POSTED UNDER Rhinoplasty REVIEWS
I have a collapsed nasal valve and can no longer breathe out of my left nostril
ORIGINAL POST
Don't Do It
DontdoitseriouslydontOctober 31, 2024
$2,999
If you are not native to Turkey do not go. Seriously don't do it. I got my primary rhinoplasty done by Mehmet in July. I am now almost 4 months out, have a collapsed nasal valve and can no longer breathe out of my left nostril AND the bridge of my nose was scooped to a feminine ski slope against my wishes and against the discussions I had with Mehmet.
When we got back to the states there were also severe medical complications requiring hospitilaziton for an infection. Doctors were hesitant to even look at the nose and said "go back to Turkey" which obviously was not possible. Getting treatment was very difficult.
The hospital that Mehmet currently operates from was not sterile, the blanket that was on the operating table had holes in it and looked disgusting. I had already backed out once due to uncertainties and to discuss my outcome concerns with Mehmet again, but at this point I should have backed out again when I saw it, I wish I had. We also could not communicate with the nursing staff the whole time leading to a lot of confusion and suffering immediately after surgery.
While Mehmet and Yasemin speak very kindly and work very hard unfortunately it cannot overcome the severe language barrier. In my 3 month review this was apparent as I struggled to make him understand how severely unhappy I am with how sloped and feminine my nose is and asking him why on earth he did that to me when I asked for a masculine look and to keep the bump on my nose as I liked it.
I now need surgery to fix the nasal valve collapse. And psychologically I am suffering until I can save up to get a revision for the bridge of my nose to raise it back up and also fix the strange bumps in the bone at the top of my nose. I have been quoted 18-35k by surgeons to address these concerns as revisions are astronomically more expensive and complicated than primary.
If you are thinking to cut costs and get your dream surgery in Turkey, don't do it. I have been told by top NYC surgeons that what you pay for is consistency, to get it right every time. Mehmet is not consistent.
My advice, save and go in your home country. If something goes wrong you'll have that surgeon to go back to help you and doctors you can communicate with to care for you. They do not have sterile standards in Turkey the way they do in the States. Mehmet told us he had never had a patient with a serious infection before but this was untrue.
And I also advise that unless you absolutely hate how you look, reconsider getting surgery at all. I didn't hate how I looked, I actually liked my face before, I just thought it could be better and wanted the tip of my nose a little shorter as it was long before. Instead he carved up my entire nose and took away what I liked about it even after I asked him to keep many times in several discussions. Now there is no balance to my face as the former height of my bridge balanced my jaw and facial structure. I can't believe I have to live with this face until I can afford to fix it, which won't be any time soon and I just don't understand how this was the outcome when it's nowhere near what the projected images and discussions we had said it would be.
When we got back to the states there were also severe medical complications requiring hospitilaziton for an infection. Doctors were hesitant to even look at the nose and said "go back to Turkey" which obviously was not possible. Getting treatment was very difficult.
The hospital that Mehmet currently operates from was not sterile, the blanket that was on the operating table had holes in it and looked disgusting. I had already backed out once due to uncertainties and to discuss my outcome concerns with Mehmet again, but at this point I should have backed out again when I saw it, I wish I had. We also could not communicate with the nursing staff the whole time leading to a lot of confusion and suffering immediately after surgery.
While Mehmet and Yasemin speak very kindly and work very hard unfortunately it cannot overcome the severe language barrier. In my 3 month review this was apparent as I struggled to make him understand how severely unhappy I am with how sloped and feminine my nose is and asking him why on earth he did that to me when I asked for a masculine look and to keep the bump on my nose as I liked it.
I now need surgery to fix the nasal valve collapse. And psychologically I am suffering until I can save up to get a revision for the bridge of my nose to raise it back up and also fix the strange bumps in the bone at the top of my nose. I have been quoted 18-35k by surgeons to address these concerns as revisions are astronomically more expensive and complicated than primary.
If you are thinking to cut costs and get your dream surgery in Turkey, don't do it. I have been told by top NYC surgeons that what you pay for is consistency, to get it right every time. Mehmet is not consistent.
My advice, save and go in your home country. If something goes wrong you'll have that surgeon to go back to help you and doctors you can communicate with to care for you. They do not have sterile standards in Turkey the way they do in the States. Mehmet told us he had never had a patient with a serious infection before but this was untrue.
