Ramon S. Franco, MD (retired)

I was very happy with my rhinoplasty initially. I had a very large nose, and it was a no brainer to get it done.I did not experience a lot of pain, but I had two very, very large, and very, very dark black eyes. I even had blood spots in the whites of my eyes. It took about a month for the black eyes to go away. I used arnica, and bromelain before and after my surgery as well as creams to help the bruising. It still took a long time to heal but my nose looked great, and the night I removed my splint, a man actually told me I was beautiful, which is huge considering I had two shiners. The blood spots in my eyes took about 2 months to gradually shrink until they were gone.The pro was I loved my nose.The con is the subsequent swelling in my nose that has almost completely erased the great result for my tip. My nose is still swelling for any reason, and it never goes back down as quickly or as easily as it swells up. I've seen several other doctors for the issue, which they all say is uncommon. Several have been surprised I am still having bad swelling reactions in my nose from things like Juvederm injections in my nasolabial folds- 2 years later!Even with the swelling, I do not regret getting a rhinoplasty at all. They are worth every penny. Your nose is a focal point of your face.I would recommend going to at least 2 surgeons. One had me sold until I saw one more and he did a more extensive job for a better price, and had eons and eons more experience. I wouldn't aim for a "subtle look" unless you only have slight problems with your nose. The first surgeon and I wear aiming for subtle, but I would have ended up spending a lot of money for something that was barely noticeable. A good surgeon CAN do drastic (if you need it, which I did) and make it look like YOUR natural nose. Mine did and no one noticed unless I told them. They all knew I looked better but couldn't pin point it. And apparently my nose gave my very experienced surgeon a workout, which the black eyes are proof of.If you are going to pay the money, get it done right. Otherwise, there are fillers and less invasive techniques that can give great, more subtle results.I had a rhinoplasty 3 years ago. I loved, loved, loved the results. Problem is- about 1 year later the tip of my nose swelled after some Juvederm injections in my nasolabial folds. I have seen a plastic surgeon (top notch, double board certified in facial plastics and ear, nose, and throat surgery) since I got the Juvederm injections and the subsequent swelling. The surgeon had never actually heard that the swelling from the Juvederm could swell a nose with prior surgery but it most definitely did- the same day of the juvederm. Other people noticed it. It is not slight or something that is not noticeable. The surgeon injected cortisone which worked great. The surgeon also confirmed my nose was swollen or holding fluid in between the cartilage and my skin. Then I got restylane injected into my nasolabial folds (different doctor) and the same thing happened. Went for more cortisone injections. Problem is, the cortisone isn't correcting the swelling like it did. Should I have the doctor inject more? This is another weird thing but I swear it's true- if I work out a lot and lose some weight, the swelling in the tip of my nose markedly goes down. I have gained weight in the past year and haven't dropped it yet. Has anyone ever heard that losing weight (fluid in body overall) can decrease swelling in nose specifically? I am not happy with my nose anymore. Should I amp up the cortisone and research my theory of running/weight loss and nose shrinkage (sounds crazy but it did work) or should I look into another rhinoplasty for my shnoz?

Just wanted everyone to know about my experience with LL.  I had my LL in Atlanta by Dr. F.  There was no pain during the surgery.  I have a very low pain tolerance and was sooo afraid.  The only uncomfortable part was having to wear a bandage over my head and under my neck for 2 weeks to control the swelling.  I'm happy with the results and would do it again but feel their advertising is deceptive.  No one would walk out after the surgery and go to lunch!  They couldn't because their face is too swollen to eat!  Also you're all bandaged up.  And I can't imagine going back to work due to the swelling and wrap.  You will have to take a week off from work due to swelling, possible bruising and having to wear the wrap night and day.  Maybe not all docs have you do this, but they all did in Atlanta as far as I know.   Check out your doctor!  Mine had extensive experience in facial plastic surgery and had written quite a few professional articles on it.  Any questions, just contact me.   Cathy