The Right Choice

After my surgery, my brow was a bit crooked. Dr. Nogueira said it would settle but that I might need to have my brow plucked a bit. Two years later, it never did settle. Now I wish I never had the procedure. I look like somebody who had a stroke in the forehead.

The following is a bit of a read but I think it will be worth it if you are thinking about going there for a procedure. Yes, I gave this place good reviews but I will also put in the ugly facts so you are prepared. About me: I have always looked “goofy” and in my forties, I was sick and tired of it. Weak jaw, huge nose, long ears. I was stationed overseas with work for a year and came into a fair bit of cash, so I decided to be the best version of myself. Finding the right doctor: Like many here I looked all over the world since I travel a fair bit anyway. I wanted the best surgeon I could find. Finally, I contacted Dr. Nogueira. I ended up with Dr. Nogueira for several reasons. Good reviews. Certified, experienced, and qualified. No real red flags. Choosing the procedure: I contacted Dr. Nogueira with some pictures and asked for his advice saying I was open to being the best version of myself. He recommended a profileplasty (rhinoplasty and sliding genioplasty), upper blepharoplasty, a brow lift (which I chose not to take but more about that later). I also asked for an earlobe reduction. A price was agreed and no sudden surprises unfolded. At the time their website did not do the “bulk” discount (discount with several procedures at once) and I like to think I introduced it since I asked for it and got it. Mind you, with the ease he agreed I doubt I was the first. Going to Spain: Dr. Nogueira runs a pretty basic operation from the looks of it. Yolanda does customer support, Dr. Nogueira does surgery/consultations and Dr. Salmones does anaesthesiology. They do not handle things like hotels, taxis, etc. This may be a personality thing but I am honestly pretty good with that. From friends, I know some places seem to be running a huge operation with drivers, hotels, etc. I am an adult so I can handle that. I just need my surgeon to do his job and nothing else. Being cheap I chose a cheap hotel. I am not sure if this was a good idea but that is a personality thing. If I was to do it again, I would have brought someone to look after me and stocked up on more supplies like smoothies. But you live and learn. Surgery: Having never had any surgery or full anesthetics I was nervous but Dr. Salmones was awesome putting me at ease and explaining the science behind it. Dr. Nogueira was also very professional BUT BE WARNED. This man has a twisted sense of humor. For you, it is really serious but he does this every day so he jokes a fair bit but do not take it personally. Wake up: I went to sleep and woke up a few hours later. I felt fine. I had no real bruises and felt like I could do twenty push-ups right out of surgery. Dr. Nogueira took me out of the hospital, got me some painkillers and we agreed when I was to come back before he put me in a taxi to the hotel. Recovery (short term): As I said, I had an OK hotel. Today I would have gotten a nicer place but I was cheap and alone. I spent a few days sleeping. I would go for walks at night to stretch my legs. Sleeping for days sounds great but after a while, your back will start to hurt from sitting/lying down. Recovery (long term): After a week or so I went home. Still brace on the nose for maybe a total of two weeks. I looked sort of ok but a bit swollen but since I had been away for a year nobody paid much attention. It was more a case of “You look different but cannot put my finger on it”. Looking back at pictures it took me maybe a full year to recover but I was back to business after about a month or so without any questions. Problems: I did not have any real complications but two things bugged me. 1. The scar in my mouth from the sliding genioplasty was ugly (yes it was in my mouth but food and such was getting stuck there and in winter it would get sensitive. 2. The scars on one of my earlobes were not too great. Dr. Nogueira suspected I was a bit allergic to some self-dissolving sutures. All along I was talking to Dr. Nogueira and after a few years, we agreed that I should come back to have it fixed. Again, he suggested the browlift, and this time I said yes. Mainly because a few people said I looked sort of angry (when I was not). He gave me a discount because I had been there before. Second surgery: I was told that recovery from brow lift only would be a few days but when I woke up my face and eyes had swelled like insane. Given my last easy operation I thought this was going to be a walk in the park but not so. I looked like shit and felt horrible and had my girlfriend not been there I am not sure what I would have done. I could hardly find my way into the hotel. A few days later I could walk around but only with a hat and sunglasses to cover me up. After a week we went home and I still looked scary. “Fortunately,” corona came around so I had an excuse to be boring at home and not go physically to work. I think it took a month for the swelling to go down and a year before I was done. Through it, all Dr. Nogueira was good at calling me and tracking my development. Today: I am now 50 but when I look at pictures from when I was 40, I can say with certainty that I look a lot better today. A LOT. The brow lift was a pain but now I wish I had it straight away and my face looks balanced and I am so much happier with how I look and feel. I recently talked to Dr. Nogueira as a follow-up and asked him if he could see me needing anything. This would be an easy sell for him but he said he no (and then paused and said that maybe in a few years I might have bags under the eyes) :-) Major surgery is a huge commitment but life is too short not being happy and Dr. Nogueira will help you get there.