Ghavami Rhino: Nightmare on Camden Street

Dr. Ghavami and I didn’t see eye to nose. He thinks my nose looks good while I think not only does it not look good, it looks worse than before surgery. He attempted to fix a deviated septum and refine a bulbous tip. There was slight improvement in the very upper part of my nose where there was an unevenness between the left and right sides; however, my tip and nostrils are now much worse. Three years post surgery, I still have a deviated septum, a ball like round tip, flared and wide nostrils, deep alar creases, left notched nostril, low bridge, highly projected tip, tip and lip droopiness and slight loss of upper lip motion (which may or not be temporary). I hate how I now look in photos; there is only one good angle (my right side profile) where the bulbousity and flared nostrils do not show. On my social network profiles it’s apparent that since my surgery all of my photos are of a right side view only with my lips closed. Although I don’t Photoshop, I have occasionally resorted to shrinking my nose on my phone photo app when a straight on photo reveals an unbalanced face because of my nose.
In each of the three years after my primary rhino, I asked my doctor for a revision. In the first year he explained it was too early as the nose had to heal; the second year he didn’t agree to a revision (therefore I started seeking outside opinions). In that second year he gave me a shot (kenalog I believe) in my tip to shrink scar tissue that had formed; the third year he said he could see what I was upset about and agreed to a tip revision. He gave me a 2nd kenalog shot. A few months later at the revision pre-op appointment - he changed his mind because swelling had subsided and he now thought my nose looked good. Instead of completely scrapping the revision, he shortened the columella in an office procedure not without telling me they normally don’t do comp revisions at year three. But the problem had been there since year one???? I was grateful for the improvement as my columella had been hanging very low; however, the tip and nostril flaws were still apparent. Months later, I approached him once more. His response to my revision request was that he ‘was done with my nose’ and that if I wanted it revised I would have to go elsewhere. He likened me to Michael Jackson seeking perfection. I don’t know why he said that - it’s not as if he had revised my nose again and again yet I was still unsatisfied. I got the impression that he thought I was complaining about a new problem every time he saw me yet they were the same problems that were there since year one! I wasn’t expecting perfection; however, I was expecting to look better than I did before surgery.
Over the last two years I have consulted with A LOT of revision experts. Their recommendations ran the gamut from ‘do nothing’ to complete reconstruction including the septum using rib bone. I think that some of the doctors that said ‘do nothing’ (including my own) looked at my static nose in a snippet of office time whereas I live with it dynamically 24/7. I see in pics a shapeless and flabby nose … I sense how my nostrils flare when I smile thus I now halt at a grin, I feel that when I speak my upper lip lags a bit and it didn’t before. During my consults with these ‘do nothing’ doctors - not one of them asked me to smile for them nor did they ask to see old photos to compare what my nose looked like now to what it looked like before. If they had they would have seen my results were not an improvement; specifically when I smile. Instead of doing these things, they would enter the consult room to the right of me (my good side), peek at my static nose, and say ’what are you talking about…it looks good!”.
To be fair to Dr. Ghavami, many of the other doctors I consulted with said he is a reputable rhinoplasty surgeon and that I should go back to him. One highly respected doctor said due to my skin thickness I was a difficult case to begin with. My tendency to scar had a great deal of impact on how my nostrils and tip shape formed. I also believe that he thought my nose didn’t look all that bad and that was why he was unwilling to take a risk to operate on me again and make my nose look worse. He even told me that my nose wasn’t all that bad to begin with - which I think implies I shouldn’t have taken a risk in having the primary surgery. If that’s the case, then why was he willing to operate on me (and take my money) in the first place? . If the doctor is unwilling to perform risky revision; that’s understandable…but there must be at least some less risky small aesthetics improvements that could be made? Reduce nostril width, narrow the skin at the columella, perhaps lift the tip with a suture, some filler in the empty part of the upper nose?
Dr. Ghavami ‘s office was made aware of this review in advance as I sent it to him along with photos. I wanted to give an opportunity for response prior to posting this irrevocable review. They did respond, which I appreciate…they thanked me for letting them know but maintain ‘that your results are wonderful and your photos reflect that. I wish you the best of luck in your future endeavors with surgery”
Yes, wish me luck that I am successful when I fork out the dough to pay for costly revision with someone else that hopefully has follow through.