20 Yr Old, Rhinoplasty/septoplasty/turbinate Reduction - Beverly Hills, CA

I have hated my nose ever since I could remember. I remember looking at my 5th grade photo and thinking that my nose would fit me when I grew but that was not the case. It just continued to get bigger. I first thought about this surgery when I was about 16 but when I told my parents they laughed and said I didn't need it and I never brought it up again. I kind of just expected that it was never gonna happen. My urge to try again came when a friend made fun of my nose so bad I became so upset and decided I didn't want my nose to rule my life anymore. I've been teased about my nose for as long as I can remember but I mostly wanna get this surgery because I know that it will make me happier and more confident. This is for me and no one else. I really just feel that my nose doesn't belong to me, like it's not supposed to be there. It's hard to explain but it just doesn't make me look how I feel on the outside. I have a really tiny head (I've yet to find a pair of sunglasses or a hat that fit me right) and small eyes and lips. I know that I do not have the biggest nose but it's definitely not the smallest and I feel that it doesn't fit me at all. I have a "Jewish nose" from my dads side. I have a big bump on my nose and the tip is bulbous and points slightly downwards. I never noticed it until I saw the 3D picture in the doctors office but it is also a tiny bit crooked at the bottom but that doesn't bother me so much it's really hard to notice. A few days after i got upset over what my friend said I called dr. Richard Zoumalans office and scheduled a consultation. His staff is all super sweet and they got me in pretty quick. I was greeted to a beautiful waiting room and offered something to drink. They really treat you like a human being and not just a patient. Usually when I walk into a doctors office they barely look up from what their doing to help you. You really feel welcome at his office and I've never had to wait more than 7 minutes to be called in and you don't sit in the room long at all before the doctor comes in. At the appointment I went over what I wanted and he listened, the digital rendering has a upwards facing tip but I told him that I want to avoid the typical nose job nose and that I just want it to be flat. I want it to be just a better version of my nose not a new one. I also have a over active muscle in my face that make my nose twice as big when I smile and he is going to fix it and make it less active. He is very confident in his field and I trust that he will so amazing work. I feel that he is in the perfect stage in his career where he knows what he is doing but he is also still striving for perfection and trying to make each surgery better than the last. He seems to love his line of work. I told them that I wanted to get it done before class started again and they got me a surgery date for as soon as they could, June 2nd. Being that I scheduled it may 16th it is amazing. I can't believe that it is happening in so little time and I am so excited! I told him that I was afraid that at 13 days after the surgery I still wouldn't be presentable but he reassured me that I would be fine. With the prescriptions he gave me and the supply bag and shopping list and instructions there were a lot of things to help the swelling and bruising disappear quick. I can't wait to not be defined by my nose and I am so happy this is finally coming true! I will post more pictures after my surgery

I forgot to mention the reason I am getting a septoplasty and turbinate reduction is not because of a deviated septum but because when they make your nose smaller sometimes patients have trouble breathing so dr. Zoumalan does them anyways in a lot of cases to make sure you can breathe great after your surgery. I've always been a mouth breather so I'm hoping this will change that

Other than the medications that I need for the surgery I am also trying to figure out what I am going to need to make the recovery easier. The doctors folder didn't really give me any suggested supplies, has yours? I've already got dry shampoo for when I can't wash my hair and straws to help drinking in case it is painful. I've seen a lot of people using neck pillows and I plan on getting one too. I also plan on buying a new video game to play and distract me from the boredom and pain. As for food I am planning on eating a lot of cereal, with almond milk or lactaid so that the dairy doesn't make me more congested. I am also going to buy juice, frozen bananas, applesauce, Mac and cheese, ramen, green tea and soup. I'm really not thrilled about the low sodium thing because I love salt but I'm trying to pick foods that I won't be tempted to salt. I'm super picky about food and this is all that I can think of so far. If you guys have had the surgery and have had anything not on this list that made recovery easier please let me know! Also let me know how hard eating is?

Tomorrow is my last day with this nose

It hurts more that I thought and I threw up a lot but I think the worst is over. Here are a couple photos. My throat is killing me

Feeling a lot better today no more throwing up, my nose feels a little sore and so does my throat though. I actually have an appetite today. Look at my profile though!

Feeling so much better this morning!

Sorry I look absolutely terrible, my skin looks gross and oily and I'm breaking out even though I'm using a washcloth on my face, I've also noticed that my eyebrows have grown really fast this past week? Has that happened to anyone else after anesthesia? I don't usually have to clean up my eyebrows often but I did before the surgery and there's stray hairs everywhere. I think I'm going to try to take only half a Percocet now I'm feeling a lot better today

My bruising has turned pretty yellow but the swelling around my bridge has dropped a lot. I love my profile so far I just hope the tip goes down a lot more. I switched from my Percocet to extra strength Tylenol and I'm really just feeling uncomfortable and stuffy no pain. I am going stir crazy though and I really miss the outside world I feel like I'm locked inside a dungeon lol. I also really miss salty fries and hamburgers and I tried to cheat and have one the other day but I couldn't taste it:( I'm spitting a lot of flemm out often which is pretty gross and sometimes they'll be a little blood in it but the doctor said that should be okay as long as it's dark and doesn't look like new blood. I get my cast off on Thursday which is day 8 but I'm sad that I'll still probably be bruised and swollen but I guess makeup can help with that, I'm mostly excited to be able to wash my hair and have a normal shower instead of just rinsing my body, I'm about ready for this recovery to be over with! I know I'll still have a lot of swelling for the next few months especially with my salt intake but I'm really excited about my results!

Went and got my cast off today! Doctor said its still really swollen and you can tell but I put some makeup on and I finally feel like a person again!

Sorry for not keeping track of the progress, I know these aren't great quality or anything but it's what I have on my phone, I still have swelling on one side that I need to take a photo of but over all I like the results

Although my left side is perfect (also the side that is pierced, my right side looks super swollen still and bigger and I'm self conscious of people seeing or taking pictures of that side. I know that I have thick skin and I heard that it can take longer for me but it's a couple of days from being a year and it's still so swollen:( do you guys think it is going down? My doctor said he could inject some steroids to help it go down but I've read some bad stuff about that