Primary rhinoplasty - nose is exactly what I wanted, a natural change

Dr. Rahban performed my primary rhinoplasty in December 2021 and couldn't be happier with my choice!

1. Research: I have been wanting to get my nose done since I was in high school but didn't start seriously looking into surgeons until about 4-5 years ago. While social media makes it super easy to find plastic surgeons on a platform like Instagram, I initially looked to patient reviews (RealSelf and Yelp) to help narrow down my search and then further researched things like before/afters, credentials/education, and resources via practice websites. I want to highlight that although Instagram is a useful tool, DO NOT solely depend on Instagram posts and Reels when choosing your plastic surgeon- social media is a curated version of your life/profession/etc., so it isn't wise to base a medical decision based off of a perfect version of a surgeon's work, because of course, why would a surgeon (or anyone on social media) post the bad parts? At the end of the day you are are getting surgery, and while the aesthetic result may be a priority for you, the reconstruction that happens underneath the surface goes beyond.

2. Choosing Dr. Rahban/Pre-op: I had my first appointment in July and had the best experience in the office. I was super nervous meeting Dr. Rahban and at first, I was a little intimidated. As you speak with Dr. Rahban you will realize that he is super knowledgeable, confident, and to the point. He doesn't waste time sugar coating things and will be realistic with you in terms of what the procedure will do and will not do for you. As most reviews highlight, he not only addressed the physical changes, but also went through the anatomy behind what would happen internally with the procedure, which I really appreciated. After meeting with Dr. Rahban, Sally went over pricing options and timelines with my husband and I. Sally was so kind and caring and did not pressure us to schedule anything before leaving the office. I really appreciated this because I had a negative experience at another Beverly Hills practice, where they tried to pressure me into paying my full deposit before even coming in to meet the doctor, otherwise they would increase the price by some thousand dollars (yes, this was a legit and well respected place and I was mortified). Anyways, leaving the appointment, my husband turned to me and said, "You know that I do not think you need this surgery at all, but if you do truly want to do this, you do not need to look further for a better surgeon because Dr. Rahban, he is it!". Needless to say, a couple weeks later I reached out to Sally and had my surgery booked for the first week of December.

3. Surgery/Post-op: I was pretty nervous the morning of my surgery but had watched an absurd number of vlogs and read many reviews to help prepare for the big day (I would highly recommend watching YouTube videos of people vlogging their experiences pre/post surgery). I would also recommend listening to Dr. Rahban's podcast episodes around rhinoplasty. Dr. Rahban, his anesthesiologist, and team were wonderful; they helped me feel comforted and cared for from start to finish. Surgery itself was over before I knew it, the most difficult part of the process was getting the IV put in because I hate needles. When I woke up in the recovery room, I forgot that I had the surgery and tried to breathe out of my nose (which was horrible haha), but after realizing what was going on, I was not in any pain-- just felt a little drowsy, cold, had a dry throat, and discomfort from not being able to breathe through my nose. I'd say that the hardest part of recovery is not being able to breathe through your nose- sleeping is extremely difficult especially for the first 2 weeks. I'd highly recommend investing in a beauty pillow, I still sleep on my back 5 months later and I do think that helps minimize any swelling or puffiness in the morning. Fast forward...post-op appointments went wonderful and Carolina, the medical assistant/nurse in the office, has been beyond amazing. I even reached out to her about some swelling a month ago and she followed-up with me right away.

All in all, I am so happy with my results thus far. My nose is exactly what I wanted, a natural change that focused on enhancing the areas I felt less confident about. It's so difficult to explain in words, I still look like myself, but at at the same time, I look so different. Dr. Rahban made the most subtle changes to my nose that really just elevated my entire face. I still look like me, just with the nose I had always wanted. I will say that I do have a lot of asymmetrical swelling on my left side which will hopefully diminish with time. Something to point out: you have to be super patient with recovery- your final results could take 1-2 years so be mentally prepared for that! You will see pictures and videos of people who look perfect 3 months post-op, but it is important to come to the realization that you may not have that experience and that is ok. I will be sure to post another review after my 9 month/1 year follow-up in October, unless I have any major updates before then!