On the fence

I just want to state at the outset that although I am unhappy with my rhinoplasty outcome, I do not regret choosing the surgeon I did. There are a plethora of testimonials on RealSelf to Dr. Ciardullo's skill and craft as a plastic surgeon, and I have every confidence that he truly is gifted. Or else I wouldn't have flown over 1,500 miles to have my procedure done by him. That said, I truly think I just got unlucky.

I am writing this review 14 months post-op because I wanted to allow for a reasonable amount of time for my nose to heal. Today I am left with residual scar tissue or cartilage (it hasn't been determined which) in my supra tip area, leaving me with a pollybeak deformity that is easily detectable from a profile view. Also, the same scar tissue or cartilage is amassed on either side of my nasal bridge, so my nose appears wider from a front view. Overall, my post-op nose is much less attractive than my pre-op nose. I had a straight profile pre-op (I did not have a nasal hump), so my procedure mainly concentrated on raising my tip, which I understand is far more complicated than removing a hump. And I think this led to complications with the balance in the appearance of my nose.

I do regret having this procedure done. It is extremely frustrating to justify the high cost of plastic surgery when the outcome is undesirable. And that doesn't take into account the emotional toll it takes as well.

If I were to offer advice to anyone considering having a rhinoplasty, I would say this: really and truly know that this is something you want and then know that what you want should not define your happiness. Beauty is skin deep and you're all probably more beautiful than you ever give yourself credit for. A nose is just a nose.

Due to privacy concerns that were not taken seriously by the RealSelf Team, I've been advised to close my account. However, these messages will remain public.

I'm 19 months post-op and none the happier. A bad rhinoplasty outcome takes a hefty tole on your mental health, so consider carefully having this procedure done. I've posted pictures to show my results. This is not an exaggerated image, this is what my nose looks like ALL the time. It has thrown off the entire balance of my face and I feel like I don't recognize myself on most days.

I went home this past December and saw my surgeon for the first time since my bandages were removed. That put me at the 2 year + 1 month mark. Dr. C injected my nose with a bit of kenalog, and I saw significant improvement in just 1 week. To my surprise, most of my scar tissue dissolved rapidly. There's still some scar tissue remaining, leaving residual fullness in my supra tip - but, overall this injection made a marked improvement. The only downside, however (is there always a downside?), is that the steroid dissolved 'healthy' tissue and left a dent on the upper left side of my nose (hopefully you can see it in the picture I posted). Also, my nostrils are fairly uneven (posted a picture of this as well), but I'm not so worried about that because I don't walk around with my nose up in the air. :)

Sorry for the poor picture quality. I practically never take pictures of myself, so this is the best you're going to get... and it's better than nothing.