October Rhinoplasty with Dr. Ciardullo :) - White Plains, NY

I had a great experience with Dr. Ciardullo and my rhinoplasty results are fantastic. My surgery was October 3rd and am now 1 month post op and am thrilled. I had small bump removed from my bridge, my tip refined and projected up more. My recovery was smooth, with only a few unexpected issues. I look like me but better So I never actually hated my nose. I dabbled with the idea of getting a nose job when I was 18, but it never came into fruition. However, at age 32, some of this issues resurfaced, and I think were made more apparent with the introduction of social media in the last few years and photos appearing in more places than ever. My primary issues were the bulbous tip and wanting a straighter bridge, as I knew this would create a softer and more feminine look. I heard about Dr. Ciardullo through my best friend and made my first and last appointment for a consultation. He gave me a great evaluation of my nose and what he could to improve upon it, and was sold right there. I knew in my gut he was the guy and I was right! I made sure to emphasize that I still wanted to look like me, just a better version and he completely agreed and assured me that his work is natural looking (which was evident by his huge B&A album). My consultation was in August and I booked my surgery for October 3rd. The countdown begins :)I live in Manhattan so getting to his office was a bit of a chore, so they allowed me to have my pre-op the day of my surgery which saved me a trip (and having to take a half day off of work). In terms of prep, I made sure to have the following:- lots of arnica montana tablets which I started taking 2 weeks before- vitamin C, also took 2 weeks before surgery- Bromelain tablets , took 2 weeks before- Arnica cream- Lots of soft foods like yogurt- ice pack- bubble bath gel- travel pillow to keep my head from turning when asleep- a solid que of Netflix movies- laxatives (pain pills and anesthesia can cause constipation)- reading material I got all my bloodwork done 2 weeks before and got my clearance a week after. I was getting anxious leading up to the surgery and had literally studied each and every review on this blog, which was massively helpful!! I was mentally prepared and ready to go. I told work that I was getting deviated septum and sinus surgery and that I would be out for a week, and no one said a word. My biggest concern was anyone from work knowing, as I would never want to be known as "plastic surgery girl" especially since I manage people.Day of Surgery has arrived! My best friend drove me to White Plains got there right at 8am. They brought me right in for my pre-op and we discussed again the desired outcome, he took photos, and I was on my way into the OR. The anesthesiologist and nurse was so so nice, and I was immediately at ease. I really liked the surgical setting in his office compared to a hospital, as it was so much more cozy and warm and didn't have the cold daunting feeling that most hospital ORs do. I woke up to the anesthesiologist telling I looked amazing, and recovered for a little while before I was allowed to go home. I was probably there for a total of 3 hours. As most people I was very woozy and tired, I got home and pretty much crashed for most of the day. I felt hardly any pain at all except a slight dull pain that completely went away after 2 days. I barely took any pain meds through my recovery and was working from home by Monday morning (my surgery was on a Thursday). Things to note about the recover period:- I had the worse time sleeping. It was very hard to sleep on a 45 degree angle for me. Sleep meds helped, but not completely.- I actually had very little appetite. I am not sure if its because I couldn't really taste the food, but I actually lost 3 pounds during that week (yay!)- I had pretty bad bruising, that remained even after caste removal- I actually was able to shower and wash my hair without getting my cast wet. I practiced this before my surgery, and recommend this to those you want to try. I cannot go 2 days without washing my hair, it will look and feel gross- Bubble baths were the highlight of my dayCast Removal Day is here!This was the big day and I couldn't wait. I actually had my bff video tape the whole thing so I could have it documented forever. I was shocked at how much I loved my nose right away as I was mentally prepared to hate it, as most people do when the cast comes off. It was so cute! It was perfectly straight, and the tip was exactly how I wanted it: project up, but not fake looking. Something interesting to note: I will say that my initial reaction was slight sadness, as I was scared that I didn't look as ethnic as I used to (I am middle eastern). I love my exotic features and really didn't want to look different! That sadness quickly went away and it turned into shock, then happiness. We immediately took photos so I would have some good shots before the swelling kick in. And boy did it kick in.Post- Cast RemovalThere is no amount of reading that can prepare you for this. I woke up to swelling of not just my nose, but also below my eyes. I looked like a bad version of Miss Piggy! On top of that, I developed a rash in the exact place of where my cast was. This was so awful, and I was freaking out. I wanted to itch my face off! My savior for this: Aquaphor and Aveeno calming daily moisturizer. DEFINITELY GET THIS, so you don't have to suffer right away if you get a rash. This literally worked right away and my rash was gone after 2 days.A few days after my cast came off I was really self conscious about the way I looked. My friends who knew (4 total) said it looked amazing, but not obvious. Meanwhile I felt like the whole world knew. That's the funny thing about this surgery, you REALLY feel like the change is so drastic (and it is!) that everyone notices, but in reality, no one really remembers your nose. Fast forward to 1 month post op, and I could not be happier. I have a million photos of my results, but chose not to share them in such a public forum. This is such a heavy traffic on this site I can't risk anyone seeing my pictures on here, as not that many people know I got the surgery. However, I would be willing to share if you send me a private message. I still have a good deal of swelling in the tip, but I know that wont go away for a while. The only thing I noticed was that my nostril asymmetry is slight more apparent than pre-surgery. I am not sure if this is due to uneven swelling or its just because my nose is projected up now, but its very minor and I honestly don't notice it anymore. One thing I will say to look out for, is photos a few weeks after your surgery. A few made my nose look so weird, almost it wasn't mine. I feel like your is still going through so much transformation the weeks and months after, that photos cannot capture the way it looks accurately. Did anyone else have this issue? I was so confused as to how my cute nose could look so different in some photos! I have my 1 month post op appointment November 20th, but overall, my experience was really good, and I would highly recommend Dr. C to anyone that is looking for an expert in rhinoplasty that will deliver what he promises without overdoing it.:)