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

Hi guys, I could really use some honest (but hopefully gentle) opinions about a morph my PS created for me. The picture shows what my doctor said was possible for my nose. (I have a bulbous tip and medium-thick skin).

To me --the person who wakes up and falls asleep with this nose-- it's a big difference. --Especially the front view. The side view looks almost exactly the same to me.

But I've shown the morph to some close family members, and they said you could not really tell, and I was disappointed. Now, I don't know what to think....

What do you think? Is there a difference? Is it worth the big pay check?

I don't want there to be such a huge difference with my rhinoplasty, but I also want there to be a definite improvement. From what I've been researching many people who get rhinoplasties confess, post-surgery, that no one seemed to even notice a difference.

It just seems like an awful lot of money, pain and inconvenience if nobody even notices an improvement, doesn't it?

Thank you for you help!

Thank you guys! I guess I should have explained some stuff better. I do want a nose job because of how I feel about it.... (boring details omitted). But the part where I'm uncertain is if it makes a difference or not from someone else's perspective. I like his morph a lot, and he said for the purposes of making sure this baby works and looks good for many years down the road that this was the most reliable, long-term option --which is what I want. I don't want multiple nose jobs if I can help it!

When my close family members didn't seem to think it was much a difference, I was a little unsure because I want there to be one (for the better). But it sounds like it's still pretty much 50/50. The choice comes down to me, which I'm okay with, but I know a lot of folks on this site come at this with some very intelligent, experienced perspectives...which I could use!!

I'm a little unsure that I didn't come to my doc with some more of my own ideas about my nose. He did the morph, and I liked it and that was pretty much that....Now, I think I should have maybe brought some pictures to show him more what I was thinking. But I didn't just want some Hollywood actress's nose on my face... Well maybe I do...but that's necessarily an option. I've heard that thick/medium skin can be an issue with shrinking...it doesn't seem to want to fit the new shape of the nose, so some doc's (perhaps most) try to be conservative to prevent some bad results.

Anywho, do you guys have ideas of some nose types that may work good with my features? In case I schedule another consult for a second opinion, I think I'll bring some ammo this time! :)

On a scale from 1 to 10, how big is the difference to you?

Done. and Done. Thank you, thank you to anyone who makes it to the bottom of this thread!! (You, I mean you, are personally awesome!)

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!