Rhinoplasty: Stories

Hey everyone! I am just starting this whole thing to get some feedback from others out there that have already had a nose job or are thinking about getting one. I'm trying to decide if I really should do it? Like a lot of people on here, I have hated my nose for a long time. And I am finally considering getting it done. I'm a 28 year old mother and wife. My husband does not want me to do it....he doesn't understand why I want it done. I'm having a hard time with that because I really need his support if I do this.

Another thing Is that I am SO intimidated in finding the right surgeon! I have only been researching for about two weeks now. Can someone tell me the most important things to look for in the right surgeon? I'm seriously terrified of getting a "bad nose job" if I do it!

those that have had great outcomes can you tell me what you looked for in a surgeon? Thank you for any advice you can give! :)

So I am so excited and nervous at the same time! I talked to my husband ( it was an intense conversation) for a long time yesterday and he has decided to support me in this. We need to pay off our debt first though but he is going to "let" me do this if it's really what I want. And it is. Our debt is not that bad and I am hoping we can pay the rest off this next year with our tax return. And when I say "let" it's more like he is saying he is on board with me in doing this. I'm so happy because I REALLY need his support if I do this.
I have also talked to my mom which I was pretty nervous about. But she said she loves me however I am and will support whatever I choose to do. My little brother is also supportive. I have not talked to my dad yet. I am really nervous to tell him. He is a pastor, very conservative Christian and I'm afraid he will only see this as being really vain! I was kind of afraid my mom would feel the same way but she wasn't at all. She was actually way more supportive than even my husband. My problem right now is finding the right surgeon close to me. Everyone I find is a bit far. But I know if it's the right surgeon it will be worth the travel.
Anyway sorry for my really poor writing skills. My husband is the writer, not me. ;)

So...I'm feeling pretty depressed lately. I talked to my mom again and she, I think would be supportive if I do it but does not want me to at all. She just does not get it! I haven't talked to my dad about it. I think I will when I actually have a date scheduled for surgery so that he will see that it is a decision I have already made. I just know he will be so disappointed in me....And that is depressing. My dad has always been proud of me. He tells me all the time lol! But this is going to be something he will not be proud of. I just know it! At least my husband is going to support me in it. He's doing in kind of a resentful way though...which totally sucks! My daughter is supportive though! ok ok she is only 14 months but she is the only one that seams to get it hehe.
I told a close friend of mine who lives out of state so she won't be telling others. But she said I should just do whatever makes me happy and if it's something I have always wanted to go for it! That was encouraging to hear. :) I'm also excited because all of the doctors I seam to like are in southern Ca and I am in Nor cal which was making it hard for me as I don't really have the extra money to pay for a place to stay in southern Ca. But I totally forgot my Aunt lives close to all the doctors I like and she has like 17 extra bedrooms which is plenty of room for me lol! And she is someone I would feel totally comfortable staying with and would be completely supportive of me! So I'm super happy that I have found a place to stay if I do go for a doctor in southern Ca!
Anyway...that's my" update " for now. Hopefully It wont be too long until I actually get the surgery! I am SOOOO impatient and just want to do it! :)

Ok.... So I'm kinda freaking out now! I just read thru a few " not worth it"reviews and it seriously scares me. I haven't decided to get my nose done for sure yet but I am/was definetly leaning towards doing it . That was before reading a bunch of the not worth it reviews. I'm so unsure if it would really be worth it. And I know my nose is not the worst nose ever but it's far from what I wish I had! I see all the good reviews and hope I could be one of them but then seeing all the bad ones..... Well I could be one of those too! My husband keeps telling me " don't fix what's not broken." And I think there is wisdom in that. But I just hate my nose! I just want to feel confident and not be constantly worried about it anymore. Ahhh this is for sure one of the hardest decision I've ever had to make! Any encouragement would definetly be welcomed!

So I finally made my first consultation! It will be with a surgeon here in town which is great! I'm excited I found him because he seams amazing and is maybe 15 minutes away! He has 34 years experience with rhinoplasty. His name is Dr. John McAvoy. So far I haven't found to much info on him. But he is also the ONLY doctor that I have tried to contact that e-mailed me back personally! I thought that was really cool! Because everyone else has a secretary or something dealing with all that. But he said he wanted to answer my questions personally to make sure I got honest info. The consult is not for another couple weeks due to me being busy. I can't wait to see how it goes. I've also been wondering if I have a deviated septum and I know I may have broken my nose when I was younger. I'm excited for him to look up my nose and check it out! hahah never thought I'd want someone to do that! Anyway...I will update in a few weeks about the consult.

