*NEW PICS* Recovering from surgery was harder than expected... but worth it! - Dallas, TX

**LONG REVIEW**

Why I'm Having A Rhinoplasty:

I first noticed that my nose was out of proportion with my face when I was called Squidward by my classmates in middle school. As I got older I heard no other mention of my nose, but it remained a deep insecurity for me. Every time I look in the mirror at my profile or see pictures of it I cringe and automatically think, “That looks so bad.” Every. Single. Time. I don’t mean to talk down to myself but it’s just the reaction I have to it. Whenever I get dressed up I always can’t help but think, “I look so beautiful! … But I can’t imagine how much better I would look right now if my nose wasn’t a focal point on my face.”

I got engaged and while planning the wedding I didn’t really give too much thought to my nose since it could be edited in the photos. That is until we decided to have professional videography. There is no editing of the nose in videos and most shots are from the profile. That is when I decided this was the time to have the rhinoplasty I had been thinking about since I was a preteen.

Family & Friends Reactions:

I got a lot of “you don’t need it,” unfunny “jokes” about plastic surgery, and comments about how vain plastic surgery is. I am glad that I had told my family months ahead of time that I was planning on scheduling this because now, one week from surgery, I am happy to say that all of them have come around and been very supportive. (I even got an apology from some of them!) It’s nice to have a support system in place, but at this point I’d say just try your hardest to have at least one supporter that will be there to comfort you and discuss your thoughts and feelings. That’s all you really need.

How I Chose My Doctor:

I was willing to travel anywhere in the US for my rhinoplasty. The way I see it is that a revision is quite a bit more than a primary rhinoplasty, so you might as well spend some extra money the first time for a qualified surgeon in order to have a better chance of getting it right the first time. Not to mention that your nose is in the CENTER OF YOUR FACE. I would not gamble with picking a surgeon.

I noticed that a lot of plastic surgeons have a “signature nose” so to speak where a lot of the noses they do have similar shapes afterward. I’ve read that some people don’t like this, but I was looking for a surgeon that had consistency, so that is exactly what I was looking for. I think that if you find a surgeon that gives similar shapes to most of his/her noses that you have a better chance of having a decent idea of what your nose is most likely going to look like. All doctors have different aesthetics so make sure that the surgeon you go to creates noses that you find beautiful. I wouldn’t recommend going to a surgeon and asking for a completely different nose than he normally does. If you wouldn’t want most of his ‘after’ pictures of his rhinoplasties as your own nose, then DON’T GO TO HIM.

So I searched in this order:

1. I went to multiple plastic surgeons’ websites (I’d find them by searching, “(Insert state here) rhinoplasty before and after”) and looked at their rhinoplasty before/after gallery and I also looked through the Realself rhinoplasty reviews and the Realself rhinoplasty ‘photos’ section. The surgeons needed to have more than just a few pictures for me to see if they had any consistency in their work. (If you like their work and just simply haven’t seen enough pictures from them, then ask to see more!)

2. If I liked their noses, then I’d check their qualifications to see if they are a facial PLASTIC (not cosmetic) surgeon, if they’re board certified (it’s better if they are double board certified), and if they specialize in rhinoplasty.

3. If they were qualified, I would look up patient reviews and patient pictures on them. If they had bad reviews, I would not go to them.

4. If all of that checked out, I’d check their price range.

I considered three different plastic surgeons: Ashkan Ghavami (in Beverly Hills), Vladimir Grigoryants (in Los Angeles), and Spencer Cochran (in Dallas). All give beautiful noses. I saw some noses from Ghavami that I really didn’t care for as well as some that I thought were aesthetically brilliant, but I felt like it was too much risk going with him and ending up with a nose that I either loved or hated. Then it was between Grigoryants and Cochran. Grigoryants gave beautiful noses that normally made their face look a little bit younger and Cochran gave a more sophisticated, elegant nose in my opinion. I have mature feautures and felt like a young-looking nose wouldn’t look as well on me as a more mature one so I ultimately chose Cochran because I believe from what I’ve seen of his noses that he will give me a nose that will age better with my features. Plus, Cochran only performs rhinoplasties and rhinoplasty-related procedures.

Progress Made So Far:

I had my internet consultation a few weeks ago and then called to schedule my rhinoplasty and I was sad to hear that a date wasn’t available for more than a month ahead. I scheduled my date for that date and was delighted when I got called back just a little while later by the office telling me that they can fit me in on May 15th! I changed my date to May 15th, 2012 immediately.

I’ve bought Hibiclens soap, Arnica Montana and Bromelain (the office asked me not to take them until after surgery because the doctor said he believes it makes patients bleed more during surgery), antibacterial body wash, a sunhat and sunscreen (YOU NEED THIS! Scars can become discolored if they are exposed to too much sun during the healing process), applesauce, pineapple juice, reduced sodium soups, oatmeal, macaroni and cheese, and a large water bottle with a built-in straw. I also have slip-on shoes for after surgery (I found out I need them so I won’t have to bend over after surgery… even though I believe a nurse helps you get dressed afterward).

What I Dislike About My Nose/What I am Having Corrected:

- Projection of nasal bridge and tip from face
- Bump on bridge
- Nostril Flaring
- Can’t breathe as well through my left nostril
- Bulbous Tip
- Tip points downward when smiling

Current Emotions & Thoughts:

Is it normal to feel indifferent towards the rhinoplasty when you’re only a week away? I don’t feel anything. Excited, nervous, anxious, impatient… Nothing. Just… Finally. Finally I won’t have to think about my nose anymore. Has anyone gone through this? I’ve thought maybe I am just stressed by everything so I’m tuning it out, or maybe it is because I know that the surgery part is just another step in this long journey. All I know is that I just want all of this to be over with and paid for so I can stop planning/researching/buying things and just focus on recovery. It does not feel like this is really going to happen in one week; it’s almost as if it just hasn’t hit me yet.

I will update more soon. :)

Hey everyone! Surgery is done and I am now 2 weeks post-op. Waking up and recovering from surgery was harder than expected but all in all I am ecstatic that I went through with the surgery. I feel like my face looks SO much more feminine and soft. I can breathe well and the swelling is going down. The tip is still pretty swollen and there is some asymmetrical swelling in the bridge. At 2 weeks post-op I am starting to feel like my life is back to normal. :) Now it's just time to relax and focus on recovering!

I will do a detailed review of my experience soon.

**$8,630 covered the surgeon's fee, the anesthesia fee, and the hospital fee.**