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POSTED UNDER Revision Rhinoplasty REVIEWS

Extensive Revision Rhinoplasty - Beverly Hills, CA

ORIGINAL POST

After a disappointing primary rhinoplasty, I was...

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SmartCookieInCA
WORTH IT$19,296
After a disappointing primary rhinoplasty, I was seeking to revise my unsatisfactory result. My first op was a closed procedure. I sought to reduce a dorsal hump, refine my tip, take care of a hanging columella and resolve some asymmetries. I was left with retracted alars, a wide bridge, and an inexplicable "lump" that protruded from the right side of my nose.
I underwent a pretty extensive revision rhinoplasty with Dr. Ghavami on Oct. 6, 2014. Not only was he able to correct the cosmetic issues that were my chief complaints, he was also able to identify the fact that although my previous surgeons (a father-some team of doctors) had said they'd given me a septoplasty, they had never touched my septum. This turned out to be a blessing in disguise since Dr. Ghavami was able to use 100% septum cartilage for my revision surgery without needing to harvest from my ears.
I'm about 2 months out from surgery now. The results are dramatic, and quite an improvement, but there is still a great deal of swelling (as is to be expected with a complex secondary surgery).
I have "good" nose days and "bad" nose days. The swelling in my case is asymmetrical (but corresponds to the areas which the Dr. indicated he worked on the most) so I'm fairly certain this is swelling and no a complication of healing.
Compliance and patience are important, with this type of surgery. It's really intense, and it's a smart thing to observe dietary changes (cutting out processed foods, sugar and sodium, taking supplements, drinking lots of water) and to follow your doc's instructions re: taping and massage (these things are more beneficial in some cases than in others. Pay close attention to your medical teams advice).
In all I'm very glad I chose to finally take the plunge. My trust was damaged severely in 2004 after my previous surgery, and my doctors' dismissal of my concerns as "the best I could hope for." It took me 10 years to build up the courage to search for surgeons to correct this, and Honestly my only regret is not doing this sooner!
Im going to post some photos of my "before," my "after," and my healing progress. Since I'm 2 months out, the only new pics you see going forward will be monthly updates, as not much happens at this point besides swelling resolution. If there's a specific view, angle, enlargement or type of pic you'd like to see, message me. Also, if you want to ask me any questions about my surgeon, or my procedure but don't want to ADRESS it on a thread, go ahead and message me for that too.
Thanks for reading! I sincerely hope that this helps you out if you're considering a revision rhinoplasty.

SmartCookieInCA's provider

Ashkan Ghavami, MD

Ashkan Ghavami, MD

Board Certified Plastic Surgeon

SmartCookieInCA

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Replies (86)

December 3, 2014
Your results are amazing!!! I am trying to do my research to find a top revision rhino Doc. Ottawa, Ontario, Canada does not seem to have any Docs with enough experience to give me the results I need. Instead of going for my third rhinoplasty here in Ontario (first rhino was done in Toronto Ontario by Dr. Kane and revision rhino was done in Ottawa by Dr. Brownrigg 7 years later) I would much rather find a top Doc in the US with much more experience. I will not try this a fourth time. I really can't afford to travel and pay for a top Doc job but after two tries in Ontario it seems that it is the only way I will get satisfactory results. I would love to see more before/after pictures from different angles. Also, the price you paid is astronomical, could you tell me what the reasons were for the large amount (just the complexity or did it include other costs such as travel)? Thanks and congrats on finding the right Doc! You look great.
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December 3, 2014
Hi! My revision was extensive. I had troubles wth function (could barely breathe thru my right nostril and according to my husband, my snoring was unbearable). I didn't travel, this cost was only for the revision rhinoplasty. My billing paperwork indicates that I paid for the revision rhinoplasty, a septoplasty, and a turbinoplasty. It was extensive and complex. Dr. G appears to have completely redesigned the tip of my nose. And was operated on for about 3 hours and 45 minutes. Also, I was unable to obtain the records from my primary rhinoplasty, which caused Dr. G to basically go into surgery knowing only what he could tell from his own (external) physical exam. I have more pics to post, if you'd like to see a specific angle that I have not posted, let me know and I'll photograph it.
May 13, 2016
I literally have had a picture of you in my phone as an example of an AMAZING revision. Fun to have randomly found you on here and hear your story! Looks so good
December 3, 2014
You look incredible! Congrats, you must be thrilled!
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December 3, 2014
Thanks! I mostly feel relief. I didn't enjoy looking as if I chose that former look, or having it reflect on my taste and judgement. That was kinda depressing, but it's awesome to close that chapter finally
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December 3, 2014

Wow!!! Your revision results are spectacular. Thank you so much for sharing your experience here on RealSelf. I'm happy for you!

