Dwight M. Ellerbe, MD, FACS (retired)

My nose is slightly too long in relation to my philtrim, with a slight bump on the bridge, asymmetrical nostrils, a hanging camella, and a partially deviated septum.

I've never had a rhino (either liquid or surgical) and was told that I have thin skin on my face, which is not ideal but better than thick skin.

I had a rhino consult with Dr. Ellerbe about 6 months ago but chose to delay the surgery until my slower month at work so I wouldn't miss too much. I also had a bunch of summer vacations planned I didn't want to miss out on lol

Dr. Ellerbe is a board certified physician at ACENT who has been doing rhinos for decades. I believe he mostly does revisions and averages about 60 a year. Out of the 60 he does he said maybe one or two would require a second surgery, but since mine is not a revision it would be very very unlikely I would need one.

Dr. Ellerbe is so professional and kind and easy to talk with. He really listened to my concerns, then pointed out other things on my nose that he could fix to make it more harmonious with my face. He was very clear about what he could and could NOT do which I massively appreciated because I feel like I had appropriate expectations going in.

The end of my nose is bulbous and round and the bridge is skinny with a slight hump. He said he could refine the tip, fix the hanging camella, shave down the hump, and remove my partially deviated septum and use it to rebuild the side of my nostrils.

I said I wanted "my nose but like better?" And bless his heart he knew exactly what I was talking about!

He was also very nice to me during my pre op when I was super nervous, just very reassuring which made me feel like I was in good hands.

I paid a $500 cash deposit, then put $5,100 on my care card credit, and paid $3,000 to the surgery center to book a surgery room for 2 hours. The surgery lasted maybe an hour. The anesthesiologist will send me a bill later so idk how much that will be. Below are my before photos!

Updated on 24 Aug 2022:
I had to be at the surgery center at 6 am today and the surgery was at 730.I went over my allergies with three different people and got talk with my anesthesiologist.

I quit using thc two weeks prior but bc it was still in my system I had to disclose this to him. I had read online that weed can make you combative coming out of anesthesia but after talking to the anesthesiologist it apparently just means that they have to use exponentially more drugs to knock you out. Nowhere in my paperwork did it ask if I used it or not so consider this your public service announcement to tell your doctor before you go into surgery if you have weed in your system. No one wants to wake up during surgery.

I took a pregnancy test, got hooked up to an IV, and because I was so much more nervous for this surgery than any of my previous ones they did give me some kind of intravenous Xanax this time. I was on the verge of freaking out and I'm not sure why because everyone had been so wonderful and helpful, but I think it was because it was ON MY FACE !!? Regardless, it immediately made me better.

I also got a dose of an anti-nausea pill and a nausea patch that stays behind my ear for three days. These things are like gold but the pill will interfere with normal birth control for the next month so beware, ladies.

They rolled me back into the OR and then had me scoot over onto a tiny table and the nurse held my hand while they knocked me out. I cried a couple tears from being overwhelmed but the entire staff was so great to me.

The surgery took about an hour and I came to right back to consciousness in the bed I started in. The nurse helped me sit up and got me snacks and brought my street clothes and I was together enough that I could even dress myself.

After checking my vitals one last time they said if I wanted to stay and recover more I could, but if I felt well enough I could call my ride to come get me.

My pain level was about a four but I opted to leave. It took about 30 minutes for my boyfriend to show up and by then my pain level dropped to about three and by the time I got home and took my first pain pill my pain and dropped down to a 2. After my nap it has dropped down to a one.

I have use the nasal rinse kit twice today now and the only extra hint I have for that is to use slightly warm distilled water with the mix. It breaks the goobies up better.

I also recommend getting a bunch of Q-tips and Vaseline to gently clean the dried blood out of the nostrils.

Also a week prior to my surgery I went and waxed every single hair out of my nose and I think that helps with my comfort level a lot.

I am sleeping super elevated and drinking a ton of water. I feel great, but low energy.

I'm so glad I did this. I can tell even through the tape that the tip of my nose is so much smaller and perfect and I have no bump on my bridge.



Updated on 26 Aug 2022:
Yesterday was not a great day for me. I had a pretty crummy head ache that went from the back of my head to my temples and would come and go when I moved around too much.

I don't think it's from the surgery. I think it's the combo of sleeping super upright and only on my back while being completely drugged up on painkillers that made me pass out at an odd angle and tweek my neck. Like a super tension head ache.

My bf rubbed my neck and back a bunch and I took some ibuprofen with my pain pill. I did feel much better after that.

