Rhinoplasty: the Best That Medicine Has to Offer

I went to Dr Rahban for a primary rhinoplasty in February, 2022. I wanted to review my experience in-depth, as I know this helps others researching rhinoplasty to 1. Pick the best surgeon 2. Ease their nerves as they enter what can be the scary unknown. So a very long, detailed but honest review coming up - during my own research those review helped me out.

The research/Picking my surgeon stage:
I researched 17 surgeons in total. I wanted someone that I felt completely confident in their performance and could trust. I’m NY based, so for me to come to another state for surgery is just a credit to how impressed I was with Dr Rahban.
Of all my consults, Dr R was the only one who viewed my nose from both an aesthetic AND a medical stance. In my consult, I stayed pretty quiet (this is hard because I’m a big talker) and let him do the talking. What made me pick him was his knowledge, skill, morality (more on this soon) and that he wasn’t trying to ‘sell’- I wanted a surgeon I could talk the straight facts with and not get a sales pitch from. The best example I can use to describe Dr R is that he’s both an architect and a designer… meaning he ensures the nose is both structurally sound AND wonderfully pleasing to the eye (he takes both equally as seriously).
In my consult, he explained how important it is that the surgeon you pick makes the nose structure strong that it won’t collapse. A point that none of my other consults visited.

Picking Dr Rahban: once I had my consult, it was so clear to me that Dr R was the only surgeon I was interested in. And omg, did I research. I even went into Reddit thread to try find something- I only found great reviews. The only downside with picking Dr R was his next availability was 5 months away. This is because Dr R is so meticulous on his craft.

Pre-surgery- what to expect: 3 weeks before your Op, Erika from Dr R office will have your intake with you. I can’t say enough good things about Erika, she’s so nice and not fake LA nice, but actually nice. She’s calming and she’s on it! I emailed her with so many lists, question ect - hello super Type A over here- she always responded and interacting with Erika further reiterated my confidence in Dr R. Sally and Shyla are also incredible - special shout out because I’m sure I drove them all crazy!
Erika is going to go through your surgery instructions, foods to avoid ect and you will pay your remaining balance (you put a 20% down to secure the date, and at the 3- week intake you pay the rest). Pro tip: ARNICA ! More on this soon. Two days before surgery you’ll go and get your covid test, and the day be for you’ll have your pre-op.

Pre-op: by this time I was a nervous wreck. I think I went to the bathroom 3 times whilst waiting for Dr R to come in. Dr R is a strong personality, but in the best way possible. When you’re interacting with him, you can see his strength in personality is focused on getting you the best result, he never brushes your questions aside or tries to override you. He could definitely tell I was anxious and for me that manifest in making sure ever detail is covered (at one stage I even drew what I wanted on his papers). Dr R was so kind and played ball with me on that instead of dismissing me.

Later that day, you’ll get a call from the surgery center with instructions.

Day of surgery: my check in time was 6:30 am. I arrived and signed a bunch of forms. Next, I was escorted to my room where I changed into a gown, slipper type things and a hair cap. Nurse John then came in, bearing some blankets to keep me warm and went over some instruction. Then Dr R came in, took a video of my nose, did some mark ups and reminded me about how excited he was about this surgery. Now we get the fun part, the IV drip. So I don’t love needles, and being petite and with poor veins - well that’s a mashup that now looking back is funny but at the time was scary. But don’t be worried, Nurse John will be patient/ kind and he’s amazing at his job. Looking back the IV didn’t even hurt, It was more my nerves freaking me out. The IV will hydrate you as you are waiting, and this is also where the anesthesia will come through.
Dr Houston the Anesthesiologist then came in, we had a little giggle together and then she took me to the operating room. By that time I was so ready to get this show on the road.
** During this whole experience, I never doubted Dr R ability on the operating table. I would advise you pick a surgeon you have the same feeling towards. My nerves were around the IV needles, recovery, ect but never around him or getting botched. I also knew that Dr R was a good guy, I felt really safe with him. I knew he would treat my face with respect and with all the plastic surgery scandals out there, i felt so safe knowing Dr R was one of the good guys.

Next things I remember: I woke up feeling groggy but with no pain whatsoever. When I was researching, I was terrified I would wake up feeling like I got hit by a bus, you won’t. I also didn’t throw up or feel sick at all. I hired a team of nurses from Care & Recovery to assist me in my recovery - Nurse Shaheena was my secret weapon in recovery! That’s all coming up now.

