He listened carefully, was very compassionate and I only wish I used him the first time. He's a true doctor who cares about his patients.

I'm 2 years and 4 months post op from my revision...

I'm 2 years and 4 months post op from my revision surgery. It's not ideal and i'm not super thrilled and will probably have the same dr refine the tip. He did a great job considering where he had to start from but my nose is quite wide and the tip is quite large. It's really straight and he gave me back the length so, for that I'm happy. the wideness and bulky tip is a matter of slimming down and not adding any more so I'm not too concerned. I've had other life matters that took precedence so now hopefully by late summer I'll have it tweaked. It sure is worlds better than the Copeland catastrophe.
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This doctor gave me a obvious bad nose job, she was argumentative, VERY impatient, dodges questions, and told me to seek therapy to accept the outcome. She doesn't even deserve one star but instead a big fat F for failure as a doctor and ethical human being. I was stunned that she actually looked me in the eye and told me this is what we had discussed and that it looks great but she wouldn't put it on her website when I asked. If she was so proud of this, why wouldn't she want to use it for advertisement and exposure.

Comments (137)

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flower63 20 May 2013
The before picture looked fine!
penelopenose 20 May 2013
Oh, ok flower63, i'll turn back time and problem solved! Your comment is useless.
laurellay001 12 May 2013
So sorry for what you've gone through. This is an unfortunate outcome and I'm surprised Copeland didn't offer to refund the fee. It's the least she could do. I'm glad you were able to get a proper revision, even if you aren't 100% satisfied.
penelopenose 12 May 2013
Thank you. If she had offered to refund the fee that would admit fault and liability which, of course, would compromise her license to practice mutilating other people. I've had to settle for a pretty good revision requiring 2 surgeries but reconstructive surgery from trauma injury will never bring me back to where I started. Her debt to me in karma will be paid, I have faith in that.
Al64 6 Apr 2013
Wow I can't believe that there are people on this forum that actually think that result looks good. Maybe they think they are being nice by saying something positive about her result. If they really do think its great then we at least know they have the same sense of aesthetics as the surgeon that botched you. I am amazed that anyone would think of that as a great or even an ok result. That result should be automatic suspension of her license. This Copeland character needs to find another line of work but it should never be anything that involves having a good eye or sense of aesthetics because she has absolutely none.
Eve1234 22 Mar 2013
glad youre getting it fixed, thanks for posting this as this is one doctor to avoid as clearly does not have an artistic eye, you only needed some minor adjustments i think
my.nose.is.ugly.now 18 Mar 2013
Your original nose actually reminds me a lot of blake lively's pre-surgery nose. Maybe you could show your surgeon pictures of her nose before/ after and maybe he can try and narrow your nose similarly. I think blake lively's nose is great now, and I'm sure you could get results like that too.
DashedHopes 18 Mar 2013
penelopenose - delighted you managed to find a gifted surgeon to fix the botched up job your of the previous incompetent "surgeon". I put this in inverted commas because she does not deserve to call herself that. Not only is she incompetent but arrogant to boot. I think it's outrageous that they can demand such high fees, completely mess up, and blow you away your concerns with a "I love you, you look so beautiful". I wonder if she would have felt the same way if that nose was on her face! The cheek of it is nauseating. Someone should bring in legislation to allow cosmetic surgery patients to pay 50% of their fee before surgery and the remaining 50% post surgery if the surgeon delivers a satisfactory result. I am sure that will make them think more carefully about what they are doing or if they should do it at all. I have had a procedure myself which has left me looking and feeling worse than before. The annoying part is that many of the mistakes I see could have been avoided but I guess when you're on a 'conveyer belt' and the sound of the cash machine is ringing in your surgeons ear chances are you'll be left high and dry? Thankfully, there are still excellent surgeons out there doing good work and I hope they will prosper and the 'mavericks' will be exposed to the world for who they really are. Thanks for sharing and hope you will be entirely happy with your new nose!
mariaparadechorar 13 Mar 2013
Sorry foor all pain you've passed trough. It's nice to read that your revision went well, and I hope it will just improve with time. My case was similar to yours, when complaining about the results of my surgery, the doctor also said me that I should see a psychologist and take medicines. She doesn't even want to hear what I have to say and keep saying "I love you, you look so beautiful". Hope my nose improoves with time, but it doesn't seem to have improved at all till now. Best wishes!
