Rhinoplasty: Stories

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Rhinoplasty and Septoplasty Changed My Face/Life/Health - Toronto, ON

I had a cosmetic rhinoplasty and septoplasty on...

I had a cosmetic rhinoplasty and septoplasty on August 10,2011.

I had been unhappy with my nose for a long time for the following reasons:
- too big for face (too long, too wide)
- dorsal bump/hump
- hanging columella
- crooked nose
- deviated septum that caused problems with breathing, nose bleeds (quite severe at times for my entire life), irritation, runny nose, pain, sinus headaches and pressure.

PROS:
Everything.
- hump is gone!
- nose is slimmer (I am still swollen but lateral osteotomies helped to slim the nasal bones)
- columella is no longer hanging
- I can breathe (septum is no longer deviated)
- Most of all, I dont have to hate the way I look because of my big ugly nose. I no longer fear that people are staring at my nose. I am aware that this may sound quite shallow to some of the readers, however, unless you suffer from a large, deformed nose, you will never understand how lucky you are and what a sense of relief it is to have a normal looking nose post-op.

I hated my nose so much that I didnt want to see it again (i.e., I didnt want my new post-op nose to resemble my pre-op nose whatsoever) Now - when I look in the mirror I do not see my old nose and I feel a sense of relief and a great sense of happiness because I am very satisfied with my new nose.

CONS:
None. Except, if you dont have patience - rhinoplasty, the open type in particular, has a long recovery period. Although I am 3 months post-op and I have healed very well, I am still swollen and still have a long way to go.

Overall: I am very happy. I think the pictures speak for themselves

Hi everyone, I am just updating a few pictures...

Hi everyone,

I am just updating a few pictures. I am now 3.5 months post-op. Here are some pictures.

Hi everyone! I had added 2 more pictures at the 1...

Hi everyone! I had added 2 more pictures at the 1.5 year mark following my open rhinoplasty.
Great review?

My Doctor: Oakley Smith, MD

My rating:

Doctor's Bedside Manner
Answered My Questions
After Care Follow-Up
Time Spent With Me
Phone or Email Responsiveness
Staff Professionalism & Courtesy
Payment Process
Wait Times

Dr. Oakley Smith is an amazing and very skilled surgeon. He went above and beyond exceeding my already high expectations. People often describe me as a perfectionist and I am very happy with the way he was able to transform my nose. I actually found Dr. Smith through RealSelf. I wanted a rhinoplasty for a very long time, but I knew that I had to choose the right surgeon or I would be risking a deformed nose, and a revision rhinoplasty. After reviewing his pictures and answers to other members' questions, I felt quite confident in him and decided to book a consultation. To be honest, I didnt see any other surgeons for a consultation. I was so very confident in Dr. Smith that I knew after the consultation that I wanted to proceed through to surgery with him. Sometimes you just know when something feels right, and, in this case, I went with him and I didnt feel the need to get another opinion of another doctor. I immediately felt comfortable with Dr. Smith. He was very helpful from the time I booked the consultation all the way through to before and after the surgery in answering my questions. I never felt rushed during any of our appointments. Also, in the above star ratings for Wait Times, I only gave Dr Smith a 4, which in this case is a positive thing. He is such an excellent, skilled and professional rhinoplasty and reconstructive surgeon that he is in a very high demand, and therefore there is a longer wait time to book the surgery. However, the wait time is nothing compared to the years I lived with my ugly nose and I was willing to wait for the best. I have heard of other surgeons booking cosmetic surgeries within 2 weeks of the consultation - be aware because this obviously means that they are either rushing through surgeries or have very few patients. Overall, he is an amazing surgeon and I could not imagine a better result. I am very happy that I found him and selected him as my rhinoplasty surgeon.

