Rhinoplasty/ Septoplasty/ Turbinoplasty - Perth, West Australia

I have been stalking this site for months now and it has been so helpful so I thought I owed it to everyone to put up my own review. I have always known that I wanted to get my nose fixed. I didn't really get bullied about it at school or anything but I always felt like it held me back from things (which is stupid I know). I was always a little hesitant about meeting new people because I thought all that they would notice was my nose and I would always find myself positioning myself at the least unflattering angle at the table or in groups, which was starting to get a bit exhausting.

About 2 years ago I went with my Mum to have my first meetings with a surgeon to see the rough cost and what they could do for me. I was fresh out of high school and totally devastated and shocked by the huge price tag that came with rhinoplasty. I didn't tell any of my friends or my boyfriend what I was up to and felt really embarrassed about the whole process. I didn't go through with it, and decided to wait until I was financially able to do it myself.

2 years later here we are and I am in such a better headspace about the entire thing. I'm 20 now and I feel like I am more mentally prepared for it than I was even a few years ago. I have been totally open with my family and friends and colleagues about what I am getting done and everyone has been so lovely and supportive. I really feel like honesty is the best policy and you will be surprised by how many people just say 'good on you' when you tell them. I actually feel really proud that I am doing something for myself and just excited for what is to come.

I had my initial appointment with Dr. Pedram Imani mid December 2014 and booked my surgery the next day for February 10th, 2015. He was really clear with what was achievable with my nose (I have thick-ish skin so not super defined) and actually let me know that I had a pretty significant nasal blockage/ birth defect that was effecting my breathing (the first surgeon I went to see said nothing about this.) He is an ENT so I'm guessing thats why he was more focussed on my breathing than the first guy. I have always struggled to breathe through my nose and have pretty severe hay fever symptoms and a runny nose all the time so it will be really interesting to see if this clears up a little.

My cosmetic issues with my nose are:
- Dorsal hump
- General size on my face
- Bulbous tip
- Drooping when I smile and when relaxed

I feel like it makes me look a bit harsh and older than I am. I've been told I have resting bitch face like all the time and I feel like my other features really get overwhelmed by my nose.

So he has the job of fixing all that up and then also trying to improve my breathing and nose function. I stressed that I am not after a perfect nose, just a vastly improved one which he said he would be able to do for me.

So with all that said the count down is on (17 days!) and I am getting a little nervous but mostly excited. Unfortunately my parents will be overseas for the first couple of days post op but my boyfriend will be moving in to take care of me and basically be my servant for a week, which I feel like I will secretly enjoy.

Sorry for the long post and if I am not quick to reply in the comments section as I am a busy girl with 2 jobs but will be back to do another post just before my op.

So my parents leave the country on their holiday tonight and won't see me again until after my surgery! It has all started to make me a bit freaked out and stressed and I've made myself a bit sick just checking and double checking that I have everything in order before they leave. I know theres nothing to stress about but it is a lot easier said than done unfortunately!

I have my last pre-op appointment with Dr. Imani on the 4th of Feb to go over the details and confirm what I want. I have had a bit of a play around on face morph apps to see what I might like my final result to look like and came up with the attached photo. Bit unsure of wether to show him it or not but we will see how it goes on the 4th.

Had a bit of a cry in my appointment today (don't know why, I am very embarrassed about it) but feel okay now, just want to get it over and done with! 6 days to go until the op on Tuesday which I am told will be early morning.

Wasn't feeling up to doing anything after my op, I was bleeding a lot and ended up being under anaesthetic for around 4 hours because he had so much to do. I have crazy bruising and swelling around my eyes and forehead so hoping this will go down over the next few days rather than get worse. I am finding it so hard to swallow because of all the fluid in my nose, anything I swallow feels like its being sucked up there its pretty gross. I am just happy that its over and I can relax and watch a couple seasons of the Kardashians haha. Will update with photos in a day or so when I feel a bit stronger.

So I'm starting to feel a bit more myself, still can't breathe through either nostril which is making my mouth hard and dry when I sleep which is probably the worst bit. My bruising is getting darker but my swelling has gotten a lot better since day 1&2, when my eyes were literally closing over because they were so swollen. One eye is a lot more swollen/ bruised than the other which is a bit strange. I also have quite bad subconjunctival haemorrhaging (red burst blood vessels in the eye ball) which are annoying and scary looking but not painful or dangerous so I'm hoping they fade fast. I have been using the salt water washes twice a day but not much is coming out! One of my nostrils also seems to be almost completely closed over with what looks like a lump of skin/fluid inside the nostril, don't want to poke around too much but it isn't coming out or budging so not sure what it is? I have my cast removal booked for Wednesday the 18th and I can't wait to get this thing off my face! I've had to continue using the nasal bolsters under my nose because so much fluid is coming out of my nostrils, not even blood or snot its just like this watery stuff (sorry if thats TMI). Dr. Imani didn't see me after my surgery to explain how it went so will be interested to hear what he says on Wednesday. He put me on oral steroids from Day 1 post-op, did anyone else have these? I'm hoping it helps me heal up a bit faster as I have thick skin. Will update again on Wednesday!