moomoon999 4 Mar 2013
did the tip get wider due to being lengthened? I meant to ask
moomoon999 4 Mar 2013
did the doctor bring the nose collumn back down? is the tip as low as before? I have the same problem it sucks to go in and get a procedure and to end up having to fix a problem that you did not ask for, an upturned nose was on the bottom of my list, I"m so sorry for you, when you say your tip is wide is it wider then your original nose? (sorry for so many questions) I'm 19 and my life is consumed in revision hell
Stella30490 2 Mar 2013
I think it looks cute!
penelopenose 2 Mar 2013
Good for you. Please get rhinoplasty by her. I would love it if you would.
Faith2012 (RealFriend) 29 Jan 2013
Thank you for the courage to share your story. It will probably prevent this from happening to someone else. A lot of people don’t like to read negative reviews before their rhinoplasty but I wish I would have so that I would have been more careful choosing a surgeon. Wishing you an amazing and blessed outcome. You certainly deserve it after what you’ve been through.
Babygirl4 12 Jan 2013
ugh i tried looking for your new and improved nose everywhere but couldnt find it. then i found your blog and my access was denied?
lifegoeson 5 Jan 2013
unbelievable! i hate doctors like these! how rude, i feel for you! hopefully after the revision ur much happier now! what a journey
Mia35 2 Dec 2012
Hi Bangeline, What a nightmare you have been through!! I don't think I could have made it if I were you. It must have taken so much strength to face family and friends afterwards, let alone going out in public :( I am so glad to hear you found a good doctor to help - I have gone through something similar (not at all as horrible as your experience) and I almost committed suicide, I turned in sick for a month and isolated myself completely just crying everyday for hours. I can't even imagine what I would have done in your situation! I would probably have slapped Michelle so hard and sued her ass afterwards! Anyway, did you get your tip refined yet? I hope you absence mean you finally have a nose you can live with, and that you have moved on from this hellish nightmare! All the best, Mia
penelopenose 3 Dec 2012
Hi Mia, I was too angry to contemplate suicide but homicide is a different story, haha! That's a joke y'all. I wanted her to suffer the same injury, or better yet, I wished for a horrible accident to cut off her hands so she wouldn't disfigure anyone else. Karma will collect from her, no doubt about it. Dr. Le in Baltimore performed a revision in Nov. 2009 and I'm going back in a couple months for some re-shaping. I needed a completely rebuilt nose and, though the revision was an improvement, it still needs some refining. Michelle Copeland had literally destroyed my cartilage. It was chopped in pieces. I would've gone to Freddie Kruger had I wanted what she had done. For that year I had also isolated myself from friends and family and suffered from depression and loneliness. It disgusts me that there continues to be people out there like her ruining lives. Board certified means nothing. She was and we see how that turned out. Thanks for writing and all the best to you, too. x
julieburn 3 Jan 2013
penelopenose, I can totally relate. Karma for sure tho! What did Dr. Le do to improve it? How does it look now? You said you are going back again, do you have to pay again??
penelopenose 3 Jan 2013
I can't answer what he had done in detail but basically he used cartilage from my rib to rebuild my nose. I have about a 1" scar on my ribcage below my right breast to serve as a souvenir. I look like a normal person now. I'm just getting some sculpting done to my tip, it's just a bit too balloon-ish for me. Yes, I'm paying again but just a facility fee and smal revision fee. It's still a lot but worth it to get closer to my goal. I go back under the knife in a few weeks.
julieburn 4 Jan 2013
Did he say why he wasn't able to define it more the first time he revised it? Going a third time must be frustrating! I'm looking to get my nose revised, primary left me with an upturned short nose with nostrils showing. I, like you, want more refining and am worried it may come out more broad once the upturn is brought down. Did he say how he will be able to do that?? The doctor I am looking at told me I couldn't get it much thinner or defined in the tip because of nasal valves.
penelopenose 4 Jan 2013
You ask for too many details. I don't know how he'll be able to do that. He's the surgeon. I'm not. I had a COMPLETELY REBUILT nose. It's not realistic to predict how organic matter will shape up, even with a strategy, when rebuilding a body part that had been previously mutilated. Like I said, I look like a normal person now. I'm just getting minor sculpting to define the tip shape. I don't understand what your tip has to do with nasal valves. True, you can go only so much slender or you risk breathing issues but my nasal passages are huge that I can withstand a bit of slimming. Everyone's different.
lifegoeson 5 Jan 2013
you couldnt sue her?????
julieburn 9 Feb 2013
thats a good question, lifegoeson, i guess not.
julieburn 9 Feb 2013
hope all went well with dr. le!

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