It has already been two months since I had the very old Gore-Tex in my nasal bridge, the support strut, and the nasal tip removed~
The bruising and swelling were severe, so around 3 weeks, I started to look a bit human instead of like a yellow monster. Around week 3, I was really scared because the feeling of my nasal bridge sticking down was so severe, but now the area that feels stuck seems to have moved down a bit below the bridge, between the nasal bridge and nasal tip.
I don’t know whether the contraction phase hasn’t started yet or is currently ongoing, but I’ve never felt that my nose lifted. From around the 1-month mark, my columella and nasal tip felt extremely stiff, and over the past few days the upper part of my nostrils has been getting stiff, but I’m not sure whether this is also a symptom of the contraction phase.
My nose was hard from the beginning, and there was no back-and-forth between slightly soft and hard. It has been consistently firm from the start. From the columella to the nasal tip, it is harder than a surgically augmented nose. When I apply warm compresses it turns red, so when I shower in the evening I just let a little warm water run over it. I’m taking Rizaben as the clinic told me to, and I’m not doing any separate massage.
At the clinic, the consultant said some people become soft at 6 months, some take a year, some take even longer, and some never loosen and remain firm, so I was surprised. It sounded like there was nothing that could be done even if it never softened, so I was a bit shocked.
Also, when I exhale forcefully, yawn, hit a speed bump while driving, or when there is an impact to my body, the area that may be the nasal tip or the upper part of the nostril often tingles sharply. I wonder if it might be the area tied with sutures during repositioning. Some parts on both sides of the nasal bridge still hurt when I touch them. I had no idea recovery after removal would be this slow...
Even before removal, the protruding alar cartilage at the columella and the area where either cartilage or scar tissue had descended from the ceiling of one nostril did not improve, so the consultant said we should check the progress after 3 or 6 months.
For the nasal bridge where Gore-Tex was removed, another clinic said it would probably have been shaved into a wedge shape and that they couldn’t do removal only, telling me to place silicone, but now that I’ve removed it, there is nothing wrong.
Other people still have a sharp, defined nose after removal, but mine has become rounded. I wonder if there is swelling left to go down, and I’m half worried, half hopeful about how it will change going forward.
I deleted the photos~
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