The part that bothered me most was that my nasal bridge and tip were low overall, so my nose looked somewhat flattened not only from the side but also from the front. I deliberated for quite a long time over whether to have rhinoplasty, but once I decided to do it, the most important thing was creating a natural-looking nose that did not look too obvious. After looking into several places, I had a consultation at [Clinic A]. I liked that they carefully explained both the surgical method and my original nose during the consultation. Above all, I felt that it would suit the natural look I wanted, so I chose [Clinic A].
The surgery was done using silicone and ear cartilage. On the day of surgery, the most uncomfortable thing was breathing because there was cotton packed inside my nose. Since I had to breathe through my mouth, eating and sleeping were more inconvenient than I expected. Still, unlike what I had worried about, there was almost no pain itself. My nose was not particularly painful; rather, the ear from which the ear cartilage was harvested felt slightly throbbing. Once the cotton was removed the next day, breathing became much easier and eating and sleeping were no longer uncomfortable, so I really felt alive again lol.
At the beginning, of course, I kept worrying about what shape my nose would settle into because of swelling and bruising. Especially when I first saw my nose after the splint was removed, it was so swollen that I briefly thought, “Did I ruin it...?” lol. There was more bruising than expected too. But even while swollen, the nose line itself was the look I wanted, so I liked that part. As time passed and the swelling gradually went down, the nose shape also became increasingly natural.
During the first week, there was still a lot of swelling and bruising, and daily life was not completely comfortable yet, but as time passed I could clearly see the changes. At about one month, most of the bruising and much of the swelling had gone down, and even from the front it began to have the look I wanted. Although the low bridge and tip that had made it look flattened improved, it did not look too high or artificial, which made me even more satisfied.
I did not want a pointed nasal tip, so I mentioned that again during the consultation and immediately before surgery. I am satisfied because that part also seems to have turned out in the shape I wanted. My biggest worries were whether asking for a natural result might mean there would be too little change, or conversely that it might become a nose that looked too obvious. Now I feel it has found the right middle ground. My low bridge and tip, which I had deliberated over, have clearly improved, but my overall impression has not drastically changed. Often people around me do not realize I had rhinoplasty unless I tell them first, so it seems close to the natural result I wanted.
At first, my nasal tip especially felt quite unlike my own nose. Up until around the third week, the tip was firm and felt awkward, so it definitely felt as though something had been placed in it. But by around week four, that foreign sensation had diminished a lot. Now it feels less awkward even when touched and increasingly feels like my own nose, which is fascinating. I was told that swelling remains, so I am looking forward to seeing how the line settles as it goes down further.
Even now, I like the shape from the front and the natural profile I wanted, but I think I will like it even more once all the residual swelling is gone. Above all, I used to worry a lot about angles in photographs because my nose was low, but these days every time I take a photo it feels like I have a properly defined nose, so taking pictures is fun lol. In the end, I am satisfied because I think I got the natural nose I wanted. The consultation, surgery, and recovery all went more comfortably than I expected, and especially for someone like me who wanted a natural nose, I think this was a suitable result. I will keep watching with anticipation, as I think it will settle even more naturally once the residual swelling goes down!