POSTED UNDER Rhinoplasty REVIEWS
Rhinoplasty/Septoplasty W/ Dr Grigoryants. Glendale, CA
ORIGINAL POST
I am now just about 4.5 months post op from a...
WORTH IT$5,900
I am now just about 4.5 months post op from a rhino/septoplasty with Dr G and wanted to share my experience and hopefully get some feedback from you all. The last 4 months have been a huge adjustment to say the least. Lots of tears and feeling like I made a mistake, mixed with days were I think it will all come together and be worth it. I guess that's all pretty normal.
My reasons for deciding to change my nose- When I was thirteen I had a pretty bad accident and broke my nose and had to get 15 stitches on my forehead from a gash that cracked my skull. You can imagine how fun it was to be in junior high with two black eyes and head like Frankenstein. And so my issues with my nose began. I never liked the bump and always thought my nose was all together too big, both wide and long, for my face. The break also gave me a deviated septum and breathing issues. I started researching surgeons when I was 20 and finally felt ready to go through with it at 33, after following Dr G's work for three years, both on his website showing his amazing before and afters and on Realself. Insurance covered part of my surgery, do to the deviated septum and I paid $5900 out of pocket.
To be completely transparent, it has been a difficult 4 months adjusting to this new person I see in the mirror. The first 2 months were the hardest. Lots of crying and feeling like I made a horrible mistake. For the first time in my adult life I can actually look at old nose and see how well it fit my face and appreciate its imperfections. It's a sick joke really. I think it gave my face character but maybe I am just missing what is familiar. I am learning to love my new nose and I do think some things about it were improved and it is a lot smaller but sometimes I wonder if it looks as good as my old nose did on my face. The profile looks really nice, especially on days the swelling is down.
I am having a few issues that I wanted to share with you all. 1.) My nostrils are different sizes 2.) There is a dent on the right side making it look crooked and also causing breathing issues because the skin is collapsed in the airway. 3.)The bone on the right side of my bridge is to high and causes a shadow around my eye 4.) the bone on the left side of the bridge sticks out and there is still a hump from some angles. The hump doesn't bother me as much as the front view where you can see it curve out. 5.) the bridge is much wider than before and that was what I told him I really wanted to keep about my nose. And last I didn't expect to have quite such a lifted tip and its hard getting use to seeing my nostrils.
I am really hoping some of these issues improve over time as the swelling continues to go down. I think Dr G is a really talented surgeon and he has done so many amazing noses. I am confused as to how these things happened. I knew it wouldn't be perfect and I didn't want to have a flawless fake looking nose. I did expect to have my nostrils symmetrical and to be able to breath well. I just hope that Dr G will be able and willing to fix anything that doesn't resolve on its own. I am an out of state patient and I fly back to see him in June so I'll be able to get his input on what's going on. I have emailed him and all he says is we have to wait for the swelling to resolve at 12 months. A little frustrating to not get any explanation but I understand he is busy.
I am going to do a seperate post on my experience at the surgery center and the first few weeks following surgery.
I would really appreciate your thoughts on my results. I posted lots of before and after photos so you can see what my nose looked like before and after from all angles. I actually liked what my nose looked like from the front in some photos before my surgery. I haven't taken many photos of the front post surgery where I am smiling because I'm still trying to get use to it. Photos with a flash look way worse than photos taken in natural light. Will I ever look good in a flash photo again? Has anyone else had these issues resolve with time?
Thanks in advance for your support!
My reasons for deciding to change my nose- When I was thirteen I had a pretty bad accident and broke my nose and had to get 15 stitches on my forehead from a gash that cracked my skull. You can imagine how fun it was to be in junior high with two black eyes and head like Frankenstein. And so my issues with my nose began. I never liked the bump and always thought my nose was all together too big, both wide and long, for my face. The break also gave me a deviated septum and breathing issues. I started researching surgeons when I was 20 and finally felt ready to go through with it at 33, after following Dr G's work for three years, both on his website showing his amazing before and afters and on Realself. Insurance covered part of my surgery, do to the deviated septum and I paid $5900 out of pocket.
To be completely transparent, it has been a difficult 4 months adjusting to this new person I see in the mirror. The first 2 months were the hardest. Lots of crying and feeling like I made a horrible mistake. For the first time in my adult life I can actually look at old nose and see how well it fit my face and appreciate its imperfections. It's a sick joke really. I think it gave my face character but maybe I am just missing what is familiar. I am learning to love my new nose and I do think some things about it were improved and it is a lot smaller but sometimes I wonder if it looks as good as my old nose did on my face. The profile looks really nice, especially on days the swelling is down.
