A day-5 rhinoplasty review that makes me look forward to what’s ahead even more
I spent about a year thinking about surgery, doing a lot of online research and visiting clinics in person. After doing a lot of online research, I could somewhat filter out clinics with lots of dissatisfaction and clinics with lots of ads. I narrowed my list with the keywords, “This is the face I’ll live with for the rest of my life! Make the first surgery the last surgery. Safety first! Safety second! + a naturally high nose shape!!” I had consultations at about 8 places and made my final decision.
<Reasons I Chose It> 1. A director I could trust with my nose - First of all, he is very well known for revision rhinoplasty and specializes only in nose surgery. I could hear the director’s voice during surgery, so there was no worry about anything like a proxy surgery. + I really liked that he personally did the day-5 dressing and checked my progress. My concerns were a long nose, wide nostrils, and a drooping nasal tip, and I wanted them improved into a natural shape. During the consultation, he showed me many surgical cases and explained my nose shape well, pointing out things I hadn’t even noticed myself. The director’s aesthetic standards matched mine well. He said what’s more important than simply building the nose high and making a flashy, 100-point nose is naturally matching the balance with my existing face without crossing the line into being excessive. He said that is technique.
<Day of Surgery> As soon as I arrived at the clinic, every step was prepared very smoothly and quickly. I changed clothes, washed my face, had a final meeting with the director before surgery, and when I lay on the operating table, they gave me a sedative. If you feel sleepy, go ahead and sleep~! After that, I don’t remember much haha. Maybe the last 40 minutes? I remember waking up in the middle of surgery and feeling stuffy because I couldn’t breathe through my nose, and I remember hearing continued conversation that seemed to be about shaping my nose. The director kept talking to me, but I don’t remember a single thing I said...! I was extremely nervous, but the nurses took such good care of me, so I was really grateful..
<Swelling> I barely swelled. The swelling was worst on the morning of days 2-3, but it was about the level of a face after waking up from eating late-night snacks hahaha..! Day 1: Barely swollen. Days 2-3: Eyes and nose gradually swollen. Day 4: Swelling moved down toward the cheeks like a squirrel. Day 5: Gradually going down.
<Breathing> They keep cotton in the nose for 3 days, but a rubber tube is placed between the cotton, so it’s comfortable because you can breathe through your nose.
I saw a lot of private-comment posts praising the good attitude and mindset toward patients, and there were many things that made me feel that was actually true, so so far I absolutely do not regret choosing this clinic! On the day of surgery, after looking at my nose, he suggested postponing the surgery because a pimple at the surgical incision area had not fully subsided. Even though it was a situation where both I and the clinic would lose out and they could have pushed ahead with surgery, I’m grateful that they postponed the date to reduce the risk of scarring and inflammation!
*Everyone, don’t decide on surgery rashly. Make sure to do a lot of online research and in-person visits!! It’s your precious face that you’ll live with for the rest of your life! +Since it’s only day 5, I’ll write my review about satisfaction with the shape in the next post! I still don’t know because there’s swelling and I have tape on.