Rhinoplasty, otherwise known, as a nose job, is one of the most common plastic surgeries performed by plastic surgeons. This surgery is a way to fix imperfections or abnormalities in our nose to fit with the features on the rest of your face.
I cannot remember the first time I realized that I had a large bump on my nose. Thankfully, that means I didn’t spend my childhood mercifully being made fun of for the size of my nose. But once I was made aware, I would go in spurts throughout my college years and 20’s where I thought about it every day.
I would notice “the bump” when putting on makeup in the morning, when someone took a side profile picture of me, when I looked out of the corner of my eye. The list goes on and on. I spent most of my life comparing my nose to that of a witch haha.
Growing up, all the females in my family were naturally beautiful. My grandmothers, mom, aunt’s, etc. didn’t get a facial or even a massage from a spa, let alone plastic surgery. I also thought that plastic surgery was something that only celebrities in Hollywood did.
It was however, a dream of mine. The thought of someone taking a picture of me and not immediately worrying about the angle, was an emotion that I never thought I would experience.
At the end of 2018, my dad was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. While this may seem unrelated to my rhinoplasty, it actually ended up having a huge impact on me deciding to actually pursue it.
For all of 2019 and the beginning part of 2020, other than going to and from work, my life revolved around visiting my mom and dad, trying to be the support that they needed. I put off things like going to the dentist, getting a yearly physical, and overall spent little time thinking about my well-being. I loved being able to dedicate my time and do that for my dad. I was able to spend so much time with my parents and grow closer than I ever thought was possible.
When my dad passed away, it was in May 2020 and the height of the Coronavirus pandemic. Like all of us, my family spent a lot of time inside, secluded.
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By the time 2021 rolled around, I knew that I needed to start taking action and doing things for myself. I had done research in the past on rhinoplasty and even had picked a doctor with great reviews in my area to call and set up an appointment with. Each passing day went by and I would say to myself, “Tomorrow. You will call tomorrow.”
One day I got sick of myself and called! I setup the consultation and honestly, everything after that happened so quickly.
The First Consult:
When I first arrived, I was put in a room to meet with the doctor (pretty common medical practice lol). When I met with him and I took off my mask (Covid), he noticed “the bump” and my concerns right away. He also wanted to look up my nostrils to see if my nose had any issues affecting my breathing as well.
It turned out that I also had a deviated septum in my nose. A deviated septum is when the bone and cartilage that divides the nasal cavity between nostrils is not in half like it should be. This can create trouble breathing out of one of the nostrils. It is a very common condition that can go unnoticed. Being a mouth breather when I sleep, I was not surprised. Because of this, my doctor recommended I also get a septoplasty to correct the deviated septum and to help with my breathing.
Next, he took pictures of me from the front and both side profiles. These were uploaded onto his computer and he could change the features digitally, right in front of me. Not gonna lie, staring and picking apart your appearance with a plastic surgeon is not great for your self-esteem, but he was very professional about changes he would make. He even suggested a chin implant to make my side-profile better. I agreed it looked better and can see why people get addicted to plastic surgery, but I decided against it. I lived with “the bump” on my nose for 32 years. That’s what I wanted changed.
Seeing the digitally altered pictures of my nose without “the bump” made me realize there was no going back now. I didn’t need to hem and haw about how to proceed, I booked the surgery before leaving that appointment.
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Surgery Prep:
About a week before surgery, my mom and I went in to finalize pictures, aka goal end result, for the surgery. The doctor and his team recommended that I bring someone along to make sure I got a second opinion and to ask any questions I might have about the procedure.
I also received the prescriptions and list of items that I should buy the day before at this appointment, i.e. Cetaphil facewash, arnica montana, etc. I felt prepared and excited.
The Surgery:
The day of the surgery rolled around and I was surprised by my lack of nerves. I think I had thought about this day for SO long that I was really ready to do it finally. The surgery was performed right in my doctors office, which was really convenient, especially during Covid…going to a hospital for any reason, especially cosmetic, wasn’t ideal.
That morning I showered and packed up a few things. I would be staying at my mom’s house for a night or two following surgery. Once I arrived at the doctor’s office, I was taken to into the operating room. It was all very quick (especially to me…I was drugged lol). I needed to get a pregnancy test and take out my contacts. Side note: I am basically blind without my contacts and HATE my glasses so after that point, I literally couldn’t see anything. Even the nurses and doctor’s faces around me.
I have had to have a couple surgery’s in my 32 years of life and one thing is for sure…I wake up out of anesthesia scary fast. One of my surgeries, I heard the doctor telling the nurse what pain medicine he was prescribing me and it was only Motrin 800. I was just cut open and he was going to give me motrin?! I said outloud, “Really? That’s it?” and I made them jump back startled. The doctor was in disbelief and said, “Why are you already awake?!”