I am having a few issues that I wanted to share with you all. 1.) My nostrils are different sizes 2.) There is a dent on the right side making it look crooked and also causing breathing issues because the skin is collapsed in the airway. 3.)The bone on the right side of my bridge is to high and causes a shadow around my eye 4.) the bone on the left side of the bridge sticks out and there is still a hump from some angles. The hump doesn't bother me as much as the front view where you can see it curve out. 5.) the bridge is much wider than before and that was what I told him I really wanted to keep about my nose. And last I didn't expect to have quite such a lifted tip and its hard getting use to seeing my nostrils.
I am really hoping some of these issues improve over time as the swelling continues to go down. I think Dr G is a really talented surgeon and he has done so many amazing noses. I am confused as to how these things happened. I knew it wouldn't be perfect and I didn't want to have a flawless fake looking nose. I did expect to have my nostrils symmetrical and to be able to breath well. I just hope that Dr G will be able and willing to fix anything that doesn't resolve on its own. I am an out of state patient and I fly back to see him in June so I'll be able to get his input on what's going on. I have emailed him and all he says is we have to wait for the swelling to resolve at 12 months. A little frustrating to not get any explanation but I understand he is busy.
I am going to do a seperate post on my experience at the surgery center and the first few weeks following surgery.
I would really appreciate your thoughts on my results. I posted lots of before and after photos so you can see what my nose looked like before and after from all angles. I actually liked what my nose looked like from the front in some photos before my surgery. I haven't taken many photos of the front post surgery where I am smiling because I'm still trying to get use to it. Photos with a flash look way worse than photos taken in natural light. Will I ever look good in a flash photo again? Has anyone else had these issues resolve with time?
Thanks in advance for your support!
HapyCat's provider
Replies (64)
April 30, 2016
Hapycat,
You were absolutely gorgeous before, and are gorgeous now! I have a primary scheduled in August with Dr G. I look at my nose, and it leans to one side, I am nervous that my crooked nose will become more exaggerated if he makes it smaller. It seems like sometimes our original noses can actually camouflage some flaws and when we mess with them it actually uncovers them...at least that is what I have seen reading stories over the years on here. I noticed you actually had the little shadow under your eye before your surgery, you probably never noticed or cared before because your bridge hid it? I could be totally wrong here. I am scared to death to get mine done. I am afraid of jacking up already decent nose, just to get some refinement. Am I being selfish. I don't know. Questions I am grappling with.
Thank you so much for telling your story. I do think you look very pretty and I hope you start to feel better about your new nose. Thank you again for sharing. Hugs to you!
You were absolutely gorgeous before, and are gorgeous now! I have a primary scheduled in August with Dr G. I look at my nose, and it leans to one side, I am nervous that my crooked nose will become more exaggerated if he makes it smaller. It seems like sometimes our original noses can actually camouflage some flaws and when we mess with them it actually uncovers them...at least that is what I have seen reading stories over the years on here. I noticed you actually had the little shadow under your eye before your surgery, you probably never noticed or cared before because your bridge hid it? I could be totally wrong here. I am scared to death to get mine done. I am afraid of jacking up already decent nose, just to get some refinement. Am I being selfish. I don't know. Questions I am grappling with.
Thank you so much for telling your story. I do think you look very pretty and I hope you start to feel better about your new nose. Thank you again for sharing. Hugs to you!
May 4, 2016
I am wondering if I may be right and I actually had the shadow before surgery. Maybe the bridge hid it like you said and I never noticed. Good luck to you in coming to a decision to do the surgery. Deciding if it's worth the risk is the hardest part. Thank you for the feedback and kind words. I really appreciate it! Hugs to you too!
May 4, 2016
I do noticed it too that she may had it before surgery but on her new pics the other side its gone and not the one she is complaining about. Either way id like for dr. G to fix it and have both sides as similar as possible. Thats why she paid him for.
