#The photos are in order: before removal, immediately after removal, and after splint removal# #I will take the photos down in 2 weeks#
Hello. I’m someone who, about 10 years ago, went in for a consultation because of a deviated septum and ended up impulsively getting rhinoplasty as well. At the time, I was young and didn’t know anything, and I thought I could improve both nasal breathing function and aesthetics at once, so I was tempted into doing it, but I ended up regretting it so much. Every day, the mental stress because of my nose was no joke. I was scared to do intense exercise, so I couldn’t really do it either (oh, for reference, I’m a man), and I felt like everyone was only staring at my nose, as if having had surgery was some kind of sin... even though it’s not really a sin... Anyway, I went through so much emotional stress for all sorts of reasons. I desperately wanted to remove it, but I was too scared to just go ahead with it. There were so many things people said, like if I removed it my nose would collapse or turn up, etc., etc., so I thought I should just accept it and live with it... Then by chance, I found this community. After reading many reviews, I saw posts from people whose noses did not collapse after removal and who were actually satisfied with their removal surgery. So I also gained confidence.
So I carefully read the reviews in this community and went for consultations at a few places. The consultation details were mostly similar, and since I wanted closed surgery if possible, I looked mainly for hospitals that focused on that. If you see my photo right after surgery, you’ll probably know right away where I had it done~ haha
<Day of Surgery> I had closed surgery under local anesthesia. The local anesthesia hurt enough to make my eyes water a bit, but for me it was bearable (this would differ from person to person). During the surgery, there was no pain. It just felt like something was being done... I can’t really express it in words... In my case, I think the surgery took less than 50 minutes. I don’t know exactly... anyway, it didn’t take an hour. After the surgery ended, while I was still on the operating table, the doctor told me to touch my nasal tip, and it felt soft and squishy like jelly, as if it wasn’t my nose. Because I was under local anesthesia, the sensation felt strange too hahaha. Anyway, I asked the doctor, “Did the surgery go well, doctor?” and he said, “Yes, it went well. Don’t worry...” and then said, “Now I’ll put a splint and taping on your nose.”
Then I went straight to the recovery room and did ice packs for about 20-30 minutes. The director came again and said the surgery had gone well, and showed me the removed silicone, capsule, and septal cartilage. He said the silicone was about 2.5 mm, and the septal cartilage was much smaller than I expected. I think it was about half the size of a pinky fingernail. I thought the silicone was I-shaped, but it was actually L-shaped with the end bent very slightly. Maybe that’s why I couldn’t make a pig nose and why my nasal tip was so hard. ㅜㅜ
Anyway, after finishing the surgery, I took a taxi home. On the day of surgery, I ate porridge and just kept doing cold compresses at home. From the next day, I ate rice and did cold compresses like crazy. On the first day there was no swelling or bruising, but from the next day swelling and bruising started coming up. It also throbbed. But it was bearable. That’s how I spent 3 days.
<Day 4: Splint Removal> The nurse removed the splint for me. She said it hurts less if it’s taken off all at once and removed it that way, and for me it was fairly bearable. She also cleaned up the foreign material inside my nose and taught me how to apply the ointment. The nurse was kind and took good care of me. Then the director came, looked at it, and said it had gone well. He said it looked like some blood had pooled on the upper part of my nose, so he removed it with a syringe.
<Day 7: Stitch Removal> Stitch removal stung a little, but it was bearable. Compared to day 4, the swelling had gone down a lot, and the throbbing had decreased a lot too. In my case, from the day after surgery until around day 5, I had some swelling, bruising, and pain, and after that it felt like it gradually settled down. The bruising had mostly changed to yellow bruising too. After stitch removal, I went into the director’s office, took photos, scheduled an appointment for a month later, and finished up.
I don’t have photos after stitch removalㅜㅜ
It’s been about 2 weeks since surgery now, and for about the first 10 days it seemed soft, but since then, my nasal tip has been hard, and I don’t know if it’s the contraction phase or what, but sometimes it feels tight and stiff. As everyone here says, I’m going to think of time as the medicine and live with it. For now, I haven’t had side effects like my nose turning up or collapsing, so I’m satisfied. Most of all, I really like the comfort of not having an implant inside my body. Actually, before removing it, breathing was a bit difficult, but after taking it out, my breathing felt much more comfortable.
When I had the implant, my right nostril was slightly pulled upward, and it seems this did not improve even after removal surgery. When I asked about it at the first consultation, they said they would need to take ear cartilage and lower it, but I didn’t want anything touched anymore, so I said I wouldn’t do it. If it gradually improves with time, that would be good, and if not, then so be it hahaha. It probably won’t get worse than now, anyway hahaha. I’ll finish this post while comfortably believing that. Thank you for reading this rambling, disorganized post. I hope everyone also gets good consultations, looks into things carefully, and has removal surgery with no regrets. Then have a happy day, everyone!
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