15 years in the making...

I’m known to be an extremely thorough person so making a life altering decision such as this one was no different. Ive been researching on and off for a decade and although I found a few surgeons I was interested in, I never found anyone I felt confident enough in to move forward with.

Living in NYC, we’re blessed to be able to choose from so many incredible surgeons. But it also makes the process very challenging to have so many to pick from. I found Real Self a few months ago and it has not only eased my apprehension towards surgery, it has made the process of finding a surgeon more reliable than just google. Being able to read reviews and real patient experiences has made me feel so much more confident in the whole process.

Since my septum is badly deviated and my breathing is compromised, I knew I needed a surgeon with significant experience who could not only fix the appearance of my nose but more importantly, my breathing. When I found Dr. Westreich, I was extremely impressed with his credentials. He’s double board certified in facial plastic surgery and otolaryngology (ear, nose, and throat) which was extremely important to me. When I was choosing a surgeon, personality was not a factor for me. I solely based my decision on credentials, experience, area of expertise, and proven results. Dr. Westreich checked all those boxes and it was an added bonus that he has an incredible bedside manor and is very personable!

When I was 15 years old I broke my nose not just once, but twice in a matter of a year. Both incidents were sports injuries and specifically during the first injury, I was told by a trainer that my nose was not broken. I was young, I had a high pain tolerance, and thought nothing of it so I moved on with my life. I knew nothing about noses, the way bones heal, and more importantly, I had no idea that you have a very short window to have it reset. Over time, my nose not only healed completely crooked, but it also became more and more clear that the entire structure was compromised. I really started becoming self-conscious of my nose in my late teens and have been considering surgery ever since. I would constantly research surgeons but the fear of surgery and the apprehension regarding the cost kept me from actually taking the plunge. Throughout my twenties, my self-consciousness turned into some level of an identity crisis. I found myself constantly wondering what I would look like if I hadn't broken my nose. I'm now 30 years old and have spent half my life not identifying with what I see in the mirror. Aside from and more important than the aesthetics of my nose, the function has deteriorated with time. I wake up only able to breathe out of one nostril and worse, I constantly wake up feeling unrested. I have officially reached the point where the benefits of surgery far outweigh the risks.