April 30, 2016
I agree with everyone that you are gorgeous both before and after! I'm actually not sure which I like better cuz they both look great. Both have their good and bad points in my honest opinion. Your new profile is amazing! Wow. I see the nostril asymmetry but it looks like you cannot tell AT ALL from any view except looking straight up at the nose (and nobody ever really sees you that way so I wouldn't sweat it at all!) The work he did on the tip is also great! I think it's much improved from your previous tip. I do, however, agree that the bridge is not what you were looking for possibly. The thickness doesn't seem to be noticeable to me but the dents would bother me as well, I don't blame you....just being honest. I would bring this to his attention as you plan to and hopefully he can address this...or maybe it is just swelling? Either way though...remember we are all our own worst critics! Not sure others would notice unless it is brought to their attention. Hope this helps :)
May 3, 2016
Yes that is very helpful. Thank you so much for giving me your opinion and for the kind words! I really appreciate it!
April 30, 2016
I too am agree with everyone that you were gorgeous before and after! Me and my mom just looked at your pictures, and we both agree that you look more feminine with the new nose! Your eyes looks bigger and your lips and cheeks just pops out. Seriously, your new nose is definitely much better looking now.
April 30, 2016
Wow! You are a gorgeous woman and I think the nose job really has the POTENTIAL to look so awesome, all I notice is the other beautiful parts of you. Although, I do agree that the bump should be fixed :(
UPDATED FROM HapyCat
5 months post
5.5 month photos
I wanted to give an update of what I'm seeing at 5.5 months. I have seen some positive changes with both the bridge and the tip. The bridge has gotten a little more narrow and the tip has come down some. I am feeling better about it in general, most days. However the issues i mentioned are all still there, they have gotten a little better and don't bother me quite as much. I am really hoping they continue to improve over time. I see dr g in a couple weeks and have a list of questions ready for him. I'll do a post on what he says about everything. Thank you so much for the feedback!
Replies (27)
May 30, 2016
I think it looks GREAT and I am also really critical of things, and I still think it looks great. :-)
May 31, 2016
Having never seen your face at all, I can say you look beautiful post op:)!! It must be so hard seeing your face heal over such a long period. I'm preparing myself for the same (hopefully a rhino with Dr. G) - but its goood. I'm also very critical, but I really think changes in swelling and healing is what you're seeing. You look super cute! These last few pics are awesome! When you put the before and afters next to each other your face now looks so much more delicate and soft. I think your new nose is the one you want when you're 60 lol. You look fly, Girl! Hope you feel it soon:)!!
UPDATED FROM HapyCat
9 months post
6 month Appointment w/ Dr G
I had my post op appointment with dr g back in June, at the 6 month mark. It went really well. He answered all my questions and didn't rush me at all. He noticed the bone sticking out on the left side right when I walked in and said it will be an easy fix for him to do in the office and won't require surgery. He will have to shave the bone down more and will be able to do it in the office with just twilight sedation. He said it will look a lot better but it won't be perfect because my bone went to the left before surgery. I have to wait until I'm 14 months before a revision so I'm planning on getting it done in February.
I also talked to him about the dent on the right side. He said that he could either put in a graft, which would require another surgery, or I could do a filler. He said putting in a graft will make the nose look a little wider. I really don't know if I'm up for a whole surgery, along with the recovery again and I don't want it to be wider either. I am leaning toward doing the filler but I haven't decided. Has anyone had or known someone who has had good results with filler in the nose. I think once the bone on the left is shaved down the dent won't bother me. That's what I'm hoping at least.
I'm happy to report that I reached a turning point around 7 months- I love my new nose now and it feels like a part of me. The imperfections don't bother me like they use to. Even though it's not perfect I think it's a big improvement and I'm really happy I went through with the surgery. Especially my profile from the right side. Big improvement. I posted a couple pictures of the difference. I am super nervous to have more work done but I do think the bone needs to be more narrow in the middle.
If anyone knows what the recovery is like from having a bone shaved down please let me know. That was one thing I forgot to ask dr g. I am really hoping it is a lot easier than the initial surgery.
I also talked to him about the dent on the right side. He said that he could either put in a graft, which would require another surgery, or I could do a filler. He said putting in a graft will make the nose look a little wider. I really don't know if I'm up for a whole surgery, along with the recovery again and I don't want it to be wider either. I am leaning toward doing the filler but I haven't decided. Has anyone had or known someone who has had good results with filler in the nose. I think once the bone on the left is shaved down the dent won't bother me. That's what I'm hoping at least.
I'm happy to report that I reached a turning point around 7 months- I love my new nose now and it feels like a part of me. The imperfections don't bother me like they use to. Even though it's not perfect I think it's a big improvement and I'm really happy I went through with the surgery. Especially my profile from the right side. Big improvement. I posted a couple pictures of the difference. I am super nervous to have more work done but I do think the bone needs to be more narrow in the middle.
