My Rhinoplasty Story - United Kingdom, GB

Hi everyone, I always found everyone's reviews on this site really helpful before and after my op so thought I'd write up my experience!

I'd always wanted my nose done since I can remember, so finally last year I decided to pluck up the courage go for it! I had it done a month ago and what a month it's been! First I'd like to say the whole experience was NOTHING like I thought it would be. I'd prepared myself for the physical side (pain etc) but didn't think about the emotional side... this I realised soon after my operation...

I'm not going to talk about my operation much, I woke up after, no pain whatsoever, most pain I ever felt was the tightness in my face when my face swelled up 3 days after! The part I found hardest was the emotional side and the worry I felt, I think this is one of the most emotional things I have ever done! So I thought it may help if I listed all my worries/anxieties, in the hope that someone may have the same worries at the moment and I might be able to give some reassurance, because in all honesty, I HATED my nose for the first few weeks, now I'm 4 weeks post op and realising I just needed to get used to change and stop worrying about every little detail, now I LOVE my new nose and see how things are getting better each day!
1. A few days after my op I noticed my nostrils were VERY on show and thought I was going to look like Miss Piggy! DON'T WORRY, this is normal, especially if like me your nose was quite low down and your not used to seeing your nostrils. After my cast was taken off and my nose settled I realised it was completely normal (swelling plays a part in making things look distorted)
2. A lot of people dislike their nose on cast off day because it looks swollen and too big. I had the opposite... mine looked tiny! I spent days thinking it was only going to get smaller and thinking I looked ridiculous and was going to look like Michael Jackson. Turns out I just suffered very little swelling (may be down to the arnica and Bromelain I was taking - not sure) and once I got used to this new nose on my face realised it was just the right size!
3. Raised tip - a lot of the time swelling makes the tip look too raised. I had this issue, combined with the fact I had a drooping nose before which made me panic that my nose was overly shortened when I saw the huge change. Now the swelling has settled a lot and I'm getting used to it I now love the raised (not too raised) tip
4. lump in my gum - I could feel a lump in my gum under my nose that felt a lot like cartilage. My first thought was my Columellar graft strut had slipped and that I was going to have to go through another operation. Turns out the graft is just a little too long, and if it's still bugging me in a few months it can easily be shorted under local aesthetic free of charge.

I'm know there are many other anxieties people have but these are my main ones I can share from personal experience.

I think the point I'm trying to make in this very long review is that you can't judge your nose straight away. I'ts not like the movies, you don't get the cast off and look and feel amazing straight away. It's the most emotional thing I have ever done, and you need to be ready for that! Don't keep looking in the mirror analysing yourself. I'm guilty of this and it's the worst thing I could have done. The worry made me feel sick, and all for nothing as now I'm loving my new nose more and more each day. GIVE IT TIME AND RELAX! :-)

I'm new to using this site personally, you can ask my any question's I'm happy to answer (just may take a while as I learn to use this)

Thanks :-)

Here's some photos! I think the profiles were a month or two post op and the front view post op was about 3 months (ish)

Just an update, profile view 6 months post op :-)