So Far So Good

As a commenter pointed out, it's hard to trust online reviews when they can be so easily faked. I have included screenshots of some emails I exchanged with Dr. Rahban's office, so hopefully they add to the veracity of my review.

I had my primary rhinoplasty with Dr. Rahban almost 2 months ago. I am an Asian female in my early 20s, and I traveled from out of state to have the procedure done. I will try to be very thorough in my review since I found the detailed reviews to be extremely helpful during my search process. I had a lot of struggles during recovery (not Dr. Rahban's fault), so hopefully my experience will help anyone else who goes through what I did.
Background: Growing up, I played many sports like soccer and basketball, and I distinctly remember several incidences where the ball hit my face and either left me in sneezing fits or with bloody noses. I'm not sure if these incidences impacted the development of my nose, but by the time I decided to have my rhinoplasty, the front of my nose was definitely crooked to one side, and I would have bloody noses several times each winter. I always thought this was normal and didn't realize until college that most people did NOT have bloody noses every winter. I'm not going to pretend that I had the surgery solely to improve my quality of life, as I was already used to this nuisance and always sleeping on my left side (only realized while looking for rhinoplasty that this preference stemmed from preferred breathing from one nostril due to my deviated septum). 
The primary reason I sought surgery was definitely cosmetic. I had never thought my side profile was pretty, but I didn't really think about it very much while I was growing up. I definitely preferred taking photos from the front though. My relatives always remarked how my nose bridge was so "high," i.e. not flat like many Asians, but they never said my nose was "pretty." During college, I took many more photos, and I remember hating all the pictures that showed my side profile. Although Asians prefer high nose bridges and often like slight dorsal humps, mine made my face much more masculine and angry-looking. I also had a hanging columella and under-projected tip that pointed slightly down.
Search for a surgeon: I began considering surgery last November, and I looked into surgeons in the NYC area and LA. I figured the two largest cities with high frequencies of plastic surgery would have many rhinoplasty experts. Through my search, I realized that a bad aesthetic outcome was not even the worst case. There were many horror stories on Realself and other forums where patients were left unable to breathe or severely deformed. I knew that I would not feel comfortable undergoing surgery with any surgeon who had this type of negative review. 
Some things I made sure to look for in a surgeon include (1) Many before and after photos that feature several angles, especially the front view. It is easy to create a beautiful side profile, but much harder to make sure the front looks natural, balanced/not lopsided, and pretty; (2) Performs many rhinoplasties each year / has some type of specialization in rhinoplasty. The Rhinoplasty Society is one organization that takes this into account when including surgeons; (3) Content and frequency of negative reviews - every surgeon makes mistakes, but what KIND of mistakes are they making? A slightly too bulbous nose? Or leaving a patient with a collapsed nose? Some negative reviews complain about waiting 45 minutes for their consultation, which I don't mind too much. Obviously waiting can be annoying, but I'd rather wait to speak with a surgeon who will give me an amazing nose than have a terrible surgeon who is available to talk to me 24/7; (4) experience with revision rhinoplasty: this might not be totally necessary, but for me, I felt like surgeons who are very successful with revision rhinoplasty know the importance of maintaining structural integrity of the nose the first time around. 
When Covid happened, I began to more seriously consider rhinoplasty. By the time I had my consultation with Dr. Rahban scheduled, I had already narrowed down my search to 3 surgeons, all in SoCal. I think my reasoning may differ from other people in that I place less importance in the consultation. I did more of my homework before the consultation, checking out any literature the surgeon had published, reading their philosophies on rhinoplasty, etc. I used the consultation more as a final check - were there any red flags? Did we get along and have similar visions for my nose? Did the surgeon seem understanding/patient/able to explain everything? 
Consultation: I had my consultation with Dr. Rahban virtually in March. I sent some photos of myself from various angles in advance, and he FaceTimed me. When I stated my issues with my nose, he agreed with my analysis. I forgot to mention 1 or 2 other things and he pointed them out, so I was really delighted that he noticed the exact same things without me telling him (bulbous tip, wide nasal bridge bones). I had already really liked him and he was in my top two surgeons before the call. The call really solidified it for me. He mentioned he would use fascia and use a technique called DCF (diced cartilage fascia). I made sure to take note of this and researched it later. He also talks about his anesthesiologists, which was important to me, and he has used the same doctor anesthesiologists for years. Many times when patients become vegetative or die during surgery, it is the fault of the anesthesiologist, and people who are not full doctors are legally allowed to administer anesthesia. I forget now if they are nurses or have some other certification, but you can easily find this information online. 
