Septorhinoplasty

When I was 10 years old, I was in gym class playing capture the flag. During the game, I had a head-on collision with a girl who was taller than I was. Her teeth went into my forehead and her chin into my nose. My pediatrician told my parents I was bruised but nothing was broken. I didn’t think about it for years.

Fast forward to my senior year of high school, 2007. That was the year I started to think more about what I looked like. I began to notice little flaws but they never bothered me enough to worry about. But with every passing year since then, I have become increasingly more aware of those flaws. My crowded teeth, which I recently decided to get braces for. My pudgy stomach, which I started taking kickboxing to tone up, but most bothersome has always been my nose.

I began to notice in photos that it was a little crooked. Most people use the phrase “get my good side” as an expression. I really did/do have a good side. My septum deviates to the right, so I feel I look a lot better in photos taken from a right angle. Not from straight on and never from the left if I can help it.

I’ve spent the last few years getting a degree and have a well-paying job. I decided last August that my financial situation allowed me to look into addressing these flaws. Living in New England, I felt the closest area where I would find a reputable surgeon would be Boston, so I began to research. I made appointments in September with two physicians - Dr. Min Ahn at the Aesthetic Wellness Center in Westborough, Massachusetts, and Dr. Jaimie DeRosa at the DeRosa Clinic in Boston.

My consult with Dr. Ahn went well. He was professional, looked over my case and discussed in detail how he would approach correcting my deviated septum. I liked that he was thorough and seemed very meticulous, methodical, and I liked his “after” photos a lot. I didn’t feel I was seeking too much, just straight from all angles. He answered my questions and I went on my way. I want to note the people in his office were great, also. Super helpful and generally kind and inviting.

Meeting Dr. DeRosa was so opposite, but not in a bad way. When I checked in, her receptionist was nice. I was sent to a back room to wait for Dr. DeRosa, and she came bouncing in through the door! So bubbly with an infectious smile! I loved her personality. We talked about what I was looking for, she took my pictures and showed me her “afters.” I wasn’t as impressed, but didn’t count her out. I just had a lot of thinking to do.

The quotes I received were only good for six months. They cost roughly the same amount so that wasn’t a factor I took into consideration. I spent so much time looking at their websites and their “before and after” galleries, going back and forth between who I felt would be able to give me the result I was looking for. After a few months of deliberating and knowing this was something I wanted to do, I chose Dr. Ahn. I felt his results showed more consistency and there seemed to be cases similar to mine. He just seemed like a better choice for my case.

I called his office in January and made an appointment for February 7th. Because I live three hours away, his office was immediately aware of that and accommodated my pre-op needs. I did a phone consult with his nurse, Rebecca, who was fantastic throughout the entire process. She made sure I understood everything she told me and reiterated on several occasions that they were available should I need anything at any point. I was excited, and a little nervous. I sit here writing this and still can’t believe I went through with it.

The surgery lasted almost three hours, during which I had a slight bleeding complication. It didn’t require treatment but I did spend a little extra time in recovery, then went to a hotel with my parents. I was swollen, had already started bruising and took a few pain killers that didn’t do much. I barely slept that night, mostly because I had to sleep elevated and was so uncomfortable. There has been almost no pain aside from the first night and a little bit of pressure from all of the congestion. I was given a holistic medication to help with the bruising and swelling, which normally wouldn’t endorse, but my results on that front are fanatic. It’s been four days and my bruising is almost gone. I have swelling on the bridge and til of my nose, but I currently have a cast with splints on either side of my septum to keep it straight, so I don’t expect that go away until all this stuff is removed.

With all that said, this is the purpose of my review. The main reason I wanted a nose job was to correct my deviated septum. You get used to your own face in a mirror, and it doesn’t seem too bad until you see it from an angle you wouldn’t otherwise notice. So when you see it, you’re surprised at how different you feel you look to everyone else. It’s day four and I feel like my septum is still deviated. I didn’t and don’t want to get panicked and jump to conclusions, because I know the healing process with the nose takes time and a lot of it, but I also am so worried that I just spent all of that money and am going to end up with the same nose. Every day that goes by is a day that my septum looks to be healing in a way that I don’t want it to. I look inside my nostrils and see the entire splint on the left and only a portion on the right, which leads me to believe it’s not straight, and I know I shouldn’t expect perfect but I do expect different. I’m hoping that once the main swelling subsides it will look more refined and straighter, but I stare at myself in the mirror and see the same thing I saw before surgery and can’t help but feel, well, helpless.

I will update this when my cast comes off and again when I have my two week post-op appointment. Fingers crossed that I’m just being dramatic.

Yesterday I went to Dr. Ahn’s office and had my cast, sutures, and splints removed. So far I’m not hating the result. I have to keep reminding myself that I’m healing and need to be (very) patient. The tip of my nose still hooks slightly to the right despite my septum being a little further left than I anticipated. Dr. Ahn noticed it as well and has me pushing the tip of my nose to the left for 30-60 seconds a few times a day to help prevent it from healing that way because it’s very malleable right now. And I’m sure some of it looking off is just from the swelling, but it probably won’t hurt to do that little exercise. I know the tip is the last to settle out and can take months... this will be a trying time, to say the least. My next appoint is the 27th. More photos with an update then.

I had another quick appointment with Dr. Ahn last Tuesday. I will be four weeks post-op tomorrow.

As you can see from the photos, the tip of my nose is a little off center, but it is still clearly swollen. I needed reiteration about realistic expectations - my septum was very crooked, and while surgery was certainly helpful, it may not give me a perfectly straight nose. It can also take up to a year in many cases to see the final result. I continue to notice little changes here and there. I think my bridge is more swollen than it was last week and is giving a more... uneven look in my profile. Not really the best word. Maybe I’m just being picky.

With that said, Dr. Ahn was very encouraging. He thinks I’m healing well and feels my final result will be more even and feminine. He says my septum is still in a vulnerable state and to continue applying pressure, a little more aggressively now, to help guide the cartiliage to heal more center. I am doing this three times a day for one minute at a time until next follow-up appointment. I’m also massaging my nose throughout the day to help the swelling subside a little faster (I use the term “little” pretty loosely here).

Another update when I see Dr. Ahn again in five weeks.