My Rhinoplasty Journey :) - Glendale, CA

Hello everybody :),

This review is a little different to the usual posts on RS. Unfortunately, I won't be able to document my journey from the very beginning because it's been two weeks now since I had my surgery and I won't be able to remember every single step/detail of the early stages. But, what I am here to do is try my best to share my experience with those who're a few weeks away from their rhinoplasty op or still deliberating which doctor to go with. If anyone wants, I will post some photos of my before and after because trusssstttt meeeee I know how crucial photos are to validate your story! This website helped in every single way when making my decision, and I definitely I hope that my post will be useful to some of you. Soooo, if you want to know more about my experience then please do interact with me, ask me questions and comment so I know that there are actually people reading this hahaa, and that I am posting for a purpose.

Two weeks ago I had my surgery with Dr. Grigoryants in Los Angeles, and I can tell you that I 100% made the right decision. In April, I contacted him by email (sent him photos of my nose from EVERY angle using my Canon because iPhones don't provide the best quality) and he got back to me within 48 hours, telling me exactly what he'd do with my nose and how much it would be. I told him what bothered me about my nose, which in my case was the hump and tip. BTW, to those who want to get a nose job but are always told that their nose suits their face, I FEEL THE STRUGGLE. That's all I heard when I was growing up and OK I didn't really have an issue with my nose from the front, but I hated my profile - the tip, the hump.. I disliked it since I was 14. Reading the Dr's reply, I knew instantly that he was going to be the doctor for me because I just had a good instinct… I know it sounds weird but sometimes you just know! He also mentioned that I would have a good result, and of course as a rhinoplasty patient-to-be that is all you want to hear haha! I then contacted his office to book my surgery but as most of you know Dr G is SO BUSY! The first available surgery date that was offered to me was in November this year, and that just wasn't possible for me. His wonderful office ladies offer to put you on the waiting list so that if there is a cancellation then you will be get a sooner date. I went ahead and put my name down on the list and had to call in once a week to check if there were any cancellations, but I took it to extremes and called once every two/three days. Finally, a space opened up for me (shoutout to the person who cancelled) and I was so overjoyed and excited! I went ahead and put down the deposit and my parents booked our flights.

In the midst of all the excitement, I was also beginning to turn into the most emotional person on earth lol. You could literally say "ew that's an ugly green you're wearing" and I'd burst into tears hahahahaa. I think people forget how big this process is, especially those around you who aren't actually going through it. As I was approaching the date, I was getting scared and emotional. If I could go back, I'd tell myself to CHILL OUT! and now here I am telling you guys to stop over-thinking it :). If you've done all the research you can and you're confident you've chosen the right doctor, then just trust that and be optimistic. My best friend was the only person I told from my friends. Don't get me wrong, there is nothing wrong with getting rhinoplasty!! I come from a Persian background aka I come from a world where getting rhinoplasty is like buying a brand new pair of shoes. The reason why I didn't tell anyone but my best friend and of course my parents is because I am quite a private person and I didn't want the fuss of family/friends calling and texting to check how I was. I don't regret it at all, my parents and best friend have been the most amazing support system and it was all I really needed. It's also been so amazing seeing my family for the first time and watching their little faces drop/ smile/ cry when they saw my new nose hahaa! definitely a confidence boost!

For two weeks before your surgery, you should avoid foods containing garlic, fish oil and herbs. You should also avoid supplements and vitamin E. The vitamin E thing was easy, but damnnnn avoiding garlic and herbs was super difficult when eating out. We definitely take garlic and herbs for granted in everyday life haha. If you do consume any of these then it'll make you bleed more, so it's best to just cross it off the list completely. I did take Arnica and Bromelain daily for one week before my surgery and, although some people say that it doesn't do anything, I think it definitely helped me. My bruising was very minimal but I did swell up quite badly. Everyone, including the doctor, was shocked over how little my bruising was.

I am an overseas patient so I arrived in LA on the Tuesday, met up with Dr. Grigoryants on Wednesday and had my surgery on Thursday morning. It all happened so quickly and I can't believe I actually went through with it. Overall, my duration of stay in LA was two weeks. For my pre-op consultation I prepared a list of questions and also made a document full of photos of noses I like. Ooo and my mother came with me to the consultation. Noses are so different and I didn't want to confuse my doctor so I tried to simplify each page by subheading them: "My Favourite Nose", "Dr. G Noses I Like", and "Noses I don't like". Yes, the second category was filled with some of my favourite noses of his patients that I took from this website. I thought that showing photos of his own patients would help me communicate "the look" I was aiming for because he knows/remembers exactly what he did to achieve the noses of the girls from the photos. I was so nervous about my consultation, but more so about meeting my doctor. It's crazy because you've spent so long reading about/ researching your doctor and then suddenly he's right in front of you haha. As soon as I met my doctor, my nerves immediately disappeared. I felt so relaxed and calm, and I cannot say this enough.. Dr. Grigoryants is one of the kindest doctors with an extremely confident presence that reassures you. He also has a great sense of humour which definitely made the whole thing less stressful/scary. I know a lot of people mention that they felt rushed at their consultation, but luckily I did not feel one bit rushed. He spent all the time needed and answered all of our questions. He's such an expert, he immediately discovered that I had breathing problems. To that day, I never ever knew my breathing was unusual and as soon as he pointed it out I noticed that he was right. When he saw the photos of my favourite nose, he said that her nose wasn't great and the tip was a little wide. To me and my best friend, the girl's nose was perfect and ideal but when he pointed that out, it proved to me that he's a perfectionist. I asked him whether he would be able to achieve a similar look for me, but he never gave me a solid answer. That is what I actually really liked about my doctor, he was honest and never made any promises. He said that my skin was leaning towards the thin side, which made me really happy. He took some photos of my nose and then my consultation came to an end :).

