19 Years Old - Open Rhinoplasty with Basim Matti, Love the Results So Far! - London, GB

Hi everyone

I would just like to say thank you for all the support and nice messages from people on this site. Sorry that I haven't done an update in some time, it's crazy how quick things return back to normal with work etc so I haven't really had the time. I cannot believe it has been 6 weeks though!!

The second week I found the hardest because I had to keep reminding myself to keep things easy as I had no pain and no cast on so I would often find myself bending over and rushing then realising that only a week ago I had an operation. This is one reason why I found the tape to be helpful at night because it reminded me to sleep upright as much as possible.

Returning back to work was a nerve-racking moment but it went okay and everyone that I had told said nice things etc. It's also true that the people that don't know really don't notice without you saying and things just return to normal just with more confidence.

Swelling has been constantly changing especially on the tip. I have been trying to keep eating healthily with minimal salt and sleeping up right which I still find helps this late on however last week I started sleeping on my side again which is probably the best feeling EVER!

Something that has helped me deal with the swelling (other than tons of chocolate) is looking at pictures taken before the operation. Try and find the worse ones and keep them on your phone because for me it was an instant pleaser and put me in the right mood.

A couple of weeks ago I went out and like most messy nights involving alcohol I knocked my nose quite hard which I can safely say my life went past in seconds. Although I had no pain the day after and I couldn't see any damage, I decided to book an earlier appointment with my surgeon. They managed to get me an emergency appointment really quickly which was only a couple of days later.

He thoroughly examined my nose to make sure no damage was made, thankfully everything was fine. He told me there is still some swelling on the bridge of my nose which helped ease my mind because I was constantly noticing unevenness from the front. I also said about a strange smell that I have had since the second week, he said that this is normal because the stitches give off an odd smell when dissolving. He did check for any infections just incase that was the smell but everything was fine. He also said that I need to clean a little deeper which I was told about on cast removal day but I was really apprehensive to do just in case I caused any damage. I would recommend using a sea water nose spray as it has been quite helpful with cleaning for me.

I have started to breath through my nose which is strange because I mainly breathed with my mouth before the operation. Sometimes I still find myself using my mouth however I'm hoping it's just because there is still lots of swelling to go away.

Taping my nose has been helpful, like I said earlier it helped remind myself to take it easy but it has also helped with swelling. Although it doesn't magically remove the swelling it eases it throughout the night so it's like a fresh day with minimal swelling when you wake up... then by the late evening it's all swollen again haha.

Thank you for reading and I wish you all the best.
Zack x

As requested by a member, I will do my best to describe how my recovery has been so far.

The first 3 days I experienced quite a bit of bleeding. Even once the bleeding had stopped gushing out I was still changing the drip pad around 3-4 times a day for the first 5 days. I also noticed that my left nostril would bleed a lot more than my right one for some reason.

Swelling was going up and down for the first 3 days but then it just kept improving. I notice that salt did in fact make it a lot worse so like everyone says, do try to avoid it. I was living off non salty fish and salad until I had my cast removed haha.

I would advise to get your room as ready as possible for when you get back by positioning all the pillows and opening windows for fresh air etc. I was told to avoid bending over so I just left all the plug sockets on which helped a lot.

The first week my sleep was very poor and broken mainly because I am not used to sleeping on my back. This made the days feel a lot longer so I found it helped getting dressed and recovering in the living room or getting a seat outside in the garden. I was doing this when things got too much and it made the days go a lot quicker.

The tablets and medical stuff I was asked to take are as follows:

Arnica 30 - 6 tablets per day. I started the day before surgery and I'm taking them for 2 weeks after.

Bromelain - 2 tablets per day. I started these 2 weeks before and I'm continuing them for 2 weeks after.

Vitamin C - 1500mg per day. I started these 2 weeks before and I'm continuing them for 2 weeks after as well.

All of the above are sold in Holland & Barrett. I literally think I am addicted to the taste of Arnica tables, they are just like eating sugar haha!

It's hard to say if any of the above have helped but I would say that my recovery has not been as bad as I expected. Dr Matti also said to me after surgery that he expects me to have black eyes and bruising because I tended to ooze more than normal so I've either been lucky or they really did help.

Cefalexin 50mg antibiotics - 1 tablet every 6 hours. I did not particularly enjoy taking these as they made me feel nauseous and dizzy but I was not eating much before taking them so that could of caused that.