And I also advise that unless you absolutely hate how you look, reconsider getting surgery at all. I didn't hate how I looked, I actually liked my face before, I just thought it could be better and wanted the tip of my nose a little shorter as it was long before. Instead he carved up my entire nose and took away what I liked about it even after I asked him to keep many times in several discussions. Now there is no balance to my face as the former height of my bridge balanced my jaw and facial structure. I can't believe I have to live with this face until I can afford to fix it, which won't be any time soon and I just don't understand how this was the outcome when it's nowhere near what the projected images and discussions we had said it would be.
Dontdoitseriouslydont's provider
UPDATED FROM Dontdoitseriouslydont
1 year post
Tip never dropped, can't breathe at all, bridge kept receding
DontdoitseriouslydontSeptember 9, 2025
I'm now 14 months post op. All the issues only continued to worsen the longer it went on. I can't breathe through the left side of my nose due to the nasal collapse and the right nostril is also restricted. This makes exercise extremely difficult. The nose feels like a dead block on my face.
The bridge of my nose, which I asked him to leave intact, only continued to recede throughout the year until I no longer recognized myself. The tip of my nose which they promised would drop to where it should is still pointed extremely high, and with the overly wide nostril on my right side it resembles a pig nose. The overall appearance of the nose is very fake, overly scooped, and unnatural. He also overly shortened my nose, which squashed my nostrils so now they have a very odd shape. Not at all what they promised. And I can't even breathe after over a year.
I ended up having to pay thousands to get filler to raise the bridge, but it's still not even the same height as before, that's how much he reduced it even though he said he would not change it noticeably.
I keep asking myself why did he do this? Why did he scoop away at my nose? Why did he turn the tip up so high ? Why after even pausing the first surgery date, to have another thorough discussion before proceeding, did he do this to my face?
I asked for him to respect that I wanted a more masculine nose, to keep the original integrity of my appearance, and overall facial balance in check. But he didn't. He carved away at my face like it didn't matter.
Running a finger along the sides of my nose there's so many weird divots and holes beneath the surface that didn't used to be there. When I try to breathe in the whole thing rattles and vibrates. Air can't get in at all so I've become a mouth breather 24/7. I can't even wear nasal strips as that would impact the shape of the liquid filler in my nose.
Overall a completely miserable outcome. And I warn anyone away from taking a chance on this. He worsened my appearance and breathing. I've gotten several other opinions and they're all shocked that my nose looks this way based off what I show them I asked for. All I wanted was a tipplasty and he instead carved away the nasal bridge, scooped it into a ski slope, and shoved the tip up.
I don't get complimented anymore. I don't get asked out anymore. People don't ask if I model anymore. People treat me differently than before. It's crazy, I always thought I wasn't that attractive before, because of my big nose, and now only after this horrible surgery do I realize how wrong I was. Because now I am actually ugly and understand what it really feels like. I'm a pug nosed person that has to mouth breathe and can't exercise after spending thousands of dollars on a nose, a nose! And it's all because I thought I could improve. Please ask yourself if it's really worth it.
The bridge of my nose, which I asked him to leave intact, only continued to recede throughout the year until I no longer recognized myself. The tip of my nose which they promised would drop to where it should is still pointed extremely high, and with the overly wide nostril on my right side it resembles a pig nose. The overall appearance of the nose is very fake, overly scooped, and unnatural. He also overly shortened my nose, which squashed my nostrils so now they have a very odd shape. Not at all what they promised. And I can't even breathe after over a year.
I ended up having to pay thousands to get filler to raise the bridge, but it's still not even the same height as before, that's how much he reduced it even though he said he would not change it noticeably.
I keep asking myself why did he do this? Why did he scoop away at my nose? Why did he turn the tip up so high ? Why after even pausing the first surgery date, to have another thorough discussion before proceeding, did he do this to my face?
I asked for him to respect that I wanted a more masculine nose, to keep the original integrity of my appearance, and overall facial balance in check. But he didn't. He carved away at my face like it didn't matter.
