POSTED UNDER Rhinoplasty Reviews
2 previous rhinoplasties - Crooked, bulbous tip, constantly leaking
ORIGINAL POST
Op Dr Ahmet Alp - Revision Rhinoplasty - Wonderful Experience
WORTH IT
I just wanted to share my experience with anyone who is thinking about flying to Turkey to receive revision rhinoplasty surgery. Like me, you've probably spent a lot of time researching surgeons and clinics and scanning reviews and Instagram.
So just a little background information- I have had 2 rhinoplasty surgeries done in Ireland and unfortunately after my second surgery 10 years ago) I was still very unhappy with my nose. It was very crooked, bulbous tip, constantly leaking and I couldn't breathe properly through it.
I made the decision to travel to Turkey as my colleague had previously had surgery here and was delighted with her care and overall result. I decided to do some research and after weeks of searching for the right surgeon I decided to go with Dr Ahmet Alp as he specialised in revision rhinoplasty and all the reviews & photos seemed very promising.
Throughout the process I was in constant communication with Mustafa who sent on an abundance of information and answered any queries I had. He was always available to me 24/7 and made the booking process very concise and easy. He arranged the hotel, transfers, payment and medical expenses for me. It took all the hassle out of trying to organise everything separately myself and everything was done to a professional standard which completely reassured me that I wasn't being scammed (especially when transferring €1000 deposit). All that was left for me to do was to book my flights and I was on my way.
When I arrived to Istanbul my driver Murat picked me up, connected us to WiFi so we could contact home to let them know we had arrived safely and drove us to our hotel. The hotel (Raddison Residence) is about a 35 minute drive from Istanbul International airport and about a 5 minute drive to the hospital. Murat made us feel at ease and very safe in his company.
On the morning of the surgery Murat collected us from the hotel at 6am and brought us to the hospital for surgery. From 6-8am the nurse performed some blood and covid tests and we were shown to our hospital room for the night. At 8am Dr Ahmet Alp's assistants came to my hospital room, explained what would be happening in surgery, explained the procedure for cleaning my nose afterwards and clearly explained what each medicine was for, how often to take it and how to apply creams etc. (They give you labels to write on so you can remember what order to do things and so you can write down instructions)
I was then escorted along with my friend to Dr Almet Alp's office for my consultation. Everyone was so welcoming, casual and friendly that I felt quite at ease and although nervous I was excited to finally be this far. The Doctor greeted me and I was instantly struck by his calm nature. He examined my nose both externally and internally and a strategy for surgery was created. He surmised that functionality was his main concern as my breathing was quite restricted due to the previous surgeries. We agreed open a best case outcome of a natural symmetrical nose. He questioned what my main concerns were, what my hoped outcome would be and offered to answer any questions I may have. He explained the aftercare procedures to me and established if I had any psychological contraindications which would make me unsuitable for surgery. We then mutually agreed on the procedure and I placed my trust in him as I know he was proficient in his mastery.
It was now time for surgery and I was awash with both nerves and anticipation. Everyone was so friendly in the theatre rooms that I felt reassured and in safe hands throughout. When I awoke I was in a daze and quite sore initially. (My body was freezing and shaking uncontrollably after the anaesthetic- all perfectly normal. But I just thought I would include it here so you can prepare for it.)
My nurse checked on me at various intervals but I was so glad I had my friend with me. The nurses were very busy and could be a little slow to respond to a buzzer and sometimes didn't understand my English. This was my only complaint but my friend was excellent support for me so I would definitely recommend bringing someone along with you. Another point to note was that the WiFi didnt work in our room but you could get access to it from the main corridor so might be no harm letting your companion know to bring a book etc for when you're dozing in and out of sleep. I had been instructed to rinse my nose out 3 hours after surgery using saline solution and a syringe. However it wasn't explained very clearly to me that I would have tubes coming out of my nose and would need to insert the syringe through these tubes. As I have had surgery in Ireland before and the tubed were removed beforehand so I unknowingly presumed that these would need to be removed prior to rinsing. Unfortunately for me this was not the case and so it was the following morning before Dr Alp's nurse informed me of this. (I don't know if it is relevant for immediate recovery but just wanted to include it in my review so you have a clearer understanding for your own recovery.)
