POSTED UNDER Rhinoplasty REVIEWS
Poor Results - Could Have Been Better
ORIGINAL POST
Could Have Been Better
BillyIIIJuly 10, 2022
$10,000
Went to Dr. Bressler in 2012 because I saw SarahMac's review. She had a bony nose like mine so I was hoping for similar results. I asked for a slightly scooped nose, but Dr. Bressler discouraged me from getting too "feminine" a nose saying I, as a man, should have a "Strong Roman nose." I didn't push back. Poor results, but I still preferred the new asymmetric over what I had. When I asked about the bony hump on one side, Bressler just told me not to worry about it. Lost trust in him since he couldn't be honest about the outcome.
Just went to Dr Athre for a revision after 10 years. Athre said it probably came out asymmetric last time because the original cartilage was also asymmetric. Doesn't explain why Bressler left a bony hump on one side though.
Will post the revision results once the swelling goes down.
Just went to Dr Athre for a revision after 10 years. Athre said it probably came out asymmetric last time because the original cartilage was also asymmetric. Doesn't explain why Bressler left a bony hump on one side though.
Will post the revision results once the swelling goes down.
BillyIII's provider
UPDATED FROM BillyIII
2 years post
10 years late but I finally got an answer - should have went with a better surgeon
BillyIIIJuly 19, 2022
I just had my revision with Dr Athre. I noticed the incision for the osteotome at the top of my nose was in the center so the tool would be able access and shave the bone on either side.
When Dr Bressler did the primary rhinoplasty, he left 2 incisions for an osteotome, but they were both on the same side. He didn't have a good working angle to make cuts directly under the incision site, so he left a large bony hump on that side while cutting deep on the other side. At least that's how I imagine it went seeing as I couldn't Dr Bressler since he ghosted me once he got his money.
When Dr Bressler did the primary rhinoplasty, he left 2 incisions for an osteotome, but they were both on the same side. He didn't have a good working angle to make cuts directly under the incision site, so he left a large bony hump on that side while cutting deep on the other side. At least that's how I imagine it went seeing as I couldn't Dr Bressler since he ghosted me once he got his money.
Replies (2)
July 1, 2023
Do recommend Athre? How was your experience
February 3, 2024
"Do recommend Athre? How was your experience"
Definitely not, but mine was a revision so maybe that affected the outcome. I went to him to get the bridge symmetric while leaving the tip alone and we seemed to have an understanding. But when it was done he gleefully proclaimed how he "refined my tip for me" (read cut half the cartilage out of the end of my nose so I've had a stranger come up to me asking if I was related to Tom Sturridge much to my dismay because I had drawn the same comparison a few weeks prior and had hoped I was overreacting). From what I can tell, he cut a chunk out of my columella deprojecting the tip of my nose and making my nostrils smaller which he wasn't supposed to do. Cut chunks off the contour of my nose tip from 3/4 view so it's just flat and has no form (generally nose tips are wider than the bridge) so a supratip-break is visible from the side but not the 3/4. The supratip-break from the side is incorrectly formed with a tent pole technique (literally feels like a misplaced twig poking up through my skin erroneously creating a singular pointed peak in the center of my nose rather than allowing the twin alar cartilage to form the tip by simply supporting the entire nose tip from the base (recall he did the opposite of support making the bridge proud of the squished tip.) And he tethered the inside of one of my nostrils shut so it's even smaller at 30% the size of the other. I brought my concerns up with him because I needed to know my options and he just repeatedly stonewalled me like "I don't see what your talking about". And his story kept changing when I tried to get details of precisely what alterations were made so I could be better informed for planning my next surgery. Since he wouldn't communicate with me, I requested the operative report hoping it would help inform the next surgeon but it turned out to be useless. (Referring to the male patient as a "She" and "her husband picked her up" presumably because I rebuffed the idea of a "strong roman masculine nose" and claiming that I wanted work done on the tip of my nose when I explicitly stated "The tip, tip angle, and nostrils are good. I just want the mid/upper portions reworked.") And it's still asymmetric, but I hadn't even hoped he would succeed in making it symmetric and was looking for an improvement. It's just that I was blindsided when he cut chunks of the tip of my nose off when he knew better. So the biggest thing for me is that he wouldn't help me understand what he changed so I wouldn't recommend him. But if you look at reviews, practically all doctors have good and bad reviews, all have good and bad bedside manner or communication skills etc. It's really a gamble. Maybe you should have a crystal clear outcome to communicate during the consultation and get the operative game plan so you can micromanage and approve or disapprove of any of their intended techniques? Or maybe if you're too specific you'll just be disappointed? (Although I don't think that applies here as his error was in being too eager with that knife. He could have just cut less and everything would have been fine.) May as well post this with the Dr Athre reviews instead of keeping it hidden in the Dr Bressler comments. I might add pics at the 2 year mark.
Definitely not, but mine was a revision so maybe that affected the outcome. I went to him to get the bridge symmetric while leaving the tip alone and we seemed to have an understanding. But when it was done he gleefully proclaimed how he "refined my tip for me" (read cut half the cartilage out of the end of my nose so I've had a stranger come up to me asking if I was related to Tom Sturridge much to my dismay because I had drawn the same comparison a few weeks prior and had hoped I was overreacting). From what I can tell, he cut a chunk out of my columella deprojecting the tip of my nose and making my nostrils smaller which he wasn't supposed to do. Cut chunks off the contour of my nose tip from 3/4 view so it's just flat and has no form (generally nose tips are wider than the bridge) so a supratip-break is visible from the side but not the 3/4. The supratip-break from the side is incorrectly formed with a tent pole technique (literally feels like a misplaced twig poking up through my skin erroneously creating a singular pointed peak in the center of my nose rather than allowing the twin alar cartilage to form the tip by simply supporting the entire nose tip from the base (recall he did the opposite of support making the bridge proud of the squished tip.) And he tethered the inside of one of my nostrils shut so it's even smaller at 30% the size of the other. I brought my concerns up with him because I needed to know my options and he just repeatedly stonewalled me like "I don't see what your talking about". And his story kept changing when I tried to get details of precisely what alterations were made so I could be better informed for planning my next surgery. Since he wouldn't communicate with me, I requested the operative report hoping it would help inform the next surgeon but it turned out to be useless. (Referring to the male patient as a "She" and "her husband picked her up" presumably because I rebuffed the idea of a "strong roman masculine nose" and claiming that I wanted work done on the tip of my nose when I explicitly stated "The tip, tip angle, and nostrils are good. I just want the mid/upper portions reworked.") And it's still asymmetric, but I hadn't even hoped he would succeed in making it symmetric and was looking for an improvement. It's just that I was blindsided when he cut chunks of the tip of my nose off when he knew better. So the biggest thing for me is that he wouldn't help me understand what he changed so I wouldn't recommend him. But if you look at reviews, practically all doctors have good and bad reviews, all have good and bad bedside manner or communication skills etc. It's really a gamble. Maybe you should have a crystal clear outcome to communicate during the consultation and get the operative game plan so you can micromanage and approve or disapprove of any of their intended techniques? Or maybe if you're too specific you'll just be disappointed? (Although I don't think that applies here as his error was in being too eager with that knife. He could have just cut less and everything would have been fine.) May as well post this with the Dr Athre reviews instead of keeping it hidden in the Dr Bressler comments. I might add pics at the 2 year mark.
Replies (0)