Committing to Dr. Rahban: Dr. Rahban's overall aesthetic / eye for aesthetics really matched my preferences. His results are natural and fit each person's unique face. I also knew that with Dr. Rahban I wouldn't have to fear never breathing through my nose again. He does a septoplasty with every rhinoplasty and a mild turbinate reduction. This means that the aesthetic changes will at worst leave you with the same level of breathing before and at best improve your breathing a lot! I found that communication with his office was very easy. His quote for my surgery was 16.5k, and I paid a deposit to schedule my surgery date. 
Pre-surgery: I flew to LA a few days before surgery. I had my surgery on a Wednesday, so I had my Covid test on the Monday (48 hours before) at the location Dr. Rahban's office recommended. The day before my surgery I had my in person consultation with Dr. Rahban. I picked up my prescriptions from The Prescription Center in Beverly Hills afterwards, where I received some anti-nausea medication, pain killers, antibiotics, and sprays. 
Day of Surgery: My surgery was scheduled for 11 AM, and my call time was 10AM to South Pacific Surgery Center. There were two surgeries before mine, and I remember feeling anxious. I had not eaten or had anything to drink in a long time, which was really hard for me since I typically drink a lot of water. I think if I could do things over again, I would request to be the earliest surgery of the day since the dehydration was both uncomfortable and made it difficult to start my IV (makes veins harder to find). The nurse who tended to me in the waiting room was really nice. He was supposed to start my IV, but he wasn't able to since my veins were really hard to find due to my dehydration. He told me my veins were "rolling," and tried pricking my elbow-area vein a few times. I felt really dizzy and almost fainted, so we gave it a rest. He then tried starting the IV in my hand, but that still wasn't successful. He called in an older nurse who was also unsuccessful. They said the anesthesiologist would start my IV instead. If you have a history of having difficult veins to find for the IV, I'd suggest just letting the nurse know and waiting for the anesthesiologist. 
I was feeling extremely anxious by the time I went to the surgery room because getting pricked around was not fun, and I was worried the anesthesiologist would not be able to get it either. It was totally silly though since anesthesiologists are literally the best at this, and Dr. Houston (the anesthesiologist who has worked with Dr. Rahban for years) was a pro. She was so nice and reassuring, and she got the IV in one go. They put some weighted blanket thing on my legs and something covering my face to give me oxygen. I remember asking her to tell me when she starts sedating me because I wanted to see if I could remember her telling me. I don't remember her saying anything because next thing I remember is waking up in the recovery room. 
I didn't feel any pain in my nose or my throat, but I wound up throwing up in the recovery room. I feel really bad for the nurse, but he was so nice. He helped me get changed and gave me a barf bowl (kidney-shaped bowl) to take home. When I got back to my airbnb, it was already 5PM. I ate some yogurt and ice cream. I threw up one more time, but I had no pain. I could only breathe through my mouth since I had packing up my nose, and I kept the barf bowl near my bed the entire night. I "slept" upright with 3 pillows and a neck pillow (traveling type). I remember falling asleep for like 30 minute increments and giving up at around 4AM or 5AM and just getting up. 
1st week of Recovery: Overall my first week of recovery was extremely miserable. I could not breathe through my nose whatsoever. I removed my own packing two days after surgery, but I still could not breathe due to mucus, blood, and all that good stuff. Aside from needing to mouth breathe, which was uncomfortable due to mouth dryness, the nose plugging made me feel pressure in my head (like when your ears pop on a plane). Every time I swallowed food, it felt worse. Also trying to mouth breathe while eating was so scary because I was afraid I would choke. Drinking water to take the antibiotic was also terrible since the antibiotic pill was so large. I needed a large gulp of water, which was so difficult to swallow. It caused so much pressure build up, and it would cause a snot bubble to form in my nostril every time. Gross. 
During this week I took my antibiotics and a Medrol dose pack (oral steroids) for swelling. My swelling was horrible the day after surgery. I think exactly 24 hours after surgery was the peak of my swelling, with the area around my eyes looking extremely puffy. The 2nd day my swelling was immediately subsided a lot. It could have been due to the Medrol pack or just the natural course. I had bruising under my eyes that also subsided. By the end of the week, I didn't have noticeable swelling, but the bruises under my eyes were yellow. 
