Never Thought I Would Do This, but Here I Am - Glendale, CA

As you can see I have changed my rating from "Not Sure" to "Worth It". As time is progressing and I am getting used to my new nose, I am quite happy with the outcome. My nose is not a 100% perfect, as is the case with some of the other girls that had their noses done by Dr. G, but it is a huuuuge improvement. I have to say though the transition to this new look was pretty tough on me emotionally, so be prepared for that if you are considering this surgery. There are things that change on a daily basis (e.g. swelling that shows up and then subsides, etc.), so this process does require patience, but overall, I do believe that Dr. G is as good as it gets when it comes to rhinoplasty specialists. Don't get me wrong, I feel a little uneasy about making this statement prematurely, since I know things will change over time, but must say that I am quite pleased at the moment.

Hi guys, I just wanted to write a quick update because a lot of people have been pm'ing me and I having trouble keeping up with responding to comments on here because I've been busy. First of all, for those of you concerned about Dr. G's skill or competence, please don't be. He did not give me an ugly nose, nor do I have a botched nose job, it's just not what I had in mind. As time is passing by and my brain is adjusting to the new look, it's becoming easier to accept it and to kind of like it even, at times.

Like I said before, I can definitely appreciate the positive changes Dr G made to my nose (removed the hump, reduced the nostrils and brought symmetry to it), it's just that not everyone aesthetic taste is exactly the same and I feel like I should have been more clear in terms of what I want before the surgery. One of my biggest concerns was the artificial appearance and the upturned tip - these two are slowly getting better. A lot of people who have gone through this procedure messaged me over the past few weeks (before and after the surgery) and even sent me their post-op pictures. I was able to see how their noses have progressed through time and that they looked very different from the 2 months mark to the 4 months mark and even more so by 1 year, so I not losing hope that once everything is settled, I will come to love my new nose.

Also, keep in mind that the amount of meds I had in my system affected my mood and thinking. Now that I am out and about, getting proper nutrition and drinking lots of water, I am starting to feel better emotionally and am ready to face this recovery, which, as they say, may take up to a full year or even longer.

Again, I still think that Dr. G is one of the best surgeons out there and I am not just saying that. I have seen a lot of really botched nose jobs on realself and to be honest, I would rather go to Dr. G and end up with a nose that wasn't exactly what I was hoping for than to go to another surgeon who isn't as experienced and risk ending up with a botched surgery. At least if I ever decide to change anything about my current nose down the road, I feel like I'll have a good starting point and will require only minor adjustment. There is still a long way to go and only time will tell how I will feel about it down the road. I will most likely wait a month or so to update you again, but might post some new pictures before then.

Hey guys.. I am feeling kind of depressed these days. I keep wondering why such an experienced and talented surgeon made my nose look so artificial when that was one thing I kept mentioning I wanted to avoid. I guess that's just my luck.. I have not made up my mind about Dr. G just yet. It is easy to get angry and want to blame the surgeon, but I am still very early in my recovery process so I cannot really rate him just yet. Just based on the fact that he made my nose completely straight (this is one thing I hope stays the way it is) using closed rhinoplasty is very impressive. I consulted with many rhinoplasty specialists all over North America before choosing Dr. G and he was one of the few that suggested a closed approach to fix the asymmetry. On top of that, even the surgeons that proposed the open technique said they can't promise that it will be completely straight, so that part definitely impressed me..

I think the main thing that makes me feel really sad is the fact that my new nose is not the "type" of nose I asked for and this is unlikely to improve with time (whereas as the artificial look might). I gave him an idea of what I wanted by showing him some photos of other people's noses, but he had his own vision. Then again, I was also not a 100% clear on what I want so I do believe that I was to blame (at least in part) in that regard. So many people told me not to worry and to trust his aesthetic taste that I didn't think this was going to happen. I just wish I could go back in time and tell him not to take so much away from my tip, to give me more of a slope (instead of the half slope, half straight look I now have from certain angles) and lastly, I wish he deprojected my nose a little more as well.

Despite all I am saying, I know my 'before' pictures make you think that this is still a great result, but I do have some more flattering pictures of my old nose and it actually looked really good from a couple of angles. I wish I could prove this, but most of the pix from which i would have to cut out my nose have been on social media and I am really paranoid when it comes to being public about this surgery (although if my nose continues to look this fake, everyone will find out eventually anyway). I just wanted it to look symmetrical and good from all angles, not to get rid of what I already liked about it. I believe I already mentioned this somewhere, but at this point, I am feeling like I traded one set of issues for another. I used to have a crooked nose and the crookedness made it look "witchlike" from the right side, but now that side looks completely artificial instead. Don't get me wrong, I think he did an amazing job straightening my nose, I am not going to argue with that, but my nose looks very plastic.

Although my pictures are not clear and it is generally difficult to demonstrate what I see in the mirror with photos, you may be able to pick up on a couple of things 1) my nose looks 'oversculpted' as I mentioned - I feel like he took all of the fatty tissue out and now it's just cartilage underneath my skin. I read that surgeons sometimes 'defat' the tissue when performing rhinoplasty.. I think that really sucks because people actually get fat injections or fillers to correct an overly sharp nasal tip appearance.. 2) I have 2 completely straight lines running down the sides of my nose, which look like I have an overly obvious implant inserted. I forgot to mention, but he used spreader grafts to correct the pinched appearance of the middle part of my nose and now my nose looks prosthetic. I thought that because he was going to use my own tissue it will look natural, but from what I read it appears that spreader grafts can create an implant-like appearance.

All in all, I know that sounded like a really negative message, so I am hoping I didn't scare away any of Dr. G's potential patients. Although I am not happy right now, I still think he is a very skilled surgeon and is really worth considering. I am posting these updates to show people that rhinoplasty has it's negative sides too and to track my own progress. You may be lucky and have a really easy recovery as well as a great result or you may be like me and feel really uneasy throughout the process. I think that the risk of having an unsatisfactory outcome exists with any surgeon, so Dr. G is still a surgeon I would consider if I were someone else reading my own review. Also, I actually really liked his bedside manner and I felt like I was talking to a friend who wanted to help me every time I met with him. I hope that he is still like that when I see him next week and discuss my concerns.. From the stories I read, I know that some surgeons become quite nasty when you start to criticize their work, so I hope this won't be the case with him. I really don't want to go for a revision, but I want a natural looking nose. If I do end going for a revision, I will most likely go to him, but will be extremely specific in terms of what I want, unless I can find someone else who is just as highly recommended.