I'd been contemplating having this procedure done for several years, but hesitated because of my young age and my fear of others' opinions of cosmetic surgery. Once I accepted myself enough to not worry about the opinions of others, I knew I wanted to do this for myself. Finding a surgeon experienced in working with black patients was the biggest challenge. I honestly feared ending up with results like many of the "after" pictures I'd seen during my searching - Michael-Jacksonish, very obviously done, results. I still wanted to look like myself! After two years of searching, I found Dr. Sofola through RealSelf. Based on his background in facial reconstruction and his beautiful "before and after" photos, I decided to make an appointment. I was exceptionally pleased with his staff, and Dr. Sofola himself was absolutely wonderful. He was honest, kind, willing to talk for as long as I needed, and emphasized the goal of "facial harmony." He really made sure he understood my wishes and he was very straightforward about expectations. I decided that day that he was the doctor I'd been looking for. I was so nervous leading up to the procedure date...I really contemplated backing out the morning of!! THANKFULLY, I went through with the procedure and now, one year later, I still believe it's one of the best things I've done for myself. Dr. Sofola successfully narrowed the bridge of my nose and refined the tip...I'd say my nose is about 15% smaller now overall, and man what a difference that 15% makes. My real-life nose now looked the way my "contoured and highlighted" nose looked pre-surgery. "Facial harmony" is a spot on term. My nose, once too big and wide, now fits my face perfectly. I feel so much more like myself and yet no one except very close family and very close friends can tell - exactly what I'd hoped for! The cost was definitely less than most average prices I'd come across...so that was just the cherry on top. Recovery was a bit painful...especially removing the packing inside each nostril a few days post-op. But swelling and bruising weren't too bad. After the first week post-op, I was feeling like myself again. The only downside I've experienced is internal swelling (inside nostrils), which I know can take up to two years to completely go back to normal. However, I believe my smoking has probably slowed that part of the healing process down. (I believe there are steroid shots available for post-op swelling but I've opted against.) Overall..I am 110% pleased. So glad I did this and so glad I found Dr. Sofola. It's all about your surgeon! I can't thank Dr. Sofola enough for helping my achieve this vision.
I'm almost a month post op from my Rhinoplasty. I'm very concerned at how uneven my nostrils are and how crooked my nose looks. I was certain that this would go away by the one month mark. The crookedness is more apparent at the morning and at certain angles. Now, my nose was uneven before surgery too. I haven't seen my surgeon for two weeks but I will be seeing him again next week to voice my concerns. I just am upset because a lot of other people seem to have swelling but their nose is straight so I am worried that it won't straighten. Another reason I am concerned is because I had a major decrease in swelling from Day 6 (day of cast removal) and day 12. But since Day 12 my nose hasn't seemed to get much smaller or change in shape. Updated on 5 Jun 2014: Hey all. Thanks so much for all of the comments, advice, and kind words. I feel like I need to clarify a few things though! The reason I rated my surgery as worth it is because it was. I don't regret my decision and I don't think I'll need a revision. When I wrote this review I focused soley on what I was unhappy with about my nose and not what I liked. Just so everyone knows most of the time I look in the mirror amazed! My hump is gone, my tip is lifted and my nose is overall much smaller and more fitting to my face. So out of the 4 things that I hated about my nose, 3 have been fixed, and the 4th may be due to swelling. I hope everyone also keeps in mind that I am not even a month post op. I will be a month post of after the 8th of June. In addition to that, my procedure was quite long and I can FEEL how swollen my nose is on one side compared to the other. I would say that I am quite confident that my uneven nostrils are due to swelling and I just want to know if anyone else has experienced this. I'll be adding some photo updates later, and again thanks for all the feedback!
I went to see Dr. Sofola for surgery to correct breathing problems and a dorsal hump and collumela. The breathing has been corrected, but he left my nose almost the same as before. I still have a big nose, the hump can still be seen, and I have an unnatural appearance to my nose. Not happy with the results.
Will not admit to his mistakes. He left me with a horrible nose that is incongruent with my face and yet he claims it looks amazing and that it's a good job. You'll end up needing revision for sure. He reduced the dorsal hump, but left the nose still too big, so when I smile it looks like this droopy, wide mess. The dorsal hump is still noticeable.
Found Dr. Sofola through RealSelf and had consultation with him. Originally planned to have rhinoplasty with him this summer but chose to delay it to have breast augmentation. Will be going back to Sofola in the fall. He is very prompt with responding to emails and his coordinator Nancy is always available. Great guy, very honest, subtle work and ethnic sensitive results are his specialty. Can't wait to get my procedure in the fall. Will keep updated.
