I had detailed consultations at five clinics in total. While going around for consultations, if I had free time or happened to schedule early, I also booked same-day consultations at nearby clinics, so I visited eight clinics altogether!
The doctors with many reviews about hump noses and nasal tips definitely gave more detailed explanations. I’ve narrowed it down to two clinics.
1. Based on the reviews, this clinic seems to mainly perform surgery using autologous costal cartilage, but it has more reviews for bulbous noses, roughly an 8:2 ratio. The doctor said my nose can be done with septal cartilage. 2. This clinic seems to use a variety of materials. It has many reviews for hump noses and drooping tips, as well as quite a few for bulbous noses. This doctor also said my nose can be done with septal cartilage.
When checked by CT, my condition wasn’t severe enough to require considering ear cartilage, and they said the septum looked fine on the CT. I had heard the same thing at other clinics too.
Both clinics said osteotomy wasn’t necessary. Clinic 1 seems to make the tip somewhat glamorous, so it may look longer. Clinic 2 seems to make it just naturally refined, so the nose itself has the classic straight-to-slightly-curved line.
The nasal tips the doctor at Clinic 1 showed me looked pretty when the bridge was also raised with silicone. If the tip looked that good in that case, it would be nice, but with a non-implant procedure it felt like only the tip might look longer, possibly making the midface look longer. I had that thought immediately; even when the doctor demonstrated with a cotton swab, they extended it somewhat long.
My skin is fairly elastic and stretches well, but both doctors told me not to be too ambitious. They said my proportions were such that a glamorous result might require touching many areas. Instead, they recommended making the nose suit me so it would simply enhance my existing impression, without looking excessive or lacking, and add the dimension I felt was missing.
After the first consultations, I thought a lot about where to have surgery. Since this is a non-implant procedure, I feel a doctor with reviews for both primary and revision surgery would be better. I also don’t want the tip to become longer. If it were simply round, smooth, and nicely projected, I would consider my tip a success. So I’m thinking about having non-implant rhinoplasty at [Clinic A] with [Doctor A].
Review after visiting eight clinics There are more clinics than I expected that don’t charge consultation fees, though some do. Visiting many clinics really seems to help develop your eye—or maybe your ability to think things through. My conclusion is that visiting as many as possible is genuinely helpful.
------- The following is my visit review for [Clinic A] ------- Read only if needed.
My impression during the consultation with [Doctor A] was that the doctor was very safety-conscious. The doctor didn’t seem like the type to operate excessively, which may be why they also perform many removals and revision surgeries. When I said I wanted a non-implant procedure, the doctor first checked whether it was possible and then checked the materials.
I asked about procedures recommended at other clinics, such as silicone, alar reduction, alar lifting, columella correction, and nasolabial angle correction—each additional procedure increased the cost. The doctor said columella and nasolabial angle correction are things that should be considered during rhinoplasty, and that the appropriate procedures were hump correction, bulbous-nose correction, non-implant rhinoplasty, and tip work. They said the surgery would be designed after checking the angles, shape, and line.
They said I didn’t need alar reduction, and definitely didn’t need alar lifting. If I really wanted to pursue something, my alar shape was suitable for alar reduction alone. However, they did not recommend it because my tip drooping was making the nose look more spread out. Once the tip was lifted, the nasal base would look more gathered, but alar surgery inevitably leaves scars and is not absolutely necessary.
For a spread-out bulbous nose, if the width comes from widely spread alae, alar reduction may be needed. The doctor showed me other before-and-after photos and compared them with my nose. They explained what I needed to consider, such as scars and possible discomfort from alar reduction given my nasal structure, and let me make the decision myself.
But really, do I need it? To be honest, alar reduction was something another clinic recommended, and I had only asked about it without giving it much thought. I ended up saying I might as well follow the doctor’s recommendation.
In any case, the doctor’s style of nasal lines suits what I want, so I’m getting closer to deciding to have surgery at [Clinic A]. Doctors who focus only on noses, or who focus mainly on noses even when performing other procedures, do explain things in more detail. Compared with large hospitals, individual clinics also gave more specific and honest consultations, though it probably varies by clinic.