thatgrl88

Changed my Life - Raleigh-Durham, NC

hope youre doing well. Dr Stein did my septo rhinoplasty too, and I love my new nose. you should be getting your cast off pretty soon, if not today. good luck

Hi, I hope all goes well for you. I know its really hard but remember that your nose will change considerably over the next several months. I had my rhinoplasty 9 months ago. It was around 5 months before it settled into its shape. Mostly I had tip swelling that simply lingered. When the cast came off my nose, it was swollen. It was kind of amazing watching it change over the months. Also my skin on my nose peeled & was very oily for about 3 weeks following the cast coming off. I also had an alar cinch suture put in to make my nose less wide, so I had a swollen top lip and it pulled whenever I'd smile. That tightness upon smiling lasted around 6 months, progressively decreasing. But I can tell you its all worth it. I dont know if this would help you, but how I got through it all (I had a lot of work done, including facelift) was when I'd look in the mirror, instead of analyzing every detail, I'd think to myself, "Thats a work in progress." Express all your concerns with your doctor and think about how happy you'll be with the new nose, which will be sooner than you know it. Youre very beautiful and youre going to be so happy once the healing takes place. Good luck

Hi, I would ask the surgeon if you could speak with any of his/her former patients who have undergone the procedure. Most importantly ask him or her how many facelifts he/she has performed and look at the before and after photos that are available. Ask if the surgeon is board certified. The four aforementioned questions are critical. Ask about the surgery, how long will you be under anesthesia, where will the incisions be, are the sutures (internal)absorb-able or nonabsorbable? Ask if the surgery is at the deep plane level. Next, try to get a realistic understanding of the post op period. If you work, I'd set aside at least 3 weeks to heal. I can tell you that even at 3 months post op I would wake up in the morning with mild facial swelling. It would go away before noon. I had numbness in isolated areas for a few months too. The area behind my ears, of course, show signs of having a facelift (incisional scars) even at 7 months post op--so pony tails are not realistic for awhile. I can wear a ponytail now, but have to make sure its not high and tight but lower and loose. Prior to undergoing the surgery I understood the surgery, but for some reason I didnt really think about the pain. The ps gave me pain medicine postoperatively that I used for approx 7-10 days mostly to sleep at night. you will have pain. You will need to ice your face, well the sides of your head mostly, for several days postop as well. Facelifts do hurt, you'll probably eat really soft foods for a couple weeks. It is realistically all about personal motivation toward gaining the end result and the ability to subscribe to the concept of delayed gratification that makes a facelift realistic& gratifying for a patient. I felt normal by 2-3 months, but as I described, I did have facial swelling in the morning. This was gone in about 5 months. I am in my forties and sometimes wonder if I just heal faster or something based on some posts I see here at real self. I dont regret my surgery at all. In fact, if I woke up with my former face, I'd cry. I can tell you that I followed my doctor's postop instructions to the T. I have a very supportive family that took care of me, buying groceries, etc for the first month. For the first 4 weeks I felt like I lived to heal, at 2 months I felt near normal, and at 3 felt great (except for the a.m. swelling). let me know if I can help you any further. Good Luck

Gayle, My heart goes out to you. I too would be upset if I had the result you had. You went through alot to receive facial rejuvenation and didnt get what you paid for. I was looking at your hair and wondered if you could style it to conceal your earlobes etc until the one year mark has passed and you can pursue revision surgery. I went to Adam Stein in Raleigh for a facelift(lower), midfacelift, endoscopic brow lift, and rhino-septoplasty in March of this year. I am very happy with the results. I feel he's a very talented surgeon and if anyone could correct this, he could. I also was treated very professionally and I voiced concerns along the way. Everything I mentioned during the healing process was thoughtfully addressed. I never was made to feel bad about questioning if things were OK and on track postoperatively. Someone in family is considering going to Dr Stein for a rhinoplasty now. I am curious did Dr Garrison provide you with before/after photos or references? I am going to keep you in my thoughts and send positivity that youre guided to the solutions for your plight. Take Care