Dr. Kristina Zakhary, MD, MSc, FRCSC is a double board-certified facial plastic surgeon in Calgary, Alberta with 17 years of experience. A distinguished nasal and facial surgeon who has performed over 1,000 cosmetic and reconstructive procedures, she specializes in rhinoplasty (nose jobs), facelift, forehead lift surgery, otoplasty (ear surgery), blepharoplasty (eyelid surgery), and earlobe surgery. Dr. Zakhary received her medical degree at McGill University Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences in Montreal, where she remained to complete her Masters of Science in facial plastic and reconstructive surgery and a residency in otolaryngology - head and neck surgery. She later went on to complete a fellowship in facial plastic and reconstructive surgery at the Temerty Faculty of Medicine at the University of Toronto. Today she is an active member of the American Academy of Facial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada, and a fellow of Canadian Academy of Facial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery.
I had a rhinoplasty with Dr. Zakhary, and it was a truly great experience. From the initial consultation to the final results, Dr. Zakhary and her team were professional, attentive, and supportive. She listened carefully to my concerns and goals, and made me feel confident and comfortable throughout the entire process. The results exceeded my expectations, I’m so happy with how natural and refined my nose looks now and most importantly I can breathe so much better now. I highly recommend Dr. Zakhary to anyone considering rhinoplasty.
I've had drooping eyelids my entire life but the issue really started to bug me as I entered middle age. Looking tired or sad all the time is not fun, so I began looking into an upper blepharoplasty. I chose Dr. Zakhary for her extensive experience/focus on facial surgery, and after my initial consultation I knew I'd made the right choice. Dr. Zakhary is an honest, extremely capable and talented surgeon. She does not sugar-coat what the surgery involves, even from the first meeting. (I had the impression I would be recovered and ready to face the world after a couple of weeks, post-surgery. Dr. Zakhary quickly corrected that and many other misconceptions!) She is forthright about what to expect and gave me excellent advice to include a brow lift with the blepharoplasty for best results. The recovery period was difficult and there were times when I looked at my swollen and bruised face and wondered if it would be worth it and if I would be happy with the final result. But now I can say with 100% confidence that YES it was absolutely worth it! I am six months post surgery and I love the results. If you are considering a blepharoplasty or brow lift, I would highly recommend Dr. Zakhary and her team.
Kristina Zakhary is the absolute best! I had a deviated septum, which impacted my breathing, and my nose was crooked. I wanted to improve my breathing and make cosmetic changes to my nose, but I was hesitant because I was afraid of trusting someone with my face. After some research and reading the reviews of other patients, I decided to book a consultation with Dr. Zakhary. During the consult, she took the time to listen to every concern I had, walk me through the procedure, and show me numerous before and after photos. She was very kind, and I quickly grew confident in her ability to give me the nose I've always wanted! I was, of course, still nervous about going into surgery, but I knew she was the best of the best, so I decided to trust her. I sent her several examples of the nose shape I desired, and she took the time to study those pictures to give me the perfect nose. The recovery was also not nearly as bad as I expected it to be. Yes, the inability to breathe through your nose for a few weeks was annoying, but it was so worth it. It was also surprisingly painless; after the initial wake-up in the hospital, I felt little to no pain for the remainder of the recovery. Lastly, I was so nervous to get my cast off because I had no idea what my nose would look like. Even though it takes a little while for all the swelling to disipate, I loved my new nose from the second the cast came off (which I did not expect)! You would not have been able to tell I had surgery even after only 2 weeks. I'm now 6 months post-op, and I could not be happier! My scars are pretty much invisible, my breathing is better than ever, and I have the exact nose I wanted! If you are like me, obsessively reading reviews to find the best surgeon, look no further! I can't even express how happy I am with my result. Dr. Zakhary is truly an artist, and I'm so happy I chose her as my surgeon.
