Rhinoplasty with Mr Lucian Ion - Primary and Finesse Revision - London, UK

First of all, I would like to thank everyone who has written such kind messages to me^^ I've received some really super kind messages which really mean so much to me, and have been really touching ^-^On September 21st I had a finesse revision with Mr Ion. The revision was open tip again, but under local anaesthetic this time as the change was minor. Also, I didn't have this procedure at Weymouth hospital (where I had my original rhinoplasty) but at 152 Harley Street (I had previously been there to have a scar tissue removal on one alar base)I took the decision to have a revision super seriously, and thought about it for a long time. My main concern was that the tip was still to V shaped for my liking (I find it hard to explain in words). I first noticed this around 2.5/3 months post op. At first, I thought that maybe it is just swelling and that it would resolve itself over time, so I didn't say anything to Mr Ion for a long time. Actually, I was really scared to tell him that there was something I didn't like about my nose because he's done such an amazing job and I don't want to offend him, and I don't want for him to get cross with me! Also, I had read about how some surgeon's can be really dismissive and rude if there's something that a patient doesn't like about their nose. And Mr Ion had done really amazing and impressive work on my nose, and it's like 1,000,000 times better than my birth nose (ugh I don't even know how I lived so long with that nose...) But it's just this one little thing that bothers me about my nose. I told Mr Ion when I was nearly a year post op, and he booked me in for an appointment for a few months later so that we could discuss it more. Anyway, Mr Ion was so super kind and understanding about it. This appointment was in September 2014 and my nose was still changing from May 2014 (when I first mentioned the problem I had with the tip). I wasn't in a super hurry to get this fixed so Mr Ion said that we could meet again in three months, December 2014. When we met again in December and compared the photo taken on that day to the one in September, there were still changes, because of this I am still a little apprehensive to commit myself to having a revision in case the nose would just change to how I wanted it without any surgical intervention, and Mr Ion said the same. So, Mr Ion booked me in to see him in June 2015. My biggest concern is that something will go wrong and I will regret my decision of having a revision. Part of me really wanted to go ahead with, and I really trust Mr Ion anyway, but another part of me felt like I was playing with fire and that if I went through with this, and it went wrong I would never be able to forgive myself because my nose was good! Basically I'm not a risk taker! I told Mr Ion that I didn't want to make a bad decision, and he said that he didn't think that it was a bad idea, so I felt more at ease about my decision. At my appointment in June, Mr Ion said that my nose wasn't going to change anymore than it already had and that I could either have the revision under local or general. I also wanted to have more of a slope in the profile and have the bridge lowered. At first I was booked in to have the procedure under general anaesthetic having the tip fixed, more of a supratip break and the bridge taken down a little. There wasn't going to be any removal of bone, just cartilage. But still I am really scared, and when I told my mum she said that my profile is perfect and just to change the tip, so I changed to have the procedure done under local. Now I don't feel so scared or worried anymore! However, I fully believe that if I'd had the procedure under general with the bridge lowered it would have worked out (now I kind of hate being such a chicken because I really loved the profile morphs!!!!)My surgery was booked for September, and I wasn't really worried because I thought that it's not so serious because it's just under local anaesthetic. So I wasn't really prepared that I would feel pretty much as bad as I did after my primary, and that my nose would be really swollen!On the day of the surgery I was really scared. My surgery was scheduled for 8.30 so I had to get to the hospital for 8.00. The best thing about having local is that I was able to eat and drink, because having to skip breakfast for my primary was one of the worst things ever! I'm literally dead if I don't eat breakfast X_X Mr Ion spoke to me about what he was going to do before the operation, and I was also able to get more of a supratip break^^ It was at this point that I found out the procedure was open tip (I had no idea how I thought Mr Ion was going to change the tip without opening the nose!) I told Mr Ion that I was really scared and he told me not to worry and that I wouldn't feel anything and the injections would only hurt a little, and that they had to put a pad on my tummy, which was hooked up to some machine, and that would feel cold at first. But still, I'm so scared! My hands were shaking so much that when I signed the consent form my handwriting looked like a little child's! Then Mr Ion took me through to the operating theatre. The nurse made sure I was comfortable and warm enough by giving me some blankets. She was really nice and did her best to make me feel comfortable. I had to wear a cap over my head to keep my hair away, and she was like 'don't worry, we're all wearing them so