I just wanted to post some new photos so people can get a better idea of my nose. Some have said its not that bad but I think that has a lot to do with my photos I had first posted. Just thought I'd give a better view. It's taking every bit of courage in me to post them.

Ok another update! I hope this review won't be miles long once I'm done but I really like to update and keep a "diary" of this whole process mostly for myself and my husband who reads it from time to time.
I am SO happy! We did our taxes a couple nights ago and our refund is going to be more than enough to pay off all of our debt! My husband and I had decided earlier that we wouldn't get the rhinoplasty done until our debt was paid off! SO this means when our refund comes in the mail ( 21 days or less) I will get to go back into debt by getting a loan for a rhinoplasty ( If I qualify which I shouldn't have a problem with)!! It sucks to go back into debt but I feel it will be the best debt I've had to live with ;).

Another thing. A couple weeks ago I talked to my dad about the rhinoplasty. I wasn't going to until I was further along in this whole process but the time was just perfect so I thought I would just throw it out there to see his reaction. My dad is SO hard to read. His first reaction was "WHAT? WHY? Why on earth would you want to do that!?" He likened me to Helen Hunt saying she is so beautiful and I remind him of her. For some reason that didn't help me....he is an artist and finds my nose gives me character and a different kind of beauty ( yeah the ugly kind of beauty) . But still his opinion mattered to me and matters to me. His reaction was better than I thought it would be. I thought he would be really upset. But the thing is he is so timid and a bit passive I can't really tell what he is really thinking. SO annoying haha. I just wanted to get him used to the idea though. I have a feeling it's not real to him yet. I think he thinks this will pass and I will come to love my nose. But It wont. I've hated it for about 16 years now. I think I will continue hating it unless something is done.
Any who I'm so excited that my nose job may be closer than I thought! I can't wait to get the refund check in the mail and pay my car and credit card off so I can get a new loan and start over! ;) Does anyone have any financial tips? I don't know if I want to get a personal loan or what. I have looked into care credit but I'm not sure if just going through my bank would be easier. Sigh....I just can't wait to get started. I already sent Dr. Grygoryants an e-mail asking for a consultation! I hope they get back to me soon so I can get that scheduled and set! The doctors I'm debating between are Dr. Grygoryants, Dr. Clutter and Dr McAvoy. It's such a nerve wrecking decision to decide on what doc to do the procedure! I just pray and hope I choose the right one! :) I may add a couple more pics that are a little more "normal" of me because I look at the ones I have and I cringe....yikes. Not purty. I'd like some honest feedback of my nose and if you think it really would be worth it. I think it would but I want some more help because some people on here have been saying and trying to persuade others not to go through with it because they didn't think that persons nose was that bad. So i guess what I'm asking is on a scale from one to ten (one being SO not worth it and 10 being VERY worth it) how much do you think it would be worth it for me to get a rhinoplasty? I won't be hurt by honestly. I mean I'm asking for it.... literally! Thanks so much for the help. :)

