POSTED UNDER Rhinoplasty REVIEWS
Rhinoplasty Scheduled Sep 13th - Glendale, CA
ORIGINAL POST
I have been lurking here on RealSelf for about two...
WORTH IT$8,500
I have been lurking here on RealSelf for about two years now, and I now I finally get to write my own review! I am scheduled for rhinoplasty with Dr. Vladimir Grigoryants on Sep 13th, so I still have some waiting time ahead of me. I booked the surgery in April, and contacted the office here through RealSelf. The first time I sent the form I did not receive any reply but after yet another message, Dr. Grigoryants answered promtply! I guess they receive many inquiries, so they probably want to make sure you're serious.
He asked me to send him pictures of my nose (front, side and bottom), which I immediately did, and he answered back within a day. His suggestion was a removal of the dorsal hump, refining and lifting the tip, shorten the nostrils a bit, as well as open up the airways. Perfect, exactly my words! I booked the surgery that same day. The reason that I didn't go to a consultation is, that I live in Sweden so it will be quite a trip for me! I have never been to California, I'm super excited even though I know I will probably spend most of my ten days there in the hotel bed! I'm bringing my boyfriend, who has been very supportive in my decision even though he is completely against it;-)
I have seriously disliked my nose for a looong time.. When I was 15, I suddenly started noticing my nose more and more, I thought it was too big and the tip too bulbous, which made me avoid having my picture taken and being seen from certain angles. Today I'm 25 and still feel super self conscious about my nose. I figured it's really about time now, so I have been saving up money for about a year and a half and it is honestly quite surreal that it is actually going to happen soon!
I have attached a few pictures i did with the PlasticSurgery app. Totally know that I can't expect the outcome to be just like I want to but I just think it's cool to be able to demonstrate how I would like my nose to be.
I just want to thank all the other patients of Dr. G for sharing your stories! It is incredibly helpful and the reviews meant a lot in my decision.
He asked me to send him pictures of my nose (front, side and bottom), which I immediately did, and he answered back within a day. His suggestion was a removal of the dorsal hump, refining and lifting the tip, shorten the nostrils a bit, as well as open up the airways. Perfect, exactly my words! I booked the surgery that same day. The reason that I didn't go to a consultation is, that I live in Sweden so it will be quite a trip for me! I have never been to California, I'm super excited even though I know I will probably spend most of my ten days there in the hotel bed! I'm bringing my boyfriend, who has been very supportive in my decision even though he is completely against it;-)
I have seriously disliked my nose for a looong time.. When I was 15, I suddenly started noticing my nose more and more, I thought it was too big and the tip too bulbous, which made me avoid having my picture taken and being seen from certain angles. Today I'm 25 and still feel super self conscious about my nose. I figured it's really about time now, so I have been saving up money for about a year and a half and it is honestly quite surreal that it is actually going to happen soon!
I have attached a few pictures i did with the PlasticSurgery app. Totally know that I can't expect the outcome to be just like I want to but I just think it's cool to be able to demonstrate how I would like my nose to be.
I just want to thank all the other patients of Dr. G for sharing your stories! It is incredibly helpful and the reviews meant a lot in my decision.
Replies (5)

July 31, 2013
Hello SwedishGrace I am scheduled for september 25 I am a male that needs a rhino too, I will post some pic very soon ... I just wanted to say that you will look wonderful with your nose done... of course thats why your boyfriend doesnt want this to happen ;o) .. I can understand him .. good luck

August 1, 2013
Thank you charlesp, I appreciate it:-) I wish you the best of luck with your surgery.

