Rhinoplasty. Lynn, MA

I had my Rhinoplasty right after I turned 18. I wanted my profile to look better and a smaller nose. It was one of the best decisions of my life, in regards to the lifting of my self esteem and feeling better about my nose. I had (an European-ish) 'hump' on my nose and the bridge was wide. I did have a bit of a deviated septum. I researched and have consults with many Plastic Surgeon's before I decided to go with my Doctor. I made my decision by the experience of the person who referred me, before and after pictures I was shown, patients who I had spoken with who had the same procedure by him, (waivers were signed for this specifically and I did the same after my procedure). Talking with other patients was a great decision for the Doctor and me because speaking with other pt's helped calm my nerves, clarify what I wondered in my mind regarding recovery and pain, results, etc., and reinforced the trust I had for the Doctor. I feel having trust in your Plastic Surgeon is EXTREMELY important, especially if this is a permanent procedure. You do not want to pick a Doctor by the price because you can get botched. procedure took about 2 hours if I remember correctly and I was put under anesthesia. In the operating room there were the pictures of my face, nose, profile that my Doctor had me have done a couple months before the surgery we in the operating room for my Doctor to refer to during surgery. The Doctor explained the surgery to me and answered all my questions. The night before he called me, as he said he would, to ask me if I had any questions, concerns and if I was ready, which was comforting. I was given something to make me calm as I went into the operating room by the Anesthesiologist. I was put to sleep and woke up with the packing in my nose and had to breath out of my mouth for 2 weeks. I stayed overnight, and went home as instructed the next day. The 1st time I looked in the mirror, looking at the small cast, I noticed there was NO BUMP ON MY NOSE! Under my eyes were all bruised or "black and blue" & looking back at the 1st post op picture taken in my room I looked like I had gotten hit in the face. But let's face it, I did have a big nose and a nose job! I had nose bleed since I could remember starting around 2 or 3 years old and after the Rhinoplasty I didn't have them anymore. I had the packing in for 2 weeks. I wasn't in pain after surgery or at home. I did get pain medication and took it if I needed it. I was 18 so my Mom helped me; she was sort of my at home nurse. My friends or family members didn't know I planned and had a date to have my 'nose job' or did I tell them. My eyes were red and had some spots that were "bloodshot." I was discrete about it and had it done the winter after graduating high school and before I started college in January. It was prefect timing for me because I was just starting a new chapter in my life. My best friend did notice the change in my nose and said, "your nose doesn't have a bump anymore, did you get a nose job?" She asked me many times but I denied it; we were together practically every day. I wore hats to cover the bruising under my eyes because you can't wear sunglasses to hide the healing process. I also used make up to cover the bruising as it was approaching the Holidays and family Holiday parties in December. I remember around the 24th the make up that I needed was cover up/concealer and a little bit of eyeshadow to camouflaged the bruising.  So for more info here are the worst parts...there were no cons...
*but was not breathing through my bothersome. I didn't like it but could deal with it.
*Bruising under my eyes and redness inside my eyes but went away after a full 4 weeks.
*Cast on nose for 2 weeks
*Bruising 2 weeks looked like I was in an accident or something but I rested so I wasn't going anywhere.
*The PACKING being taken out of my nose (2 weeks post op) felt like it was never ending and THE WORST PART OF THE WHOLE EXPERIENCE. *I would do it again if needed* so it wasn't that bad...it felt as the long, tight packing (looked like cotton) was 2 1/2 inches above my forehead when it was taken out.
*Bruising but that doesn't hurt.
*I took the over the counter medicine, the approved pain medication like Tylenol, when needed. I didn't even get through 1/3 of the prescribed pain medication. I didn't need it.
***TAKE YOUR ANTIBIOTICS!!!!****
The first 24 hours I was in the hospital overnight and the nurses made sure I was in no pain. I was awake by nighttime and not groggy from anesthesia or did I ever vomit. I know some people get headaches & vomit from the Anesthesia after surgery. Luckily, I don't get sick and I have a high threshold for pain.
*Price: The price was over $8500.00 in 1997, then my insurance kicked in and took care of some of the anesthesia for the septum part of the surgery.
*I don't regret paying for all the other consults I went to with other Plastic Surgeons because this was a permanent change to my face. I needed to be sure that my Doctor was highly qualified and well respected by first and foremost his patients and the Medical Community. DO YOUR RESEARCH! THE INTERNET (AND THIS WEBSITE) IS A WONDERFUL thing! ALSO GOOGLE YOUR DOCTOR'S Name, see if he has lawsuits against him/her, or any malpractice accusations; you can always ask the Doctor about it. You should ask, because sometimes these situations happen but it doesn't mean that the Doctor isn't qualified or a "bad" doctor. 
****MAKE SURE THE DOCTOR'S HAS UP TO DATE BOARD CERTIFICATIONS!!!!****
*****AGAIN DON'T CHOOSE a PLASTIC SURGEON BECAUSE OF A LOW PRICE COMPARED TO OTHERS WITH HIGH PRICES. THIS IS YOUR FACE---DON'T GO TO A DIFFERENT COUNTRY, unless you are 100% sure the Doctor is qualified. DO NOT GO TO BRAZIL, CROSS THE UNITED STATES BOARD I TO MEXICO TO skimp on the price- this goes for all surgical procedures !
**Remember, this is your face, you don't want to look bad or have a messed up nose and need another procedure to correct the first one.
*** so SAVE YOUR MONEY IF YOU CAN NOT AFFORD IT, (or get a loan) AND WAIT UNTIL YOU HAVE ENOUGH MONEY. **PROS:
**The Consultation Fee was deducted from the total cost of my Rhinoplasty.
*Benefit of having a nose that fits my face with no bump!
*This procedure made me very happy!
*The results are amazingly natural; my current & past doctors don't even see any scars.
* NO SCARS
*I think that I had the operation at the best time in my life, right before college and right after high school, and still my high school friend don't even notice the change in my nose.
EVERYTHING TURNED OUT GREAT, THE RESEARCH I DID WAS WELL WORTH IT, NO SCARS OR NOSE BLEEDS!!!!Nothing came ad a surprise as I was explained everything. I am sure this is standard by Plastic Surgeon's, I don't know, but I was also given the the opportunity for a full refund up until the morning of my surgery.