I have admired Dr. Zakhary’s work for years, and after much consideration, I finally decided to book a consultation and move forward with a rhinoplasty. From the moment I connected with Dr. Zakhary’s team, I was met with warmth and professionalism, a true reflection of how she treats her staff. Their kindness and attentiveness immediately reassured me that I was in the right hands. My consultation was over FaceTime, and Dr. Zakhary took the time to answer all my questions. Even though I had wanted a nose job for years, I wasn’t sure exactly what shape would suit me best. She showed me tons of pictures of her work and helped me figure out what would complement my face. One thing I love about Dr. Zakhary is that she’s all about natural results. No overdone, unrealistic changes. As she always says, “You’re already beautiful, but we’re going to make you MORE beautiful!” As my surgery date approached, I had two additional appointments. The first was an in-person session for preoperative photos and a closer examination of my facial structure. The second was a virtual appointment to go over pre-surgical and post-surgical care. These consultations left me feeling thoroughly prepared and confident in the process ahead. On the day of my surgery, I arrived at Holy Cross with a mix of excitement for my new nose and nerves about going under anesthesia. I was always super worried about going under anesthesia but Dr. Zakhary and the anesthesiologist were incredibly reassuring, ensuring I felt safe, warm, and comfortable. Their support made a huge difference and I'll always be appreciative for my experience in the operating room! Post-surgery, I experienced some initial discomfort, as expected, but Dr. Zakhary managed my pain effectively, and I felt surprisingly good afterwards. Although I couldn’t breathe through my nose at first, I had no severe bruising or black eyes—something I for sure thought I'd have. I was really scared to look into the mirror because I didn't know how bruised I'd be, but I looked normal. The first night was challenging due to dryness from mouth breathing and the need to sleep upright, but I started using a cool-mist humidifier for the following nights which provided incredible relief. This was recommended, but for some reason I didn't think I'd need it, and I was wrong. The next few nights I was able to breathe fine through my mouth with no discomfort. After a few days, you get used to sleeping upright. The first few days were pretty emotional for me. Having a full cast on my nose and tape on my cheeks made me feel ugly and hesitant to leave the house, and the slow pace of recovery felt frustrating at times. Time goes by really slow when you're doing literally nothing. However, I kept reminding myself that the results would be worth it. I took a few short walks outside which was incredibly refreshing and cooling on my nose. Nasal rinses also provided instant relief once able to start them on around post-op day four. For the first 48 hours you can use ice on the rest of the face, obviously not the nose as it's fully casted. After 48 hours, you can do warm compresses which is what I did a lot and I think that's why my healing process went so well. At my one-week post-op virtual appointment, Dr. Zakhary showed me a photo of my nose before she taped it up, and I was so excited. I couldn’t believe how good it looked already! This kept me motivated for the rest of my recovery. By the end of week two, I started to get some of my sense of smell back. By this time, any minimal bruising that appeared was gone. Cast removal day was a bit rough, as expected. There was a lot of swelling, and the massages hurt at first, but after a few days, they felt amazing, like they were relieving all the pressure. After about a month, I could breathe normally again. Actually, even better than before surgery. My nose was still swollen, but I could already tell I loved it. The only thing that took a bit longer was the stitches on the outer nostrils, which took about a month to fully dissolve, but makeup covered them just fine. At two months post-op, my nose looked completely different from when the cast first came off. The swelling had gone down so much, and my nose was so much more defined. What I love most is how natural it looks. People who knew me before sometimes take a second to notice or remember, and people who didn’t know me before would probably never guess I had a nose job. There are no scars, no obvious signs of surgery, it's just a really natural, refined look. Throughout my recovery, I followed Dr. Zakhary’s instructions carefully. I had to sleep upright until cleared to do otherwise, I maintained daily nasal rinses, and massages. Although it was hard at times, the results are SO worth it! I can’t thank Dr. Zakhary and her team enough. She’s not just an amazing surgeon, she genuinely cares about her patients and takes the time to build trust. If you’re considering rhinoplasty or any surgery she offers, and want a natural, beautiful result, I 100% recommend her. This whole experience has been life-changing, and I couldn’t be happier with my decision!
I cannot say enough amazing things about Dr. Zackary and the incredible work she does. From the very beginning, I knew I was in the hands of an exceptionally skilled and experienced surgeon. A couple of my friends had their procedures done by her and highly recommended her—and choosing her for my rhinoplasty was truly the best decision I could have made. Dr. Zackary’s expertise, precision, and dedication to achieving natural, beautiful results are unmatched. She took the time to understand my goals, provided thorough explanations, and ensured I felt completely confident throughout the process. Her professionalism, warmth, and attention to detail made the entire experience smooth and reassuring. For anyone considering a rhinoplasty, I would strongly recommend maintaining a positive and calm mindset throughout recovery. Healing is not just physical but also mental, and trusting the process plays a huge role in achieving the best possible results. Dr. Zackary and her team provided incredible care, and I’m beyond happy with my results. If you’re looking for a top-tier surgeon, Dr.Zakhary is who I would recommend!
Kristina was real from the very start. She gave me clear expectations of what to expect, how I could contribute to the success of the surgery and gave me all the tools to ensure that my experience was a positive one. The pre-surgery/post surgery treatment was TOP NOTCH. No stress was too much for her to support me with and she gave me all the vitamins, processes and support that I needed. I truly know she cared for me (and not just the result). Exceptional professional with a huge heart! Strongly recommend.
Dr. Zakhary has been absolutely incredible through this entire process, I cannot recommend her highly enough. Not only were my results excellent but she has been so helpful through all of our consultations both before and after the surgery. She was also very reassuring before the surgery and I received excellent care post operation.