I was so excited on our way back to the hotel, I couldn't keep quiet. I am ever so glad I chose Dr G! I was in great hands and he has a set of skills that I believe no surgeon can match. It was definitely worth the travel and wait. (one sec, I'm going to sound like a commercial now) If you are looking for a rhinoplasty surgeon then I would definitely recommend Dr Grigoryants. My nose isn't perfect right now, because I am still soooooooooooo swollen, but from looking at photos of his other patients on RS, I know that it will get better as the months go by.

Here are some photos of my nose before surgery :)

Of course I'd love to keep sharing my story with you from my surgery to splint removal day and beyond, but please let me know if you'd like me to keep going and it's my pleasure to share it all with you. I will also post photos of my nose now with the future posts :).

Thank you for reading and sorry if I bored you!!

[RS bleep]

Hello :),

Firstly I'd like to thank you guys for your kind comments!! It is my pleasure to keep sharing my story/photos with you if it's helping.

The night before surgery you have to wash yourself with anti-bacterial soap - yes, your hair as well! NO CONDITIONER! My hair was so frizzy, I went into surgery looking like Monica from Friends lol. Make sure you're not wearing any make-up or moisturiser on your face. No nail-polish or perfume either. You also have to stop eating/drinking 8 hours before surgery - no water, chewing gum or anything. I was really paranoid when brushing my teeth in the morning, just make sure you don't swallow anything haha.

I WAS SO NERVOUS THE MORNING OF SURGERY. I felt sick and freeeeezing cold!! I was so quiet the whole time. When you get to the hospital you have to fill out a lot of forms, so make sure you get there on time and you're not late because it'll slow down the process if you are. Everyone at Verdugo Hills Hospital IS SO LOVELY! I got taken to my hospital bed and the nurses asked me to get changed into my not-so-cute surgery outfit and there's a little locker by your bedside you can put your belongings in. I was beginning to shake because I was so cold. The nurses give you warm blankets and socks, and I kid you not when I say I had 5 blankets covering me hahahaaa! that's how cold I was! Subsequently, the nurse put a needle for the IV in my hand and then my parents were allowed in. There was quite a bit of waiting around for the next two hours, which I didn't mind because it gave me enough time to prepare myself. Before the surgery, I met the anaesthesiologist who was so kind and smiley. He warned me that I might vomit after surgery and that if I do it will be blood. I really do have a phobia of vomiting so I asked him to stop as much blood as he could from going down. FYI - He did a fantastic job because I never vomited once. I then told him that I was really scared and nervous and he offered to give me a relaxation shot? (I think that's what he called it). THIS HELPED ME SO MUCH! Suddenly, all of my fears disappeared and I felt so calm and happy hahaa. Dr G then stopped by, examined my nose and briefly ran over what he was going to do and I was able to ask him a few last minute questions I had, which he kindly answered. He said from the very beginning that we won't make my nose TOO small because my chin will stick out, and that shows that he does not do cookie cutter noses! He, like all artists, pays attention to your other features and makes your nose suit the rest of your face. That is very important!

AND THEN BAAAAM! it was time so they began to wheel me away into the operation room. The nurses were talking to me about the weather and they were so kind and gentle. I obviously don't remember anything else because I fell asleep but it honestly wasn't as bad as I was expecting.

Going into surgery, I had never felt so safe (and relaxed thanks to the anaesthesiologist lol) and at the end of the day that is what is most important! safety before beauty. I'm going to stress this because I never knew how important it was when I was researching doctors. It is CRUCIAL that your doctor is board certified. You will be at an even better advantage if your doctor performs his/her surgeries at a hospital because he/she will be surrounded by nurses and other doctors (if, god forbid, there are any complications). I know that some doctors perform surgeries in their own clinic but that always made me feel uneasy and paranoid.