December 4, 2014
suits you perfectly.
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December 5, 2014
Thank you, the previous work was just so "fake" and "operated looking" in addition to the asymmetry it's an improvement and a relief.
December 4, 2014
Your doctors done an excellent job. Bet you are so happy congratulations. Love your eyebrow shape too, looks like you have threading done x
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December 5, 2014
I do have threading! I used to tweeze them myself but when I found a good eyebrow threading tech, I never looked back! Thanks for the compliment. I'm mostly happy. I have residual swelling which can be frustrating. It's uneven, because he had to do lots more work on that right hand side, so in certain light it can look a little odd. But I'm trying to be patient and optimistic about it.
December 12, 2014
you would never know you so recently had surgery, I have thin skin and the difference in one year to two years in swelling in my nose is noticeable in photos. I had huge swelling in my last revision and still looked very swollen at six months although I had a bad infection that contributed to that. Your nose looks like a great shape already. I have my brows threaded and tinted every two weeks its like an instant brow lift. x
UPDATED FROM SmartCookieInCA
2 months post

Some additional Pics

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SmartCookieInCA
A few more photos from some different angles, before/after

Replies (17)

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December 4, 2014
Absolutely amazing!!!!
December 4, 2014
I also noticed that you didnt need ear graphs haha me neither! my doctor actually said to me right before I went in for surgery "well the one thing you can thank your previous doctor for is leaving so much extra useless cartilage in your tip.." and he laughed. So they were able to use my own septum cartilage to build my bridge back up.
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December 5, 2014
Yeah that was the one silver lining in the black cloud of that bad first surgery! I know you're concerned about swelling. I think you'll heal much faster than Im healing. You have youth on your side. I am in my 40's, so my metabolism and my healing DOESNT move quite as fast anymore...
December 5, 2014
wow omg you look amazing! i would have never guessed you were in your 40s! my swelling is random .. it comes and goes .. patience is key i guess lol
December 5, 2014
wow! huge improvement! congrats!
December 9, 2014
You look absolutely beautiful!
UPDATED FROM SmartCookieInCA
2 months post

And Two More

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SmartCookieInCA
Oblique (3/4) View of my left side

Nostril Healing (swelling from the grafts used to fix my alars still evident, small incision scar still evident. Taken at 7weeks post)

Replies (9)

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December 3, 2014
Your revision looks really good after 2 months of healing!
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December 3, 2014
Thank you very much! Looking forward to the swelling going down, I have no patience! Ha!
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December 3, 2014
Beautiful results. Ten years is a long but understandable amount of time to approach revision. I'd likely be the same way. I'm glad to see a positive review pop up for Dr. Ghavami as well, some of those recent negative ones don't seem too credible. I consulted with him & he was fantastic, but logistically it wasn't feasible with my current job. I was fortunate enough to come across a fab surgeon in my own area just when I was ready to give up & "accept" daddy's nose. Lol. Again... You're results are gorgeous, but you're inherently gorgeous anyways. Happy continued healing!
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December 3, 2014
Thank you so much! I also saw the negative reviews for Dr. G. and some of them have classic red-flags for a fake negative, others could be born of the fact that...let's be honest, your face is your identity as a person. And your nose is smack dab in the center of your face. Some people, when they're used to seeing a certain face looking back at them for most of their lives, have an unexpected reaction to something that's so suddenly different, and so they react by blaming. As sad as it sounds, my poor results had been with me long enough for me to incorporate them into my "idea" of myself, making it tough to self-motivate to make the change. On the bright side it gave me a loooong time to save up, LOL