Male rhinoplasty for a low, broad nose with autologous rib cartilage only (long post warning)

1. Why I decided to get nose surgery.I had a low nasal bridge, a bulbous nose, a wide nose, and all the characteristic features commonly seen in Asian noses. From the side, my brow bone was very prominent, but my nasal bridge was too low, so my face looked flat and dull. I especially disliked having a small nasolabial angle, because when I smiled it became even narrower. From the front, my nostrils were very wide and the bulbous tip was severe, so my nose stood out too much. Even when I wore glasses, it did not look like the frame was resting on my bridge; it looked like the glasses were attached to my face. Ever since I was young, I thought of my nose as a bundle of flaws and believed that one day I would definitely have rhinoplasty. 2. My criteria for choosing a hospital.While researching nose surgery, I learned that if silicone is used in the bridge, there is a very small risk of a complication called contracture, so I decided to use only autologous tissue. I set my criteria as a hospital that specializes in surgery using only autologous tissue, has a good reputation, and has no controversy related to side effects or brokers. I did my own research and received consultations at four hospitals that matched those criteria. In the end, I chose RU Plastic Surgery out of the four. 3. Why I chose RU Plastic Surgery.At RU, they said the surgery would be performed using a mold made exclusively for me. The explanation that they would use a mold created from CT images to make a bridge shape that precisely matches my nasal structure, and then perform the surgery by wrapping that autologous rib cartilage bridge with rectus fascia, was extremely appealing to me. In particular, I also liked the fact that, unlike other hospitals, they use rectus fascia instead of temporalis fascia, so there would be no scar on the scalp. Another major reason I chose this place was that the surgery would be performed under general anesthesia supervised by an anesthesiologist. 4. My consultation experience at RU and what I felt.First of all, all the staff members and the manager were kind, which I liked. The consultation went in the order of manager - surgeon - manager. After a brief Q&A with the manager, I had to wait a bit long for the surgeon, which was a little disappointing. When the surgeon came in, they asked several questions such as what surgical method I wanted, what improvements I hoped for, and whether I had photos of the nose shape I wanted to resemble. They also drew on a tablet to explain what the result would feel like after surgery. Finally, they explained the surgical process with PPT materials. It was the first time I had seen the surgery process laid out and explained in such detail, so it left a strong impression. I had a lot of questions for the surgeon and asked about many things, but they answered kindly, so the waiting time did not feel wasted. In particular, when I asked about side effects, they did not speak vaguely and honestly said that the full autologous rib cartilage method could also have side effects, which made me think they were trustworthy. 5. My surgery method and review.To put it simply, I am very satisfied with the results. I had a 3D mold DCF procedure using full autologous rib cartilage, and received bridge augmentation, nasolabial angle correction, nostril reduction, and bulbous nose correction. During the first two days, my nose hurt a lot and it was very hard to breathe through my mouth. Even after the cotton was removed from my nose, there was a lot of discharge, so until day 4 or 5 I almost only breathed through my mouth. Still, after one week it definitely got much better, and after the internal splint was removed in the second week, I no longer had any trouble breathing. Rib pain was not painful at all unless I was in a situation that put pressure on my abdomen, such as sneezing or getting up from bed. From around day 4, I even stopped wearing the abdominal binder. It seems the cartilage was harvested with the skill worthy of the title master rib-cartilage surgeon.After surgery, the surgeon came by at every follow-up visit to explain the recovery progress, care methods, and so on, and I liked that they answered all kinds of questions. It has been two weeks since surgery, but there is still a lot of swelling all over my face. I think that is unavoidable, so I walk a lot and do warm compresses diligently. Even though there is still a lot of swelling, because my low nose has been lifted, my face from the side feels much more three-dimensional, and from the front the nostrils and bulbous tip have been greatly corrected, so the overall balance seems to have improved and I am very happy with it. Even though I only had nose surgery, the overall feeling of my face changed a lot, so people around me often say I seem like a different person even though only my nose changed. I am very satisfied with the results, and if anyone around me says they want nose surgery, I would definitely recommend this place. Finally, to those who have decided on nose surgery or have already had it, there is something I really want to tell you: for the first 1 to 2 weeks after surgery, the tip of the nose is very high so you may worry that it looks upturned, that the bridge is too high, that the eyes look too close together, or that you may still have trouble breathing later, and so on and so on. There are so many worries that you can hardly sleep. But from my experience, almost all of those worries mostly disappear after the treatment in the second week, so please do not worry, take your medicine properly, apply the ointment properly, do plenty of warm compresses, and rest well.