we're matching', I don't know, maybe I come across as super vain!So first I had to have the local anaeshetic injections in my nose, and I think it was obvious how scared I was because the nurse held my hand the whole time. The first injection hurt so much, but after that they became less and less worse. Still, I must seem so scared because the nurse is trying to say things to make me relax. First she tells me to imagine I'm at a spa, and then Mr Ion says he hopes that I don't go to a spa where they do this to me, and then this makes me start laughing. Then she says that afterwards she'll make me a hot chocolate, and Mr Ion says he thinks something stronger like a gin and tonic would be better, and the nurse is like noooo it's too early for that!!! Then I really start laughing so they stop because I think they see really how easy it is to make me laugh! Mr Ion was really thorough in making sure my nose was completely numb and that I wouldn't be able to feel any pain. He then double checked that I couldn't feel any pain. Then Mr Ion marks on my nose where he's going to make the incision. The nurse ask him something (I can't remember what) and he says that it's hard to see the scar from the primary, so for those who are worried about scarring that shows how small and hard to see they are!The operation itself lasted about nearly 1 hour and was really scary because even though I can't feel any pain, I still feel everything that is happening and it's really unpleasant T_T. Actually I can remember it really vividly, even now. I remember during the operation really regretting not having general anaesthetic. I wouldn't really recommend it, but a massive plus is that I didn't feel sick like I did from the general anaesthetic, which was super horrible. But I'm a massive wimp, seriously, so maybe to others it wouldn't be so bad.After the operation, Mr Ion told me that it went well and it's looking nice. He spoke to me some more and gave me a prescription and then told me that he was going back to his practice but that they would look after me at the hospital. The nurse gave me a hot chocolate as well, which helped make me feel a little better, and I also had a tea as well. I lay down for about 1.5 hour I think, and then the hospital arranged for a taxi to take me home. Before I left, the nurse changed the dressing and let me see my nose. The first time the dressing was changed the nurse told me I could see my nose later because it's bleeding a lot and such. But when the nurse hands me the mirror I remember not thinking much, sure the V-shape has gone and the base of the nose is a lot more level, but it's really swollen. When I got home I watched some movies. After some time I tried to eat because it's past lunch time, even though I'm not hungry. I bought Korean pumpkin porridge because I read it's meant to be good for after plastic surgery, but I could only eat a small amount and then I felt really sick and nauseous. I had a bath and was careful not to get my nose wet, and then rested some more. At the hospital, the nurses said that I could wash my hair and just not to get my face wet, but not to wash my hair on the first day. I didn't have to wear a cast post op, Mr Ion taped up my nose and I had a dressing underneath for the first 24 hours. However, my nose did bleed quite a fair bit, and by the time the recovery week was over there was quite a bit of dried blood.Post op, I did feel super nauseous for the first few days, and eating was really hard because I just felt like I'm going to be sick. For pretty much the whole week, I slept all day and was only up for a few hours in the evening before going back to bed. Also, as I was only expecting to have minor swelling I was really concerned because my nose was really swollen. My mum just told me not to worry because Mr Ion is an expert and he knows what he's doing.For my recovery week I made sure to eat plain foods and to avoid eating too much salt. I can't say how much that helped the swelling (I'm a bit run down and weak at the moment so that probably made recovery and swelling harder). I ate the following foods;
-Steamed rice
-Poached chicken
-Udon in chicken bone broth with Chinese cabbage and tofu
-Yoghurt
-Baked potato
-Baked goguma (Korean sweet potato/yam)
-Juk (Chinese dish made with rice cooked in bone broth)
-Ice cream
I didn't add salt or flavouring to any food, and I tried to have a lot of bone broth because it's high in collagen and supposedly like nature's botox so good for healing, etc... Actually I ate plain foods for quite some time after the operation, and then when I tried to add more flavoursome food back into my diet everything tastes really salty! But it's okay to eat sweet foods. I also tried to drink lots of water and pineapple juice. And I also took Arnica.I got a taxi to Mr Ion's office when it was time to get the tape and stitches removed, because I felt too weak to go on public transport. When the tape was removed my nose looked super cute from the front and in profile. However, by the time I got home the front was really swollen. Compared to my primary, my swelling was pretty bad and persistent, so I kept my nose taped whenever I was inside (I still tape my nose when I'm in and when I go to bed). Taping really helped with the swelling and I could see how cute my nose looked without so much swelling. But even now my swelling fluctuates, even with the same day!Originally I only took a week off work, because I thought that recovery was