I remember waking up and asking if it was over lol. I was so out of it and I was like that the whole day so day one was fairly easy thanks to the drugs. The surgery took two hours and we finally left the hospital around 3pm-ish. Ok now for something important… the majority of the reviews on here suggest getting a humidifier because it helps? It doesn't. I asked if I should get a steam humidifier or cold air one, and they said none. This is because you're not supposed to sweat when you've got your cast on, which is why they tell you to avoid spicy/ boiling hot foods. If you do sweat, then your nose will get oily and your cast will fall off. You definitely don't want that, so I think it's best not to have a humidifier. It's not worth the risk.

Day two was OK, no pain but a lot of discomfort. I still didn't really have an appetite so had a few crackers and some soup (room temperature). My mum is so cute, she covered the mirrors in the hotel room so that I wouldn't see myself because she knew I'd freak out hahaa. Sleeping was ok, but I'd wake up with the driest mouth and it really hurt my throat. To be honest, I preferred that to vomiting blood so I just powered through it. I'd suggest drinking cool water that will soothe your throat, using a straw because it's easier and you don't have to worry bumping your nose.

Day three was the worst day!! I had a little pain and all the blood in my nose had dried so every time my parents made me laugh, it KILLED. My dad bought chopped pineapple from Whole Foods, which I ate to gradually help take away my swelling. I was obviously taking antibiotics and painkillers. Dr G prescribes Norco for the pain but this gives you constipation and nausea. He also prescribes Zofran which is an anti-nausea tablet, but unfortunately there's nothing for the constipation. I would recommend dried pitted prunes that you can by from Whole Foods. I ate two of these every night before bed to avoid ever getting constipated because can you imagine the pain you'd be in! Alternatively, you can have Tylenol for pain instead of the Norco. I did this after the third day because my pain was reducing and you should only take the Norco if the pain is really bad.

Day four I was beginning to feel so much better. My eyes weren't hurting as much anymore so I could finally bare to watch TV. I got my appetite back so started eating normally again, but stuck to a low sodium diet :). I was so excited for cast removal day!! I just wanted to see what my new nose was going to look like and whether it was all worth it. During those four days I was freaking out a bit because I (stupidly) thought it still looked big. I knowwwww it was still swollen and my parents told me a thousand times, but I just thought the end result wouldn't be thaaat different to how it looked at that moment.

Day five had finally arrived! I was getting my cast off at 3:30pm and I was so over the whole thing, I just wanted the cast off. It was finally time and Dr G greeted us and got straight to it. I didn't even have a moment to prepare myself because I had read that cast removal is painful and, I'm not going to sugar-coat it, it was painful! My parents were in the room with me, and my dad was making more OUCH noises than me lol! It was over really quickly and Dr G has a very light hand, so the pain is totally bearable. He also said I'm a very brave girl which I was hoping would get me a gold star sticker, but didn't happen haha. The reveal was the most depressing thing ever because I was so swollen. My nose was like a balloon and I was so silly to believe that that's what it would look like forever (more or less). Dr G raised my hand and made me feel the bridge of my nose for the first time and it was SO WEIRD. I was so used to feeling the bump and I was so happy that it was finally gone. My parents and I thanked Dr G and then that was it, we left. My parents were so happy and kept saying well done for choosing such a wonderful doctor! It was in that moment that I realised just how correct they were. I'm beyond grateful and will always tell people how brilliant he is.

A few nights after cast removal day, my mother and I went out shopping with my tape on. We were passing this guy who was standing outside a skincare shop, handing out free samples. He offered us a free samples in a goodie bag and we politely declined, and he got pissed and sarcastically yelled, "great job by the way, miss". This really got to me but PLEASE remember that there are crazzzzyyyyyyyy people out there who have nothing better to do than try to ruin your day. If anyone mocks your rhinoplasty or has no respect for your decision to get rhinoplasty, just ignore them and walk away :). Sorry for sharing! I just think it's important to remind everyone.

Last few things… I tape my nose every night before bed and I still sleep in an upright position. I long for the day I can dive into a swimming pool and sleep on my front again hahaaa. I also clean my nose with saline spray and vaseline everyday (morning and night).

Nowwww, here are some photos from cast removal day! Please bear in mind that I was so swollen :P. I hope/know that one day I'll be obsessed with it, but I'm growing to love it more and more every day. I will keep posting pictures of how it looked after a week, two weeks etc. (if you'd still like to see).

Thank you for reading!! Ask me any questions you like.

xx

Hello everyone :),

Just wanted to say thank you (again!), your comments have been so lovely and kind! They make me extremely happy. A lot of you have requested to see frontal pictures, and so here they are. Please do keep asking me questions if you have any. Your questions don't annoy me at all! I am more than happy to help all of you.

I am currently three weeks post-op and I still have days where I'm quite swollen (like today lol). Other days my nose is really small! I still tape my nose every night before bed, and I got on a flight this week so taped for that too. I am trying really hard to sleep straight in an elevated position, but I keep waking up on my side or even my front. It's killing me. Does anyone know when I can finally begin sleeping normally again?

Other than that, I'm still happy and do not regret my decision one bit!!! There are days when I miss my old Persian nose lol, but I am SO much more confident now.

Thank you for reading :)

xx