Alrighty then! I had my consultation today with Dr. McAvoy! He is the one in my home town. It went really well! He is super honest and genuine. Been doing this for 35 + years. He is a strong advocate for truth in advertising and likes to keep a low profile due to attracting "a certain type of patient". Apparently there is a LOT of crap out there he has learned to avoid. He's an older guy ( I think 68 or so) but is super nice and talks talks talkity talky! He seriously answered more than half of my questions (35 of em) before I even started asking! This consult was free. Supposed to be an hour and half at the most. It was about TWO and a HALF HOURS! For free though! So that's super awesomeness right?! Anyway...I really like him as a person and as a surgeon but his before and afters weren't stellar or anything. Although a lot of them didn't look like easy cases as mine is pretty easy. The ones that did look simple looked very good though. He doesn't do a ton of them and made it clear that many surgeons use the number of how many rhinoplasty's they do to compete and didn't want to give me an official "number" for that reason. He is the go to guy for other surgeons family members (I've read) and he has a lot of great achievements. He didn't boast about any of them. I just knew them from research. I liked that he wasn't giving me some type of infomercial. It was real and honest. He did some computer imaging but said that he needs to update it so the print out he gave me makes my nose look pointier than it would actually look like. And it looked pointier on the print out then it did on the screen. So I will put a pic up but it's much more projected than it would actually be. He said I probably do have a deviated septum but that probably about 70% of people walking around have a deviated septum. He didn't do a full on examination. He felt my nose but didn't look up it or anything ( should I be concerned about that?) He took my blood pressure and oxygen too. I am concerned that he doesn't do a lot of rhinoplatstys. He has done a lot but not so much anymore. I think he said maybe 3 within the last 3 or two months. But it's not a big city and we aren't too far from San Francisco which probably makes it difficult for him to get very many rhinoplastys. He also said many surgeons over price. He estimated it at $5,500. WAY more affordable than I thought it would be! He also said because I'm still trying to wean my daughter that that price would be good for a year. I also found out that my little brothers friends wife ( haha ahh the connections) had a rhinoplasty done by him. So I am going to call her right now and ask about it. Soooo excited about that connection and to get to talk to her! My husband came with me. He and my mom both are now really getting against the whole thing. :-( I feel totally alone in this except for the awesome peeps on here. The doctor even said I don't really need it. But that I am a good candidate for it. I still want to do at least one other consult. Sigh... I am torn. He did't really seam to think my nose was that bad and didn't really think I should do it. But he could do it and was really confident in being able to create what we talked about. It's hard to decide on this big a thing when you feel like everyone is against the whole idea. I need some encouragement. I'm going to put up the pic he did but just remember it's much more pointier than he would make it. It's just the print out that came out like that. ;)

Just want to clarify from my last post. Dr. M wasn't trying to talk me out of it. Sorry I made it sound like that. He was just saying nobody really "needs" cosmetic surgery. And in my case I do not "need" it but If I want it he could do what I want done pretty easily and confidently. :) I feel pretty confident in his ability but I am not sure if I would choose him.

Sorry about all the updates lately! But just wanted to say I have another consultation scheduled. It's with Dr. Clutter in Folsom on March 14Th. It's not for a while but I'm realizing this is a longer process then I thought it would be. Which is ok. I am happy to be learning more and more about this procedure and other doctors. SO excited about this consult though because he is supposedly a fantastic surgeon and ENT! Woo hoo!

Finally had my second consult today! I was supposed to have two today but one cancelled on me which sucked because I had driven the night before and stayed in a hotel in order to avoid traffic and getting up super early to make it in time ( because I live about 3 hours away from the surgeons)! I was pretty bummed about that. But I still had another appointment with another PS. And my husband, daughter and I made a day of it and just explored the town since my next consult wasn't until 4....anyway....like you really need to know all that. SO my consult was with Dr. Clutter in Folsom. It went really well! I really like Dr. Clutter. He got straight to the point and told me what he would do to my nose and it was exactly what I wanted to hear. His before and afters were beautiful too! He said he does about 150 rhinos yearly and has been doing them for 30 years! I definitely prefer him over my first consult! The only thing I was bummed about is that he didn't do computer imaging. He showed me what he would do on paper and by touching my nose and showing me in a mirror. But surprisingly I think I could trust him enough to do it right anyway. He said my nose is very basic and not difficult at all and he's really confident he could do it. AND he would do a closed rhino! Which I really wanted! The other PS I was going to see was actually in the same building and Dr. Clutter and Dr. Mabourkh work hand and hand a lot. Apparently they are good friends. So Dr. Clutter said to see him too because he's very good and it's good to get as many consults as you can. So I have a consult with Dr. Mabourkh on April 9th! AHHHH I have to wait again! I had scheduled two on the same day to avoid two trips. So I'm pretty irritated that they cancelled. But he had two emergency surgeries. So I understand. The difference between Clutter and Mabourkh. Clutter is an ENT and Dr. M is a board certified plastic surgeon. Both are great. I have a feeling this will be a hard decision! Oh and Dr. Clutter confirmed that I have a deviated septum FYI. Which I had been curious about. I'm SO excited now! I can't wait for my consult with Dr. M. It's Just so frustrating to have to wait again! I will update again after my next consult. Does anyone have experience going to a doctor that doesn't do computer imaging? I'm a little concerned about him not using it. I am really visual and I feel like I need to see what his idea is for my nose. He had good reason not to use it. Saying it gives a false impression of what a persons nose could look like and people could easily be disappointed with their results. What do you all think about that? He said that a lot of surgeon don't use computer imaging. :-/

