After Secondary Rhinoplasty for Contracted Nose with Autologous Dermis, I Graduated from This Community

About 16 years ago, I had my first surgery with Gore-Tex and the septum. About 10 years ago, I had revision surgery because of contracture. The Gore-Tex was removed, and silicone was inserted long to extend the nose as much as possible + the septum was reused + ear cartilage for the nasal tip. After the second surgery, I think I already started feeling that something was wrong from years 3 and 4. That’s because I started taking photos often to keep a record from then on. Looking back now, honestly, the second surgery should not have been done with silicone either. I only realized later, but from that point I should have used autologous dermis. It was a nose that had already developed contracture once, so why on earth did I put a foreign material in again, trying to chase some kind of luxury or glory... Anyway, contracture came back after the second surgery too, and the silicone bent, the nostrils became uneven, and the nasal tip got pinched. It became a nose with obvious plastic surgery side effects. Not to mention the usual foreign-body sensation, the bridge pulling would get worse or loosen depending on how I was feeling. I also developed rhinitis, which I never had with my original nose, so I had to keep taking antihistamines, and especially every time I showered, I was always worried and stressed because a small amount of blood would come out mixed with the runny nose. In the end, I didn’t want to keep suffering from this mental distress, so earlier this year I went to hospitals known for removal surgeries with the resolve to take everything out, but most said it should be approached as a revision surgery, and only one place said full removal was possible. I was originally about to go ahead with full removal, but the reason I changed my mind and chose autologous dermis was that I couldn’t take a gamble based only on one doctor’s words that it would not collapse even after full removal. Since it’s my body and my nose, if it turns into a short upturned nose or a saddle nose, I have to live with the result. On top of that, with each surgery the nose had been overworked and revision difficulty kept rising, so I had to prepare for the possibility of problems. So I concluded that, to choose the safest route possible, I should create a kind of protective barrier against possible complications after silicone removal through autologous dermis. At that time, I didn’t even have much desire for aesthetics. People often worry that autologous dermis will be absorbed and disappear over time, but if I was already resolved to remove everything anyway, what did it matter if it got absorbed? If it could support the space left by the silicone for even a certain period before disappearing, and help prevent complications as my own tissue, I would be grateful for that. That was the conclusion I reached back then. Now, four months after surgery... I truly think revision surgery with autologous dermis was the best choice. Autologous dermis survival rate? Fine. Shape? Much more satisfying than expected. The shortened nose became longer, and the pinched nostrils improved a lot (I was told beforehand this would not recover 100%). Function? Many of the side effects caused by the implant improved. Of course there is no foreign-body sensation, pulling, or throbbing, and the rhinitis symptoms disappeared completely. It’s still too early to have ever blown my nose, but because the inside feels open and clear, I don’t think blood will come out even later. More than anything, I’m now completely free from the mental distress that tormented me for over a decade... because there is no foreign material at all inside my body. I hope this helps people like me who are thinking about full removal surgery.