A Picture is Worth a Thousand Words

This review is still in progress. I am only 2 months post-op and want to wait for swelling to decrease before I write my entire review (which I will eventually write and it will be very detail oriented). It is taking a lot of courage for me to post these photos and I debated whether I should or not, but ultimately if itbwill help future patients with their decision making then its worth it. Quick note, if you are considering rhinoplasty thing long and hard first. Many of the reviews on this website seem falsified and I would caution you against putting faith in a review when there is no photographic evidence to back it up. Rhinoplasty is a very intense procedure and many reviews gloss over just how intense/traumatic the recovery process is, both physically and mentally. Do your due diligence and even when you think you have done your research, pause, wait a few more months, and then think long and hard before you put down your deposit. The only thing worse than being born with a nose you dislike is spending your hard earned money and vacation days for a nose you dislike. I’ll hold off on further opinions because like I said, I’m still swollen and I’d rather be unbiased and give a fair impartial review once swelling has gone down.

This isn’t an update, I just wanted to add the “wish” pictures I showed Dr. Yoo. I specifically said I liked my nose and thought it was cute, it was just a little too “button”ish and piggy for me, but that I liked the size and wanted to have a nose that was still small, cute, delicate, feminine and pixie-ish. I told him I cared more about the front image and the side and that I thought my nose would look better if it just had a little less of a round shape. I had realistic expectations when I was told some of my images were unrealistic given that I have ultra thick skin. I wanted to look like Chou Tzuyu and have something cute and tiny. I did not get a morph image that was helpful as it looked the same as the images I sent in, and he admitted that it is difficult to morph front images and he wasn’t as good with the morphing software. So I just trusted him. Fully. Without seeing a morph that resembled much change. When I asked how I would know we were on the same page without seeing a morph that resembled any differences he assured me he is an expert and has an artistic eye and knows aesthetically how to customize my nose to my face to make me more attractive. He noted it’s important to expect progress, not perfection. Which I completely agree with. However, I do not see progress, I see a step backwards and I sure as hell don;t see anything on my face that resembles any of these wish pictures.
Decide for yourself, you be the judge. Does my before/after resemble my wish pictures?

UPDATES! So it's been 3.5 months since my surgery, again, this isn't the final review (I want that to be unbiased and will write after a year once all the swelling is finalized so I'm reviewing the final results). Overall I am still swollen, however the swelling difference between month 2 and month 3 is remarkable. Mentally, months 1 & 2 were very challenging for me (although I am a mentally strong person) it was just a more jarring effect that I could have even anticipated. If anyone reading this is going through something similar, please know that the difference between month 2 and 3 is massive. I will reiterate that I knew post-op I was swollen and it would take time to deswell, but there's a cognitive disconnect between the emotions of what you see in the mirror and the logic knowing you are swollen. I'm a little less salty about my results now, but Dr. Yoo says I'm still only 50% of the way to my final results so that's reassuring.
Future rhinoplasty patients, the recovery process is no joke! Especially the mental portion! Take this seriously, I dismissed the mental recovery a bit considering how I've dealt with a lot, but this was unlike anything I've ever experienced. I wish I had watched this prior to going under the knife and I encourage EVERYONE to watch this, whether pre/post/supporting a friend etc. https://www.youtube.com/watch?vkTvF5FIzGyU
Too many times people do not discuss post-op mental health side effects and they're very real. I read studies that it's very common, especially in bariatric and cardiac patients. The 2 months were miserable for me because of how swollen I was, and that video summarizes the feelings/process much more eloquently than I can here. I also recommend watching this to better understand thick vs. thin skin, because while it was explained to me, I didn't understand it without a visual representation and didn't understand it until after I already had my surgery. https://www.youtube.com/watch?vubLAfb2KLkg
It was recommended I get steroid injections since I have very thick skin, much thicker than average, and I got 4 total. I requested topical numbing cream because I have a low pain tolerance when it comes to needles and overall, while not pleasant, these injections weren't that bad. If you are getting them done, don't be scared! The MA used a vibrating shoulder massager on me which really helps distract from the injections (super smart idea!) and I had 4 injections total. Immediately after I looked crazy red and swollen and did for the rest of the day, so I do not suggest you make any social plans for the same day. Makeup helps the redness but not so much the shape. It got better the next day, although my nose didn't start to look normal again until day 3 post injection. I'm at day 5 now and it's completely fine, back to what it looked like prior to steroid injections. The pictures I posted have no filters (keeping it real here) and I'll post more once I pass the 6-8 week mark so we can see the effect the injections have. I will also be going on accutane next month to help thin out my skin and will post updates on that as well.
I was told it takes 1 week for the swelling from the steroid injection to go down and return to what you looked like earlier in the day prior to getting injected. Then it takes 6-8 weeks for the injections to do what they are supposed to do and rapidly deswell the process. Throughout that 6-8 weeks it is possible that there can be some hypo-pigmentation or that it can deswell too much and look sunken in. However, Dr. Yoo reassured me this only happens in 2-3% of cases and that while the deswelling can vary and sometimes look like it has sunk in too much, it will fluctuate and eventually even out by the end of week 8. If anyone is interested in some fun reading, I found this article by Dr. Irvine & Dr. Nassif on how steroid injections can help thick skin rhinoplasty patients: https://www.thieme-connect.de/products/ejournals/abstract/10.1055/s-0037-1617420
I also asked if a different doctor could administer the injections because I didn't want to fly in again (not from CA just trying to have some anonymity) and he said it's an art and that he understands my nose best and would know how to inject to best execute his vision. I couldn't argue with him on that point and figured I had already invested this much so why risk that investment by having some other doctor potentially jeopardize the results.