Like everyone else on here I had wanted to have...
Like everyone else on here I had wanted to have rhinoplasty for a very long time and spent many years thinking and obsessing over it. My goals and to-do lists for years and years always included to "get a nose job". When I was in my preteens I remember feeling like my nose was too big for my face but whoever I told this to including my parents would say don't worry you'll grow into it. In my teens and adulthood my nose seemed to get even bigger and the rest of face never caught up. Not only that but it seemed like my nose started leaning to the right and I self-diagnosed a deviated septum even before the doctor confirmed it for me. I don't recall ever being hit in the face that severely but my surgeon said that as a child because we're still growing any bit of trauma can make it grow unevenly. He even suggested it could've been caused by the smushing of my face at birth! Because of this crookedness I've always favoured my right side in photos and when talking to people. I would never look at a camera straight on because the crookedness is the most pronounced at that angle. My left side has also always been my worse side because of the way it stretches to the right making it look longer and bigger. I have learned my angles over the years and got really good at it so that in most photos my nose looks fine; but nonetheless I want to look good in person and in photos and at every angle and not be self conscious about this anymore.
One year ago January I contacted my surgeon to book a consultation and was put on a year plus waiting list. I have 2 friends who went to see Dr Warren and their results are amazing so even though I spent a couple of years researching doctors I kept coming back to him. I got the call for the consultation exactly one year later and was booked in to see Dr warren the following week. The consultation was great and I was happy that dr warren was seeing exactly what I saw and didnt like. He said he was impressed by how I seemed like an intelligent person with realistic expectations and not asking him to transplant someone else's nose onto my face (a lot of people expect this apparently). I mentioned that I had a very important event in a few months and they were able to get me in sooner due to a cancellation.
2 weeks later I checked in at 915 for surgery. I was seen by a couple of nurses and anesthesiologist and Dr Warren came in to draw on my nose and take photos. I remember the operating room was very warm and I climbed up and pretty soon was out. I remember waking up with strips of moist gauze covering my eyes my throat feeling extremely sore and dry and my legs and body shaking. I told the nurse I can't stop shaking but she reassured me that it was normal and would stop soon. I didn't really feel any pain just overall soreness and dizziness. I spent some more time in recovery until the nurse felt I was ready to be picked up and called my fiance. They did mention that what was supposed to be a 2 hour surgery went for 4 because dr warren wanted it to be perfect. I was home by about 4:30 and spent the rest of the night lying on the couch eating soup and drifting in and out of sleep.
6th day post op
Today is the 6th day after my surgery day and I feel pretty good. Sleeping is still not great considering that I still haven't been able to breathe from my nose even though I got the splints out yesterday. My fiance said I was snoring last night! My sinuses are very congested but I'm too afraid to clean it out on the inside. I sneezed this morning and immediately felt the pressure on my cast so I think I'll definitely not try to blow my nose or anything.
Still get headaches and dizzy spells but I switched to regular tylonal at about day 4 and it has been helping. Lots of water and eating good helps as well. I noticed that I feel the worst right when I wake up but start to get better as I get some food in.
My stitches weren't ready to be taken out yesterday so I have to wait until tomorrow, although they do feel itchy and not painful. Cast off is on Friday and I can't wait, it's definitely getting tiring to wear this thing!
Cast off today!
I got my cast off this morning! First impression: I kind of feel like shrek or avatar as I've read on here lol but i know it is just the swelling. I had mixed feelings when I first saw myself in the mirror and my fiance and mom didnt really react at the first look so i feel super self-conscious BUT I do really like my new profile and I can see a really cute nose poking through all the swelling. I just dont see "me" and thats a bit scary! I hope the tip gets more defined because I feel like its all one big blob right now. To me it definitely looks 'operated' on. I'm pretty sure my nostrils should even out a bit more and not look so "stapled". I couldn't wait to get home and put on some makeup and that made me feel 10 times better. The skin is weird and flaky and peeling like everyone said but I gently exfoliated and put on a ton of foundation.
