Very satisfied - now have the nose that I should’ve always had

I've wanted septorhinoplasty since I was 15, and had just decided to go through with it finally, when I first found Dr. Elyassnia (through Instagram). To start, I wanted to fix a very prominent dorsal hump and a bulbous tip. I also wanted to fix my 30% deviated septum and narrow airways, which had made me a mouth-breather for my entire life. At the time of this initial review, I am almost 6 months post op. CONSULTATIONS / PRE-SURGERY: I researched doctors from Turkey to Beverly Hills and out of all the consultations I had, I felt the most comfortable with Dr. Elyassnia for how professional, knowledgable and logical he was. It also helped that he was located in SF, right in my backyard, so I can see him at a drop of a hat if I had any need for extra consultations and post-op appointments. I ended up trusting him the most for being able to talk me out of wanting a Bella Hadid nose. He showed me how unnatural her shape was and how unnatural it would look on me. I had previously held off on rhinoplasty for fear of what others would think of me if they noticed what I had done and that insecurity almost matched the insecurity I had about my nose itself. So even though his reluctance had frustrated me at first, after giving it some thought, I knew it was best to do right by the dynamics of the rest of my face and my existing nose structure. Now in retrospect, I deeply appreciate him for his honestly in that moment (especially since Bella Hadid had recently come out saying that she regrets her nose job!!). Another reason I had held off on this procedure for a while was due to the fear of a botched nose job or a collapsed cartilage. But after speaking to Dr Elysassnia, I felt I didn't need to worry about any of that, given his conservative approach to rhinoplasty. The main idea of his "Closed Preservation Rhinoplasty" technique is to alter as little as possible in order to preserve the structure of the cartilage, while also delivering good results, aesthetically and internally. Given that I wanted work done on the outside AND inside structures of my nose (a lot of altering), it comforted me to know that deep focus would be put into the structural integrity of my cartilage. He explained exactly what would be done during surgery, gave me clear and concise pre-surgery instructions (no drinking, no ibuprofen, etc) and also prepped me with what to expect in regards to the healing process. Additionally, in the two weeks leading up to the surgery, I had been taking Arnica, bought from Whole Food, 3 times a day for its anti-inflammatory properties. The doctor said he didn’t feel it was necessary since it’s not scientifically backed, but didn’t mind that I take it (I personally think it was a huge contributing factor to my surprising lack of swelling and bruising post-surgery). I also want to mention his anesthesiologist, who's name I don't remember. He was very kind and had given me a phone call personally, to give me some info on the anesthesia process, and answer any questions or concerns I had. I really appreciated that since I had never "gone under" before. SURGERY: My surgery appointment was for 7 AM on January 20th, 2022. Dr. Elyassnia's surgery room is located in the same building and floor as his office. I was given access to a private bathroom so I can change into surgery clothes and have a moment to myself (I was super nervous). Then I was led into a room where I met with Dr E and we aligned once more on what I wanted for my nose - the removal and narrowing of my dorsal hump, a pointier tip and better airways. Then I met with the Anesthesiologist, who gave my Tylenol, Arnica and a third pill meant to act as a sedative. I was also given an injection that I was told was also a slight sedative. For how nervous I was the night before, the morning of, and walking into the door, I felt strangely calm when it came time to lie down on the table, so it must've worked! I don't remember going under and hardly remember being wheeled out of the building. The building is located on a busy street in SF so I remember feeling a little self conscious being wheeled out in a wheelchair and in all my bandages while all these people walked about. Since I had CLOSED rhinoplasty, it meant that my stitches were all internal. Dr. Elyassnia shaved a little bit of cartilage of the dorsal hump and grafted it to the tip of my nose and to the area between my eyes, since it sat a little too deep. Grafting the cartilages to those to areas made it so that he didn’t have to shave too much off my hump and gave my nose the look of being straight and even slightly sloped. He also narrowed the width around the area of my dorsal hump. All of this combined has made for the very cute, button-nose I have now! POST-SURGERY The pain was really bad for the first night only. Afterwards, it was tolerable and only uncomfortable at times. I switched off from taking the prescribed Norco and Extra Strength Tylenol and that sufficed. All pain subsided on the 7th day and the pills weren’t necessary. My swelling peaked on the 3rd day. Only my eyes were visibly red and swollen. At no point, did I experience the black and blue eyes that is common with this surgery. Although, I was surprised to experience some pain in my two front teeth. After some googling, it appears to be caused from the surgery I had on my septum - which has a nerve that runs straight down into the two front teeth. It didn’t help that I was exclusively breathing through my mouth at that point, so the cold air was also painful, for both my teeth and my throat. There were a couple nights that I couldn’t sleep at all - since I had to lie on my back and could ONLY breath out of my mouth, my tongue would slide back and block my airway, which would of course wake me up every time it happened every 20 minutes or so. However, I can say with absolute certainty that all the pain and discomfort was worth it, and I knew it when my cast came off 9 days later and I saw my new nose. When my cast came off, I had no swelling whatsoever, and Dr. Elyassnia and I agreed that I could go about in public then and there. Getting my stents (silicone tubes inserted in your nostrils to uphold the structure immediately following surgery) taken out was not painful, but very uncomfortable. But the easy and unencumbered rush of fresh air almost made me cry. I had never experienced easy breathing out of my nose ever in my life! I was all smiles for hours afterwards. Now that I’m almost 6 months post-op, most of my swelling has gone down. I now feel far more photogenic than I ever had and all my friends and family agree that I now have the nose that I should’ve always had. I even feel pretty without makeup, which I never had felt before. And in regards to makeup, I remember feeling so frustrated with how misshapen my nose was since contouring did little to help - now contouring and highlighting actually works on my nose and makes it look even cuter! (Note for people who are hesitant about getting a nose job because of what people will say - the real ones will only support and encourage you!! When I initially come out to people saying I had a nose job, I explain to them my hesitancy to get a nose job BECAUSE of judgement from other people - it makes them not want to be “that guy”, aka a judgemental @ssh0le) OVERALL: Dr. Elyassnia changed my life, inside and out!! 100 out of 5 stars.