In the morning though my bf got me this organic, vegan, anti inflammatory juice that I almost immediately puked up. Again, I'm unsure if that was related to the rhino ?????? (I do have food allergies.)

I slept last night with an airplane pillow around my neck and at a very upright angle and I feel really great today.

I had a tiny hint of a bruise yesterday in the inner corner of one eye but today it's gotten bigger. It doesn't hurt or seem swollen though. There might be a little bruise on the other side too, but it's hard to tell bc the tape is so close.

Pain is a 1/10 today

Updated on 28 Aug 2022:
I'm off the painkillers and feeling pretty great! I am very tired, but no pain, no headache, just some slight nausea every once in a while but with all my food allergies who knows what that's from?

I can tell that even underneath the tape my nose is really straight and shorter! I can't wait to see it unwrapped

I love my profile with the tape on

Updated on 4 Sep 2022:
I am very swollen in the tip of my nose but I'm very happy with my results! There is slight asymmetry in one of the nose notches but I'm pretty sure it will resolve as the inflammation decreases. Profile is perfect and the bridge is soooo straight!

My motivation was I wanted to get rid of excess skin on my eyelid. I have been wanting to remove it because of whenever I am putting my make up on it always messed up. And then also I wanted to look younger on my eyes. I have been researching a lot about blepharoplasty, at first I want to do it in the Philippines.
However because of COVID-19 I was not able to fly back to the Philippines right. So I decided to look for a doctor here in Anchorage Alaska to perform the surgery. I have called different doctors and I found Dr. Ellerbe of ACENT clinic in Anchorage Alaska. I have a 3100 USD. The day of my surgery was very easy. I have zero pain tolerance. I told the doctor that I didn't want to feel any pain. And thank goodness that I didn't feel any pain during the surgery and even the recovery as well after 10 days I didn't feel any. The first 3 to 4 days of my operation was puffiness and bruises. I was very concerned about keloids. I know that my skin could get easily get some scars and keloids. After two months of my operation I still have scarring right on the incision of my blepharoplasty. I already talk to the doctor and he was able to see it and he said it's normal to get some scars right on the incision. I just hope that after a year it won't be visible anymore. My end result is OK and I am liking that my extra skin was removed already. I like my new look for my eyes without those droppy eyelids. I just wish I don't have those scarring but overall I am happy about it. My next is Rhinoplasty and BBL haha. Stay safe and healthy.

Updated on 6 Jul 2020:
Inlove with the new look

Dr. Ellerbe is fantastic... he is professional, honest, and will tell you exactly what he can and can’t do! I went to him for a rhinoplasty, and was put at ease by his confidence and the fact that he wasn’t trying to charm me into selecting him like so many other surgeons that I’ve spoken with have. Instead, he was honest about my nose and very to the point about what he would be able to do. He listened to my concerns and came me pointers on what he thought would look good with my facial structure. I absolutely appreciated this. Dr Ellerbe specializes in anatomical nose corrections, so I knew a cosmetic surgery would be a walk in the park for him. After 10 years of contemplating rhinoplasty and 1 year of consulting doctors (overseas and within the US) I’m so glad I went with Dr Ellerbe! I’m 6 weeks post op and he did everything that I asked him to do. He is a true artist and the utmost professional.

I had one 30 minute consultation with Dr.Ellerbe for a chin implant. I probably asked at least 25 questions regarding everything from his education, certifications, and experience to the surgery risks, complications and how they are treated, his liability regarding revision surgeries, pre and post-operation guidelines, material/style/size of implant..... In other words I wanted to know exactly what I was doing to my body and wanted to ensure I would get a result that I liked.

WELL. During the consultation Dr.Ellerbe answered my questions very vaguely and had an air about him as though I was being ridiculous and stupid for asking so many questions. He literally laughed at my stapled papers of questions. For some questions he didn't even really give an answer. For example, I asked how long I would likely be on pain meds and he merely said "I don't know" in a scoffing voice. When I asked what ALL the risks were, he didn't list all of them. So I mentioned some I read online and only then did he acknowledge them.

GUYS, Plastic surgery has real risks and you should make sure to ask questions so you know exactly what you're doing to yourself.

ULTIMATELY, I scheduled a second consult to ask more questions and decide on the specific implant that I wanted. Guess WHAT? He refused to do so and canceled it. He would not perform surgery on me because he thought I was not a good candidate! Seriously. Lol.

Truly the most sorry excuse for a Doctor I've ever met. Please, respect your body and go to a true professional.