UPDATED FROM SwedishGrace
3 days post
It's done! 3 days post op already
I had my surgery on the 13th and just thought I'd give you a little review on how it went.
As mentioned before, I travelled all the way from Sweden to do this surgery so I had been quite nervous about all the things that could go wrong, including flight delays, sickness (either me or the Dr.) etc. but everything just went so smooth and on the 12th I finally got to meet Dr. Grigoryants for the pre op. He was very nice, very down to earth, calm and straight forward. The pre op only took like 10 minutes but I felt he knew exactly what I wanted, and when he asked if I had any questions I couldn't come up with anything that had not already been answered. The girls in his office are nice (and also gorgeous!) even though they had written both my name and birth date wrong(!). It didn't cause me any problems but the staff at the hospital were frustrated since this meant they had to rewrite a bunch of things and print new labels for me. I'm a student nurse, so I understand their frustration! It all worked out fine tho:-)
I arrived to Verdugo Hills hospital with my boyfriend at 6 am. I had to sign like 100 papers. We waited for about 30 min and then I was called by a nurse to go to the prep/wake-up area. I changed into the surgery gown, nurse put an IV in my arm and then the waiting game began. I met the anesthetist and I have to say that all of the staff in the hospital were incredibly friendly and professional. They really made me feel at ease!
My BF was allowed to stay with me all the way until I got the first shot of something "relaxing";-) I remember kissing him goodbye and the next thing I remember was hearing the nurses talk in the wake-up area, and I open my eyes and it was done, i had a new nose. Such a strange experience I'd say.. I felt very drowsy and when I stood up I got nauseous. I got a shot for the nausea and it worked like a charm!
Apparently my blood pressure had gone a bit high during surgery so they had given me some medicine for this.. A few times I was thinking whether I was going to have to pay extra for the meds and stuff, but I did not pay a single dollar more than the 8.500 so I was relieved:-) At noon I was out of the hospital, so the whole thing took 6 hours! So be prepared for a quick in and out on surgery day! They are busy and have lots of patients, but I was honestly happy to just be able to go lock myself in the hotel room really quickly hehe. The sun light is really a pain when your face is all swollen.
The first day was fine. I had blue bruises under both eyes but did not feel any pain! The first night was really uncomfortable, since the elevated sleeping position is hard to get used to! The following day was the worst. I felt like I had a bad flu with throat pain (from breathing tube) and back pain. I took some Tylenol and it got a bit better. The swelling had gotten worse and I could almost not see through my right eye. Day 2 was significantly better, however still very swollen but the soreness in throat and back was gone!
Today I feel really good, which is why I figured I'd write this update=) The swelling is still there, not really changing much. But staying patient! This will take time since I have quite thick and oily skin.
I have no idea what my nose looks like under the splint, I can't wait for the removal on Thursday 19th!!! The profile definitely looks better but I can't tell whether my nose is shorter or not. Can't really see what the tip looks like, but I have a good feeling about everything. I am not expecting perfection so I would be happy even if the changes are rather subtle.
As mentioned before, I travelled all the way from Sweden to do this surgery so I had been quite nervous about all the things that could go wrong, including flight delays, sickness (either me or the Dr.) etc. but everything just went so smooth and on the 12th I finally got to meet Dr. Grigoryants for the pre op. He was very nice, very down to earth, calm and straight forward. The pre op only took like 10 minutes but I felt he knew exactly what I wanted, and when he asked if I had any questions I couldn't come up with anything that had not already been answered. The girls in his office are nice (and also gorgeous!) even though they had written both my name and birth date wrong(!). It didn't cause me any problems but the staff at the hospital were frustrated since this meant they had to rewrite a bunch of things and print new labels for me. I'm a student nurse, so I understand their frustration! It all worked out fine tho:-)
I arrived to Verdugo Hills hospital with my boyfriend at 6 am. I had to sign like 100 papers. We waited for about 30 min and then I was called by a nurse to go to the prep/wake-up area. I changed into the surgery gown, nurse put an IV in my arm and then the waiting game began. I met the anesthetist and I have to say that all of the staff in the hospital were incredibly friendly and professional. They really made me feel at ease!
My BF was allowed to stay with me all the way until I got the first shot of something "relaxing";-) I remember kissing him goodbye and the next thing I remember was hearing the nurses talk in the wake-up area, and I open my eyes and it was done, i had a new nose. Such a strange experience I'd say.. I felt very drowsy and when I stood up I got nauseous. I got a shot for the nausea and it worked like a charm!
Apparently my blood pressure had gone a bit high during surgery so they had given me some medicine for this.. A few times I was thinking whether I was going to have to pay extra for the meds and stuff, but I did not pay a single dollar more than the 8.500 so I was relieved:-) At noon I was out of the hospital, so the whole thing took 6 hours! So be prepared for a quick in and out on surgery day! They are busy and have lots of patients, but I was honestly happy to just be able to go lock myself in the hotel room really quickly hehe. The sun light is really a pain when your face is all swollen.
The first day was fine. I had blue bruises under both eyes but did not feel any pain! The first night was really uncomfortable, since the elevated sleeping position is hard to get used to! The following day was the worst. I felt like I had a bad flu with throat pain (from breathing tube) and back pain. I took some Tylenol and it got a bit better. The swelling had gotten worse and I could almost not see through my right eye. Day 2 was significantly better, however still very swollen but the soreness in throat and back was gone!
Today I feel really good, which is why I figured I'd write this update=) The swelling is still there, not really changing much. But staying patient! This will take time since I have quite thick and oily skin.
I have no idea what my nose looks like under the splint, I can't wait for the removal on Thursday 19th!!! The profile definitely looks better but I can't tell whether my nose is shorter or not. Can't really see what the tip looks like, but I have a good feeling about everything. I am not expecting perfection so I would be happy even if the changes are rather subtle.
Replies (9)
September 16, 2013
I hope it will look great for you.
I am thinking about going with your doctor.