going to be much easier than my primary! However, it wasn't and I had to take an extra week off work! The result was subtle so I wasn't worried about anyone at work noticing and figuring out I'd had time off to have plastic surgery (and I don't work with the most observant people anyway)The change is subtle, but I'm really pleased because the base of the nose is much more level. Some days I look in the mirror and can't believe how small my nose is! My brother says that it's finessed, haha! And my mum says that it's so much better, because she could see the problem and she said that she just didn't want to point it out to me! Asides from the swelling, I only had one other small problem which Mr Ion fixed straight away! A few weeks ago I had a painful lump inside my nose (there had been some pain in that area for a little bit, but nothing there so I just used Savlon and left it alone) I noticed it immediately one morning, and as soon as I got into work I emailed his practice. They emailed back super fast and told me to phone the practice and ask for the practice nurse. I spoke to the practice nurse and she booked me in to see Mr Ion a week later, to be honest I'm not that impressed because it looks a little like an infection with pus inside the lump (eww so gross, I'm sorry!) Anyway, after I return from lunch I have an email in my inbox telling me that Mr Ion would see me later that same afternoon. I phone the practice in and they book me in to see Mr Ion at 17.45 (this was at about 14.30), and luckily I was allowed to leave work early to go to my appointment. When I get there Mr Ion checks the area, then he gives me some local anaesthetic and fixes it (I have no idea how!). He frequently checked that I'm okay and it's not hurting, he's really such a great surgeon^^ He prescribed me some antibiotics and told me that if it doesn't go away to phone the practice and that he would see me again. Anway, by the next morning I can't even see anything, there isn't even a wound! I really don't understand how he did it!In terms of scarring, the open tip scar is really faded and hard to see, and I don't think that anyone will ever notice it. Post op, the wound healed really quickly, and after the stitches were removed there was hardly any scab or anything. I also used sinus rinse straight after stitch removal which helped to remove any remaining dried blood inside the nose, it also prevents the bad smell from inside the nose.Really I can't fault Mr Ion at all, and I only have good things to say about him. He's a really amazing and talented surgeon, and I feel grateful to him everyday. My pre-op nose was really so horrible and I find it so hard to believe that Mr Ion turned that nose into the nose I have now. Pre-op I always felt so self conscious and never felt pretty, I felt that I couldn't wear pretty clothes or pink lip colours because I felt too masculine, and I would always wear heavy eye makeup. Now I love to wear pink and clothes I would never have worn pre-op, and I always wear pink lip colour. I don't think I'll ever forget how I felt pre-op, and so I'll always feel so grateful to Mr Ion. I read that finesse rhinoplasty is harder than making a big change, and Mr Ion has given me such a nice result^^ I really feel so lucky to have chosen Mr Ion as my surgeon *^-^*I find it hard to trust others with my appearance, I find it hard enough to trust someone with my hair, and nearly impossible with my nails. Someone once offered to style my hair but I said no because I don't trust them to make it look nice! But I trust Mr Ion completely with my face. If I want more surgery and Mr Ion does it, I would go to him. Also, the level of aftercare that Mr Ion has given has been so high, and I really don't believe that another surgeon would have given me such good aftercare, and so much time post op.I've updated my picturetrail with new post-op photos, as well as photos from my primary, some pre-op photos and morphs. As usual, just send me a message or leave me a comment and I'll give you the link and password, and feel free to ask any questions~~

It has now been about 18 months since my rhinoplasty with Mr Ion! My last update was at 1 year post op, but I thought it might be useful to do update again as my nose is still changing! Actually I did not notice these changes until at my appointment with Mr Ion – at 18 months – when he compared them to the photos he had taken 3 months prior and changes could still be seen. He told me that it is now believed that with rhinoplasty that changes can take place for up to three years. Hopefully that will happen for me and then I’ll have a super tiny nose! I think that I was quite lucky in terms of swelling (well not for the first week with the cast on) because my nose was never super swollen, and even at cast off my nose looked really nice, in my opinion, and I loved it straight away. However, that’s not to say that my nose wasn't swollen, Mr Ion compared a photo of my nose from November 2013 to the photo he took on the day, and my nose was pretty swollen then (compared to now) with a lot less definition, though at the time I didn't think that at all. (Also my face looked really fat in comparison, and in the more recent photo my face looks fatter than usual – hopefully I have lost that extra weight now! – I think the 15 month post op photo gives a better idea of how I look as a whole, also because I was feeling poorly in the 18 month photo – and I don’t like photo taken so close up!!!)
