Rhinoplasty & Neck Liposuction, 48 year old female - West Orange, NJ

Over the past few years I had noticed that my nose looked bonier and more bulbous at the tip than in the past. After looking at some photos taken over this past summer it looked a mess to me. The neck lipo was an after thought; I had been trying to dodge the double chin look in photos for a couple of years and when I went to Dr. Joseph's office and saw my profile, I was horrified! I asked him if there was anything he could do and he told me that neck liposuction would take care of it.

Fast forward to today, 7 1/2 weeks post-op. I have mixed feelings because there are things that I am very happy with and a couple of things I'm not happy with. First, let me say that my neck liposuction was soooo worth it; my jawline and profile look so much better.

Now, my nose.... my profile is much better (both sides) and the tip of my nose looks much better, but the right side of my nose is much more defined than the left side, and a little bump on the right side of my bridge that I wanted removed is still there. However, when I pointed this out during my consultation, Dr. Joseph did tell me that some issues would probably be worked out with silicone (the right bump). The bump on the left side of my bridge was removed.

Another issue I have is that it looks like my nose is leaning to the left, part of this could be magnified because the right side of my nose is slimmer and more defined? Maybe my nose was always leaning to the left, but when I had an uneven bulbous tip and I didn't notice? idk.

When I went in for my 5 week post-op the Dr. injected some silicone by the bump and a little on the left side, and it looked a little better for a few days. I called the Dr. a week later and expressed my concerns about the bump being too obvious and the concave/defined right side, he told me that a lot of my issues have to do with swelling and that he likes to be conservative with the silicone after surgery, but if I wanted to come in he would take another look. I haven't called yet, but might go in before my 3 month appointment.

The final issue I have is with my nostrils, they look goofy. The Dr. told me at my one week visit that my nostrils were a problem, he did everything he could while keeping my nose straight and that they would improve; they have improved since I first got my cast off, but I am still very self conscious about them. If you look straight at me they look fine, but if my head is tipped back you can see how lopped sided they are.

My recovery was hard for the first few weeks because I had such bad bruising under my eyes, but the aesthetician at his office showed me how to apply concealer, which helped. My skin felt weird and looked leathery and then kept breaking out for a while. This is because after surgery you can't scrub your face as usual.

But , there was never any real "pain", there is discomfort, especially the first few day after surgery, but it gets a little better every couple of days. The healing, swelling process is unique to each individual, mine wasn't terrible, but it wasn't great either, it's major surgery.

Every week I notice less numbness, the swelling is coming down, breathing is a little easier and my nostrils look a little better. I just don't want to have to wait 12 months to be happy with it. There are definitely improvements, but as I said there are things I'm not happy with too and hope they can be corrected through healing, time and non-surgical means.

I have not doubt that I chose the right Dr. for me in Dr. Joseph, he is a great surgeon and I trust that he is an expert in his field and can fix whatever doesn't look great after my swelling has gone down. I just don't want to have to wait....too long.

Overall, I found him to be very pleasant, knowledgeable, patient and professional. He does take the time to listen, he doesn't rush you when you have questions and he answers your questions. He calls you back if you have a question and encourages patients to voice their concerns. I believe he cares about his patients and takes pride in his work. Everyone in his office is pleasant and kind, so were the people at the Fullerton Surgi Center. To me this kind of professional consistency is indicative of a professional organization that cares about the people they help.

My nose looks great! Dr. Joseph is incredibly skilled, knowledgable and a great doctor. He is a great doctor and works with his patients. He is the master of the millimeter art....