It’s been about one month and one week since removal. I had everything removed 11 months after surgery: no implant, septal cartilage, and ear cartilage. Right now I’m almost at the peak of the contraction phase, and I still have that bulbous-nose feeling. I think more swelling needs to go down.
First of all, the bridge of my nose is extremely itchy right now. It itches like bugs are slowly crawling around on it, and sometimes I also feel pressure, as if someone is holding my nose. Three weeks ago, the bridge of my nose turned red, swelled slightly, and felt warm, so I called the hospital. They said that can normally happen and told me to wait, so I waited, and it subsided a few hours later. I haven’t had that symptom since.
Starting three weeks after removal, the contraction phase began, and in the morning my nose lifts up so much that even my husband can notice it. Since my nose was originally droopy, I wasn’t too worried, but I was really shocked. My face started looking like a pig. By the afternoon it got a bit better, and it only lifted severely that one time. Since then, it hasn’t lifted that badly, but it has stayed somewhat lifted. Originally, my nostrils were not very visible from the front, but now they are clearly visible. Still, it’s not to the point of looking unsightly, and I’m trying to let go because I believe it will gradually come down.
The inside of my nose is also very uncomfortable. It feels stiff, itchy, and heavy. In the early stage after removal, I could breathe 100% well, but now, very occasionally, it feels a little stuffy. I think it’s probably because of the contraction phase. I expect this will also go away once the contraction phase ends.
Something funny: I still have a faint reddish? bruise left on the tip of my nose. When I asked the hospital, they said it can happen if the skin is very thin and that it will go away if I wait. It seems to be disappearing very slowly. Even my yellow bruising lasted about three weeks... it stayed for a long time. I applied bruise cream diligently, but I’m not sure if it worked or not...
My nose is similar to my original nose, but I didn’t like that the middle of the bridge of my original nose was slightly sunken, so the ear cartilage that had originally been used in my surgical nose was diced and inserted, making my nose look straight from the side. So my side profile is prettier than my original. My nostrils are slightly asymmetrical in height, and I think I’ll have to watch whether this gets worse or improves as the swelling goes down. My family says it looks almost the same as my original nose, but there are differences that only I can feel. An old friend of mine couldn’t tell that I had removal done. (That friend never saw my surgical nose.) My nose is still changing so much that I don’t know whether I like it or not. I saw someone whose nose looked very different one month after removal and seven months later. (It gradually got lower and the nostril shape also changed ㅜㅠ) It’s too early to judge quickly. I think at least six months are needed.
Sometimes my nose is as hard as stone, and sometimes it softens a little, but overall it’s on the hard side. It was hard even before the contraction phase. I’m curious too about when it will loosen up a bit. I still can’t make a pig nose at all.
At first, I took Rizaben for about three days, but I felt extremely tired and my stomach didn’t feel good, so I stopped taking it. Then I started taking it again after a week. Now I’m not as tired as I was back then, so I’m continuing to take it three times a day. I haven’t had any other particular side effects yet.
After removal, I didn’t immediately become calm like other people did. There are so many different issues waiting: when the swelling and bruising will all go away, when my nose will feel comfortable like my original nose again, and so on. But I am calmer than when I was walking around with a surgically altered nose. I still remember the horror of suddenly seeing my nose reflected in a car window. Even my removal nose is still a surgical nose, so it isn’t as natural as my original nose. I think my nose needs a little time to adapt to my face. Plus, I’m in the contraction phase right now. These days, just in case it helps with recovery, I’m taking everything people say is good, like deer antler, red ginseng, and various supplements. Haha
Many people ask me through private messages, but I don’t have enough points to send private messages back, so instead I’m sharing my current condition like this. I hope this helps people who are curious about what the condition is like around one month after removal, and whether this kind of condition is normal or abnormal. Everyone, fighting!!
Likes 41