Ethnic Rhinoplasty - really happy with the result!

I had an amazing ethnic (South Asian) rhinoplasty result from Dr. Julian De Silva. I had my surgery in May 2019 and wanted to wait around 1-2 years before posting my review so I could give a completely honest review for others who are looking for a good surgeon. Prior to my surgery, I had a very large and crooked nose. I also have very thick skin so my expectations were not very high before my surgery and I was not expecting to achieve anything close to my dream nose.

 I explained in detail what I was hoping to achieve and Dr. De Silva was 100% honest with his responses and what could realistically be achieved given I have very thick skin. This reassured me that he was not making any false promises and was giving me realistic explanations of what I could expect.

I booked my surgery for 7 weeks after my first consultation and the entire process went very smoothly. I was sedated using twilight anesthesia and did not experience any pain whatsoever during the surgery or after and did not regain consciousness until being awoken by the nurses. I believe the surgery was around 90 minutes in total. The entire process was SO smooth and I experienced no pain at all.

The cast was then on for exactly a week (7 days) and I experienced some mild discomfort due to having a stuffy nose but nothing worse than a normal seasonal cold. I have also prescribed some medication to help with this which I didn’t actually feel I needed but took anyway.

Once the cast was off - I won’t lie - I didn’t even recognize myself which was quite distressing at first. In my eyes, I looked like a completely different person and I felt distressed to think that I didn’t look like myself anymore and everyone would ask me what I have done !! I immediately regretted my decision and was in tears thinking there’s no way I could even undo the surgery. However Dr. De Silva and the practice manager Jennifer reassured me that this was far from the actual result and that my nose would look different over the next few weeks/months to come - which is true (I just wish I had believed them so I could’ve saved myself weeks of distress). I guess nothing can prepare you for that moment!

For the first few weeks after my cast removal I was really down and unhappy with the way that my nose looked - largely because of the swelling which I kept thinking was a part of the permanent result. I felt that I looked completely different and I really regretted my decision. My family members kept reassuring me that everything would be fine but it was really upsetting to think that no one would recognize me.

However, by week 4-5, I was slowly starting to notice a decrease in swelling and could start to appreciate the result. Around this time I started to visit other family members and friends (who weren’t aware of the fact I was having a rhinoplasty) and they didn’t even notice any change! Nobody to this day - 18 months later - has mentioned that my nose or face looks different (and I have VERY blunt/honest family members/friends who would openly tell me if they noticed something). But I can see a MASSIVE (positive) difference. 

Dr. De Silva has refined my previously bulbous nose tip and smoothed the bumps on the sides of my nose. The side profile of my nose is also really nice. Whilst I don’t have a perfect nose by Western standards, Dr. De Silva has given me a very nice natural result which is harmonious with the rest of my features but makes my nose look a lot smaller than before and much more feminine. My nose is now in balance with the rest of my features and does not stand out in any way on my face. It looks nice from pretty much all angles and does not appear as wide/bulbous when I smile as it did before. Whereas before I probably took 1 selfie in a blue moon as I hated the way my nose looked, my camera roll is now literally full of thousands of selfies/photos because I am so happy with the way it looks!

It sounds vain but we live in a society obsessed with appearances and in which we are often judged because of them as well. I had my doubts before deciding to get a rhinoplasty but I am SO glad that I did and trusted Dr. De Silva as this result is far better than what I was expecting. My confidence has increased so much and other people have noticed this and said that I seem much happier. I am now no longer afraid to try new hairstyles, try different makeup styles, etc as before I was afraid that certain things wouldn’t look good on me and would emphasize my nose - sounds silly but I’m sure we all do/think something like this. 

To all those who are still reading - I honestly do recommend Dr. De Silva with an ethnic rhinoplasty as he has completely impressed me with his skill and given me the perfect nose for my face! I can’t thank him enough! Overall, advice to anyone reading is that if you are seriously insecure about something to the point where it is affecting your day-to-day life and you want to change it - look into your options and don’t be afraid to do it! Life is short, do whatever you can if it will make you happier! :)