Reviews you can trust, from real people like you.
How it works
- Our highly-trained Review Moderation team evaluates all reviews before they're published to ensure they're written by people like you and not a member of a doctor's office.
- This multi-step process takes up to 24 hours from review submission to publication.
- Doctors can't pay to have reviews removed or hidden.
- Reviews are only removed at the reviewer's request or if they violate our Terms of Service.
If you have questions or believe we should re-evaluate a published review, let us know.
Sort by:
*Treatment results may vary
Recovery, Week 3
It seems like there is never an improvement in my nose when I photograph it. I still have a wicked break sitting just above what appears to be an elongated and excessively forward-projecting tip. I massage the thing several times a day.
It is worth noting the technique I use, demonstrated by Dr. Freeman during a visit. First, I use two fingers to slide up the sides near the top, close to but not right on the dorsum. As I do this, I am aware of feeling a bump about halfway up that seems to be even on both sides and helps cause the Whovian look. That seems to break down and soften after I slide and press my fingertips over it 10 times or so. I have been so good about massage and not allowing the scar tissue to form up and settle that this area of my nose is always tender to the touch. Then, gently bracing my nose tip in my left fingers, I run my right fingertip up starting at the tip and going the full length of the dorsum, also per instruction. This is where I guess I am trying to soften my tip, prevent scar tissue formation, and encouraging my circulatory system to carry off the excess garbage that makes the tip swell. This also is tender, but not nearly so much as the upper sides.
The area above my tip on the bridge where I still have the bruise and the break in slope has wretched-looking skin. I’m guessing that the skin was draped over my nose cartilages but that there wasn’t enough underlying mass to stretch the skin like there was pre-surgery since I had the defatting done. Consequently, the skin on my nose might therefore appear looser and maybe a tad wrinkled (this is all speculation on my part). I also have a small lump in my skin on the bridge that I cannot figure out. It looks like the size of a pimple, but does not contain anything to express. So, I try to leave it alone so as not to create more swelling and inflammation.
I cannot breathe out of my nose enough to be able to exchange gases properly. I have vacillated on this. At first, I was stuffy feeling all day but my nose would clear reasonably once I made up my bed on the couch and laid back with my head up. Now I struggle to breathe and sniff at all times and feel like I am feeling pent up CO2 making me anxious and irritable when I force myself to breathe what I can through my nose instead of hanging my lips open and mouth-breathing. I have taken two Benadryl tonight to see if they make a difference. Fingers crossed.
My right nostril looks pinched at the base where it joins the face in compared to the left one. Although I want to make this look prettier, really I am not as concerned about this as I am with the rest of it, especially the excessive and strange level of overprojection that makes it look like I have had two noses grafted together and applied to my face. I am now wondering if I should have Kenalog injections in the tip to help control the swelling. I don’t know: I had one set of injections after my last surgery and still wound up with a huge supra tip two years after surgery.
I am sill cleaning out my nose with hydrogen peroxide several times a day, but have discontinued use of the Bactroban antibiotic ointment, also per instruction (no more than 2 weeks). There seems to be no sign of infection, which is great. I still have sutures inside my nose, which is not so great. I wonder if, when the stitches come out, my nose will calm down with regard to swelling? Oi, I hope so! Finally adding pics of my Whovian nose from last week.
It is worth noting the technique I use, demonstrated by Dr. Freeman during a visit. First, I use two fingers to slide up the sides near the top, close to but not right on the dorsum. As I do this, I am aware of feeling a bump about halfway up that seems to be even on both sides and helps cause the Whovian look. That seems to break down and soften after I slide and press my fingertips over it 10 times or so. I have been so good about massage and not allowing the scar tissue to form up and settle that this area of my nose is always tender to the touch. Then, gently bracing my nose tip in my left fingers, I run my right fingertip up starting at the tip and going the full length of the dorsum, also per instruction. This is where I guess I am trying to soften my tip, prevent scar tissue formation, and encouraging my circulatory system to carry off the excess garbage that makes the tip swell. This also is tender, but not nearly so much as the upper sides.
