Late 20s and Finally Did It!

Hey everyone! I learned a lot from Realself and truly appreciated all the information - especially for African Americans. It helped me find a surgeon who is experienced with our noses and skin type. I didn't feel right not leaving a review for Dr. Ghersi, so here we are!
I've wanted a rhinoplasty since High School. I started getting teased and acknowledging that I had a big nose in Middle School. It was never something that made me sad and I still felt beautiful, but it definitely was my main insecurity. My nose was very wide, drooped down, had a dorsal hump and no definition. Looking in the mirror, I was semi okay with it but I HATED it in pictures. In 2016, I had my first round of consultations. Dr. Ghersi stood out to me then and ended up being my choice in 2020 (unfortunately for me, he raised his price by $1000 during that 4 year time range :/)
Day Before
I flew into Miami the day before surgery and headed to my pre-op appt. There we discussed what I liked about my nose and my wants. I showed him facetuned pictures of myself instead of wish pics of other people, which I would recommend doing. When I got there, I filled all necc. paperwork and took pictures. Dr. Ghersi uses 3D imaging to create those "projected final outcome" photos. Once I approved, I made my final payment and headed out to pick up prescriptions.
Day of
My surgery was at 8am, which I was so happy about (in my head, a surgeon is more alert in the morning than if I were his last patient). I'm not sure how long my surgery was, but I do know it took longer than he expected. I believe it ended up being over 2 hours in surgery. My nose did not have much cartilage, so he needed to use cartilage from my ear and a PDS plate (which I did not find out was going to be used until after surgery. When he told me, I was not happy to hear that, but at that point I couldn't do anything about it.). Waking up from Anesthesia was easy and I was not nausea my entire recovery.
Day 1 - 6
These days were HARD. One, you are uncomfortable in the beginning and for me, I was actually in pain the first couple days. I know most people say it doesn't hurt, but I had cartilage taken from my ear and a lot of work done to my nose. I guess it depends person to person.
Pain aside, the hardest part was controlling my emotions. Despite all the emotional youtube videos I've watched and pep talks I gave myself, nothing prepares you for seeing yourself with a new nose, black eyes, swollen cheeks etc. The first few days of having the cast on my nose, I thought my tip was over-rotated and my bridge was too thin. I had moments of REGRET, thoughts of "Why did I choose this surgeon?" and I actually cried, haha. All of these emotions were while my cast was on which is crazy. Ya'll, do not focus on your nose or appearance while your cast is on. I know it's easier said than done, but trust me.
Day 7
Cast off day!! Those 7 days in an airbnb dragged on. I only went outside to grab food from Ubereats, so recovery was very boring. I was so excited to head back home. One thing I will say is, I did feel rushed while at Plastic Surgery Institute of Miami. They actually forgot to take out my ear stitches, which I still have in (need to head to urgent care this week to take them out smh). Makes me wonder if they are more accommodating to different patients or maybe they are just very busy? My nose after the cast came off looked like an Avatar. This is normal and what I expected. I believe it takes something like 2-3 weeks post surgery before your nose is "socially-ready".
Day 13 TODAY
It's only day 13, but I LOVE my nose. Dr. Ghersi's nurse instructed me to wear my cast at night for a month, but I tape as well which helps with swelling. It's awesome to know that it'll only get better as time goes on. Thick skin can take over a year for the final outcome and I am only two weeks post, so keep that in mind when looking at my before/after pics. Dr. Ghersi knows what he is doing when it comes to ethnic rhinoplasty. I don't look pinched. I would consider my change a semi-drastic change. I look like myself, with a smaller nose that fits my face. Totally worth it.
I'll update as months go on! Happy healing

Hey friends!
I wanted to update you all on my final outcome. It’s been over one year since my surgery in March 2020 and for the most part I am happy, BUT I am unfortunately considering a revision.
Do I feel like the rhinoplasty improved the overall appearance of my nose? Yes, I do. Most days I am happy with the results because I prefer it over my old nose. Was the result what I expected? Nah, not really. I wanted a defined smaller tip and for it to appear lifted and not droopy. I don’t think that was achieved, which is a bit disappointing because of the amount paid (7k). However, I do try to extend grace as I know my nose was difficult to work with.
The bottom half of my nose is still bulbous, undefined, and appears crooked (I feel it looks similar to squidward lol). Dr. Ghersi said this was likely due to uneven scar tissue via email. I had one steroid injection and have another planned for November, but at this point I think a subtle revision of the tip area may be the best option. I am nervous because I don’t want to go overboard and mess up a face I am overall loving, but I am still self conscious of my nose especially the front and left side view. If I could slim down the bottom half of my nose, define and slightly lift the tip I would be 100% happy.
If anyone has recommendations on good ethnic revision rhinoplasty doctors, feel free to message me.