I always struggled with one-sided nasal congestion due to a deviated septum, and I also had a lot of concerns about my appearance because my hump nose was severe. After looking into all sorts of options and going around for consultations as thoroughly as anyone, I finally felt like I had found a place that could solve both the functional and cosmetic issues, so I went through with the nose surgery I had been thinking about for years. In the end, it was a success, so I’m going to write out my real rhinoplasty review. The feelings and situations I experienced by time period? I’ll write them briefly, so I hope this helps people who are scheduled for nose surgery or are recovering after nose surgery~
< Same day~Day 3 > The hardest part is having cotton packing in your nose and having to breathe only through your mouth for several days. Until the cotton is removed, your throat hurts, so because my throat hurt I drank a ton of water > kept going to the bathroom Endless repetition… Some people say their nose or ear hurts (the ear if ear cartilage was used), and I also used ear cartilage, but I had no nose or ear pain at all, only my throat hurt ㅠㅠ Maybe having no pain at the surgical site also has something to do with the director’s skill!? They say a humidifier makes the throat pain a bit better, but I didn’t know anything, so I didn’t prepare a humidifier and just endured it. It was hell. If you prepare a humidifier, it’ll probably be a bit better than it was for me ㅠㅠ An acquaintance who had nose surgery said breathing through the mouth for a few days was fine, so it seems to vary by person..
< After cotton removal~Week 1 > I had heard that removing the cotton packing hurts, so I went in really scared. But it felt so refreshing and cool, like a whole new world had opened up. You can feel for the first time how grateful you should be to breathe through your nose. For me, this didn’t hurt at all, so I guess pain when removing the cotton also varies by person!! I could breathe comfortably and refreshingly, but the swelling was still intense. During that time, I diligently used compresses and went on walks diligently too. At one week, I went to have the splint removed, and I had heard that removing the splint could hurt too, so I was scared. But this also just felt slightly bothersome, not enough to call it pain. Comparing postoperative pain, nose and ear pain, cotton-removal pain, etc., stitch removal had a stinging feeling, so among these it was the one I could call somewhat painful (by my standards). Week 1~Month 1 Even after a month, it still felt somewhat unnatural, but at the time it did feel like the swelling was going down well. I could feel changes every week! I diligently used compresses, went on walks, and also met up with friends. Before surgery, my nose originally tended to get blocked often at night, but suddenly around this time I realized, it’s been quite a while since I felt nasal congestion.. I felt that the functional nose surgery had also gone well, and even now I think the functional surgery was a godsend ㅠㅠ They say functional surgery is difficult to fix in one go, so I feel like I met a really good director ㅠㅠ Anyway, up to the one-month mark is the stage where the major swelling goes down quickly. My friends all compliment me, saying it turned out well and that they’re jealous.
< Month 1~Month 2 > The stage where the unnatural look slowly starts to go away. If someone who didn’t know saw me, they might wonder, did he have surgery? Did he not? That kind of feeling?? Now I can confidently take off my mask when I have to, and I’m also confident taking side-profile photos or having them taken. Still, I could feel there was swelling left, so I kept going on walks diligently and often.
< Month 2~Now > The major swelling is all gone, and I’ve started light exercise too. It doesn’t seem obvious from the outside, so I go around comfortably. I also tried hairstyles I couldn’t try before. My face has become more three-dimensional, so even hairstyles I never dared to try seem to suit me well. I’ve heard a lot that I became more handsome. With improved function + improved appearance, my quality of life improved, my confidence went up, and in many ways, this surgery brought me a lot of positive effects. I can boldly say it was the best choice of my life!!
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