Dr Ahmet and his nurse came by my room that evening to check on my recovery. He showed me some photos of my new nose and I was ecstatic with the outcome. He really is an artist and myself and my friend couldn't believe that this was actually me and we commented on how incredibly talented the Doctor really is. I knew this was not the end result but I was blown away by the transformation, symmetry and precision of his work. A true master of his niche.
I was discharged the next morning following my ozone treatment and brought to my hotel to rest. There are restaurants, a chemist, a bank, and a supermarket connected to the hotel which is very convenient. I had complete rest for a day or 2 and ventured out to a shopping centre, The Grand Bazaar, and to restaurants along the Bosphorus in the evening time for dinner so we weren't confined to the hotel and it somewhat felt like a holiday.
Once I took my medication and rinsed my nose out I was absolutely fine and felt very little pain just more of a discomfort. My nose bled and oozed a lot but Mustafa remained in contact with me throughout my stay and reassured me that this was all perfectly normal.
1 week on and I have just had my cast removed. If you have had rhinoplasty before then you will know that this is probably the worst part of the aftercare. Dr Ahmet removed all 4 tampons/tubes from my nose as gently as possible and then removed my cast. It was quite uncomfortable but that's to be expected and I was prepared for the discomfort. He then cleaned and drained my nose and showed me my new nose. If you have had rhinoplasty surgery before you will know that you will be shocked and overcome when you see your nose. This time was no different and I laughed inwardly at how swollen and puffy my face and nose were haha. This is not the end result I told myself but despite the swelling I am so happy with the symmetry and side profile already. Looking forward to when the swelling goes down in a few weeks and months.
I had a wonderful experience with the Dr, nurse and staff that I can't recommend them enough. Hopefully when the swelling goes down I will upload some photos and additional comments on my recovery. Best of luck to you and I hope you have the same wonderful experience as I have. Xxx
So just a little background information- I have had 2 rhinoplasty surgeries done in Ireland and unfortunately after my second surgery 10 years ago) I was still very unhappy with my nose. It was very crooked, bulbous tip, constantly leaking and I couldn't breathe properly through it.
I made the decision to travel to Turkey as my colleague had previously had surgery here and was delighted with her care and overall result. I decided to do some research and after weeks of searching for the right surgeon I decided to go with Dr Ahmet Alp as he specialised in revision rhinoplasty and all the reviews & photos seemed very promising.
Throughout the process I was in constant communication with Mustafa who sent on an abundance of information and answered any queries I had. He was always available to me 24/7 and made the booking process very concise and easy. He arranged the hotel, transfers, payment and medical expenses for me. It took all the hassle out of trying to organise everything separately myself and everything was done to a professional standard which completely reassured me that I wasn't being scammed (especially when transferring €1000 deposit). All that was left for me to do was to book my flights and I was on my way.
When I arrived to Istanbul my driver Murat picked me up, connected us to WiFi so we could contact home to let them know we had arrived safely and drove us to our hotel. The hotel (Raddison Residence) is about a 35 minute drive from Istanbul International airport and about a 5 minute drive to the hospital. Murat made us feel at ease and very safe in his company.