Today I had my consult with Dr. Jacobs. I was excited about him because he is so close to home I wouldn't have to stay in a hotel or anything. He was fantastic! I loved his computer imaging and everything he said was exactly what I wanted done. He said he uses sedation (twilight) though and that kinda freaks me out. But not enough to not go through with it. I was a little concerned that his practice is only about 25% dedicated to Rhinoplasty though. But he has done about 2500-3000 rhinos. Which is a good amount. Anyway I will update tomorrow because I have one more consult with Dr. Mabourkh! Can't wait! :)

Alright! I had my (most likely) last consult today! It was with Dr. Mabourkh in Folsom. I've had 4 consults in total which I think is pretty good and more then I thought I would have. The more I go to consults the more I want to get this done. Not only that but as I see other posters on here and comments people posting to them saying "Yes do it!" or "No don't do it" etc. The ones that get a ton of "You look great the way you are!" Really do actually look beautiful already and don't really need it. But I see mine and well.....not very many of those which just confirms all the more that I really do need this and would benefit from it. Not that I'm doing this for others but it helps to hear other honest opinions when all I hear from family is that I don't need it.
Ok so about the consult today! Dr. Mabourkh was so sweet, quiet and almost shy. It was so weird because all the the other doctors I saw were loud and completely open and talkative. At first it was totally awkward for me and our conversation was not going very far haha. Because I also am shy and quiet. Put two quiet people together and it's pretty darn uh....quiet. But after a few more minutes of awkward silence we finally started to hit it off. He did do computer imaging but I had to go in the waiting room while he worked on it then he showed me black and white print outs. I liked them even though they were hard to see ( they were pretty bad print outs) but everything he told me he would do to my nose was the same as Dr. Jacobs but Dr. M was charging WAY less 6800 compared to 9300! Dr. Jacobs was good but I don't think he is any better then Dr. M. Dr. Mabourkh was pretty much fitting all my requirements. He was a bit shy but that was almost better as he wasn't trying to sell me anything. It wasn't like a "infomercial" or something! Which I totally appreciated. Another bonus is that he loves performing rhinos. It's his favorite procedure and he's really conservative with them too. They look really natural and beautiful! He's also a perfectionist (as his assistant told me) and doesn't stop until it's perfect. She was so helpful. Also while I was waiting for the imaging a girl came in that just happen to have had her nose done by him. So I got to talk to her. Her nose looked totally natural and she was 4 months post op. That was so cool as I had never been able to talk to anyone (in person) that had had a rhinoplasty. She loves her new nose and said a lot of her friends didn't even notice. She showed me her before and it really does look so different yet still her. All that to say I think I've chosen my surgeon. I'm pretty sure Dr. Mabourkh is my guy! One thing I was really concerned about was after my hump was removed I really wanted the projection and tip brought in and up just a tiny bit. First he didn't think I needed it but he said as he was doing the imaging he thought it did look better bringing the tip in and up just a little. So happy he agreed because Dr. Clutter didn't seam to think I needed that but I was pretty sure I did. Dr. Jacobs thought I did need it but was WAY pricey! I'm so happy I went ahead and saw him. I wasn't going to but I went for it anyway and he was worth the drive. I will update soon with hopefully a surgery date! :)

Wow....I need some advice! I can't decide between Dr. Clutter and Dr. Mabourakh! One is and ENT and certified with the American Board of Facial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery. That one is Dr. Clutter. The other Dr. Mabourakh is certified with The American Board Of Plastic Surgery and the FACS. So one is an ENT and the other is a plastic surgeon. I guess I don't know what's better. They are both great surgeons. Clutter does more rhinoplastys then Mabourakh. But Mabourakh still does about 2-4 a month. While Clutter does about 2-4 a week....this is really hard. I'm leaning toward Clutter now because he was more confident to me and I could talk to him more easily. What do you think is better? I just want some feedback! :) Thanks!

