Yes, We Are Doing This! Finally. - Glendale, CA

It's been approximately one year since my surgery and I'm very pleased with my results. It's not perfect, but a great improvement. I still have off days when my nose looks slightly more swollen or asymmetrical, but overall I'm very happy. I have not seen Dr. G for my one year post op, but hopefully I'll see him within a few months.
Although I didn’t have my surgery until I was in my 30’s, I feel that it was the perfect time for me. I was ready for it. I was patient and did many years of research and ultimately found Dr. G, an amazing surgeon. It was a roller-coaster of emotions during this process, but no regrets. And with Thanksgiving around the corner, I just want to say that I’m thankful for my new nose.

Happy Holidays everyone!

It’s close to 8 months! I visited Dr. G a few weeks ago for a follow-up, and I have to say that I am so glad that I chose him as my doctor. He’s just overall an amazing doctor. He’s friendly, courteous, professional, knowledgeable, patient, etc.

In this last visit we went over my entire procedure. He shaved my bump, broke my nose, deprojected it, corrected my deviated septum, added cartilage for support, narrowed my tip, and took in my nostrils. Basically the works.

We also went over my concerns and he reassured me that if my issues did not resolve with time they could be easily fixed in his office. Below were some of the questions that I asked him and his answers.

My nose curves more to the left. –Due to swelling and will improve with time.

Nasal tip is longer on one side.-Believes that it’s due to swelling, but might be cartilage. If it does not improve, it could easily be corrected in his office with local anesthetic and he would shave it down with a needle.

My tip is still round and bulbous.-Also due to swelling and it can take many more months to resolve, but will improve.

I sometimes get a weird smell in my nose.-Perfectly normal. It’s caused by bacteria and mucus. (I know, pretty disgusting). Keep my nose clean. (I do, I still use saline and qtips to clean it.)

Dr. G also told me that I’m still about 40% swollen and that my tip will continue to drop.

Close to 8 months post op, I’m still seeing changes. I think that near my 7th month mark is when I noticed that my nose was looking a bit more defined and my tip was beginning to even out. There is some asymmetry, mainly caused by my nostrils. I have one larger nostril than the other, nothing the doctor could do about it. Overall, I am seeing improvements.

I also don’t think that I’ve mentioned this before, but Dr. G has suggested on more than once occasion that I should get fillers under my eyes. It’s actually pretty comical. Every time that he mentions it I just smile and nod. Yes, I have dark circles under my eyes. I’ve had them for years. (You can see them in some of my pictures). I’m sure that having a family, working, lack of sleep, and genes have all contributed to it. I’ve kind of just given up on concealers and creams. But in this last visit I was going to do it and get fillers. We were in the office with the doctor, with the needle in hand and numbing cream under my eyes, and I backed out. But only because the receptionist told me that I might have swelling and bruising that could last for days. When I’m ready to do it, I’ll be taking some days off work so that I don’t walk in with black swollen eyes.

It’s been close to five months since my surgery and not much has changed since my last update. I was hoping that my previous concerns were due to swelling and that my nose would turn out perfect after some time, but I am beginning to get a little worried that my nose might not improve much. One side of my tip is noticeably longer from the top view, my tip still seems bulbous and somewhat high.

I’m not going to deny that it is an improvement. I do think that it has soften my face overall and that I do appear more feminine. However, when looking at his other patients on realself I get very discouraged. There’s been numerous times of when I’ve thought of checking out of Realself. Everyone else seems to have beautiful symmetrical results only after a few days/weeks/months. I try not to compare my results with others, but it’s extremely hard.

I don’t understand why the tip is so asymmetrical. I push on it and it evens out for a few seconds, but then it pops out again. Because my tip is still bulbous, the shape of my nostrils appear strange. They don’t smoothly connect with my tip, they kind of just bulge out, especially when I smile. Also, in certain angles my nose looks really short and upturned. A revision has crossed my mind, but I honestly don’t think that I could go forward with it; I’m scared that it would just make everything worse.

I see the doc in a few weeks, and I’m going to bring these issues up, but I don’t want to offend him.
As far as maintenance, I’m still using saline and q-tips to clean it. Recently, I’ve been taping almost every night. (I know, 5 months post-op, but it does make my tip look less bulbous). The columella, tip, and nostrils still feel stiff and surprisingly so does my smile. Anytime I laugh or smile I feel tension on my upper lip and columella.

Maybe I’m being too critical, but this is how I’m feeling for now. Who knows, I might end up loving it by next week. I’ll try to stay positive and try not to obsess. Thanks for listening.