Secondary Rhinoplasty - London, GB

I am female in my early 40's and broke my nose at 15 in sports at school. I underwent surgery for a deviated septum in 2009. In 2012 I had a car accident in which I hit my nose again. Over the following years the septum deviated so badly the nose was very bent to one side and I was becoming very self-conscious of this. I could not breathe through the passages and I also lost my sense of smell. I decided to look into surgery. To complicate matters I also have a lung condition of which I was worried about anesthetic as I always suffered complications after the surgery. A friend who is a vascular surgeon herself recommended a surgeon who she thought could help, I had two consultations with the surgeon, however after viewing scans and examinations he thought my nose was too complicated and he then recommended me to Dr Basim Matti.
On the first consultation I felt totally at ease. I explained my concerns with my lungs firstly which he offered for me to speak to the anesthetists, my specialist and GP which I did prior to the procedure. Dr Matti explained to me the procedure and answered any questions fully. He also was very clear on my expectations, firstly I wanted to be able to breathe properly again, I also wanted for my nose to look straight again. I asked if he can reduce the size and bump in my nose and he was very honest about what was possible due to the damage of my septum. He also advised he would need to harvest cartilage from my ear to rebuild my septum. When I was in my first consultation he also asked a patient who come back for a cast removal if I could ask her questions and see the results, which I thought was fantastic of Mr Matti. I spoke to the lady and I was amazed by her results, her nose was perfect, such a difference and she had very little bruising at all a week after surgery. Both I and my husband were very impressed. I had some time to think about everything and spoke to my GP regarding my lungs etc and I decided to go ahead with the procedure. I had a secondary consultation and advised on everything that would happen. I was advised on herbal supplements to take to help with bruising etc. I personally wished I had taken some time off work prior to the surgery to rest as I was very tired before the procedure I do not think this assisted my recovery.
I was admitted to the Weymouth street hospital and the rooms are very small but the staff and facilities are very nice. I met the anesthetists and we chatted over my concerns as I was anxious about my lungs as well as the outcome of surgery and he was so lovely I felt at ease. When I went down to theatre I walked down in the lift with the nurse and I saw Dr Matti, the anesthetist again and two nurses. Mr Matt was very kind reassuring as the nurse held my hand etc. I felt very well looked after. I came around with no complications with my lungs the relief was immense. I obviously had a pack in my nose and a cast but I was in no pain what so ever. I recall seeing Mr Matti in recovery and he said he was pleased with the results. I was in surgery nearly four hours. I was taken back to my room and went home around 3 hours later after I had eaten. I seem to recall the worse feeling was the sheer constant thirst as you obviously can’t breathe through your nose and your mouth is constantly dry. Once home I felt no pain, however I could not sleep as you have a severe dry mouth. I woke up every 30/60 mins to drink water and you have to sleep propped up. This is the very worst part of the whole procedure as it took around two days for this ease. I cleaned my nose as I was advised and did not touch the cast which was actually not that uncomfortable. The pain in my ear was far worse than my nose, this was very sore and would throb pretty badly. After the third day I had very swollen cheeks and two amazing black eyes, there were not too sore but the thing I wasn’t expecting was how much they itched as they were healing. I did not use any ice therapy at this point as I still had on my cast.
After ten days I went to have my cast removed. This was not painful as the nurse was so gentle. I was in shock at the result, amazing. My nose was straight the bump was gone, I could breathe, it was smaller. I still had stitches inside etc but I was and still am amazed at the difference.
The next few days recovery I think were the hardest, my face swelled up a lot and my black eyes were now big circles that seemed to be taking an eternity to go. They took over a month to disappear properly. This is when I started using ice therapy on my face/cheeks at night which really helped. I bound my nose every evening as Mr Matti instructed. I was concerned about my stitches as they seemed to be coming out, Mr Matti saw me immediately and examined my nose and put me at ease as the stiches are dissolvable in places and I worried unduly. But I thought it was very good of him to see me and ensure I was comfortable.
I am now two months after my procedure and my new nose is lovely. The difference in my profile is amazing and from the front my nose is no longer bent to one side. It’s still slightly swollen, which is to be expected but has really made me feel so much happier and less self-conscious. I can breathe and I can also smell again, which was a total surprise. The scar under my nose is not visible at all. No one would know I had this procedure as it looks so natural. My ear still hurts where the scarring is but this is not constant and I guess it is still healing. No one can tell anything about my ear it just feels a little less ridged to me.
I think Dr Matti is an amazing surgeon, he genuinely cares and he is a lovely man to talk things over with, he is very honest about what he can and can’t achieve he has exceeded my expectations. I know other surgeons may cost less but the additional cost is worth every penny. I am not planning on every having any more surgery however I would definitely recommend Mr Matti for Rhinoplasty. A very complicated one at that.