10 days post-op and I couldn’t be happier with the results

I’m 10 days post-up and I couldn’t be happier with the results and the process with Dr.Charles East, his staff, and the London Clinic. I had been unhappy with my nose for a very long time but never really thought of getting rhinoplasty until a close family member had hers done. I have very oily, thick skin and my nose was likewise thick, with wide nostrils and a bulbous tip, as well as a bit of a bumpy bridge that I wanted straightened. Overall, I wanted to keep the ‘style’ of my nose but just improve the general shape and size, especially the bulbous tip. At the same time, I didn’t want a very thin ‘Instagram’ nose with a pointy tip that I knew didn’t fit my face. The main worry I had about rhinoplasty was that too much would be done to the nose and I would end up looking very different. Dr.East’s reputation and many years of experience immediately caught my eye, but another important factor that influenced my decision was reading that Dr.East places a lot of importance on natural looking noses and ensuring that the nose fits your face and features. Because he’s so busy, the initial wait-list is quite long (but worth it!). After signing up on the website, I waited around 5 months for my initial consultation, which took place over video call. I had already sent in pictures and filled in an online form about what I wanted to achieve with the rhinoplasty. The initial consultation was very good and I felt Dr.East already had a great understanding of what I wanted done based just on the photos I had sent in before. The next consultation took place in person a few months after, during which a full examination of the nose took place, and the nose was photographed from every possible angle. We again discussed what I wanted from the rhinoplasty and a morph was created that showed the changes that would be made to the nose from different angles. The entire process of working with his office and the London Clinic was very smooth and transparent, and because another patient had to move their surgery, I was able to get booked for the surgery only two months after the 2nd consultation. Unfortunately, exactly a month before the surgery, I had a bit of a panicked reaction to some stuff I read online and called to cancel the procedure. Whilst websites like this one with genuine reviews are a great tool for anyone researching surgical procedures, there is also a lot of very unhelpful stuff online in places like Google Reviews or Reddit forums. Some of what was written there makes me laugh at the absurdity of it (especially having now gone through the procedure myself) but for some reason it triggered a bit of an emotional response in me at the time. The strangest thing is that some of the comments online directly contradicted the personal interaction and experience I had already had with Dr.East, and yet I still placed more value onto these messages by anonymous online users with throwaway accounts (and in some cases clearly trolls) than my own experiences. I still don’t know why this was this case, but I think it was probably a combination of emotion and stress. Anyone on this website knows that rhinoplasty can be a bit daunting and it can take years of building up the courage to actually get it done. Perhaps there was a small part of me just looking for an excuse to take the ‘easy’ way out, cancel the procedure, and not have to deal with it anymore. Luckily, the lovely Giula called me back and arranged another free consultation with Dr.East for me to discuss it. He was very understanding during the call and we went over all of my fears and anxiety about the procedure, and we also once again took out the morphs and went over exactly what would be done during the procedure. The panic I had felt earlier was gone at this stage and I decided to go ahead with the procedure. A month before, I started a special skin care regiment. In addition to noses, Dr.East is also very knowledgeable about skin issues and how different types of skin can affect a rhinoplasty. Because I have such thick and oily skin, a few products were recommended to help with the oil control. I’m still using them today and I’m also moving forward with a few other recommendations from Dr.East, so along with improving my nose, I’ve also managed to improve my skin. A nice little bonus! Despite the little blip I had before, the rest of my journey was really very smooth. I was incredibly relaxed throughout and had no nerves or anxiety in the run-up to the procedure, not even on my way to the clinic or when we headed to the operating room. The London Clinic and their staff, as well as the anesthetics team, were all amazing. Dr.East spoke with me before the surgery again to go over the procedure. Luckily, I was the first one up, so I only waited in the clinic for about an hour. The surgery went well and I was taken back to my room to recover. I was initially a bit drowsy and the area around my nose and lips was still quite numb, but there was no pain and the drowsiness from the anesthetic wore off after a few hours. I was really surprised by how well I felt; I definitely did not feel like I had just gone through a surgery. Dr.East visited afterwards to let me know it had gone well and explained some of the aftercare procedure to me. I stayed in the clinic until about 5 PM (so altogether, I was there for approx. 10 hours). One of the most surprising things to me was how easy the following week was. I had done a lot of research online, as well as speaking to people who had gone through rhinoplasty, and I thought I knew what to expect, which included a lot of swelling, bruising, pain, and fatigue, but this was not the case for me at all. The first night, and the first and second day after the surgery were probably the most uncomfortable. I had some bleeding the first night, but no further blood or secretions from day one. I had no real bruising with the exception of some yellow discoloration on part of my cheeks for a few days. There was some swelling around the nose and eyes on the first two days, but it was really quite minimal and not at all comparable to the images I had seen of people who looked like they’d been through a boxing match. When I facetimed my family, they were really quite shocked to see how good I looked so shortly after the procedure. I also had no issues with pain at all. The only pain I had was when I would yawn or chew and the movements would pull on the nostril line where the stitches were (especially the first few days when the area was still hard and crusty), but there was no pain from inside the nose. Because of this, I stopped taking the pain medication on day two, and when I ceased taking these pills, all of the fatigue and drowsiness also disappeared. From this point on, I felt really good and I can honestly say I’ve felt worse in the past when I had simple colds. The only thing that was incredibly annoying was the congestion, which lasted for pretty much the entire week (although it got a bit better after day 5). Because of this, I was unable to breath through my nose and had to breath through my mouth instead. My mouth and tongue got incredibly dry and it was very hard to sleep. This is all in stark contrast to what I was expecting from things I read online and from the personal experiences of others I knew who had gone through a rhinoplasty. While everyone is different and will experience a different healing process, I do think this points to Dr.East’s exceptional skills and shows he really is on a different league from other surgeons. I got my cast and splints removed on day 8. I was very excited to get it removed (and to finally breathe again!). There’s some water retention in my nose and face still, and because of my thick skin, I will have to wait a few more months for the final result, but I’m already incredibly happy with what I see so far. The nose is less wide, the bulbous tip has been removed (but the tip itself has remained round like I requested), and the bridge was lowered. Most importantly, when I look in the mirror, I can still recognize myself. The nose is still my nose but it has been upgraded and refined exactly the way I wanted. I have another post-op appointment scheduled in two months where we will assess how my skin and the swelling in the nose are progressing, and if anything is needed to address it (for example, steroids). So far, I’m incredibly happy with the results and the entire process. Dr.East, his staff (special shoutout to the lovely Giula) and the London Clinic were all incredibly kind and helpful. The physical results are of course the most important part of any rhinoplasty, but I also think that Dr.East’s skill and expertise instilled a level of confidence in me that made my mental journey easier as well. The reason why I no longer had stress or nerves going into the procedure is because I had a lot of confidence in him and his team, and this really took a lot of mental stress away. I would 100% recommend Dr.East to anyone considering a rhinoplasty. While he is on the expensive end of the scale, I would not let this deter you if you can afford it (or can afford to go a bit over budget, as I admittedly did). There have been countless stories on this website alone of people settling for cheaper surgeons only for them to have to spend more money fixing mistakes, not the mention the physical and emotional anguish of dealing with bad results.