Finally Did It!

I went into this procedure with the mentality that I love myself now and I will love myself afterward... just with a hint of more confidence! I used real self and other sites as a source to educate myself and to find a doctor. When I was 18 I went to a few consultations but mentally, I didn't think I was ready. Now at 24, I know self love and I know that I want to be happy in every area of my life. I knew for a fact this is something I really wanted to do and didn't hesitate a bit. When it comes to African American Rhinoplasty, it's scary to go with any doctor because of the frequent pinched result that can be scary.
I saw two doctors this time around and prepped my body for healing a month in advance. The first doctor is very popular on real self for African American Rhinoplasty, however, the consultation didn't seem promising as I felt he was too enthusiastic and was giving me unrealistic expectations. After doing much research, I knew My nose can not be tiny or tremendously altered --- this isn't what I wanted anyway. The doctor can only work with what you have. After my consultation with Doctor Miller, I was ready. He was very calm and honest with me when it came to expectations and results. We scheduled my surgery for the following week! Nerves were non-existent just because I've been impulsive about greater things in life like my career and investments...so this was easy haha. I was most excited to take action!
Post operation I actually went on snapchat and watched the snaps of Dr. Miller working on my nose with a before and after picture. This was comforting yet gruesome to watch but I knew my results were good and recovered with a peace of mind. I did have a lot of swelling which is normal but mostly enjoyed all the bed rest I was able to have.
The cast was removed today, I love that my ethnicity was preserved but the nostrils were brought in the perfect amount! The tip worried me at first but he told me these are not final result and swelling should decrease. When I got home after taking a better look, I'm absolutely grateful that he was able to make it look this good! Even with the swelling, I like it better than my old nose! This is just one-week post op, day one with the cast removed and I'm thrilled to continue the healing process in the following weeks and months! I already feel more confident! I'll be posting more pics as my nose heals :)

Thank you for your comments :) <3
One thing that scared me when the cast was removed was how pointy and upturned the tip looked. Patience is needed post op! Final results take months to a year but I already really love how my nose looks now. It's no longer upturned and swelling of the tip went down a lot. There's of course still swelling at the tip and since I have thick skin, it will take a while for final results. I have feeling again on both nostrils but the tip is still numb. I just try to let my nose do its thing and follow Dr. Miller's instructions. Im always gentle with washing it or blowing my nose. I'm going to post a old pic along with pics of how it looks today. I'll update this again in a few weeks! Thanks for reading! :)

A lot of the swelling has went away and it's no longer upturned or as pointy! The tip is still numb since there's still a significant amount of swelling but my results look amazing so far. I still look like myself and people who aren't as close to me don't notice I've gotten this procedure done. Smiling is just a little bit tight but a lot better from previous weeks. Sorry if you're queezy as I show up my nose in these pictures! I'll be back with more updates in the following weeks :)
The most amazing thing about this experience is that I no longer refrain from smiling with my teeth! I'd always hate smiling directly at someone (or at the camera) because my nose would spread and it was always in the back of my mind. I know this seems dramatic but not I can't stop smiling.
Ps. I still include before pics just comparison purposes!