Septo-rhinoplasty by Dr. Torgerson - Toronto, ON

I'm writing a review of Dr. Cory Torgerson because I believe sharing my experience could help others in a similar situation to me make a decision. I had a septo-rhinoplasty performed by Dr. Cory Torgerson in April of 2016, however I initially had a consultation appointment with him in the spring of 2014 through OHIP. To provide some background, I have never (until now) been able to fully breathe out of my left nostril, and having a cold or congested nose only made it worse. When I was around 5-years-old I suffered a massive fall on a concrete floor and directly hit my nose, which caused my septum to deviate (blocking the air passing through my left nostril) and my nose to appear slightly crooked. Over time my breathing became quite irritating, especially when physically active. I finally decided to seek some medical advice and was referred to Dr. Torgerson in March of 2014. When I first saw Dr. Torgerson I was very nervous about the possibility of having "plastic surgery." I generally do not care about how I look, and consider myself not to be concerned with superficial features. Initially I was hoping to have my breathing problems fixed without changing my appearance. Admittedly, and somewhat ironically, I was worried about being judged for having a procedure that would change my appearance. That being said, my primary reason for seeking advice was to correct my breathing problems. He immediately understood where I was coming from and very carefully explained my options without making me feel pressured or uncomfortable. I could go forward through OHIP, and have him or another ENT fix the deviated septum, which is covered by the province. I could also go the private route, and have a couple of other procedures done concurrently that would also help my breathing while straightening my nose as well. My breathing problems, as it turns out, were not solely a result of the deviated septum, but also due to the crooked shape of my nose due to the injury. He also very gently suggested that if I am to go into surgery and put myself through the hassle, that it would be a good opportunity to fix the shape of my nose - but only if I wanted to. Since I had been living with the injury for several years, part of me felt the crookedness was a part of what I should look like. Dr. Torgerson asked if I had suffered the injury at my current age, would I want to fix it? I thought that probably, I would want to fix it. He told me to think it over and come back in a month. For my second appointment, he was equally as helpful and did not pressure me into anything. Almost two years later, after thinking about it very carefully and seeking a second and third opinion (both ENTs who concurred Dr. Torgerson's analysis), I decided to move forward. I figured that if I was to go under the knife, I may as well maximize my breathing potential, have an ENT who is also a cosmetic surgeon perform the surgery (as opposed to just an ENT), and fix the injury (crookedness) to my nose - after all, I concluded that I was not changing an innate feature, and would look like and feel like "me" afterwards. I had an imaging appointment where Dr. Torgerson took pictures of my face from several different angles, and then using software called "Vectra" he was able to patch together a 3D image of my face and digitally show me the changes he could make. He very clearly understood my priorities - to fix my breathing, straighten out my nose to what it would look like had I not injured it, and make the physical changes in appearance to my nose as subtle as possible. If you are someone who is looking for something a little more drastic in terms of changes to your appearance, I asked him what he could do if I wanted more changes, and he said quite a bit, so rest assured he is capable of accommodating your needs - which is an approach I was seeking in a surgeon and one of the reasons I went with Dr. Torgerson. I was happy with the imaging (his office can email you a PDF of the image - both your current appearance and post-op projection) and booked my surgery. The pre-op preparation was straightforward - a blood test, physical at a walk-in clinic, and a chest x-ray. I didn't drink alcohol or caffeine for about 3 weeks before surgery as well - a good excuse for a detox. On the day of surgery I was very nervous but still very sure of my decision. It took about 2-3 hours, I was under general anesthesia but woke up fairly aware and not in much pain (a little, however not as much as I anticipated). The only discomfort over the following several days was the congestion - I could not breathe out of my nose at all due to the swelling, which is normal. I was bruised under my eyes and generally swollen in my face (my cheeks down to my chin). Dr. Torgerson said I may feel a little numb in the area below my nose and above my lip, which I experienced for about 2-3 weeks, the sensation slowly dissipating over time. My surgery was on a Wednesday, and I took the rest of the week and the week after off, however I was able to work from home (on my laptop, not physical labour) a week to the day after my surgery. For the week I did not work, I stayed inside, watched TV, and ate soft foods. He prescribed an appropriate amount of pain medication, anti-inflammatory medication, and an antibiotic to prevent infection. My nose bled very slightly for almost a week, I taped gauze below my nostrils and replaced it once or twice daily - this was all normal and to be expected. My cast, which covered my nose from just below my eyes down to the tip, was removed on the Tuesday after my surgery (6 days later) and my nose was still quite swollen - I could see that it was straight, however the overall results take weeks to eventually show. I went back to work (in-person) the second Monday after the surgery, and by that time the bruising was mostly gone (it was no longer dark purple in colour, now a jaundice-like yellow in a few spots) and the swelling was only in my nose, not in other parts of my face. I felt great, and couldn't be happier about the result at that point. It has been a little over two months since my surgery, and the swelling is almost entirely gone. Dr. Torgerson said it could take about three months for it to fully settle. My nose still feels a little different, almost as if there is still a cast on it or something, however I notice it less and less with each day. My nose is straight, I'm breathing like I have never before, and several people haven't even noticed the changes (which is what I wanted!). Those that know me well, however, can see the difference, and we all agree that this is how I am "supposed" to look. And I can breathe easy about that! I highly recommend Dr. Torgerson.