September 16, 2013
Thanks a lot:-) I am so sorry for your bad experience with your previous surgery... It can be scary, but I am sure that when you find the right doctor you will have the result you wanted from the beginning. Lots of luck to you!
September 17, 2013
I think it's so great you travelled from Sweden to get Dr G. I have been lurking on this site for a while and from what I have seen he is pretty amazing! If I didn't think there was a surgeon in Australia that could deliver what I wanted, I would definitely have considered travelling to get him as my surgeon - every result of his I've seen on this site is sublime!
Good luck with recovery - you're right in the thick of it! Rest and take it easy, let your body heal. Good luck! :)

September 17, 2013
Thanks a lot Stephanie, I really hope I will be another happy patient of Dr G!:-) Congrats on your fantastic result, I have been following your story. I hope you will be happy with your beautiful new nose and that the swelling will stop acting up=)
September 17, 2013
You're looking great. Are you still really stuffy?

September 18, 2013
Thank you:-) I can now breathe VERY slightly through my left nostril, but overall still stuffed. However, two days ago (that's 3 days pre op) I felt horrible, like I had a bad sinus infection and like I had a ton of mucus stuck up there:( Popped a few tylenols, slept a bit and then it kinda went away on it's own. So over the dry mouth, not being able to taste, and the endless waiting. Hope you are feeling better - I think it is very common to have second thoughts when you have no idea what's under that cast. You will look great!

September 18, 2013
Hope you are feeling well! I have my surgery with Dr. G. scheduled in December. Can't wait to hear more about how you're doing and of course see the final result. I'm sure it will be gorgeous :)

September 18, 2013
Thanks I feel so much better today, the swelling has finally gone down a bit!:-) Thats so exciting that you're also going with Dr G! I will be following you, wish you lots of luck with the surgery:-)

September 18, 2013
*If you choose to write a review that is;-) You look gorgeous already, would be very nice to see your result:-) cheers!
UPDATED FROM SwedishGrace
6 days post
Cast is off! OMG...
This turned out better than I had ever dared to hope for!!! I was incredibly nervous and emotional as I went in for the cast removal, but when I saw my new nose I started crying a bit, from happiness:') Dr G is the absolute best plastic surgeon and I am incredibly happy and fortunate to have found him!
The nose looks better in real life IMHO, but had to post these that I took right after the cast removal (which btw didn't hurt at all, but obviously slightly uncomfortable). Dr G put tape on the nose, and told me to tape it at night for a while. He told me that I had quite some swelling, and the tip is slightly upturned which will settle after a while.. But it still looks nicely refined and significantly smaller than before. I am just super happy with how it looks already. I expect it to swell a bit tomorrow when I take the tape off but we'll see:-)
The nose looks better in real life IMHO, but had to post these that I took right after the cast removal (which btw didn't hurt at all, but obviously slightly uncomfortable). Dr G put tape on the nose, and told me to tape it at night for a while. He told me that I had quite some swelling, and the tip is slightly upturned which will settle after a while.. But it still looks nicely refined and significantly smaller than before. I am just super happy with how it looks already. I expect it to swell a bit tomorrow when I take the tape off but we'll see:-)
Replies (2)

September 20, 2013
yayy! I've been waiting for the unveiling haha. It looks great!

September 20, 2013
lol me too, the wait has been a pain!;) Thanks a lot, Im really super happy.. But I really feel that it looks substantially better irl than in the pic hehe;)
Thank you for paying it forward and starting your story on RealSelf! I hope you get some great support from the community here. Awesome morphs, by the way!