23 Year Old Saved Up and Finally Ready to Improve my Side Profile

My first day home after surgery wasn't bad. I kept up on pain medicine and really did not feel any pain. Icing every half hour or hour for 10-15 minutes, or as long as I could take it. The hardest part for me to get used to was breathing out of my mouth and waking up in the middle of the night with a scratchy throat. I kept the gauze on for the day of surgery, overnight and until the afternoon of day 1 post op. I felt slightly better after taking it off, didn't feel so bulky. I started taking several vitamins and natural healing aids a week before surgery and am supposed to continue a week after surgery. I'm taking Vitamin A, Bromelain, Vitamin C, Zinc, Arnica, and now a pain medication and an antibiotic. I also bought Arnicare Gel which is a topical gel you can put on bruises. I bought this from Rite Aid and have been using it about 3x a day. I feel good for the most part. The bruising is the worst part, with the bruising on my left eye worse than the right because the doctor shaved down the bone on the left side of my nose. The dried blood you see is on tape that's on my nose and collected. My incisions are inside my nostrils. So far, so good. I cannot wait to see the results!

It's been a bit since I updated but I had my surgery 1/8/15. I think the anesthesia was the worst part of it before surgery because after two failed attempts in my hand, it wasn't until the needle was in my arm that it worked. At that point I was a little nervous but more excited that I was going to have a different nose in no time! After that, the last thing I remember was looking up at the lights in the OR and I was out. I woke up to the nurses dressing me and getting me ready to head out. The doctor said surgery went great, but I had already started bruising with my fair skin. The procedure ended up taking an hour and 15 minutes. All bandaged up and headed home to relax!

Ever since I was in middle school I have hated my nose. It has always been too large for my face and feel it overpowers my side profile. I have always felt extremely self-conscious of my side view and it really hit me after getting my sister's wedding pictures back. I dislike almost every candid photo I'm in that you can see a side angle of my nose. I definitely have my father's genes when it came to my nose. It's very masculine and with the excess bone near the bridge. I've always hated not only how it looks, but also feels. I've always been envious of people who have a beautiful profile but I'm hoping I will soon enough!

My first consultation was with Dr. Koch in February of 2014. I went alone to get the general idea of the procedure and to really see if I would be up for it before I tried selling it to my parents. Dr. Koch's office staff made me feel welcome and comfortable. Dr. Koch is very down to earth and makes you feel valued. The doctor went over the entire procedure and explained the entire surgery and healing process. He also took about 5 pictures and then edited them on the computer to show me what my results could look like, from what I explained to him. I was impressed right then and there. I really liked Dr. Koch's natural approach to the surgery and he told me I will look like a better version of myself, that we are just fine-tuning a few features and I will still look like myself. I went home and explained this to my parents. My mom was more open to the idea than my dad was initially.

I went to another doctor for a consultation in April 2014 and basically heard the same spiel from him. The only difference was the method of rhinoplasty. This second doctor would be doing an open rhinoplasty, where Dr. Koch would be doing a closed procedure, which I preferred. I felt a little rushed by the second doctor and didn't care for him as much as I did Dr. Koch.

I then made another appointment with Dr. Koch and brought my mom with me. He took his time and explained everything a second time to my mom. This made her feel more at ease coming straight from the doctor, and seeing the digital imaging that he had on the computer. Dr. Koch's office also gave me the number of a recent client who had her nose done for me to call and ask questions about her experience. I loved the idea that they staff was willing to do this, it really helped hearing it from yet another patient, in addition to his reviews.

I'm ready to take the next step and book my appointment! I talked to the office a few weeks ago and they can get me in right before the new year, which will work out wonderful with my work schedule. I can't wait to get this procedure done and see the results. Any and all feedback would be appreciated. Thanks, guys.