POSTED UNDER Rhinoplasty REVIEWS
Rhinoplasty: My Journey
ORIGINAL POST
Like most people considering rhinoplasty I have...
$3,000
Like most people considering rhinoplasty I have been unhappy with my nose for a number of years despite me being on 19-years of age. I remember being in middle school and being just so unhappy with the shape of my nose... I always had to angle my face a certain way to try to hide the largeness of my nose someway when all I want is just to look at a camera and smile without being self-conscious. A lot of my family members have disagreed with me even considering the surgery but they will eventually come around.
I live on the island of Guam, an American territory in the Pacific with about 180,000 people. We are only three hours away via plane to the Philippines which is where I am headed for the procedure. Not only is the relative closeness of the Philippines a big pro in me choosing the country, but the price of the procedure as well. The cost will not go above $2,000. I know the whole "you get what you pay for" mantra but the hospital I am considering is award winning as well as other clinics I have scheduled consultations with. Just out of curiosity, has anyone on this forum gotten a rhinoplasty in the Philippines? The price to pay in the U.S and the cost alone just to travel is absolutely ridiculous. Many people from Guam go to the P.I for medical treatment so that's another reason.
I have not figured out a doctor yet as I will be going in early July for consultations with about 4 different PS and I plan on taking leave in October once I figure out a doctor to perform the procedure then...
Below are pictures of my nose from the left, right, front, and a 3/4 view (I use this when I take most of my pictures as it disguises the shape of my nose a little...) Advice would be greatly appreciated. One of my doctors I am highly considering said he would probably use goretex (sp.?) Thanks!
totalrequest's provider
Replies (3)
June 12, 2012
Hello and good luck with your search. Whatever you do...choose a surgeon who SPECIALIZES in rhinoplasty and not breast implants, liposuction stuff like that.. your handsome by the way you remind me of this guy at work who is from Guam and also has your same nose.
June 12, 2012
Durr, I forgot the link the first time I posted. Just stuck it in there! Sorry about that.
UPDATED FROM totalrequest
4 months pre
So as mentioned, I have not been able to find much...
So as mentioned, I have not been able to find much about the doctors in the Philippines who I will be consulting with so that is a very big downside for me which is really steering me into researching other doctors. I stumbled on Dr. Ashkan Ghavami's website after searching for ethnic rhinoplasty doctors. Many good reviews here on RealSelf and other sites like Yelp so that is VERY encouraging. I emailed his team and they are planning on setting up a phone consultation with me which I think sounds like there all very well organized and "put together". Very excited and I will update all of you once I finish up my phone consultation.
Replies (11)
June 13, 2012
Hey thanks for sharing! I was at a wedding on Saturday and the bride's father flew in from Guam for the big day. Anyways, you are handsome now so I'm sure it would look fantastic afterward. Keep us posted!
June 13, 2012
Hi there,
i flew to the philippines last year from NY to get a rhinoplasty and i had to come back again this year to get a revision. i've noticed that goretex is widely used in the philippines and i was convinced by my surgeon to get the goretex implant done on my consultation. i impulsively agreed without doing much research and i truly regret it now. most surgeons in the U.S. don't use silicone or goretex because of high risk of infection and extrusion. i can never have a peace of mind now knowing the impending infection is likely to happen years down the line. i hope u don't make the same mistake like i did. good luck to you.
i flew to the philippines last year from NY to get a rhinoplasty and i had to come back again this year to get a revision. i've noticed that goretex is widely used in the philippines and i was convinced by my surgeon to get the goretex implant done on my consultation. i impulsively agreed without doing much research and i truly regret it now. most surgeons in the U.S. don't use silicone or goretex because of high risk of infection and extrusion. i can never have a peace of mind now knowing the impending infection is likely to happen years down the line. i hope u don't make the same mistake like i did. good luck to you.
June 28, 2014
Same exact boat as you but I've lived with mine for 7 years... Looking to finally get a revision...
June 14, 2012
Thank you JessieMarie! If you have the time make it out to Guam, beautiful island :)
@mjmNY: Who was your doctor in the P.I?
@mjmNY: Who was your doctor in the P.I?
June 14, 2012
Best of luck in your research! You are already handsome, but you are going to look fantastic afterwards!! =) Keep us all updated. I'm excited to hear about your progress.
UPDATED FROM totalrequest
4 months pre
Okay so I literally feel like my head is about to...
Okay so I literally feel like my head is about to explode! For the past three weeks, all that has been in my head is "rhinoplasty, rhinoplasty, RHINOPLASTY!" It's driving me insane... I am probably going to have to visit a mental hospital before I even get the procedure done because of my obsession.