So a week ago today I was knocked out and on the table, I would love to say time flies but it has been such a slow week!

I have started to have a bit of success with the salt water washes and can now inhale and exhale (only a little not like proper breaths) through both nostrils which is so satisfying!

My bruising has gone down a lot since Day 3/4 and I have almost no swelling which is great. The bruises on my eyelids are the most stubborn but not really a big deal.

I have noticed that the lump inside my left nostril isn't going away (my right nostril is totally clear and hollowed out, but my left nostril is almost completely blocked by a big lump of skin). Did anyone else have this?

I am seeing the Dr for my cast removal tomorrow so I'm sure he will tell me what it is then, so excited to see my nose (but trying not to get too excited as I know its going to be swollen as anything).

I read a lot of things about what to buy pre-op to get you through and spent a lot of money on stuff that I didn't actually use! So heres a couple of things that have saved my life this week:

> V pillow from target (I've used this for sleeping and its great because it supports your back sitting up and its big and cosy and you can kinda wedge your shoulders in there to prop your head up at night)

> Arnica cream (don't know if it works but my swelling seemed to go down quite fast and even if it wasn't from the arnica, the cream helped moisturise around my eyes and made the swelling feel less tight)

> Yoghurt (been eating this all the time to help combat the disruption of good/ bad bacteria from all the antibiotics and its easy to eat post op)

> Biotene Dry mouth spray (my mouth was like a sandpit from breathing through it all the time)

> Q tips (literally been through 100s of these)

> Face wipes

I bought like 3 litres of pineapple juice because its meant to help swelling but it was so acidic that it was burning my already sore throat/mouth so didn't drink any of it, plus the sugar content probably outweighs any good it does.

Another note: I have managed to shower/ bathe every day since day 4. I have a shower head that tilts so I just directed it below my face but I also had no problem having a bath and washing my hair that way just tilting my head back. It made me feel 10000x better.

Thats all for now will try update tomorrow!

Ahhh just got out of the Drs office and I literally could not be happier!!! It is everything I hoped for and more, straight with a little slope and so much smaller and cuter than I thought would be achievable with my thick skin. I am ecstatic and feeling so good about the whole thing, he said it was quite swollen and would only continue to get smaller which is amazing because I love it so much already. Got tape back on it now for another week but will post some photos as soon as possible.

So happy

So its day 10 and I am so much more comfortable with the cast removed and just the tape on. I do have one concern though regarding the stitches under my nostrils- I assumed they would be removed when my cast was removed but they weren't (so I'm guessing they are dissolvable) but mine are black with dried blood and not showing any signs of coming out. Any Dr. Imani patients who could let me know how long your outer stitches took to come out?

I took my bandages off today as advised by Dr Imani and got to see my new nose for the second time ever and it was so so so swollen! I think even more so than 7 days post when the cast came off. But that is to be expected, I know I just gotta be patient etc etc. I still love it, and think it's such an improvement and am so so so impressed with the deprojection and how small it is. The tip is like a ball it is so swollen, have no real definition between nostril and tip at the moment but I know this will go down. Put some makeup on for the first time and it felt amazing to cover up those pesky under eye bruises that have been hanging around (do they ever go away?!). I bought some Dermablend from the chemist to cover them up and it is amazing so not too much of a big deal for the moment.

Hey all, just wondering when I can expect my tip to soften up a little? At the moment it is hard as rock and super tender to touch, which is making it impossible to smile without looking like a crazy piglet. Any experience of when this subsides would be great!

Hey everyone just thought I would post a quick update as yesterday was 3 weeks post op. My bandages came off a week ago so I've LOVED being outside and putting make up on again it feels great.

Swelling was pretty crazy this last week but I am so in love with my new nose that I hardly notice the swelling. I do notice my right side is becoming more defined faster than my left side, and one of my external stitches on the bridge of my nose next to my eye area is quite raised and sore but other than this I have had no real issues, just generally getting tired quite fast if I have too big of a day.

I do still have quite a large lump inside my left nostril which my doctor explained was cartilage/ sutures so I'm assuming this is what is making my swelling go down slower on that side. I can't explain how happy I am with his work and I absolutely love my new nose and how it fits on my face. I have my 1 month post op appointment next week so will update again then.

Hope everyone is healing well!

So it has been over 3 months since surgery and I am still in love with my nose. I notice it still gets quite congested and snotty but easy to deal with for the results I have got. Will update again in a few months.