If anyone knows what the recovery is like from having a bone shaved down please let me know. That was one thing I forgot to ask dr g. I am really hoping it is a lot easier than the initial surgery.
Replies (31)
September 7, 2016
Hi, I think your new nose looks great! Like you said...once you get the side shaved down you probably won't notice the small dent. I'm having Dr. G do my rhinoplasty (not booked yet) as well and just wondering why yours cost only $5,900? Or is it meant to be $9,500? I see a lot of his patients pay around 9,500/10,500? Did you get a special deal mentioning Realself? Thanks :)
September 7, 2016
Thank you! My insurance covered a portion of the cost because I had a deviated septum.
September 7, 2016
No nose is perfect and I wouldn't take the risk. Like he said the nose WILL look wider with grafts, you don't want that. Your nose had dents before and was thin and is nice and thin now on the bridge. So you look like you just have a better version of your old nose. Fillers are not good for tissue. If the bone is bothering you yes , but I wouldn't recommend the graft. It's weird , sometimes the things that you think are bothering you now, contribute to the beauty you see now in your face when you look at yourself in the mirror, you just don't realize it. When they're gone or smoothed out, you don't view yourself the same . If you like the way you look now, don't do anything
September 8, 2016
Aww thank you. Sometimes the imperfections make us perfect . Girl you're beautiful. I would not worry about any little thing. The nose is unpredictable . Don't take chances if not needed , I see you love your nose now. If you put a graft and hate it. Then you will have to wait to take it out . Could be a year, and then you could be left with another dent from where the graft was. It will just get u into a web of mess. All the best with whatever you do! Xo
September 8, 2016
My dear friend who has had 6 nose surgeries to fix the first bad one. She had a rib graft and hated it! It made her nose very bulky. I think you look so gorgeous! Good luck with the rest of your journey:)
September 7, 2016
It looks great as is, but I would just get the bone shaved down. How much will it cost for that? I think that will fix the problem and you will be happy.
September 8, 2016
I think your nose looks really good and its to die for :). Just a quick question, so did he put grafts in at all?
September 13, 2016
Thank you. :)
He put grafts in at the bottom of the bridge. I think that's why the tip is still pretty swollen at 9 months. And he had to put in the splitter graft because he said my nose would collapse since he shaved down the bump so much.
He put grafts in at the bottom of the bridge. I think that's why the tip is still pretty swollen at 9 months. And he had to put in the splitter graft because he said my nose would collapse since he shaved down the bump so much.
My very honest opinion of your pictures is that you were very pretty before and now, in my concept of beauty, you are gorgeous. I personally think your new nose fits your face much better and I am being 100% honest. I understand what matters after all is what you think and how you feel and I really hope you start liking your nose better every day as swelling goes down because I can only imagine how hard it must be to go through all that and end up not happy with the results. I know I would be crying a lot if there was something about it that I didn't like. Not that I want perfection but I do my very best in everything I do and would expect the best possible results from a Dr doing my surgery. I particularly really like the style of Dr. G's noses and yours is no exception. I see the small issues you pointed out on the top of bridge and hopefully that can be addressed. I also see that the middle part (it seems to be just the middle) of you nose now is a little wider than your original nose. I believe that's because your original nose had a hump and the bone was thinner in the middle section. Now, your entire bridge follows the same line from your eyebrows (not sure If I am expressing this well) and the width of the entire bridge is more proportional from your forehead to tip of the nose. It's probably still a little swollen. It should look better with time.
In a nutshell, I personally think that even with the small imperfections, your new nose fits your face really, really well and you simply look gorgeous now. Your profile and tip are beautiful! Very feminine and delicate, the way I personally like it. I would love to have my tip lifted just like yours. It looks very natural. Your entire face is well balanced now.
I wish you all the best and hope that your consultation in June can bring solutions to the issues you mentioned. I really hope you start liking your nose because, again, your opinion of yourself is what matters. By the way, when I started looking at your photos, I noticed your facial features are so beautiful. We focus so much of our nose but when you look at the bigger picture, the nose is just a part of it. Hope you don't get me wrong but sincerely, the only thing I would change in your old pictures was your nose. As long as your new nose is functioning well (which is more important than beauty), I would choose to have your new nose every time.
Thank you so much for your review. The best of luck to you!