It still feels fresh (9 days post op today) and im congested. i continue to mouth breathe a lot of the time. I go back for another follow up next Tuesday I'm assuming Dr Warren will see if I have to tape because the nurse said it doesnt look I need it. I have not seen him since my surgery but I hope I do so I can ask about the tip.
Overall I think its a big improvement from what it was and I hope everything settles by Tuesday when I go back to work!
Cast off day 2
Just some photos - 10 days post op, cast off day 2
2 Weeks postop
Today is 2 weeks post op and I am back to normal life. I went back to work yesterday and it was better than I thought. Most people said they didnt notice much of a difference which Im glad because I wasnt looking for a HUGE change, just an improvement. The people I didnt tell didnt say anything at all. I also think that the swelling is making it look a bit weird but whoever I told that to said that I don't look weird at all, so who knows. One thing for sure thats bugging me a lot is my smile, hopefully it wont be too much longer before it comes back.
I think Im in the awkward stage where my nose looks a bit odd to me and doesnt quite feel like "my" face or nose, but I've read thats all pretty normal and pretty soon it'll feel more like "mine". Overall Im happy with the shape but a couple of days ago I noticed that my tip, columella and nostrils are slightly leaning back to the right same as the deviation preop. Its not huge but I can definitely see the angle trying to come back. Ive read a lot about septo-rhinolasty for congenital crooked noses and its very common for the cartilage to try and bounce back to its previous shape because it has kind of a memory. I told the Dr and he said to gently push it to the opposite side for 1 minutes 3 x a day. I hope it works!! If it stays like this I will be happy because its still a huge improvement but if it gets any worse I'll have to look at other options. Probably not a revision but maybe theres a way to push it back straight, maybe fillers or something. Its still really early so Im not going to jump the gun and worry about it - it could just be uneven swelling after all! i have noticed that it changes every day and the swelling is up or down depending on how active Ive been. I walked quite a bit today and noticed the swelling inside increase quite a bit. The Dr also told me to start taping to keep the tip from coming down but Im hoping it comes down just a tiny bit more because I feel like I have michael jackson nostrils (i really dont but it just feels like that cuz Im not used to having my tip so high lol). Im still looking forward to the changes and seeing the final result!
3 Weeks Post op
I saw my surgeon yesterday and he said everything looks good except for the slight asymmetry of the septum trying to bend back. He said that once he opened up my nose he saw that my septum was more severely crooked than he initially thought and he had to remove the very bent part up near the back. He also said that at this point we really have no idea how it will settle but if anything goes wrong it is fixable. I am happy with the way it is now so I'm doing the pushing exercises to hopefully keep it this way! He also mentioned that my nose will get smaller and more defined which I was happy to hear from him. Honestly, I haven't been obsessing as much as I thought I would over my nose at this point; I think because I've spent years on this website reading reviews so I know there is no point on focusing on it right now because its too soon and a lot can change in the coming months. I take a couple of progress pics a day and that's about it. I did catch my reflection at a store the other day and thought wow what a difference! :):) Overall I'm still very pleased, and I have to mention that my interactions with Dr Warren and his coordinator Tracy have been amazing. The follow up and after care has been exceptional, I feel at ease and like I'm in good hands.
