Before <<before surgery nose>> <<day 7, splint removal>> <<day 11>> <<day 27>> <<day 30, swelling around the arrow should go down..?>>Hello! It’s been a month since my rhinoplasty, so I came to leave a review. I originally planned to write the review a little earlier, but they said the swelling in the hump-removal and osteotomy areas would take a while to go down, so I waited a bit longer for the swelling to decrease and ended up writing this after reaching the one-month mark.
My original nose had become a crooked nose from trauma after a friend smashed into it with their head in elementary school and cracked it, and I also had a deviated septum, rhinitis, a hump, and a saddle nose caused by the injury. It was hard just lying down because both nostrils would get blocked, and I constantly had phlegm stuck at the back of my throat; on top of that, I hated my side profile because of the hump, so my appearance complex was really bad. Then I found out I could get functional rhinoplasty covered by insurance, so I went ahead with the surgery
I consulted at about five places, and I screened out blacklisted hospitals and places that hadn’t had any major incidents. I decided because aftercare seemed decent and systematic, the counselor was kind, and they said they would use septal cartilage and ear cartilage. But right before surgery, they said that if the septal cartilage was thin or weak, they might use donated rib cartilage, and that because my skin was thin, they might place a small amount of AlloDerm over the area where the hump was shaved down. After the surgery, they said they ended up using everything, and the cost went up.. I said I wanted no implant, but they also had to consider the situation, so I figured there was nothing I could do about what had already been used. And forcibly taking too much septal cartilage out isn’t good either.. so I’m just accepting it and trying to live well.. Still, both materials have been said to have side effects, so I asked the doctor, and he said the donated rib cartilage was used together with the septum to support the tip of the nose, so absorption shouldn’t be a problem + AlloDerm was only meant to cover irregularities, so it shouldn’t be a major issue. So.. I have to trust the doctor who performed the surgery.. It is a little scary that if the donated rib cartilage is absorbed, a revision surgery could be guaranteed, but I do think it would be better if AlloDerm were absorbed and the irregularity became visible than if the strong hump were still there....
A lot of people said splint removal on day 7 didn’t hurt, but I felt like I was about to cross the river Styx. I guess it was because I had both hump removal and osteotomy? The sticky tape was scraping against the bone and getting torn off from the osteotomy area, and it really hurt so much. The tip sutures were just a little stinging, but this was so painful that even when I searched for reviews on this community, I didn’t really see people saying it hurt that much. The bruising was severe, and the swelling was so bad I looked like an avatar; even moving the area around my nose made it throb and feel miserable, so I walked a lot, used cold compresses, cut out salty food so the swelling would go down as quickly as possible, and took care of myself diligently. Maybe because of that, by day 11 I looked much more human.
<<< This long section is my personal post-op review, so you don’t have to read it >>>
There weren’t as many posts as I expected in the reviews here about the parts you have to deal with after surgery, so I wanted to write this too. On day 2, after they had put in gauze, my breathing became uncomfortable, which made me hot, gave me a headache, and made me feel awful. My nose was damp and stuffy too. It didn’t hurt, but the hospital I had surgery at had inserted a transparent tube-like thing into the gauze..?? so it looked really grotesque, and when I looked at it, it seemed painful. Actually, the ear where they took the cartilage hurts more. It’s been a month, but it still hurts when I wear a mask, so on the right side I fasten it to my hair with a snap hairpin before putting it on. The septal cartilage + donated rib cartilage makes the tip feel less firm and more tingling. If I touch it, it feels numb and prickly, and yawning keeps happening, which is painful. But that’s not something I can really hold back either Surprisingly, sneezing was more bearable than I expected. The doctor told me to hold back laughing for 2 to 3 months, and if I felt like laughing, at least press the area beside my nose near the nasolabial folds. My friends tease me for not being able to keep a poker face, so I barely met anyone for a month because I’m too quick to laugh... Also, since I’m a side-sleeper, I put cushions on both sides and tried my best to sleep facing forward. My chin is short, so my mouth didn’t close well. It’s a lot better now, but the muscles around my mouth still feel awkward. I’m afraid that forcing it closed would pull on my nose, so I just walk around with my mouth open. Because of that, even when I drink something, one or two drops run down from the cup. The area above my lips feels awkward.. I drank water by pouring it into my mouth from a small plastic bottle. I couldn’t really use a straw because I couldn’t create suction. Right after the surgery, my mouth actually wouldn’t open well, so I scooped porridge with a teaspoon and put it in. I can’t eat spicy food. Things like ramen are the same, and because I can’t blow my nose, snot comes out but no matter how much I wipe with tissue, it doesn’t come off. There are blackheads too, and it’s like a sebum party, but I can’t touch it. Even when washing my face, I’m collecting water in a cup and pouring it onto my nose as I wash. People who do makeup seem amazing.. maybe I’m just too much of a scaredy-cat.
My nose has a musty, damp smell coming from it. Is that normal? I guess I should ask the hospital..?
As for how satisfied I am with the cosmetic result, first of all the hump is gone, so it’s not bad. Um,.. I wanted a straight-but-slightly-curved line, so it’s a little disappointing that the shape ended up closer to straight. I know the front view is hard to change a lot, but it really didn’t change all that much. Maybe because I asked for it to look natural. I have a short-chinned, adenoid-type face, and now a straight nose.. please don’t change much more from here.. I’m just hoping the tip doesn’t drop.... They said the swelling along the bridge in the day-30 photo would take a while to go down, so I guess it’s swelling..?
I wrote a lot of rambling, but I wanted to put down everything I went through over the past month in hopes it helps people who are considering surgery.. If you have any other questions, I’ll answer as much as I can..!