For my first surgery, I had silicone and donated costal cartilage, and because of the foreign-body sensation, heaviness, crooked nostrils, and other stress, I decided to have it removed. I had the removal surgery at another hospital one year later.. What should I call the hospital where I had the first surgery? A paid doctor? It felt like they were using my nose for practice. I woke up from anesthesia, and I remember the doctor seemed like a beginner, taking a really long time while suturing, and next to them someone who seemed to be teaching said they shouldn’t do it that way...
Anyway, the removal surgery consisted of removing the silicone and costal cartilage. I also had a rearrangement/tie to keep the nasal tip from drooping, and they corrected the crooked nostrils too..
It has been three years, but it still does not feel like my own nose.
People deciding on removal probably all have their reasons, but removal is also revision surgery, so you need to think about it carefully. It does not immediately feel refreshing, become soft, or result in the shape you wanted.
There is something called the contracture phase, right? In all surgeries, contracture from scar tissue can occur, and I think it depends on whether it happens subtly or severely because inflammation is severe. In my case, it is not disfiguring contracture, but because of two surgeries, a lot of scar tissue remains, so it is slightly upturned. The nasolabial angle is.. hmm.. should I say 110 degrees? When I am tired, it gets even tighter. Sometimes blood rushes to it and it turns red, sometimes it gets hard, and other times it gets soft.
Even though it has been three years, it still is not comfortable. I do notice it... because it was injured once.. Even if I get a small pimple, I wonder, “Is this inflammation??” even though there is nothing inside that could cause inflammation. Before getting a consultation, I kept worrying.. The result was just a pimple, though..
I don’t think the nasal tip ever becomes as soft as before surgery. They say scar tissue loosens, but I am now starting to accept that it can never go back to tissue that was never touched.
Sometimes it hurts if I touch it firmly. It feels like my nose and not my nose... haha Because the columella was opened twice with an open approach, I guess a lot of nerves were damaged and blood vessels were cut, so it feels like touching someone else’s flesh.
A few days ago I went to the hospital for a consultation and other things, and they said all the discomfort I feel in my nose is due to mild contracture from scar tissue. They said it will gradually improve over time. But they also said it really will not become like a nose that was never touched..
Well, now I want to live with some peace of mind, but that is not so easy, right? haha
The director also said that if my nose swells a lot or hurts, then that would be inflammation, so I should come in! But since there is nothing inside my nose that could cause a problem, I should stop thinking about touching my nose again and just live comfortably haha
They said the more I touch it a third or fourth time, the more disfigured the shape will become. Because I am not 100 percent satisfied, if I touch it again, more scar tissue will attach there, and the contracture could become severeㅜ
Yes, well... it has been 3 years, but this is how I live, so I tried writing this post. I wonder if it will feel like my own nose after 10 years... I hope everyone thinks positively. You will all get better!
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