If You Want a Natural Look, Go for Dr. Chaboki

I've never felt compelled to write a review for anything in my life, including the Mexican restaurant I've religiously eaten at every date night for the past five years (if you're in D.C. go to El Sol, ya'll). But Dr. Chaboki has really delivered and I can't say sing his praises high enough.

My nose was initially large with a pretty extreme dorsal hump. The tip pointed downwards when I smiled and didn't fit with my face. I had a few injuries from playing sports when I was younger and it was difficult to breathe, not to mention my septum was rather deviated. I was teased in middle/high school for the appearance of my nose and had debated for several years whether to get surgery. My reluctance boiled down to feeling worried that friends and family would judge me for getting a "nose job," which I now realize is ridiculous (as a general life philosophy I recommend you live your best life, but that's a topic for another time) and relevant here because not a single person noticed I had "work" done due to the natural look Dr. Chaboki perfects.

I am a professional skeptic (read: lawyer) and consulted with a handful of surgeons before choosing Dr. Chaboki. I chose him over others because of his caution, reputation, and preciseness. Let me repeat, if you are in the market for an incredibly natural look and want to breathe like you've just taken your first breath, book your surgery now.

Okay, so the breathing. I'm not exaggerating when I tell you I woke up from this surgery feeling like I did when I first got glasses. I had no idea that other people were out here breathing so well! Seriously, I felt like how I imagine one of those snakehead fish feels crawling out of the water for the first time and realizing it can breathe on land. I remember going for a run the first time four or so weeks after surgery and gagging a little because I could so vividly smell the garbage in a dumpster. And yes, I can smell the cherry blossoms or whatever better too. Conveniently, Dr. Chaboki is a trained ENT, so if breathing is a priority for you, or even just a hobby you enjoy, he is your guy.

Now on the to the cosmetic considerations. Like I said, I had seen a handful of surgeons and felt uneasy with all of them. A few tried to sell me on additional procedures (if I wanted a chin implant I'd flag that before coming in, thanks), one said he didn't really focus on noses but would give it "a go" (internal screaming), and one told me I'd be so much more beautiful with a better nose (negging is not a business practice I intended to support). Dr. Chaboki was a literal and metaphorical breath of fresh air. He is extremely professional, kind, and seems to genuinely care about his patients. He encouraged me to come in a few different times to ensure that we were on the same page about expected results. He also gave me his personal number for any post-op concerns and is very responsive.

In full disclosure, Dr. Chaboki did my primary septo-rhinoplasty and also a minor revision. I don't think he did a bad job on the first procedure (my nose was still drastically improved) it just didn't heal correctly due to some unforeseen issues with the spreader grafts he put in to prevent valve collapse, and also a difference in opinion on how scooped the profile should be. In my initial appointment I had requested a scooped/upturned nose, and looking back I'm so glad he talked me out of the disaster I was asking for. As we all tend to want what he don't have, living with a large hump and downward pointing nose, I was desperate for the complete opposite. Dr. Chaboki said my breathing would be impacted if he took too much out of the hump and didn't want to create a very upturned profile. He seems to have a keen sense on how the nose will age and how what he does will impact your breathing in the future. I'll just emphasize one last time how much I now appreciate his willingness to challenge my request for a microscopic pig nose. What I got instead is a nose that I think you could put a protractor on and it would reflect the exact angle they teach you in plastic surgery school to work towards (several other doctors confirmed this). In other words, he is a realistic, pragmatic, and smart surgeon. I'm not saying go along with anything a doctor tells you (in fact, I'd recommending questioning EVERYTHING and not moving forward until you fully understand each step, insurance code, and the justification behind each decision made), but I definitely respect his willingness to explain why what I wanted was not necessarily a great idea and temper my expectations based on what he felt comfortable performing. One last note on this point--if you ARE looking for a drastically altered, trendy nose that may not withstand the test of time and are not concerned at all about function, you are truthfully better off going somewhere else. His conservative style is reflected well in the pictures on his website.

Lastly, it's worth mentioning that he was hesitant to do a revision and encouraged me to get a few second opinions before moving forward. If you've ever broken up with a significant other only to realize how good you actually had it, you'll understand the feeling I had meeting with a handful of surgeons in the DMV area. You definitely want a surgeon confident enough to stand by and defend his work, but also willing to revise so as to meet your individual expectations. Dr. Chaboki is that surgeon.

TL;DR: If you want a natural, improved look and like to breath I highly recommend Dr. Chaboki. He is compassionate, skilled, respected, and will deliver precisely what he promises. Lastly, shout-out to Janet in his office who handles scheduling/billing and is an all around fantastic human as well. They both deserve the hype!