My Rhinoplasty Experience - Gold Coast, AU

I have seen my surgeon twice since the last update.

The first visit was back in late October after I contacted the clinic about the change in beak-like shape. If you look at previous photos you can see it has taken more of a round appearance towards the tip and I was concerned that this was pollybeak deformity. My surgeon didn't seem to think so, but he wasn't exactly reassuring and said we will see how it is progressing at my next February visit.

Between then and the next visit in February I noticed an indentation had formed on the left side of my bridge and the bit that sticks out feels hard which got me thinking it was bone. I told my surgeon about it and he said it most likely was always there but is only visible now that the swelling has gone down. He explained to me briefly how it may have been caused (something about cartilage dislodging out of place?) and said that if it is still there in a few months then he will give me an 'Aquamid' injection which is type of filler to smooth it out. I asked about the longevity of the this, after all I don't want it reappearing in a year or two but supposedly it lasts a lifetime as it integrates naturally with the body's own tissue. This sounded too good to be true so I went home and did my own research on Aquamid, only to find it lasts "many years" but due to natural aging and lost of facial tissue it is likely to need retreatment at some point. During this visit I also raised concern about how the bump on my right nostril hasn't gone down at all. He told me that it is probably thick scar tissue and instructed me to keep massaging it. If it is still there at the appointment in May then he inject some 'Kenacort' into the spot to hopefully dissolve the scar tissue.

So that's where I'm at right now. I'm still on the fence about whether this whole ordeal was with it and at the moment I'm leaning towards a no.

Swelling. Swollen. I think I've said those words a thousand times since my surgery but I'm at the one month stage now and my nose is SO swollen. It seems to be getting worse and I've noticed it's changed shape since my last update - there's more of a hump on the bridge and it looks almost beak-like. I'm feeling very discouraged with the way it looks right now because a week ago I didn't think it would get any bigger but it has and it seems like it is only getting worse.

Last week I saw my surgeon for a quick review and asked him about the bump on my nostril. It is causing my nose to look uneven and is very noticeable. I've actually had people ask what it was and one of my friends thought it was a blind pimple! My surgeon believes it is just swelling (there's that word again) and instructed me to lightly massage it which I have been doing but it hasn't made a difference.

I've been extremely careful with my nose but it seems no matter how careful you are, accidents can and will happen! I almost reached the one month mark without any hits to the nose but today at work a child flung their head back and it smacked me right on the tip. It hurt. A lot. I was in tears and had to leave the room because of how painful it was. And now, I don't know if it's just a coincidence but since then my nose has been dripping non-stop and there's a painful, stinging sensation that comes and goes randomly so I'll probably give the clinic a call tomorrow for a bit of reassurance and advice.

I think it's interesting to note how much my nose has changed (and continues to change) since having the cast removed. It's getting rounder and bigger by the day! I really do hope it's just swelling however I'm not too bothered about it at this stage because I still feel great about the way it looks. That being said I don't want it to get any bigger!

On another note, I'm so glad I finally had the surgery. I can't even begin to explain how great it is to not feel self-conscious about how my nose looks. It was definitely my biggest insecurity and it caused me to avoid certain angles, hide from photos, and constantly worry what other people thought of it but these are no longer issues on my mind and it is so, so refreshing. For me, I'd definitely go as far to say it has been life changing.