Dr Grigoryants Warning - Glendale, CA

So I'm in the recovery phase of my surgery and I wanted to write a warning to anyone considering surgery with Dr Grigoryants. So you will be more prepared when you go into your pre op, and hopefully he might learn a better way to deal with clients. I'm not at all saying he is a bad surgeon but I think there are some important things to keep in mind.
Firstly, when people say that your pre op is quick, they are not joking, it is literally 7 minutes spent discussing your future FACE that you will have to live with forever.
I went into the appointment, I had looked at a million noses, and I was really focused on basic things that I thought were important like, okay I know I want a straight nose, I know I want my columella visible from the profile, so that it is a curve, not a straight line. I went in basically wanting my nose straightened from the front, and made less bulbous. And right at the end he just says "I think we should take your nostrils in a bit" - it's a tiny sentence and you think, okay I guess that makes sense right? So you say "okay".
What he should really do is sit you down with a mirror and say, here is your alar base. What I will do is make a wedge shaped incision at the base of each nostril and then stitch it up. This will mean that your nostril SHAPE changes. It won't just be your own nostrils smaller, your nostrils will go from a kind of almond wider base shape, to being round holes. This will also change the shape of the edge of your nostrils, which will go from being straight to curving around the outside, as your flaring nostrils narrow at their opening but remain wide up the back. And this is the one thing in rhinoplasty that is IRREVERSIBLE. Once I do it, it cannot be undone. And then he should ask you if that is something that you want. In which case, if you were like me, you would say no, because you like your nostrils and that is not something that you wanted changed.
Yes he is efficient, and polite and kind and very technically skilled! There are lots of things I like about my new nose, and he did exactly what I asked for the things I thought to ask about. But every time I look in the mirror, or look at old photos, I miss my old nostrils with a pang that is like heartbreak. And I wish wish wish that I had been given 2 MINUTES discussion on the actual effect of "narrowing" your nostrils because if I had been given a moment to think I wouldn't have agreed to that aspect.
So my advice to new patients is, definitely still go to Dr G, he's really good! Really really good! But make the most of that pre op appointment, and ANYTHING that he mentions doing, stop him and ask the following questions for EACH aspect of the procedure.
1. Exactly how much will you change this part of my nose (in mm)? - and if that seems like a lot, ask him if he can make that change SMALLER.
2. How will that change the overall shape of my nose?
4. Do you have any pictures of people with that change vs people with a different look?
3. Is that necessary in order to achieve the specific change I want made to my nose?
4. What will the overall look be if you DON'T do that? (Ie is he doing that because your nose will look unbalanced if he changes on part and leaves the rest, or will it actually still look fine)
5. If I end up not liking that, is it possible to reverse it? (This is a big one, if you get your nose narrowed, grafts can be added, not the case with nostrils).
And finally, I think people going into rhinoplasty, have probably spent years obsessing over things they didn't like about their nose, so they think they are happy to have everything changed drastically. But once it's changed you might suddenly start noticing things about your old nose that were actually kind of cute. So ask for SUBTLE changes. For everything, ask if they can please keep it to the minimum required to achieve what you want, and no more. I know you think your nose is awful, but there are lots of things about its character that are really beautiful, and in cosmetic surgery millimetres DO make a difference! So if they can reduce each change by a mm here and there, you will end up with a much more natural looking result and be much happier in the end.

So I had a post op appointment with Dr G today, just because I needed to have some reassurance/explanation and he spent a lot of time with me. Probably double what the pre op was. He took photos from all angles and then took me into his office and we compared before and afters (and he even took photos of the comparisons on my phone so I can obsess over them at home). Properly looking at the pictures side by side reassured me that the nostril change isn't as drastic as it feels.

He also explained why he had to do what he did on the operating table, and explained how if he didn't do anything it would be 99% likely that after a few months, as my tip narrowed and lost its swelling, my nostrils would suddenly look WIDER than before the surgery due to the narrower tip, and I wouldn't be happy. He also explained some asymmetries in my face and how they become more apparent after narrowing a tip etc, and how the nostril narrowing was in part to compensate for that.

He also explained that profiles are usually great after surgery, it's the front that takes the longest to look good. He reassured me that it will look good eventually, and I'm trying my best to believe him!

It was really good to have that chat and I feel a bit better now. At least with his explanation of why he had to change my nostrils I can reassure myself that it looks better than it would have with no change to the nostrils, instead of being trapped in the psychological hell of thinking my nose would be perfect right now if he had just left my nostrils alone.

I'm not sure that I would advise anyone who doesn't have a TERRIBLE nose to go through with this surgery though. Now when I see people with natural, imperfect noses, I'm jealous. I don't think people know how beautiful natural noses really are. If you're not terribly unhappy you should think long and hard about whether this is really right for you. And maybe just buy a Cartier love bracelet or something with the money instead. It can be a gift and token of commitment from you to your original nose ha ha.