FINALLY my surgery is Scheduled! I'm SO excited! The lady that scheduled it was pretty irritated...don't know why but whatever she's not doing my surgery! haha. I'm too happy to be annoyed at her rudeness. :) If you pray I ask that you would keep me in your prayers now. I'm nervous but so happy too! FYI my husband picked my new title for my post. I'm not the type to call myself cute. :)

Oh and also the reason I ended up choosing Dr. Clutter over Mabourakh is because 95% of his practice is dedicated to Rhinoplasty as Dr. M's was about 25%. The one key reason I was going to choose Dr. M was because he saw that I needed my nose to be de-projected after the hump is removed where as Dr. Clutter didn't think it needed that. But I called Dr Clutter and asked if he would be willing to de-project it and bring it up just a tad and he said that's not a problem. Also Dr. Clutter said I can continue breastfeeding after surgery where as Dr. M said I wouldn't be able to for about 5 days (because he gives steroids to help with swelling). I really didn't want to attempt to wean as my daughter is SO not ready and extremely needy. I didn't really want to deal with that while recovering. Hopefully that all makes sense. It just seamed to me that Dr. Clutter, although he didn't use computer imaging, is still a fantastic surgeon and meets all my needs. I think I will just show him my own computer imaging on my phone to be reassured. I'm sorry this review is really long already! I will try and keep all my other post short and sweet. ;)

I realized that I didn't put anything in my review about my nose having trauma to it. I was slapped around a lot as a child and teenager and as a result ( I believe) my nose has been pretty messed up as there were numerous times I got a bloody nose from being hit in the face so often. I also had a rock thrown at me when I was about 7 years old. And that didn't help it either. A couple of the doctors I have had a consult with asked if I had had trauma to my nose and after thinking about it I see that I have. I always try and block those days out and as a result I somewhat forget. But being asked by these doctors pretty much brought it back to the surface. Anyway....just one more reason I can't wait to get this done. Another part of my past that is a part of me but that I will be able to truly put behind me. ;)

Just want to share this dream I had! Finally starting to have nose job dreams! Last night I dreamed that I was going to get my cast off and
Charlize Theron was my surgeon. She was telling me that it was really really swollen and that I should also get my eyelids done...ok....haha. Then when I posted my post op nose on here someone commented saying how ugly I looked and how stupid my nose is because it got so swollen. hahah my stupid nose! lol. Anyway....just thought it was hilarious that Charlize was my doctor. How cool would that be?! In my dream she was still an actress but also a surgeon. Oh the dreams we have during this time huh? ;)

Ugh! I need some serious real self love! I need my nose family ( as hanna calls it :) Last night was horrible! I found out "People were talking" about me having surgery but the thing is nobody was supposed to know (except the few that I had told) One in particular person I didn't want to know ( in fact she is the LAST person on earth I want to know) found out. She is like the gossip queen! And I was pissed and was trying to figure out who told her. I know people will know eventually but this is such a personal and even kinda embarrassing thing that I didn't want everyone to know until after. That way nobody is trying to talk me out of it and judging me. Ahhhh I was so frustrated. Three of my closest friends all told me something different. They were all pointing fingers and none of them have faced up to it. I felt seriously back stabbed last night. Because those that knew were people I completely trusted and would NEVER think they would tell the one person they knew I didn't want knowing. One of my brothers that didn't know about it found out ( in fact his wife is the one I didn't want knowing). He is the one brother I REALLY didn't want to know ( I have 5 brothers by the way...) But this one is so hard headed and closed minded I knew he would be totally against the idea and he was....and let me have it last night to the point that I was in tears and ready to just not get it done. He knows I have been around to different countries on mission trips helping people and seeing lots of poverty and so he threw that in my face saying I could use this money for them and he couldn't believe I was being so selfish! I was so mad at him. Anyway....my husband and parents put me at ease. Talking to my parents really helped. Because they understand somewhat and just want me to be happy and they say if this will help with my depression and help in any way that I should just do it. They really put me at ease as my parents and my husband are really the only ones I truly care how they feel about this. Anyway has anyone else dealt with gossip over this? I cannot believe how people react to this surgery! You'd think I was getting my legs removed the way people are reacting. To me it's not a HUGE deal as they are making it out to be. I seriously told my husband I wish we could just move and start fresh! Has anyone else felt like this? Sigh... I just want it to be over! Sorry my review is already crazy long....haha I just have nobody to vent to and you guys and gals are so awesome! And you know what it's like to go through all of this stuff. Thanks for being so cool and being there for me. God bless Real Self! haha ;)