Wanted: New Nose

I've been unhappy with my nose for goodness knows how long, and finally plucked up the courage to have something done about. I'd already done a fair bit of "research" (standard Internet searches really...) and I have a friend who has also had rhinoplasty so I had an idea of the procedure and what to expect, side effects, recovery time etc but Mr Townley went through everything anyway and was very helpful in answering any questions no matter how stupid they were ("will I have to get my glasses adjusted?!" One not many people think about...)

Anesthetist was nice and friendly and went through a couple of things with me, but was just the general "are you allergic to anything" and then I was off and ready to go! Went in for the procedure and was operated on almost immediately and woke up in that groggy "where am I?" state and was wheeled back to my room. This is where my first piece of advice is. When ordering your food for lunch/dinner, order something easily edible when your face is taped up... It's almost impossible to move your top lip, and chewing will result in bleeding. Ordering ice cream is also a must as your throat will be red raw from the tube and don't order orange juice!

Recovery is a slow process though I generally heal fairly quickly. Breathing is impossible through your nose so bottles of water next to your bed through the night are a must, as is an understanding partner/friend/housemate who can run to the shops for you as you may not fancy walking round Waitrose with a nose taped up... Soup is a good food at this point, liquids don't need chewing and your top lip won't be easily movable remember!

Getting the splint removed was the greatest thing that happened to me that month! Such a relief. Remember that what you see at this point will be a swollen nose! Not even close to the final product!

Buying cotton buds is a good tip to gently clean your nose as there's no chance of cleaning otherwise.

Then you just sit and wait... Watching Netflix is recommended, or box sets!

I was one of the unlucky few and managed to get an infection in my left nostril so that was frustrating, but easily managed with antibiotics.

I'm nearly 5 weeks since surgery now, and although there's some minor asymmetry in my nostrils due to the infection I'm really pleased with the results, there's still a bit to go but if you're unsure of what is involved hopefully the above will help in your decision.