On the morning of the surgery Murat collected us from the hotel at 6am and brought us to the hospital for surgery. From 6-8am the nurse performed some blood and covid tests and we were shown to our hospital room for the night. At 8am Dr Ahmet Alp's assistants came to my hospital room, explained what would be happening in surgery, explained the procedure for cleaning my nose afterwards and clearly explained what each medicine was for, how often to take it and how to apply creams etc. (They give you labels to write on so you can remember what order to do things and so you can write down instructions)
I was then escorted along with my friend to Dr Almet Alp's office for my consultation. Everyone was so welcoming, casual and friendly that I felt quite at ease and although nervous I was excited to finally be this far. The Doctor greeted me and I was instantly struck by his calm nature. He examined my nose both externally and internally and a strategy for surgery was created. He surmised that functionality was his main concern as my breathing was quite restricted due to the previous surgeries. We agreed open a best case outcome of a natural symmetrical nose. He questioned what my main concerns were, what my hoped outcome would be and offered to answer any questions I may have. He explained the aftercare procedures to me and established if I had any psychological contraindications which would make me unsuitable for surgery. We then mutually agreed on the procedure and I placed my trust in him as I know he was proficient in his mastery.
It was now time for surgery and I was awash with both nerves and anticipation. Everyone was so friendly in the theatre rooms that I felt reassured and in safe hands throughout. When I awoke I was in a daze and quite sore initially. (My body was freezing and shaking uncontrollably after the anaesthetic- all perfectly normal. But I just thought I would include it here so you can prepare for it.)
My nurse checked on me at various intervals but I was so glad I had my friend with me. The nurses were very busy and could be a little slow to respond to a buzzer and sometimes didn't understand my English. This was my only complaint but my friend was excellent support for me so I would definitely recommend bringing someone along with you. Another point to note was that the WiFi didnt work in our room but you could get access to it from the main corridor so might be no harm letting your companion know to bring a book etc for when you're dozing in and out of sleep. I had been instructed to rinse my nose out 3 hours after surgery using saline solution and a syringe. However it wasn't explained very clearly to me that I would have tubes coming out of my nose and would need to insert the syringe through these tubes. As I have had surgery in Ireland before and the tubed were removed beforehand so I unknowingly presumed that these would need to be removed prior to rinsing. Unfortunately for me this was not the case and so it was the following morning before Dr Alp's nurse informed me of this. (I don't know if it is relevant for immediate recovery but just wanted to include it in my review so you have a clearer understanding for your own recovery.)
Dr Ahmet and his nurse came by my room that evening to check on my recovery. He showed me some photos of my new nose and I was ecstatic with the outcome. He really is an artist and myself and my friend couldn't believe that this was actually me and we commented on how incredibly talented the Doctor really is. I knew this was not the end result but I was blown away by the transformation, symmetry and precision of his work. A true master of his niche.
I was discharged the next morning following my ozone treatment and brought to my hotel to rest. There are restaurants, a chemist, a bank, and a supermarket connected to the hotel which is very convenient. I had complete rest for a day or 2 and ventured out to a shopping centre, The Grand Bazaar, and to restaurants along the Bosphorus in the evening time for dinner so we weren't confined to the hotel and it somewhat felt like a holiday.
Once I took my medication and rinsed my nose out I was absolutely fine and felt very little pain just more of a discomfort. My nose bled and oozed a lot but Mustafa remained in contact with me throughout my stay and reassured me that this was all perfectly normal.
1 week on and I have just had my cast removed. If you have had rhinoplasty before then you will know that this is probably the worst part of the aftercare. Dr Ahmet removed all 4 tampons/tubes from my nose as gently as possible and then removed my cast. It was quite uncomfortable but that's to be expected and I was prepared for the discomfort. He then cleaned and drained my nose and showed me my new nose. If you have had rhinoplasty surgery before you will know that you will be shocked and overcome when you see your nose. This time was no different and I laughed inwardly at how swollen and puffy my face and nose were haha. This is not the end result I told myself but despite the swelling I am so happy with the symmetry and side profile already. Looking forward to when the swelling goes down in a few weeks and months.
I had a wonderful experience with the Dr, nurse and staff that I can't recommend them enough. Hopefully when the swelling goes down I will upload some photos and additional comments on my recovery. Best of luck to you and I hope you have the same wonderful experience as I have. Xxx
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