As you probably guessed, the same thing happened with this surgery. I woke up scary fast, demanded my contacts and shoes, and I was being rolled out the door. However, one negative of the anesthesia wearing off so fast is I was immediately in burning pain.
Pre-surgery, the staff told us that I wouldn’t need pain medicine until potentially hours after coming home from the procedure…so my mom did not bring my prescriptions with her. I was in agony and being plenty dramatic about it. The 10 minute ride home felt like FOREVER.
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Once home and the medicine kicked in, I just felt a little unstable because of the last of the anesthesia in my body. That day, I looked like hell, but honestly, once the pain medicine kicked in, I felt okay. My brother and his family came over for dinner, I sat on the deck, and overall I was surprised about how good I felt.
(Lol at my selfie)
As exhausted as I was, sleeping the first night didn’t warrant a lot of sleep. My nose had been constantly bleeding since the surgery and would continue to do so for just over 24 hours. That meant every hour or so, I was changing the gauze at the bottom of my nostrils. In order to help the blood clot, I also had to sleep sitting upright as much as possible. People who can sit straight up, especially on planes, are God’s favorite, I swear. I unfortunately was not blessed 🙁
Dry mouth from breathing out of my mouth all night was also an annoyance. I would wake up feeling like I was in the desert! One trick I learned to help was falling asleep with a cough drop in your mouth. I would stuff it in the side of my cheek like a chipmunk and it would keep my mouth from getting dry.
Recovery:
The days following surgery were more uncomfortable than I was expecting. I would describe it as when you get hit in the nose by a baby’s head: the pressure you feel right before the pain starts. Between that and the cast around my nose, I almost would have rather had pain.
Even though my doctor said only 5% of patients get black eyes…your girl got 2 black eyes. I took pictures every day so I could see the progress. Day by day, I felt better. By the 8th day, I was SO, SO excited to get my stitches out and cast off. It was so uncomfortable and I think the swelling was starting to get so big that my cast was very constricting.
Final Thoughts:
I am very happy with my results, however, I was not aware how fragile my nose would still be. Although I was careful, I still managed to hit my nose and get little bump where something came misaligned. I was really anxious and worried one weekend waiting for my doctor to get back to me about the damage I did. I didn’t sleep at all. When he finally saw it, he wasn’t concerned and thought it would heal okay. I can see it and feel it a lot but no one I show can see what I am talking about. Thankfully!
If you’re unhappy with your nose, I would encourage you to go in for a consult. Although it was a stressful procedure and still isn’t fully healed (I am just starting to breathe effectively through my nose) as I write this, 6 weeks later, I am so happy and proud of myself for going and doing something I have wished to do for years.
If anyone has any questions about pricing, recover, pain, concerns, leave them below or message me on Instagram!
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One Year Update:
After one year, I am incredibly happy with my results. One thing that solidifies that is I never think about my nose. When I go to take a picture, I don’t angle it so you cannot see my profile. I do not wonder if when I meet someone for the first time, if the person will notice that first. I would say that is a win!
I will say that parts of the tip of my nose are still numb. I don’t think you get all the feeling back in quite some time, but I honestly don’t notice until I go to blow my nose occasionally.
If you read above I documented how fragile my nose was…even months later and that I hit my nose. Well…that did cause a tiny mosquito bite-sized bump that I would see whenever I looked in the mirror. My doctor was able to put a tiny bit of filler under it and I no longer see it. It still bums me out that I “ruined” it and will need to get filler every couple of years…but hey, that is life, I guess. I am happy filler lasts that long!!
2 Comments
Ashli · April 24, 2022 at 5:32 pm
I don’t normally leave comments on random blogs, but felt compelled to do so here; our stories feel similar. I had thought about getting the bump in my nose repaired for decades, and after my mother passed away from breast cancer in June 2020 I am on a journey to do what makes me happy, life is too short. My heart is with you. Wish me luck! Thanks for the information, I was hoping to be healed up ASAP, looks like that won’t happen! Lol
Thank you for sharing.
Jennifer Renee · April 26, 2022 at 5:12 pm
Hi Ashli,
Our stories do sound similar! I wish they weren’t in regards to losing a parent to cancer 🙁 but I am glad I found someone to relate to. Being in my 30’s none of my friends have experienced losing a parent or even watching them struggle with sickness.
If you have any questions on the rhinoplasty, let me know! It’s been about a year now and I love it! It just takes time!
Thank you so much for commenting. Made my day 🙂