It has been about one month since I underwent rhinoplasty with donor rib cartilage under Dr. Lee at [Clinic A]. I had always been slightly bothered by the shape of my nose, but what stressed me out most was that the tip drooped quite a lot. From the front, the tip looked blunt and my nostrils seemed to flare outward, so whenever I took photos, my nose caught my eye first. Especially when I tied my hair up or wore a hat, my face was fully exposed and I became even more conscious of my nose. I did not want to make my nose look completely different; I just wanted to naturally improve the part I disliked most about my existing nose—the tip.
Before surgery, I looked into several clinics and had consultations at a few places, but I liked my consultation with Dr. Lee at [Clinic A] the most. I explained that my concern was not simply that my nose was low, but that the tip drooped, looked blunt from the front, and that my nostrils appeared flared. I felt that he understood exactly what bothered me. After consulting at different clinics, I noticed that their approaches and standards for evaluating the nose varied somewhat. Dr. Lee seemed to identify the areas that needed improvement better than I could and explain how they could be improved based on what concerned me. The price I had seen on the app and the price quoted during the consultation were also the same. After comparing several places and thinking it over, I decided to have surgery at [Clinic A] because it seemed to match my desired direction best.
For the surgery, silicone was used for the nasal bridge and donor rib cartilage for the tip. There was swelling at first, as expected, but it went down faster than I thought. Since the result was not immediate, I waited and watched the progress, and over time I could see it settling in more naturally. I am most satisfied that the tip, which concerned me the most, settled better than expected. The blunt, spread-out appearance from the front has been greatly reduced. The bridge was shaped to the degree I wanted, so overall my nose looks neater than before.
Rather than feeling like I suddenly have a completely different nose, it feels refined to suit my original features, which I actually prefer. Before surgery, I worried that it might become too high or turn out differently from what I had imagined, but now I am satisfied that the areas I cared about were improved naturally. When I tied my hair up or wore a hat, my face used to look bigger and the tip stood out more, but now my face looks cleaner and slightly smaller, so I feel comfortable styling my hair that way.
Before surgery, I sometimes wondered whether I should really undergo rhinoplasty over concerns like these. I was also worried that I might not notice much difference afterward. But once the parts that had been bothering me actually changed, I was more satisfied than expected. What I like most is that after taking photos, I no longer immediately check the tip as I used to. My face did not change dramatically, but that was not what I wanted anyway, so I like the result at this level even more.
My biggest concern was not that I disliked my entire nose, but that the tip drooped and looked blunt from the front. Once that was corrected, my overall impression also seemed neater than before. During recovery, I had moments when I worried unnecessarily because of the swelling, but watching it settle over time made me feel that I had made the right decision. I am personally satisfied that I can now go about my daily life without being so conscious of my nose, and that one long-standing insecurity seems to have been resolved.