Co-Dydramol painkillers - I did not need these throughout my recovery.

Fucidin H cream - Applied after cleaning my nose around the stitches. I have found this to be quite helpful because it stopped any redness and moisturised very well.

Hydrogen peroxide solution 3% - 50/50 with water. Was amazing at cleaning my nose without any pressure.

Other things i bought and found helpful:

V shaped pillow - Placed on top of 3 other normal pillows to help sleeping on my back.
Arnica cream - The nurse at the hospital told me not to use this for some reason but I will now I have the cast off.
Q tips/cotton buds
Face wipes
Lip balms
Small child's toothbrush
Berries and ice cream for smoothies

I was also drinking tons of water. Literally as soon as I woke up in the recovery room they was forcing water down me. I think this is why I have not experienced any serious sore throat so I strongly recommend drinking as much as possible.

Cast off day for me went very well and didn't hurt at all. If I had to say the most painful part it would be the removal of the last stitches. His nurse is so careful and I honestly think that's the only reason it didn't hurt for me.

A luxury of going to a surgeon in Harley Street meant I had an excuse to do some retail therapy at Oxford Circus so that just topped the day off completely really lol.

Dr Matti also types up an operation report which I thought was really nice. This was also interesting to read because it was in immense detail haha.

Matti has asked me to continue cleaning inside my nose twice a day for 5 more days and to continue applying the cream.

I have also been asked to apply tape at night for the next 6 weeks to help with swelling. I have noticed that in the morning the swelling has gone down considerably, whether or not this is because of the tape I don't know.

Currently, the swelling has gone down since cast off but it is still noticeable mainly on the tip as expected. My nose also feels numb which is uncomfortable, especially when touching it.

The swelling and numbness makes washing my face slightly painful so be prepared to possibly have to wash your face very lightly.

I have booked two weeks off work and they have been extremely supportive with the surgery, so much so that they sent me a box with thoughtful gifts and films to watch. I thankfully have not had any friends/family that have not been supportive and I'd like to hope that people now a-days think differently about plastic surgery compared to when people didn't like the idea and said anyone is fake if they have it done which is completely incorrect.

I will update with new pictures in the next couple of weeks when I think it is a big enough difference but if anyone would like any more details please do let me know :)

Many thanks

Hey :)

On the 10th of March I had open rhinoplasty done at Waymouth Street Hospital with Dr Basim Matti.

I consulted with 3 other surgeons and was booked with another surgeon but I started to have doubts and I knew I needed to be 100% confident so I cancelled and booked a second consultation with Basim Matti. I booked the surgery on that day because I felt that his experience shines and I loved his upfront, honest and confident personality.

I arrived at the hospital at 9am and filled out some forms in the reception then we was sent up to my room to settle in. The nurses seemed very nice and helpful and the building is also so nice, it doesn't feel like you're in a hospital at all and has a relaxed atmosphere.

Once all the checks were completed like my height, weight and blood pressure I was sent down to the operation room where I met my anaesthetist Dr Bruce Martin and the nurses etc. Dr Matti came shortly after and explained everything to make sure we're both on the same page. He was relaxed and made sure I was as comfortable as possible before we went ahead with the operation which was nice knowing that he doesn't just want to rush and get out sort of thing.

Waking up in the recovery room is mostly a blur haha. I felt slightly nauseous but once I was given some water and anti-nausea medication I felt fine and just wanted to sleep.

The food was brought into my room next so I ate a little and I felt good enough to go home shortly after. We let the nurse know and she did some final checks and off I went.

Recovery so far has not been as bad as I was expecting thankfully. Although not painful I have found it to be quite uncomfortable especially when eating and drinking throughout the first 3 days.

Today (16th April) I had my cast taken off. I must say first that Matti's staff are all really friendly and helpful especially his nurse when removing the cast as I felt at ease and had no pain at all. She also has a good sense of humour which helps. I was shocked at how much I loved the result so soon after the operation and I was expecting a lot more swelling and bruising. This makes me believe that Matti is so careful when operating as I have very sensitive skin so normally the smallest thing would cause irritation, whether or no that makes a difference I wouldn't know.

Thanks for reading and I wish everyone the best with their own rhinoplasty journey!!