Is It Worth It? --PS Gave Me a Morph, but I'm Not Sure It's Worth the Money - Chicago, IL

Hi Guys,

It's years later and I never got a nose job. But now, I'm looking back and still considering it. I have a nw morph from a doctor I saw previously (went back), and here it is.

I have to say, I wasn't completely thrilled with the experience from the doctor or the morph --as one nostril is larger than the other, but he said that is because my nose is slightly crooked. He said it would look like ht morph but with even nostrils, which it was hard for him to show on photoshop. He was also extremely rushed and I felt like an idiot because I had a hard time spitting my questions out because I felt rushed....One big question I had and will try to ask him later by email or Skype is how my nose will change with time if I have a nose job. Doesn't the nose keep growing slightly with age (not sure about this just heard that somewhere)? Will a nose job change too? He also mentioned needing to possible move the nostrils due to the asymmetry of them currently....Has anyone had experience with that?

Thank you all! Please let me know what you think! I asked family and they were split. Some said they saw no difference, and another said I looked like a different person. Personally, it looks very different to me, but I'm thrown off because I think it still looks crooked due to the nostrils.

Hey guys, taking the advice of many of you, I saw another doctor and he gave me a new morph....Now, I know what you guys are probably going to say: There's no difference! And I would agree with you, but I think that's my own darn fault. I kind of freak out when the doctor just started going to town and showing me his idea of how to do my nose. The nose looked chopped off! ...and I think I might have said that....and scared him into showing me a more conservative approach. I like conservative. Conservative is good in my opinion, but I'm not thrilled with this morph either. I just don't know how to tell a doc what I'm thinking...maybe that's because I don't really know what I'm thinking? Ha!

Anyways, here it is. Tell me what you think. I'd love to know how you guys talked to your docs. I feel like this is such a big decision ---it's changing your nose!--but I don't really know how to communicate what I want. I took so much time talking to my doc. (he really was great in answering all of my technical questions) but I kind of lost time on the morph because I just left it with what he showed me..... Oh dear. I really liked him and felt comfortable with him. And I do feel like he listened to what I said, but I would like this morph to be changed a bit....I feel that the tip is still a little too bulbous for the kind of change I want. But when I say that, doctors seem to interpret that I want the nose to point up. But I would really rather it be flat...

I wonder if it would help if I sent my docs some pics....Have any of you ever done that after the consult? My doc said I could email him and communicate with him. I think I should take him up on it.

First of all, thank you! Thank you! for all your comments. Everyone has been so smart and supportive in their comments, and I really appreciate it!

I've got a lot to chew on. I'm definitely going to give this a lot more thought before I jump into it. I know I'm not happy with my current nose, but do I hate it? Nope. I'm thankful to have a nose that works okay (except for a little block in the left side that doesn't really affect my breathing much). And many of you are right, so much can go wrong, and will it really change how I feel about my face? Maybe, maybe not. Until I'm certain, I'm not going to go under the knife!

Second, a lot of you have given me some great advice about my surgeon and my morphs. I realize now that I went into my first consult way under-prepared. I have so many unanswered questions now, and I'm going to talk to my doctor's surgical RN this week to clear some of them up.

Here's some of the stuff I want to get answered:

1. For the image I was given, is that a 1-year estimate? 6-month estimate? What?
2. I read that alar batten grafts can temporarily increase the width and hardness of the nose? Is the case? Why is my doctor using them?
3. What will my nose feel like? Will it be soft and natural-feeling? Or will it be harder than I am used to? Will I have a problem blowing my nose (Sorry! But I got to ask!) What kind of short-term and long-term changes can I expect?
4. Are there any unforeseen side-effects/ risks that I should be aware of before I commit to surgery?
5. I read that spreader grafts are to reinforce the bridge of the nose to prevent collapse. My Doc. said I would not need much changed with my bridge. Perhaps a little smoothing out. I'm worried about the spreader graft because I heard it can increase the width of the tip? Is that the case?
6. Where are the grafts coming from? --Ear? Rib?
7. In what situation does he use Rib? This is a primary rhinoplasty, and I've heard some mixed input about the necessity of extensive reconstruction with rib cartilage on a primary/ low-to-moderate rhinoplasty.
8. How much is my doc. intending to "reconstruct"? Is this a simple, easy sort of fix? Or does he think it is a more challenging situation (for reasons I don't know) that will involve more extensive revision and/or grafting?
9. --I'm really worried about grafts! As you can probably tell (:
I don't know what to expect with them, and I've heard a lot people on the internet who complain about how awful grafts can be. What do I need to know and what should I expect?
10. How many grafts will I get? How will it feel? Will my nose be able to bend and move? What will my skin feel like? Will it be stretched?
11. What kind of pain medication does my doc. usually prescribe post-treatment?
12. How often does he like to do follow-ups?
13. Where in the nose does he intend to place grafts ?

Okay, that's it!! Is that a lot? Too much detail maybe? I don't know, but until I feel better about the answers to these questions and know exactly what I'm signing up for....I think I'm going to put off surgery.

If you have any of the answers to these questions, especially experience with grafts, please post! I'm sure it'd be a use to me and to people like me in the same situation.

Also, as a little follow-up, the reason that I'm asking so much about grafts is that in the poor reviews of my doctor, I've heard he can seem to go a little overboard on the grafting....Now, I'm not a doctor, and for many of these people I do not know what kind of situation they are in with their nose, so it may all be justified...but it may not, and I just want to know more about what's in my doc's head before surgery so I'm better prepared.

Also, many of you gave me some great advice about researching my doc. Something I didn't do before my consult was check my state board of medical licensing to see whether my doc had any malpractice or disciplinary action against him. This is a simple step but it made me feel better doing it. Also, as I understand it, some docs relocate to another state when they've had a malpractice claim so that they have a clean record in a new state. So if a doc has practiced in multiple states, you have to check each one.....

I'm not sure if this is the best way to research my doc. I would really like to know if anyone has a more efficient or more accurate method of research--?

Thank you again! I hope you're all off to a good week!