Bye Bye Bump - Thank you Dr. Nayak!

I'm a couple weeks past the 3 month mark and I'm very happy with my new nose. The bump is finally gone WHOOHOOO!!! There were some ups and downs along the way but through it all Dr. Nayak has been wonderful. I wouldn't hesitate to recommend him. I always felt safe and knew I was in good hands with him and his staff. I included several before and after pictures. I hope these help anyone considering getting a nose job. Definitely go see Dr. Nayak.

Below sums up my journey...

Background: My old nose had a bump and was crooked, especially on one side. In certain lighting my old nose looked terrible (see pics) but to be honest as much as I was aware my old nose was far from perfect, it never caused me any real life issues other than being somewhat self conscious in close up pictures.

Consultation: The first time Dr. Nayak walked into the room I felt like a celebrity had entered. He's funny, laid back, and so easy to talk to. He asked me what I didn't like about my nose and I mentioned the bump and crookedness. He then went on to tell me how the "tip" is so important and how he'd pull my nostrils down on the sides and remove the "droopy" tip. Up until this point I had never even heard the phrase "droopy tip" so this was all new to me. But I really appreciated Dr. Nayak's suggestions, because if it was up to me I would have just said "shave down the bump" but he explained there is so much more to the nose. He did the 3D imaging and to be honest I wasn't blown away. The new 3D image looked better but in the back of my mind I was thinking about $$ too. Never the less I went home and thought things over.

Decision making: I learned on this site that most people book their surgery several months out. I did the quite the opposite. I rushed the decision and within a couple weeks I was in surgery. I was really on the fence about getting a nose job (only about 50% sure) but I ultimately decided that if I didn't do it, that I would regret it. So I booked it asap because I didn't want to sit around overthinking things.

Dr. Nayak: As wishy-washy as I am the only thing I was confident in was my decision with going with Dr. Nayak. His credentials are truly outstanding and his well respected reputation for being a top plastic surgeon in the St. Louis area confirmed I was making the right decision. After all, he is the "nose ninja"... (I also had two friends that went to him years prior and had nothing but good things to say)

Surgery Day: I had three goals surgery day. 1. Get to appt on time 2. Wake up from surgery 3. Get home safely. Surprisingly I wasn't that nervous surgery morning. I was ready to get it over with, that's for sure. My blood pressure was back to normal that morning (it had been high a couple weeks prior) so the nurse asked me what had changed. I jokingly told her Christmas music had helped and when I went into the operation room they turned Christmas music on. I thought that was pretty funny. Next they asked me what cocktails I wanted from the bar and the last thing I remember was the brain monitor going on. I woke up later and was giving some fluids. All the women I encountered at Dr. Nayak's office were very nice and pleasant to work with. Gina was especially awesome!

Snapchat: I let Dr. Nayak record my surgery because he said I would be able to see my "after" nose... I couldn't watch the actual surgery clips but I did see the picture of my nose when it was done. I had mixed feelings about it and definitely over analyzed things the week the cast was on.

Recovery: I never had any pain so I didn't even take any of the heavy painkillers prescribed. There was a lot of discomfort from not being about to breathe through my nose (especially at night when trying to sleep) but that only lasted about a week or two. The part I was not prepared for was the mental and emotional process. I turned into a big cry baby the week the cast was on. In fact, I went into full blown regret mode. I started reading horror stories on this site and couldn't help but wonder why I actually had my face chiseled down when my nose didn't even bother me that bad.

My incision looked flawless after surgery (never left marks and didn't scar). I didn't even realize my nose had been cut until I read some stories on here and then decided to take a closer look.

Cast removal day: I didn't want to go; I was a nervous wreck!!! When I saw myself after the cast was removed, I burst into tears. I wasn't happy or sad, just overwhelmed. The bump was gone.

My new nose: I had some questions and concerns the day after my cast removal and Dr. Nayak was nice enough to take my call and answer everything. I felt a million times better after speaking with him. I didn't realize back then how swollen my face was. Everything just looked off, but it was due to swelling. So I urge everyone to give your body time to heal. Don't go into freak out mode so quickly like I did.


3 months later: Today I'm very happy with my new nose. The bump is gone and my nose is straighter. To be honest, I don't wake up every morning and go running to the mirror. I hardly even focus on my nose. When I do look in the mirror, I see the same person. But when I look in the mirror and slightly tilt my head, (and don't see that old bump) then I'm one happy chick!

If you're thinking about getting a nose job then definitely go see Dr. Nayak. I hope he never leaves St. Louis because if I ever develop the turkey neck or need a facelift then he will be my go to guy!

I'm sharing some new pictures & feelings since I'm about five months out. I'm much more at peace now with my decision to have this surgery. I was pretty hard on myself because of the cost but I'm at peace with the cost now. I've paid off the surgery and I'm happy with my outcome. I still have some numbness in my tip so I expect more small changes with time. Some days my nose looks a tad swollen but I try not to focus on it. I did go through a rollercoaster of emotions in the beginning but mostly because of the financial part and my nose had lots of uneven swelling in the beginning. So please give your body time to heal if go through with surgery. The pictures I'm posting do not have any filters or changes. My bump is gone and my nose is straighter. I'm very happy I went with Dr. Nayak. If you're considering him then follow him on snapchat. You'll get to see his surgeries & outcomes along with a glimpse into his personal life. He's always on the go!

Pictures from my Vegas trip! And I found Dr. Nayak on my flight out via Southwest!!