The area above my tip on the bridge where I still have the bruise and the break in slope has wretched-looking skin. I’m guessing that the skin was draped over my nose cartilages but that there wasn’t enough underlying mass to stretch the skin like there was pre-surgery since I had the defatting done. Consequently, the skin on my nose might therefore appear looser and maybe a tad wrinkled (this is all speculation on my part). I also have a small lump in my skin on the bridge that I cannot figure out. It looks like the size of a pimple, but does not contain anything to express. So, I try to leave it alone so as not to create more swelling and inflammation.
I cannot breathe out of my nose enough to be able to exchange gases properly. I have vacillated on this. At first, I was stuffy feeling all day but my nose would clear reasonably once I made up my bed on the couch and laid back with my head up. Now I struggle to breathe and sniff at all times and feel like I am feeling pent up CO2 making me anxious and irritable when I force myself to breathe what I can through my nose instead of hanging my lips open and mouth-breathing. I have taken two Benadryl tonight to see if they make a difference. Fingers crossed.
My right nostril looks pinched at the base where it joins the face in compared to the left one. Although I want to make this look prettier, really I am not as concerned about this as I am with the rest of it, especially the excessive and strange level of overprojection that makes it look like I have had two noses grafted together and applied to my face. I am now wondering if I should have Kenalog injections in the tip to help control the swelling. I don’t know: I had one set of injections after my last surgery and still wound up with a huge supra tip two years after surgery.
I am sill cleaning out my nose with hydrogen peroxide several times a day, but have discontinued use of the Bactroban antibiotic ointment, also per instruction (no more than 2 weeks). There seems to be no sign of infection, which is great. I still have sutures inside my nose, which is not so great. I wonder if, when the stitches come out, my nose will calm down with regard to swelling? Oi, I hope so! Finally adding pics of my Whovian nose from last week.
Day 21
Weeeelll, another week has inched by. The tissue adhesive the Dr. applied to the incision areas settled at the bottom of the creases and just seemed to sit there forever. But, as he said, it wore away completely after two weeks, and it was gone as of last night. Finally! At the two-week mark, I was supposed to begin massage, which I did. That hurts—I am massaging out and breaking down the buildup of whatever causes the nasty inflamed lump midline in my bridge, and also massaging fluid up and out from my tip several times a day.
Three weeks after surgery, I am really not liking what I see in the mirror. My nostrils feel sooo tight. I cannot really inhale through my left at all, and the right is only marginally better. I know I still have swelling and it is early, but I worry. The new narrowness of my alar base coupled with the swollen bridge led my daughter to tell me I looked like a Who, and I had to laugh a little because it was true! I still have a powerful bruise that snakes across my bridge, no doubt from where I had defatting done. Now that there is less bulk under the skin, There is more skin than necessary to cover what is left, and it is evident how damaged the skin on my nose is...it really highlights it. This is adding to my ruddy and very unattractive appearance. I hope the skin shrinks enough to look nicer by the time I’m healed. The incision that slightly pulled open on my right nostril looks pretty bad to me, too. I still keep it clean and lubricated in hopes that somehow this will help it to calm down and not be so noticeable. Unfortunately, it has left a notched appearance. This goes hand in hand with the notches left behind from where the tissue adhesive fell out where the bottom edge of my nostrils join my face. My tip is no doubt terribly swollen still, but it currently is so huge in comparison with my bridge that I feel it looks absolutely ridiculous...seems like it sticks out off my face by a mile, and that was definitely one of my biggest concerns: deprojection.
Having a cold through this has made my recovery incredibly difficult. My nose CONSTANTLY is running, and I could not even blow it at all, let alone gently, until just recently. Then, to ward off potential infection, I immediately have to jump up and clean my incisions and reapply the antibiotic ointment, just to have to repeat this upward of 30 times per day. It has been obscene. I am still regretful that I did not insist on rescheduling when the nurse dismissed my concerns about this. I might be able to survive surgery in the condition I was in, but I don’t know that my nose’s appearance will survive such a tactile recovery. Even now, my nose is constantly leaking out mucous, and I can’t feel it alf the time. Not conducive to wanting to show my fave anywhere, for sure.