Comments (44)

Sort by
Newnose4me 8 Feb 2013
A beautiful result & very encouraging for someone like me who is nearly 4 weeks post op, and had a lot of work done.......super swollen tip! By the way, you look just like a blonde Angelina Jolie from the side.
Rayah7 7 Feb 2013
Wow it looks amazing! You are so stunning! :)
iznogud 7 Feb 2013
awesome!
sarah_tonin 7 Feb 2013
Your pictures are faaaaab! You had a very wonderful result!
Hope22 7 Feb 2013
Thanks for posting more pics. I found Dr. Smith after reading your post. You look great! Currently I am waiting for his office to call and confirm my surgery date!!
thethinblonde 7 Feb 2013
Thank you! I'm so happy to hear that you're going through with the surgery. Around what day do you think your surgery will be? If you feel comfortable, you should post some pics of yourself as well!
shelee 4 Mar 2013
I have a consultation with him on april 4th. Any idea how long you will have to wait for surgery? How was your overall consultation with him?
thethinblonde 7 Feb 2013
Hi everyone! I had added 2 more pictures at the 1.5 year mark following my open rhinoplasty.
CountryGirl5402 7 Feb 2013
Im having surgery with Dr. Smith very soon (I just booked my surgery date). Your pictures are part of the reason I chose him! Thanks so much!!
thethinblonde 7 Feb 2013
You are so sweet :) Thank you for your comment! I am very happy to hear that my pictures are helping people like you. That is exactly the reason I posted my pictures on RealSelf! Good luck with your surgery. I am certain you will be very happy and have beautiful results.
thethinblonde 7 Feb 2013
Oops - I meant to say I have added!
shelee 4 Mar 2013
How long did you have go wait for a surgery date? Please please let us know how your surgery goes!!!
CountryGirl5402 4 Mar 2013
I booked well in advance only because my schedule didn't permit me to get the surgery sooner (which was about 8 weeks or so). And I will definitely keep you posted - surgery is booked for April 9th!
shelee 4 Mar 2013
My consultation is april 4th and i'm praying i can get in for surgery the week of june 24th otherwise i will have to wait until dec or jan. That would suck! i am VERY excited for you keep me posted on your recovery!!!!!
CountryGirl5402 4 Mar 2013
I think when I had my consultation (which was last September so Im having a hard time remembering) Dr. Smith said it's about a 6 week wait as long as it isn't a busy period (i.e. Holidays or Spring Break from school). So I think you might be okay!! Good luck and make sure to start a review to keep us posted.
shelee 4 Mar 2013
I will for sure. I have relied on this site so much lately i will definitely pay it forward and let everyone know my experience. I will look for your post op posts in april. Best of luck!
ginncha 29 Jun 2012
hello
i would like to see more pictures of you...please.
thank you very much.
knobby 6 Jun 2012
looks great! really perfect.
PinkChic 26 May 2012
Hey your nose looks awesome! I'm like you with big eyes and med/large lips. It's nice to see someone on here with similar features. My nose is long and skinny too. Your nose fits you good now. It's more feminine, which is what i want. Very nice! Do you mind posting some updated photos? THanks !
ginncha 5 May 2012
hello i would love to see some updates pictures of your cute nose.
thank you.
calidreams 24 Apr 2012
Hi I had a consult with Dr. Smith a few weeks ago. Really like your results. How are you doing? Any new pictures? I see that you really like Dr. Smith. Anything that you are concerned about?
finallyanewnose 19 Mar 2012
Thanks for sharing your story! Would love to see some updated pictures
ginncha 18 Mar 2012
hello, i have a consultation this summer for a revision rhino. it will be the third rhino for me, hope i'll like him and he can fix my nose.
ha ha la did you have your surgery dates??
ha.ha.la 22 Feb 2012

Thanks so much for sharing your story. I have always hated my nose and am very self conscious about it. I was debating wether or not to have surgery and your story has convinced me to do it. Like you I have big eyes and medium lips with a similar face shape so your before and after pictures have given me an idea of what to expect. I have blueish under eye circles and am wondering if you had the same before surgery and wether they improved after surgery?

Indigo2788 27 Nov 2011
You are beautiful! Before you reminded me of Jessica Simpson. Now you remind me of Angelina Jolie- especially in Girl, Interrupted!! So happy for you.

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