Now that I have gotten that out of the way, time for me to vent here... I have been going back and forth between my decisions about my nose job. I have received emailed responses from about two doctors in the Philippines stating that they would not use any type of implant in my nose since I "have a lot to work with already" (there words not mine!). The general consensus seemed that all I need done would be to have my hump rasped as well as tip plasty and reduction alarplasty.
I am leaning towards these two specific doctors because they both have a lot of years of practice under their belt and have numerous certifications. Both also said to just save my money by not coming for a consultation in three weeks and too instead come during the time period I want the surgery to have the consultation then and the surgery the following day. What do you all think about this? One surgeon is offering this total package to be about $1,600 USD while the other is around $2,000. Very convincing because of the price but I am very wary to not let this be the decision maker in the end.
If I could afford it by October, I would TOTTALLLLY go for my #1 surgeon Dr. Ashkan Ghavami. Ugh, absolutely in love with him! Read numerous reviews all of which are good... I have been emailing his office back and forth and like I said in my previous post I will be having a phone consultation with him on the 27th. After googling "ashkan ghavami rhinoplasty cost" the lowest I found was about $6,500 and the highest was $10,000. If that is the case then I would have to wait until 2014 as I have a trip planned next year and won't be able to take leave. CareCredit is an option but I don't like living paycheck to paycheck; makes me uncomfortable. Any advice would be greatly appreciated... love you all near and far!
:)
Now that I have gotten that out of the way, time for me to vent here... I have been going back and forth between my decisions about my nose job. I have received emailed responses from about two doctors in the Philippines stating that they would not use any type of implant in my nose since I "have a lot to work with already" (there words not mine!). The general consensus seemed that all I need done would be to have my hump rasped as well as tip plasty and reduction alarplasty.
I am leaning towards these two specific doctors because they both have a lot of years of practice under their belt and have numerous certifications. Both also said to just save my money by not coming for a consultation in three weeks and too instead come during the time period I want the surgery to have the consultation then and the surgery the following day. What do you all think about this? One surgeon is offering this total package to be about $1,600 USD while the other is around $2,000. Very convincing because of the price but I am very wary to not let this be the decision maker in the end.
If I could afford it by October, I would TOTTALLLLY go for my #1 surgeon Dr. Ashkan Ghavami. Ugh, absolutely in love with him! Read numerous reviews all of which are good... I have been emailing his office back and forth and like I said in my previous post I will be having a phone consultation with him on the 27th. After googling "ashkan ghavami rhinoplasty cost" the lowest I found was about $6,500 and the highest was $10,000. If that is the case then I would have to wait until 2014 as I have a trip planned next year and won't be able to take leave. CareCredit is an option but I don't like living paycheck to paycheck; makes me uncomfortable. Any advice would be greatly appreciated... love you all near and far!
:)
Replies (12)
June 18, 2012
Don't worry...I think we all get a little obsessed once we know that we see the option to change our nose is actually within reach! I know I certainly went (and am still going through) my obsession with it! Haha thankfully my surgery is in a week and a half, so not much longer to wait.
As for choosing the doctor, my personal opinion is to wait until you can afford the doctor you truly love. This is your nose we are talking about. As the horror stories on here have shown you, you get what you pay for when it comes to rhinoplasty. The fact that the other doctors are charging as low as 1,000 while he charges 6,000 speaks volumes.
Other than price, I think the most important thing is that you choose a doctor whose work you absolutely LOVE. If you can look at the before and after pictures and think..I could live with a nose like that!..then I think you've found your doctor.
You've lived with this nose for 19 years ! A year and a half more won't kill you if it means a lifetime of happiness with your new one. That is just my opinion, but i know how difficult it seems to wait. Wishing you the best on your journey!
As for choosing the doctor, my personal opinion is to wait until you can afford the doctor you truly love. This is your nose we are talking about. As the horror stories on here have shown you, you get what you pay for when it comes to rhinoplasty. The fact that the other doctors are charging as low as 1,000 while he charges 6,000 speaks volumes.
Other than price, I think the most important thing is that you choose a doctor whose work you absolutely LOVE. If you can look at the before and after pictures and think..I could live with a nose like that!..then I think you've found your doctor.
You've lived with this nose for 19 years ! A year and a half more won't kill you if it means a lifetime of happiness with your new one. That is just my opinion, but i know how difficult it seems to wait. Wishing you the best on your journey!
June 20, 2012
Please wait and save up for your #1 doctor. I have seen so many people who have just chosen the most affordable surgeon and ended up spending more on revisions than they would have if they had just gone with a good surgeon in the first place.
I know the impatient feeling of wanting to have your nose done. But if you think your nose is bad now, just look at some of the botched nose jobs on here and tell me which is worse. You are going to be living with your nose for the REST OF YOUR LIFE. Do it right the first time. It is worth the investment.
