Revision with Andy Frankel -- Extremely Disappointing!

Because I have gotten so much information and support from this website I have decided that I ought to contribute to the community and the available pool of information online about this surgery and my experience with this particular surgeon.
I had a revision rhinoplasty with Dr. Frankel in May of 2016 and I wanted my nose repaired but I told him that one of the most important things to me was for my nose not to be changed too much. He created some morphs for me and I went through with the surgery.
From the moment that the bandages were taken off I could see that much more was done that I had hoped. I was extremely swollen though, so I didn't want to judge it too early. Furthermore, I had complete confidence in Dr. Frankel and I was sure that I had chosen the best guy for the job.
Long story short, as time went on that moment of feeling happy about my results never came. My results came out very different from what I had expected and to be honest, it has been quite devastating emotionally.
In my photos you can see that my nose was shortened significantly--which I did not want. Even in the morphs you can see that this was not part of the plan. He also used a technique on me called 'lower lateral cartilage repositioning' to lower my nostril rims. I didn't realize the overall effect this technique would have on my nose and tip. Now my lower lateral crura sit at the base of my nostril rims. Not only do I not like the aesthetics of it, but it feels very strange having the cartilage sitting in this area.
To tuck my columella he used a technique called 'tongue in groove' (and he "shaved" off some of my columella). I didn't realize he would do this and in my opinion it was not represented in the morphs. Now I hate how this looks and it also feels really strange and uncomfortable. My top lip no longer has the same freedom of movement that it used to and there's a constant sensation that my nose is stuck in the wrong position.
Also, Dr. Frankel used spreader grafts on my without discussing it with me first. Now my middle third is wider than before and my tip is much narrower than before. He didn't tell me that my bridge would be wider nor did I see it represented in the morphs.
I could go on and on but the last big issue I have is now uneven my nostrils now appear. The rims are at different levels and the shape and angle of them are totally different.
I believe that Dr. Frankel tried to do his best on me, which I sincerely appreciate, but a good result is the main thing we're after and I am totally devastated at what he did to my nose. He did offer to try to fix it for a discounted fee but at this point I just don't trust in his abilities to get me where I hope to be. Such a disappointment. Words can't even do it justice.

Anyone who has experienced a disappointing rhinoplasty knows how emotionally devastating it can be. Of course, the degree of pain is on a spectrum and many or our degrees of emotional distress will vary. It hits us financially, it affects our career, our relationships, etc. It has been hands down the hardest year of my life. Ever since that fateful day, May 9th, 2016 when I went into surgery with Dr. Frankel thinking I was going to get my nose repaired and come out of surgery looking and feeling like myself only to find that the exact opposite happened life has been a struggle. The depression and anxiety that go along with it are truly bad. I used to have a really happy, amazing life. I miss it, but I try not to think about it too much now because it cause very acute emotional pain when I think of all the ways this surgery has had a negative impact on my life. If you are one of the unfortunate ones who gets/got a disappointing result I hope that reading about my experience will help you make it through. For the first several months I was literally out of commission. The disappointment, depression and anxiety were totally paralyzing. I kept playing it over and over in my head - the conversations with Dr. Frankel - asking myself, "What did I do wrong?", "What did he do to me?" and "How did I end up with a result that I hate?" I think that is trauma-related when we keep playing those moments over and over, without even trying to, it just happens. But as time went on I just started doing research to try to figure out what had happened to my nose. I read through my op report in painstaking detail. I studied nasal anatomy. I have to add, there were a few people on this website who were EXTREMELY helpful in my quest to find out what had been done to me and I appreciate them so much. After about a half a year of being so focused on my nose I realized that I had to make a change. I had to just start doing more to stay busy and focus on positive things (positive people, positive thoughts, beauty in nature, music, art, etc) and let go of the regret and anger that I had for choosing Dr. Frankel without researching him more. Anything that was negative or not supportive I just had to let go of. From month 6 post op onward I have been focused on spending time with people I love and helping others. I try to avoid mirrors and photos and to live in the moment. It's a really hard journey and I still have my ups and downs but with hard work, a positive attitude, and a good support group I'm sure you can get through it. One last thing - it's important to make sure that your thoughts are rational. There are thoughts called 'cognitive errors' that can really make our journey much harder than it needs to be. I recommend looking into these and trying to eliminate these types of thoughts. Thoughts like, "No one will ever love me because my nose is so ugly." Or, "I must have deserved this," or "Things will never get better." These are just examples, but when you explore them on a deeper level you'll realize they are erroneous, cognitive distortions. I'm not saying it's easy to get rid of these thoughts, but with some effort you can be aware of distorted thought patterns that are only doing you harm and not one bit of good. To any of you out there suffering from this same problem that I'm going through, I hope you keep pushing, keep researching, and eventually find a solution to your problem - whether it's acceptance of a bad result or a successful revision - I just hope you find some peace of mind and get your lives back. Sending my love and support to you all. You're not alone and not forgotten.

This is a technique that Frankel used on me and I can't tell you the pain that is has caused me. He told me very casually in our pre-op consultation that he was going to bring my lower lateral crura down to lower my nostril rims. Well, it lowered my rims a little but what it did to my tip has caused me a lot of emotional distress. In a normal nose, the alar cartilage starts at the footplates, goes to the medial crura, then to the domes, then sort of goes around the bridge, pointing horizontally and slightly upward at the pyriform aperture. Well, in my surgery he brought the lower lateral cartilage all the way down to my alar rims. The aesthetics of it have been devastating for me and it feels horrible as well. When I used to hold my nose I felt fleshy, soft nostrils. Now they are stuffed full of cartilage an trying to hold my nose feels very unnatural and uncomfortable. Also, where the tip and lower lateral cartilage used to be is now empty because the alar cartilage has been brought down to my nostril rims. So I'm left with this strange sensation that everything is in the wrong place. I'm sharing this because I want you to know about the potential unintended consequences of it. Dr. Frankel mentioned it to me so casually so I thought nothing of it, but the reality I'm facing now is a harsh one. This shouldn't be a decision that you casually make. I think it should be discussed in further detail with your surgeon before you OK it. I really wish he would have discussed it further with me. Also, I've talked to a lot of surgeons, including Frankel, and trying to get this reversed to an extent seems difficult and risky. Even Dr. Frankel said he had never tried to undo this technique. So, it leaves me in a very bad situation. This technique might be good for some people, but just be aware that it's not a minor change--it's taking the cartilage from where it sits in your nose naturally and moving it to a very different position. In the diagram I've posted here it shows you how the cartilage was moved WAYYYYY down. To me, it feels unnatural and looks unnatural and I really regret saying OK to this, but I put total trust in Dr. Frankel and relied on his expertise. I was just your average patient, largely ignorant on the subject of rhinoplasty and the techniques used. It's hard for patients to know what they are getting into at times. I definitely wanted a 'less is more' type of nasal repair but this technique (along with others) brought changes that were much more extreme than I was hoping for or expecting.