Rhinoplasty This Summer with Dr. Anil Shah

I am about 6 months out and everything still looks great! I have loved my nose since pretty soon after my surgery so I don't really have anything new to report. I still love it and my confidence has tripled! I have no regrets in regard to the surgery. Good luck to everyone :)

My results are looking amazing, but still swollen. The swelling is not bad by any means and I forget about it. It is just when I look for it now, do I notice. I just got back to the states and saw a bunch of people and no one said anything or noticed--and I have people in my life that would say something if they had :) I stopped taping two days ago and haven't noticed a difference in swelling. Still can't wear sunglasses and that has been tough in the summer (I lost the cast Dr. Shah's office gave me). Overall, it has been a great experience. My recovery has been AMAZING. I think it helped that I had something to focus on (a trip/traveling) immediately after surgery. It took my mind off the recovery and I didn't spend every day analyzing myself in the mirror because I didn't have time! lol. My smile is finally back to normal as of 3 weeks post op, but that was a little scary. I looked so weird, but it was short-lived and in the past. (Something to consider if you are trying to hide your surgery) My incision is still a slightly noticeable without makeup, but it looks more like I have a cold and blew my nose too much--like pinkish/irritated skin--if that makes any sense. I would say my incision was noticeable until day 11. I couldn't put make up/anything directly on it until then either. My skin is fine and back to normal. It took a little longer because I was taping. I think it would have returned to normal a bit sooner. In the end, I am glad I purchased all of my supplies. The only one I regret is the Arnica Gel-it stung a lot (maybe it was just the brand?). Also, I don't know how much the arnica tablets helped with bruising. The bruise on my wrist from the IV was soooo bad for a long time. The bruises on my face faded much faster and that is because of icing. If the arnica pills had helped, they would have helped my wrist bruise as well, right? That's just my 2 cents, but I don't see a huge reason not to get them. It isn't like they would hurt anything. Something people might not think about that I believe is necessary are stool softener/laxatives. I know it is a weird topic but they were great to have. Surgery can make you irregular. Also, I didn't use rubber gloves to ice- just the Swiss Eye Therapy Compress. I didn't like the pressure of the gloves- your nose is so sensitive in the beginning and the gloves felt heavy.

If you are trying to hide this surgery, I would recommend waiting two weeks to see anyone you want to hide it from. I looked a lot different/better 2 weeks later. It was a huge difference from the one week mark. However as far as energy level, I felt 90 % normal about 5 days after surgery. I think I was lucky though.

I drank alcohol on day 11 and then had a few drinks pretty much every day after that until recently (hey! I was on vacation). I didn't notice any difference in swelling. I also ate salty things and didn't notice a difference either. But I didn't really look for one in the mirror. Just did my morning routine like normal and then moved on instead of sitting there looking at my nose. I think that made my emotional recovery easier. I have noticed that I am more swollen in the morning and then it goes down slowly throughout the course of the day. To me, I haven't seen a difference from taping in the past week so I stopped. It helped in the beginning though! I also still clean my nose with Qtips and sleep face up. I miss blowing my nose!

I purchased baby food and baby pouches and other soft easy foods, and it all went untouched by day 2. I returned to a normal (sodium free until 1 week after) diet pretty immediately. My recovery has been so great that I already forget I got a nose job! My cat put me in check though the other day when she face bumped it. It was a soft bump but my nose still throbbed for a minute or so.

Dr. Shah's office still calls 1-2 times a week to check in which is nice (he is on vacation). They called every day for the first 9 nine days! They are also very responsive to my different questions via email.

Sunscreen is a must! The skin on your nose is ultra-sensitive after surgery.

I am trying to think of anything else to add here about my experience that would be helpful, but I can't! Good luck everyone! Feel free to message with questions.