I am still very happy and pleased with the results from my surgery; when I look at photos of my old nose I can’t believe that I had a nose like that – and that I lived for so long with it! I couldn't have spent the money in a better way, and a good result from surgery is priceless. One thing I don’t think that I have mentioned before is how much I like how the bridge looks from the front, it is has a softer, and not so harsh, appearance making my nose seem a lot smaller than before, if that makes sense. I really like that. I have never looked back once since having the surgery. As I have mentioned before I feel more comfortable wearing more natural makeup (though not exactly less products!) because I find that too much makes me look a little harsh – I always used to liner the inner corners of my eyes pre op but I haven’t really done it since as it gives me a harsh look, plus I like wide set eyes (and not to mention lining your eyes like that makes your nose appear wider/larger as it makes your eyes seem closer together), though that’s not to say I don’t like wearing dramatic makeup, just not on a day to day basis like I used to. Also, quite a few people have mentioned that it’s made me look younger which makes me so happy^^
The tip of my nose is still hard – as well as the columella, and the feeling of sensation not 100% or the same as pre op (though I can’t remember the exact feeling pre op, I just know it was different) I mentioned it before but it’s due to having grafts in the tip and techniques used to make a smaller tip. I just thought I ought to mention this, but I don’t think that this is the case for everyone, especially if you don’t have lots of tip work.
And I only have good things to say about Mr Ion^^ He’s a really excellent and caring surgeon, and a nice man. I wouldn't trust anyone else with my face. I don’t believe that I would have got such a good result from another surgeon, and I also don’t believe that many other surgeons would have taken such good care of my post-op and seen me so many times (my next appointment is in June – when I will be 2 years post op! I really can’t believe that!!!). I am really so grateful to him, and I really don’t believe that I could have chosen a better surgeon than Mr Ion *^ ^*
I have uploaded the photos that Mr Ion took, at both 15 months and 18 months post op, onto my picturetrail account, as well as some of my own. As usual, just send me a message or leave me a comment and I will give you a link and password for the photos~~
I don’t think that I have missed anything out that I wanted to write, but I'm ill at the moment so I might have >.<
If you have any questions feel free to ask^^

I had my rhinoplasty procedure with Mr Ion one year ago, 14th June 2013. I did a write up after and an update at six months. I have decided to do one last update with photos because maybe that would be useful to some people (because I found the decision to have the rhinoplasty procedure a very scary one to make)
I updated my picturetrail account with more photos. Just send me a message or leave a comment and I will give you the link and password.
I am still really very happy with the result that Mr Ion has given me^^ I would recommend him fully and I really believe that I could not have chosen a better surgeon^^. I still have times when I look in the mirror and feel so happy to see this nose (and sometimes I really can't believe it)
For me, it was strange to gradually forget how my old nose looked (I read beforehand on someone else's review that their surgeon said they would forget how their old nose looked, and all I thought was I'll never forget this nose, I hate it so much!!!) When I compare the before and after photos I really can't believe the change, and I am really so thankful to Mr Ion.
Now I can wear more minimal makeup without feeling uncomfortable, and I can wear clothes that I would never have felt comfortable in (like pinks and white, and more girly style)
For me, there were no downsides to this procedure. The feeling hasn't returned 100% to the tip but that doesn't really bother me too much. The tip will remain hard (due to grafts and techniques used to create the smaller tip), but I don't really care about that, it's worth it to have a smaller nose.
Overall I am really pleased with my result, and in my opinion Mr Ion is a really amazing surgeon. I really cannot express how grateful I am to Mr Ion^^