The recovery- first few days: I took 1 narco every 4 hours, for the first 36 hours. This was because I wanted to prevent pain but I quickly saw I didn’t need it and moved over to Tylenol. Your first 24/48 hours you’ll be a little out of it, no pain just discomfort (mouth is dry ect). I didn’t find the sleeping position uncomfortable, but sleeping with your mouth open sucks! I slept with a cough drop- this works better than the dry mouth spray. I also slept with a neck pillow to prevent moving around. Drank green juices and drank a ton of protein to promote wound healing. The hardest part of recovery was the mental aspect, I was so homesick and it was hard being stuck in a hotel for 2 weeks.
Bruising/swelling: I watched so many YouTube vlogs and was waiting for my ‘raccoon eyes’ to make their ugly debut. Umm, they never came. I don’t know if this is down to Dr R being so great or that I took arnica and keep a healthy lifestyle, but I never bruised or experienced swelling.

1 week Post Op: I was expecting to see a ballon when my cask came off (every review says don’t freak out when you see your nose initially). The cask came off, and I was barely swollen. The nose was a little too upturned (that drops). It’s the most surreal experience to look in the mirror as see the most beautiful nose staring back at you! I felt dizzy from happiness.

I know researching and picking a surgeon can seem daunting, but with Dr Rahban you’ll be experiencing the best that medicine has to offer!

What I would change: I came alone and opted to pick nurses. If I redid this experience, I would have said yes to my partner wanting to come with me. I thought that it wasn't necessary to bring him, from a physical point that is true but from a mental health point, you need that emotional support. So don't do a me and bring someone with you.

Products: neck pillow, cough drops, arnica, gentle tooth brush, q-tips, straws. All the other stuff I didn’t end up using.

I previously posted about my rhinoplasty with Dr Rahban in-depth and walked through what to expect and how to prepare. I really found detailed reviews so helpful in prepping, the nerves, and feeling empowered in what can seem like the ‘scary unknown’.

2 week recovery, what to expect: so I would say this is when your excitement is going to start settling in and the ‘omg pinch me, I’m about to meet my new nose’ start to become a near reality.
At this stage you’re going yo have zero pain, so bye-bye Mr Tylenol. I still took my arnica every day. You’ll have to continue sleeping with your head elevated but by this stage you’ll be able to breath almost perfectly through your nose so the dreaded dry mouth whilst sleeping won’t be an issue. You’ll also be using a saline spray (your post-op instruction will say to use 2 spray at night but you can use as much as you need). I read in one review that someone experienced a nose bleed when they used the spray, I didn’t have any issues which was awesome especially considering I’m prone to nosebleed. Dr R is going to really encourage you to continue to rest and relax, so boredom will be the only hurdle in this week.

2nd week post op appointment: just like with the first post- op, at this post- op you’re going to have your nose cleaned. This was totally painless and felt kinda relaxing as they have these cool chairs that turn into a bed, so those were fun!

*** interesting point to note: prior to surgery I had great breathing and smell. But during this week of recovery I started to notice how I was picking up notes in scents I had never smelt prior. I noticed this especially when wearing my perfume and could smell the different fragrance notes deeper than I did before the nose job. A happy bonus

The big reveal!!!! It’s a surreal experience to finally go through something you’ve dreamed of for so long. My original nose was Roman style, and to have a classic elegant nose look back at you, for me, it almost didn’t seem real.

Walk me through the ‘my nose won’t look like my end results’: when my cask came off, my results were ‘sharper’, I’ll explain what I mean. Just like my nose was a little too upturned last week, this week my nose was already starting to drop a bit. Your nose on your facial profile may seem to have sharper lines, but this will ‘soften’ out over the next few weeks. I also noticed my nostril nares had a slight size difference in this appointment, this will also come together in the next few weeks. The best example I can use to explain what I mean by ‘sharpen to softening out’ is when you take home a birkin from the store the leather will be a little stiff but once it relaxes it all comes together. Just like with a bag, your nose will need some time to soften and this stage will seem a little stiff.