First off let me say my experience with Dr. Zakhary has been phenomenal! From consultation, pre-op, surgery, immediate post op and routine checkups since the surgery, Dr. Zakhary had been amazing with communication and addressing all my concerns and questions. I was looking for options for a cosmetic surgeon that had legit reviews for a septorhinoplasty for quite a few months and a few consultations before I found Dr. Zakhary. I quoted honestly stumbled upon her Instagram Account one late night and it was the best happy accident. For myself, I wanted a natural looking end result and to remove the bump on my nose, which I had also previously broken (which made it look worse in my opinion) I told her exactly that and she set out some other suggestions that would make the nose more harmonious such as reducing the projection of my nose, slight tip rotation and alar reduction (narrowing nostrils slightly). My septum was also slightly deviated so we discussed fixing that in the surgery. These were factors I had considered but were not my primary objective but her experience with other patients gave me a lot of trust in her that she knew what she was talking about. (And yea she killed it! I ended up taking her recommendations and don’t regret it at all because it is a much more natural nose with the adjustments that suits my face much more!!). When going over the objectives of the surgery, there is also a section of the contract where you select that details you want to do like how I described before, so you can pick as much or as little for your goals and she is constantly re-affirming with you which I thought was super awesome and made me very comfortable with her! Her demeanour and approach to talking about cosmetic surgery made me very excited and re-affirmed my desire to get a septorhinoplasty. She is such an amazing down to earth woman who doesn’t have any other this superiority complex that I’ve found with other surgeons and creates a really great environment for her patients. Dr. Zakhary really made it feel like we’re were a team with the same objectives that really put me at ease every step of the way. Immediate post op from waking up from the surgery was great too. It’s scary waking up not being able to breathe from your nose and ur uncomfortable from the cast and anesthesia, but Dr. Zakhary was there to check on me make sure I was comfortable (she got me a heated blanket because she noticed I was cold after waking) and she was just super calming to see right after and let me know the surgery was a great success. Recovery for the first few weeks are tough, I won’t lie, you are pretty well bed ridden and can’t do a lot. You won’t really want to do a lot anyways because you look goofy with a cast on your face. But a week after I had a video chat with Dr. Zakary where again, she had great communication hounding over the success of the surgery and making sure I’m healing well and taking all the proper steps for recovery. She had also given me a shopping list/itinerary for my post op which made my recovery so much more manageable. 2 weeks after the surgery I went back to the clinic (I live in the same city as where she works out of, so this was to my advantage) to remove the splint and I was speechless when she took it off. It was shocking but so exciting to see just how much it was what I wanted my nose to look like even with all the swelling and bruising I still had! I am currently 6 months post op, and I have never felt so confident in my appearance and it’s all thanks to my 10/10 experience with Dr. Zakhary! My nose already looks amazing and I can’t wait to see how it settles to my face even more over the next few months/years! So seriously, no bullsh*t, if you are considering getting a rhinoplasty or any ENT cosmetic surgery please PLEASE PLEASE look into Dr. Zachary. She had so much experience with years and years of practice under her belt that make her standout in cosmetic surgeries/procedures
I have wanted rhinoplasty for many years since fracturing my nose as a teenager and growing into a nose that I felt dominated my face and wasn't harmonious with my other features. After finally summing up the courage I did extensive research for plastic surgeons in Alberta and found Dr. Zakhary. Dr. Zakhary and every staff member I have communicated with at her office in Calgary are understanding and professional. I always felt well cared for and well informed. The months leading up to surgery I felt prepared which contributed to a smooth transition post-op. I am now over 2 months post-op after receiving Septorhinoplasty and am extremely happy with my results. I am still recovering and I did develop a sinus infection 1.5 months post-op but the office was quick to return my messages and I still continue to feel supported. I have received nothing but positive feedback with my new nose and am extremely glad I chose Dr. Zakhary.
Dr.Zakhary was very approachable and answered all my questions! She always kept my wants and needs at the forefront of every discussion, while also assuring me of realistic expectations. I love that she aims for a natural appearance, while also making my nose more symmetrical to my specific face.
It is good that you’re overall pleased with your rhinoplasty results since the result looks beautiful and natural. Here are some points to consider regarding the bump on your nose: • Swelling Assessment: It can be challenging to distinguish between residual swelling and scar tissue without an in-person evaluation. At 7 months post-op, some swelling may still be present, particularly in certain areas, though it should be largely resolved by 7 months. • Scar Tissue: If the bump is due to scar tissue, (the nasal bones heal with scar tissue called callous) there options for reducing it. Steroid injections are sometimes used to minimize scar tissue, depending on the assessment. • Residual Bump: If your initial bump was not entirely removed, this could be the cause. An evaluation would be necessary to confirm this. If this is the case, it looks natural. • Nasal Rasping: This is a procedure that can refine the contour of the nasal bridge. It may be an option depending on the underlying cause of the bump, but it’s important to assess suitability on a case-by-case basis. It is recommended to follow up with your primary surgeon if you have any concerns and your surgeon will most likely be happy to assess you and offer you management options.