On the plus side, I have finally figured out how to yawn without pulling my face too much. If I concentrate on making my mouth into a small “O” when I yawn, it really controls the muscles from overstretching my skin. I believe that this is how I had the small pull away in my incision, and I am super-disappointed that there was not one word in any of the many papers sent home with me about this. Hopefully, this post will help someone else prevent damage to their alar incisions. It seems like common sense once you hear it, but not being from the medical profession or witnessing others’ surgeries and recoveries, it is not actually in my bailiwick to know these things.
Sigh. Well, I’m not feeling very optimistic this time around and I hope that time will prove me wrong. I’m so unhappy I don’t even want to post any pictures right now. Maybe next week.
Three weeks after surgery, I am really not liking what I see in the mirror. My nostrils feel sooo tight. I cannot really inhale through my left at all, and the right is only marginally better. I know I still have swelling and it is early, but I worry. The new narrowness of my alar base coupled with the swollen bridge led my daughter to tell me I looked like a Who, and I had to laugh a little because it was true! I still have a powerful bruise that snakes across my bridge, no doubt from where I had defatting done. Now that there is less bulk under the skin, There is more skin than necessary to cover what is left, and it is evident how damaged the skin on my nose is...it really highlights it. This is adding to my ruddy and very unattractive appearance. I hope the skin shrinks enough to look nicer by the time I’m healed. The incision that slightly pulled open on my right nostril looks pretty bad to me, too. I still keep it clean and lubricated in hopes that somehow this will help it to calm down and not be so noticeable. Unfortunately, it has left a notched appearance. This goes hand in hand with the notches left behind from where the tissue adhesive fell out where the bottom edge of my nostrils join my face. My tip is no doubt terribly swollen still, but it currently is so huge in comparison with my bridge that I feel it looks absolutely ridiculous...seems like it sticks out off my face by a mile, and that was definitely one of my biggest concerns: deprojection.
Having a cold through this has made my recovery incredibly difficult. My nose CONSTANTLY is running, and I could not even blow it at all, let alone gently, until just recently. Then, to ward off potential infection, I immediately have to jump up and clean my incisions and reapply the antibiotic ointment, just to have to repeat this upward of 30 times per day. It has been obscene. I am still regretful that I did not insist on rescheduling when the nurse dismissed my concerns about this. I might be able to survive surgery in the condition I was in, but I don’t know that my nose’s appearance will survive such a tactile recovery. Even now, my nose is constantly leaking out mucous, and I can’t feel it alf the time. Not conducive to wanting to show my fave anywhere, for sure.
On the plus side, I have finally figured out how to yawn without pulling my face too much. If I concentrate on making my mouth into a small “O” when I yawn, it really controls the muscles from overstretching my skin. I believe that this is how I had the small pull away in my incision, and I am super-disappointed that there was not one word in any of the many papers sent home with me about this. Hopefully, this post will help someone else prevent damage to their alar incisions. It seems like common sense once you hear it, but not being from the medical profession or witnessing others’ surgeries and recoveries, it is not actually in my bailiwick to know these things.
Sigh. Well, I’m not feeling very optimistic this time around and I hope that time will prove me wrong. I’m so unhappy I don’t even want to post any pictures right now. Maybe next week.
Day 14, 3 AM
Ugh. Having a low moment. It’s the wee hours and I can’t fall asleep. So, naturally my thoughts turn to how miserable I feel. I cannot tell how much of my swelling and stuffiness is owed to being sick vs just having had surgery. My nose drips constantly. I am up at 3 AM because I have been coughing—not exactly conducive to healing. My right nostril is alive, smarting a bit again. I am still sleeping on the couch so I can stay upright. I wish I could turn back the clock and postpone the surgery. I was already sick when I went in, and mentioned it to the nurse. She quickly dismissed it as no problem, because my lungs would be listened to when deciding if I was fit to be put under. It’s about impossible to keep germy stuff out of my incision sites and I am constantly in the bathroom with the peroxide and QTips. Unfortunately, I think she was short-sighted—I don’t think she was considering the implications of healing while coughing, dripping, and not sleeping. I’m unable to breathe through my nose—either side—still. And now my eyes burn from no sleep. How will I face work tomorrow? I don’t have to look or sound good, but I do need to have some mental clarity. Ugh. Ugh. Ugh. Oh, and apparently I got my days mixed up and TODAY is actually Day 14. eyeball roll
Provider Review