So, was it worth it?: Oh heck yes, and actually I should have done this way sooner. I really thought getting a nose job was going to be this awful, painful and dramatic moment so I prepped and braced for a horrible recovery. To my surprise, I found the whole experience smooth and kinda uneventful. I never felt like I was hit by a bus when I woke up, or got raccoon eyes, experienced awful pain, or even got the dreaded post-op wake-up accompanied by puking. All the reasons I had stress and anxiety I had had going into the surgery, Dr R made sure they never became a reality. So do your research, pick a surgeon who is incredible (at his job not at dancing around a tiktok and cozying up to influencers- sorry I said it!) and get the nose! You’re in for a great ride

In February 2022, I had a Rhinoplasty with Dr Rady Rahban. I documented my journey from sourcing the correct surgeon, choosing Dr Rahban, preparation both physically and mentally, recovery and my initial results. I am now at the 9 month mark and though this beautiful journey is by no means at it's conclusion, because I am a firm believer that the joy from my rhinoplasty results, will reap rewards for many years to come, I wanted to write an update on what one can expect when they hit the 9 month mark.
In-depth reviews, helped me tremulously, so if this can help anyone else... here it comes.

Pain: Like with your 2 week recovery period, pain isn't an issue here. I'm not sure why but I had this odd fear that I would experience a 'regrowing of the bone' experience - insert Harry Potter reference- but that fear never came to fruition. The next couple of months will be painless.

Swelling: Dr Rahban warned me in great length to expect swelling and that salt could make my nose swell up. But in actual fact I didn't experience much of this at all. I do need to point out that I lead a very healthy lifestyle so my gut tells me that the combination of that, teamed with Dr Rahban's skill, swelling was very minimal for me. Your nose tip will be fully numb until around the 7 months mark which I oddly found to be a cool experience.

Changes in the nose: I went to a dinner 3 weeks post surgery, and all my friends loved the nose. This points out that you will be able to be 'public' ready as soon as your recovery is up. I did notice that my nose swelling did go down throughout the 9 months. This is a hard one to explain: essentially since I really hated my prior nose, post-cast I was a happy camper. But as time went on I just got happier and happier and this is correlated to the swelling going down, and the results revealing themselves more and more as time went on.

Mentally: Oh this is the point I want to really emphasize on. Getting my rhinoplasty really changed my life and I don't say this lightly. If you're someone who is thinking of getting a rhinoplasty, you know the feeling of looking at your nose every day and feeling yes, repulsed. It's a horrible experience.
Prior to my rhinoplasty my nose was the one thing I hated about my appearance. And yes, I know what you're going to say... no one else thought you had a bad nose, but this is a highly personal journey. Once I had the rhinoplasty, it was so interesting because I don't even think of my nose anymore. I look at my face with perfect contentment and for that I am not sure how I can ever thank Dr Rahban for doing that for me. Especially as leading up to my rhinoplasty I was so particular and I am sure I drove him and the whole team barking mad.

People who meet you post-rhinoplasty: When I tell someone new post-rhinoplasty and I tell them I've had a nose job, they are all shocked and their reaction ever time is 'but it's so natural'. Yup, this is EXACTLY why I picked Dr Rahban. My nose looks amazing on it's own, but what makes It look so natural is that it works harmously in collaboration with the rest of my features. This is the true testament to his skill as a surgeon.

Reputation and morals: I've written about this before, but I do not believe this should be overlooked and I might even go as far as to say overlooking this could lead to potentially disastrous results. Dr Rahban and the entirety of his team is a highly ethical. What I mean but this is, every single aspect of how they conduct themselves is fair, honest and just. From their pricing, guidance, work, skill and outlook. We all know that there are some scary things happening in the plastic surgery space, but Dr Rahban and his entire team are a superb practice, and the gold standard in the industry. Dr Rahban does not delegate even a botox needle to an apprentice--- by this I mean, every single thing you have done at his practice, even down to a unit of botox, HE is doing it. Which is why the results you get are consistently excellent across the board. Dr Rahban, HE is the one who sews you up, not an apprentice, that's why my scars are not visible. Unfortunately this is not the case with most other practices in the industry.

Wait times: I thought this was another important aspect to cover as I read a couple of reviews saying the wait time in his office can be long. This is the case but I want to explain how this a huge green flag for his practice.
Due to Dr Rahban not delegating even a needle to someone else, and refusing to rush any patients, his appointment run over which means your appointment may be running late. He's always apologetic about the wait but no apology is necessary for me because this shows he's being thorough with every patient of his. My advice would be that If you have a 2pm appointment ... don't make plans to meet a friend for lunch at 2.45 PM, just plan to see them at 3.30PM instead.

I hope this helps anyone thinking about getting a rhinoplasty. And I would like to thank Dr Rahban and his entire team for the great work they did for me. It has been a pleasure.