1 Month Post op
I'm 1 month post op today and I just wanted to share some pics. The swelling has come down quite a bit, especially from profile view. I have been taping and doing the compression exercises everyday. It's even getting a bit sore on my right side where I have been pressing lol
I noticed my right nostril is still a vertical oval as opposed to the left which has come down to a horizontal oval shape. This might even be the reason that it looks more crooked than it really is. My doctor said this is normal at this stage and we just have to give it more time. My breathing is good but still gets congested here and there but saline spray really helps. Overall still happy :)
4 Months Post Op
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19 Jun 2016
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4 months post
It's been 4 months post op and my nose has been the farthest from my mind these days, which probably means everything is going well! It's not perfect, it's still a bit crooked but I'm happy with it. I had my 3 months post op last month and the doctor seems to be pleased with my results so far. He said it will still get a little bit smaller as I near the one year mark. The only thing I'm worried about is a dent on my bridge but We have to wait and see if it will disappear once the skin shrink wraps a bit more. You can only see it in a flash photo like the one I posted, otherwise it's not noticeable. I still breath really loud and I clean my nostrils with a q-tip every day cuz when it gets stuffy I have trouble breathing but I've stopped taping. My tip went down a bit but nothing crazy. I have noticed it's getting a bit more defined but I have pretty thin skin so the swelling was not as obvious from the start. I'm going to see my doctor again at 6 months but I'll try and post an update before then!!
8 Months Post: Might need a slight revision
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25 Oct 2016
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8 months post
I'm now 8 months post op and although I still think my doctor did an amazing job, some parts of my nose just don't seem to be healing properly. On the left side there is a bump that has formed which is exacerbated by an indent directly below. Almost seems like a separation is forming between the bridge and the tip. The right side is nothing like this and completely smooth. Also my right nostrils never settled and is a bit high and a different shape than my left. Other than that I'm super happy with my nose and when I compare my pre-op to now I'm still so amazed. I have an appointment in December and hopefully will have some answers on what can be done with the issues I have. If it means another full on surgery I really have to think about it but if it will be a minor surgery I will do it for sure.
1 Year Later and Minor Revision
I saw my doctor in December and showed him my concerns and I'm so glad that he saw what I saw and suggested a minor revision. At first he suggested we use filler for the dent but it wouldn't be permanent (1 year) but then when he inspected my nostril he said that would definitely require a cartilage graft so we could do both in one appointment and use a fat transfer from my stomach for the dent. A tiny piece of cartilage would be removed from my septum and placed at the edge of my nostril to round it out.
On Feb. 14 I had my second surgery under general anesthesia and was told it would only be a minor 30 minute procedure. When I woke up I think it was a little longer than that, maybe 1 hour, but it was still short nonetheless. I also had to wait a while to start the surgery as the doctor finished an earlier facelift that was taking forever... I waited about 3-4 hours already prepped for surgery! Apparently the morning face lift took longer than expected and that knocked everyone else down by a few hours. Mine was the last one of the day and we finished around 7:00 pm.
This time around I felt waaaay more loopy after waking up but the discomfort was almost non-existent compared to my initial surgery. My husband said I was pretty funny but I don't remember anything I said. I didn't feel any pain whatsoever and I was eating normally by that evening - not a liquid diet like before! I didn't even need any painkillers. The hoarseness in my throat from the breathing tube went away after a few hours. I still had to wear tape and a bandage for 4 days but it wasn't a cast like last time. I also had a bandage on my belly button where they removed the fat. That area was probably worse than my face; it was swollen and bruised and sore for a couple of weeks. It also got really stiff and hard at the removal site for a couple of weeks which they said was normal; I can't imagine getting lipo on a big area if it gets sore and rock-hard like that!!
I was out and about by the next day, shopping and walking the dog. I did get a lot of stares but I didn't mind. I got the tape off on Friday and my nose got puffy again like last time. I also had slight bruising on the bridge and redness on the nostril but nothing a little makeup couldn't cover. When I returned to work on Monday nobody even noticed a thing.
Now I'm about 4 weeks post and my belly button is fully healed; I only see a tiny scar if I look really close. My nose is still swollen mainly at the tip but I can see the smooth line now on both sides of my bridge and my nostril finally looks normal which I'm really happy about. I still have to wait for the swelling to come down to get back to the refinement I saw at my 1 year mark before my second surgery, but so far, so good! I'm finally done with my nose and I couldn't be happier! :)