Thank you for outlining your goals. Based on your desire for a smaller and narrower nose while preserving your side profile, I would consider a combination of approaches to achieve the results you’re seeking. 1. Nasal Bridge Reduction: To narrow the width of the bridge possibly with osteotomies (bone cuts) and provide a more refined shape, reducing the nasal bridge can contribute to a slimmer and more proportionate front view. 2. Nostril Reduction: Alar base reduction can help narrow wide or flared nostrils, which would enhance the streamlined appearance of your nose from the front. 3. Cartilage Grafts: To achieve a balanced and defined look, cartilage grafts could be utilized to raise the dorsum (bridge) to make it look narrower, and cartilage grafts can also be used to enhance tip definition. These grafts help create a more contoured and structured appearance, which can improve overall harmony while ensuring the changes complement your natural features. Cartilage grafts are particularly useful in refining the tip and providing a natural, well-supported nasal bridge. This combination of techniques can help create a smaller and narrower nose with the refinement and definition that align with your goals. During a consultation, your surgeon would assess your unique facial anatomy and discuss how these options could work together to achieve the desired outcome.
Thank you for reaching out with your questions regarding your rhinoplasty recovery. It is not uncommon to consider steroid injections as an option to address swelling or certain irregularities post-rhinoplasty, such as a scar tissue “pollybeak” appearance. The timing of steroid injections can vary based on individual healing and any skin conditions that might affect the procedure, like the presence of active pimples. Delaying the injections until a later stage can be a part of the plan to ensure your skin is in optimal condition for treatment. In terms of timing, there is no strict deadline for steroid injections, though they are generally most effective within the first year post-surgery. Your surgeon’s suggestion to wait until your 7-month follow-up is likely based on assessing the stability of your results and ensuring the best conditions for the treatment. While steroid injections can help reduce localized scar tissue and help to improve the contour of the nose, it’s important to note that they are not guaranteed to completely resolve the issue in every case. The effectiveness can depend on individual healing responses and the specific characteristics of the swelling. Your surgeon will be able to evaluate the likely outcomes based on your progress and provide tailored advice.
While it is normal to experience a runny or leaky nose for a few weeks following rhinoplasty, persistent leakage beyond the initial recovery period could indicate other underlying factors. One possible cause is vasomotor rhinitis, a condition where the nasal passages become overly reactive to various triggers, such as temperature changes, humidity, or even changes in body position, which can lead to excessive nasal drainage. Unlike allergic rhinitis, vasomotor rhinitis is not triggered by allergens but rather by abnormal nerve responses in the nasal passages. If vasomotor rhinitis is suspected, treatment options may include nasal sprays (such as anticholinergic or corticosteroid sprays), which can help reduce nasal secretions, or other medications that help manage the symptoms. Other potential causes of leaky nose may include residual inflammation, changes in the nasal mucosa, or disruptions in the normal nasal drainage pathways. In some cases, conditions such as non-allergic rhinitis or sinus-related issues can also contribute to prolonged nasal drainage. It would be advisable to consult with your surgeon or an ENT specialist to assess your symptoms thoroughly. They can evaluate your nasal anatomy and function, perform any necessary diagnostic tests, and recommend appropriate treatments based on your specific condition. Management options may range from medical treatments, such as nasal sprays, to surgical interventions if structural issues are identified. I hope this information helps clarify the potential causes and encourages you to seek a comprehensive evaluation for the best course of action.
Thank you for your question regarding options for correcting a C-shaped or crooked nasal dorsum in rhinoplasty. While spreader grafts are commonly used to address such deformities, other surgical techniques may also be effective, depending on the specific anatomy and needs of the patient. Alternative methods include the use of cartilage grafting techniques, such as onlay grafts or structural grafts, to reinforce and reshape the nasal framework. Additionally, techniques like osteotomies (controlled bone cuts) can help realign the nasal bones to create a straighter appearance. Suturing techniques may also be employed to adjust and stabilize the nasal cartilage without the need for spreader grafts. The appropriate approach depends on a detailed evaluation of the nasal structure and the desired outcome. I recommend consulting with a facial plastic surgeon who can assess your individual case and advise on the most suitable method for achieving a balanced and natural result. I hope this information is helpful, and I encourage you to discuss these options with your surgeon for further guidance.