Rhinoplasty is the most complicated plastic surgery procedure. Revision rhinoplasties are even more difficult because of the lack of cartilage in the nose after the nose has already been operated on. Many revisions require parts of your rib or ear so the surgeon can have more cartilage to work with. From what I've read of revision rhinoplasties it is NOT something I would ever wish on anyone. Going through rhinoplasty is an emotionally tolling experience because your nose is so swollen for so long afterward and it doesn't look like that cute little nose that you had pictured for a looong time after surgery.
Revision rhinoplasties in the US cost upwards of $10,000. Most that I've seen are in the $13,000-$15,000 range. If you have the surgery done by one of the less expensive doctors and don't like it, you will most likely end up going to Ghavami and paying twice what you would have paid now. Plus, most doctors in the US refuse to do revision work on nose jobs until one year after that patient's surgery. Why? Because it takes one year for your nose to fully heal from a nose job. Imagine having to live with a botched nose job for one year. Please don't risk this. Your nose is in the CENTER OF YOUR FACE. It is very important to get the best doctor you possibly can.
One year of waiting to have your nose fixed by your dream doctor is absolutely worth it. Ghavami was one of my top choices as well. Please, please, please do more research on this procedure. It is very complicated and it takes a good surgeon to do it right both cosmetically and functionally. I am really excited to hear about your phone consultation with Ghavami!
Good luck. Please do it right the first time.
I know the impatient feeling of wanting to have your nose done. But if you think your nose is bad now, just look at some of the botched nose jobs on here and tell me which is worse. You are going to be living with your nose for the REST OF YOUR LIFE. Do it right the first time. It is worth the investment.
Rhinoplasty is the most complicated plastic surgery procedure. Revision rhinoplasties are even more difficult because of the lack of cartilage in the nose after the nose has already been operated on. Many revisions require parts of your rib or ear so the surgeon can have more cartilage to work with. From what I've read of revision rhinoplasties it is NOT something I would ever wish on anyone. Going through rhinoplasty is an emotionally tolling experience because your nose is so swollen for so long afterward and it doesn't look like that cute little nose that you had pictured for a looong time after surgery.
Revision rhinoplasties in the US cost upwards of $10,000. Most that I've seen are in the $13,000-$15,000 range. If you have the surgery done by one of the less expensive doctors and don't like it, you will most likely end up going to Ghavami and paying twice what you would have paid now. Plus, most doctors in the US refuse to do revision work on nose jobs until one year after that patient's surgery. Why? Because it takes one year for your nose to fully heal from a nose job. Imagine having to live with a botched nose job for one year. Please don't risk this. Your nose is in the CENTER OF YOUR FACE. It is very important to get the best doctor you possibly can.
One year of waiting to have your nose fixed by your dream doctor is absolutely worth it. Ghavami was one of my top choices as well. Please, please, please do more research on this procedure. It is very complicated and it takes a good surgeon to do it right both cosmetically and functionally. I am really excited to hear about your phone consultation with Ghavami!
Good luck. Please do it right the first time.
June 21, 2012
Thank you so much for this! You've said everything what I was thinking but I just needed to hear it from someone else. Ghavami was one of your top three doctor but you ruled him in your first round of elimination, if you will, because of your dissatisfactory in some of his noses. If you don't mind me asking, were these pictures you found on his website? If so, could you please provide me the link and describe what exactly you saw? Would love to get some insight from you... I also searched your PS website and he seems really good. You've definitely got me thinking though... However, if you do not mind me asking, what is your ethnicity?
June 27, 2012
I only just looked here and I think you are going about this in a realistic way. I'd agree with other people to wait and choose your number one choice. The PS I had (Anil Shah) that others on here have reviewed does a fair number of men and also ethnic rhinoplasties and does phone and internet consults. So you might want to take a look at the reviews and his site for another to consider (large section on ethnic rhinoplasties). Generally people seem very happy with him. Chicago may be slightly less costly than NY or LA but still very accessible as far as flying in. Good luck!
June 28, 2012
Thank you and yes, I have looked at Dr. Shah but reviews have been mixed about him and I am not too sure on settling for anything but 100% good reviews! I know may sound a bit silly but that's just me... You are right however on the cost of NY and LA, totally ruled out NY however while Dr. Ghavami in LA is my top choice, the added expenses with just staying in California is ridiculous. The hotel and food cost from my research is almost twice what I would pay in other cities. Still doing my research but thank you so much for you advice and input :)
Hey there, welcome to RealSelf. I'm glad you're here! You might want to read what these doctors have to say about gortex and other implants. Please let us know how your consultations go!