Revision Rhinoplasty & Septoplasty

About me:
I had my primary rhinoplasty done by Dr. Flowers about 10 years ago, he used a large L shaped silicon implant and cartilage from my ear for the tip of my nose. My results were a big improvement from what I was born with so I wasn't too picky about the little deformities. About 8 months ago there was a white cast in a circle shape with redness around it on my tip. I started googling what might have been causing this and found out that my L shaped implant was on the verge of extruding out of my skin! I guess the ear cartilage only helped for so long.
Finding the right surgeon:
I went back to Dr. Flower's office to have a consult with the surgeon who took over his practice, since Dr. Flowers is retired. (This is about a 1 year before the extrusion happened) He told me that I shouldn't fuss with my nose and a second rhinoplasty is too risky. He also said that I should be happy with my results because that was the best that my nose could be. Scary right?! After having been told these things I was even more scared about getting my revision done. And I knew I needed to find a surgeon who was confident with working on my nose.
This then led me to Real Self and I had chosen two doctors to have a consult with. My first consult was with a very kind surgeon in LA who talked to me on the phone. She was very concerned about my condition and convinced me to come in soon and not to wait. During our consult she looked over my photos and asked me what I wanted to change.
I told her..
1) Take out synthetic implant and use rib/fascia instead to build up my bridge.
2) Lengthen nose to make it look less pig like.
3) Alar reduction to make nostrils smaller.
4) Thin out nostril's actual width.
5) Make tip of nose more defined and slimmer.
6) Maintain height of nose.
Good news is she said YES to everything I wanted. I was like.. wow? really?! That would be awesome. However I did promise myself that I needed to talk to at least two surgeons before deciding.
I chose Donald B. Yoo and I'm so glad I did. Funny thing is I told him pretty much everything I told the other surgeon and Donald B. Yoo said no to everything. Yes, really. He did however understand what I wanted to achieve. Based on his reviews from Realself, Google, Yelp, and my gut feeling I knew it was the right choice. I paid about $3,000 more with Donald B. Yoo compared to what was quoted by the other surgeon. In the end of the day, you get what you pay for. Cost shouldn't be a factor when choosing a surgeon. We are talking about your nose, which is the focal point of your face! Treat yourself and get your rhinoplasty done right the first time.
The whole process went very smoothly and his team is superb. My surgery took about 6.5 hours and not only did he fix my nose aesthetically but he also fixed my breathing as well. It was an open rhinoplasty and I am healing beautifully. He stitched it back together perfectly and that in itself put me to ease while I was healing. I have seen some posts on Realself where their open rhinoplasty has left them with a deformed columella. Don't let that be you!
You will receive all medications, ointments, gauze, and q-tips before the surgery. You are set up with everything needed to heal comfortably and the staff is there for you anytime if you have questions or concerns after the procedure.
I'm about 2 months post op and my swelling varies throughout the day. I was informed that it'll take a full 1-2 years for my nose to fully heal. Even with the swelling, I love my new nose! You wouldn't believe how great it feels to breath so easily.