Running a finger along the sides of my nose there's so many weird divots and holes beneath the surface that didn't used to be there. When I try to breathe in the whole thing rattles and vibrates. Air can't get in at all so I've become a mouth breather 24/7. I can't even wear nasal strips as that would impact the shape of the liquid filler in my nose.
Overall a completely miserable outcome. And I warn anyone away from taking a chance on this. He worsened my appearance and breathing. I've gotten several other opinions and they're all shocked that my nose looks this way based off what I show them I asked for. All I wanted was a tipplasty and he instead carved away the nasal bridge, scooped it into a ski slope, and shoved the tip up.
I don't get complimented anymore. I don't get asked out anymore. People don't ask if I model anymore. People treat me differently than before. It's crazy, I always thought I wasn't that attractive before, because of my big nose, and now only after this horrible surgery do I realize how wrong I was. Because now I am actually ugly and understand what it really feels like. I'm a pug nosed person that has to mouth breathe and can't exercise after spending thousands of dollars on a nose, a nose! And it's all because I thought I could improve. Please ask yourself if it's really worth it.
Replies (2)
Yes you are correct that the case of hospitalization was my relative who also had surgery done by you that same week. The Realself platform does not allow any mentions of other patients in reviews. I have asked her to post her own review about her hospitilization for potential sepsis following surgery but she has not yet. In the mean time I wanted to let anyone considering this surgery know that there was a severe complication requiring hospitalization following a surgery you performed recently as this is vital information all prospective patients should be informed of. The signs of infection were there before she got on the plane home and were ignored and then only continued to get worse. It was terrifying to see her go through that. Additionally, US patients should be aware that doctors in the US are resistant to treating or helping for surgery done by foreign doctors and it is a major difficulty in receiving care.
At the time, I greatly appreciated you allowing me to defer the initial surgery date. I did feel more confident after we had the second discussion because we specifically spoke about keeping the bridge of my nose intact, keeping the bump on my nose, and ensuring it would not be a feminine nose. At the time I felt you understood as you said any change in the bridge would be minimal with the difference barely noticeable and adjsuted only a centimeter or less. Which is why I feel so betrayed by the final result.
The bridge of my nose has been scooped out completely. The before and after is startling. The nose I now have after surgery is a very defined and feminine ski slope and sticks out at odds against the rest of my features. Out of the 3 of us, myself and my 2 relatives that got surgery that week, I had specified to keep the tallest, strongest bridge. And yet I clearly was given the most scooped and flattened bridge out of us. Side by side, the bridge of my nose is inches lower than theirs and has a defined slope while theirs are straighter and more natural looking. It makes no sense. This I have expressed to you over Whatsapp.
Not only have my looks been ruined but I also cannot breathe at all. The left nasal valve collapsed completely and as it has now been 7 months unable to breathe. I sleep with my mouth wide open and wake with a dry mouth. It's been affecting my jaw and neck as they're now slacker in appearance. When I walk or try to exercise I have to breathe through my mouth and pant as no air gets through my nose. When trying to breathe through my nose I end up getting light headed from the lack of oxygen often. It's deeply affected my wellness as I can no longer participate in sports or working out like I used to. It feels like a dead thing on my face.
In January I had to get a large amount of filler to raise the bridge of my nose in appearance so that I could have the confidence to return to work. Filler was never something I wanted to get done, given the dangers and temporality, but looking at my flat scooped nose every day was miserable. But even with a large amount of filler the bridge is still lower than it was pre-surgery. The tip of my nose has also stopped descending and the end result is still very upturned and piggish. The prior existing asymmetry of my nostrils is also more pronounced due to this as well, something that was said would be corrected in surgery but was not.
I knew the recovery process would be difficult. But I expected that once it healed things would be alright. It's been 7 months and the nose only got worse over time. As the swelling went down the bridge collapsed further and further. I did not expect to have the bridge of my nose completely carved away. That's why we we postponed and took extra time to discuss before surgery, to make sure we were on the same page. So how did this happen? I asked you this on WhatsApp but did not get a response.
Now I have to plan to get a second more intensive and expensive surgery to repair my breathing and restore the bridge of my nose in the future. I wish I had trusted my gut when we initially postponed the surgery, but it's done. The end result is a nose that I can not be happy with either on a functional or superficial level. I hadn't expected to get the worst of it all but here we are.