It's been 2 months since I had silicone, septal cartilage, costal cartilage, and ear cartilage completely removed. There are parts I like and parts I do not like.
First, there is still a lot of swelling. Since the capsule and scar tissue were also removed from the area where the silicone had been, the bridge skin is bumpy and wrinkled, and there are also sunken areas, so I am waiting to see whether the flesh will fill back in. It feels like the skin was torn while the capsule was being removed, but the hospital where it was removed said something like there must have been a problem with the silicone insertion, so I am not really sure. For now, I am being careful and waiting to see the results.
From 2 weeks after the splint came off and the external scabbing was removed, the columella area started to rise a little, and right now the nostrils have taken on a shape I do not really like. I am hoping they will come down after the contraction phase, but seeing the same thing even at 2 months makes me almost give up. From week 3, a step-off formed on my nose. The swelling around the cartilage is going down, but the tip is very swollen, so the step-off became quite noticeable. The clinic says to keep watching it. That part worries me a lot.
From week 5, I started taking off my mask little by little. The sloped area beside the bridge was still very swollen, so my face looked like a whole sweet potato and radish, and going out bare-faced was not realistic. The nose tip was at the level of a hallabong.
From week 6, I have slowly started going out without a hat or mask. I started using a mask sheet pack for about 10 minutes at a time, and I also started sleeping on my side. When I went in to check the results, the doctor said recovery is a bit slow. I am in the middle of the contraction phase.
From week 7, I tried makeup once or twice more. It does feel like makeup slightly hides the nasal skin, but when removing it I have to touch my nose a lot, so I barely wear makeup now. In week 8, the swelling still had not gone down, so I ordered pumpkin juice again.
I am still taking a 1.5-hour walk every night, which I started from the beginning after surgery, but the swelling is not going down. The tip is extremely stiff. I used nasal packing for 3 days, and if possible I recommend doing it for a week. I regret not doing it longer. Since I have step-off and indentations on my nose, I should have packed it more firmly.
I have not had a single drop of alcohol since surgery, and since I was a non-smoker to begin with, there is no inflammation. I started taking vitamin B, vitamin C, and pumpkin juice one week after surgery, and biotin, vitamins, collagen, and enzymes from one month after. Nasal packs, massage, and dental treatment are all planned for after 3 months. Since the septal extension was removed, the middle cartilage area feels slightly sunken in. Or maybe that part just had its swelling go down first; I cannot tell.
I applied ointment to the columellar scar twice a day at first, but now I only apply it once a day. It is not because it has improved, but because as the ointment hardens it feels like it pulls on the columella, so I only put it on before sleeping.
Now that 2 months have passed, I still feel my nose shift when I tilt my head back or bend forward, or when I lie on my side. There is still a heavy feeling inside the nose where the support structure had been, and the parts where the nasal bone swelling has not gone down yet feel bruised. I do not know whether this kind of feeling is normal at 2 months. Since other people cannot see inside my nose, I am going to live with whatever skin changes or step-offs remain.
Above all, I am glad to be free from the pressure pain and headaches, and glad to already be free of all the complications. I am thinking that the rest will gradually get better too. I will leave another review next time.