2nd week of Recovery: At my cast removal (6 days post-op), I remember feeling shocked. I didn't recognize myself at all. Dr. Rahban let me see myself, and I remember walking over, saying "Ok," and then coming back to the chair. He cleaned out some of my nose and told me I was a "Mucus-y girl" LOL. So I guess the not being able to breathe at all and being plugged up was abnormal and just that I produce a lot of mucus. I've always been pretty boogery, so it seems to add up. He taped me up and told me I could start using saline spray to help with my mucus. 
That night I used the saline spray, and when I went to bed, disaster struck. I woke up one hour into sleep to a lot of blood running down my throat. I freaked out and didn't know what to do. I called his office (it was midnight), and saw there was a 24/7 hotline. I connected to someone who reached out to Dr. Rahban, who called me back 2 minutes later. He gave me instructions to pack my own nose, which I followed. It stopped bleeding after 10 minutes or so, but it was definitely worrying. I was so scared I would need to go to the ER to have my nose cauterized or something. Since I was so worried, I looked online to check for anecdotes and research on how post-surgery epistaxis impacts the result. I grew less worried since on Yelp I saw a review of a girl under Dr. Rahban's care who also had a nose bleed. Her case turned out fine, so I was more reassured. 
During this week I discovered the Biotene mouth gel. I used it at night and it helped with mouth dryness SO MUCH. This was the biggest pro-tip I got (from a dentist on Reddit - thanks!), and once I started using it, I was able to sleep for more than 1 hour consecutively. Previously my dry mouth would wake me up, and I would be forced to sip water throughout the night. 
2nd week Post-Op: At the 2 week post-op, Dr. Rahban removed my nasal tapes. I was really swollen, and again he let me look at my result. I think I just said, "Oh ok." He didn't seem fazed or disappointed or anything, but I realize in retrospect that it's probably a bit disappointing to hear a patient react like that. He told me that I needed to do nasal massages since he had to perform osteotomies and that my nasal bridge bones seemed to be drifting back to their original position. This is not common, apparently, so I guess I won the rhinoplasty lottery once again. 
Next few weeks: I did my nasal massages religiously because I was afraid of my nose winding up super wide. I still slept with at least 3 pillows (but lying down instead of upright) and my neck pillow to make sure I didn't roll over in my sleep. The swelling in my bridge came down a lot, and I became more used to how my nose looked. I also used the nasal sprays (a steroid spray and a saline spray). One thing to note that I found online is that you should be careful to use the spray correctly - pointed outwards - so it doesn't damage your septum. I suspect my original nose bleed could have had something to do with incorrect spray use. I do wish Dr. Rahban had been more clear / gave a warning about the importance of correct technique, but I guess for anyone who reads this, a pro-tip is to look online for a video on good technique. 
6 week post-op: At this post-op Dr. Rahban cleared me to do everything again (exercise). There wasn't anything that memorable from this post-op other than that he gave me a steroid shot. Again, he mentioned that this is extremely rare and he generally does not advise steroid shots, but that sometimes it's necessary to prevent excessive supratip swelling which could lead to excess scar tissue formation. He taped the supratip area again and told me I could remove the tape the next day. I guess I kind of feel bad because at none of my post-ops was I really gushing about my results, but I really am happy with my results. I guess I'm just not as emotive or expressive. 
Overall thoughts so far: I'm now almost 2 months post op and I really am very happy with my results. I've been taking some pictures just for myself to see how my swelling progresses, and I remember thinking for the first time in my life that my side profile looks pretty. I still have swelling in the front, but the tip is already much more refined than before. If this is my final result, I'd be very happy, so any additional refinement from decreased swelling would just be the cherry on top. 
I'm really happy Dr. Rahban was the one to perform my surgery! Given how uncomfortable recovery was for me, I'm really glad everything was done right the first time, since I don't think I would ever want to undergo a revision. Dr. Rahban is extremely knowledgeable, ethical, skilled, and charismatic. I can confidently recommend him to anyone who is looking to have rhinoplasty done. 
And to Dr. Rahban if you see this review - you probably know who I am based on the details I've provided. I'm sorry if I didn't seem very enthusiastic during my post-op appointments, but I really am very happy with everything! 
****Lastly, I know there will be requests for me to post photos, but unfortunately I am not comfortable with that for privacy reasons.****