What prompted you to have a rhinoplasty?
I was 36 when I had my rhinoplasty. Ever since I was a child I always wanted to have nose surgery. My nose has always bothered me. I had a hump in my nose, the bridge was too wide, my nostrils were not even and the tip slanted down at the end. I was always self-conscious about my side profile. My front photos didn’t bother me as much but my side profile really bothered me—even when I was driving I was really self-conscious of people seeing my profile.
I can clearly remember back to second grade when a boy asked me “if I was ROMAN”. In high school someone else told me that I had “a nose like a witch”. Kids can be cruel, but those types of comments are things that you never forget.
I always looked at other women’s noses and liked the way that they looked “feminine”. There was nothing feminine about my nose.
Why did you choose Edina Plastic Surgery for your nose surgery?
Their reputation is outstanding. I would never go to any plastic surgeon that wasn’t board-certified and I knew that all their surgeons had those high credentials. Also, they have been in business for over 35 years so that says a lot about the practice.
I talked to another plastic surgeon before having my surgery done at Edina Plastic Surgery and he told me that he performed rhinoplasties under local anesthesia, which scared me to death. I could never get the courage up to have this type of surgery performed while I was awake!
When I had my consultation at Edina Plastic Surgery, the first question I asked was whether I could have my rhinoplasty under general anesthesia; I was assured that they would do that. That helped me make the decision to go ahead with the surgery.
Would you recommend your surgeon to friends?
My surgeon was amazing and meticulous. He was the sweetest man and his bedside manner was so comforting and reassuring. He made me feel so comfortable, was very realistic, an excellent listener and picked up on exactly what I wanted changed. I tell everyone that he is a true artist and I highly recommend him!
What changes did the surgeon make to your nose?
My surgeon took down the hump, made the nostrils symmetrical, made the bridge narrower, and fixed the tip. The surgery was an “open rhinoplasty” and took 3 ½ hours. He had to make an incision under my nose above the center of my lip, but the scar is so fine there is no way you can see it. He also made incisions on each nostril to make them more symmetrical but those scars are virtually invisible as well.
How were you treated by the staff?
The nurses and staff at EPS were just awesome. And this was the best experience with anesthesia that I ever had. When I woke up I was totally awake and felt great. I felt fantastic when I got home—not groggy or nauseous at all.
What are your thoughts about the results?
I am so pleased and happy that I did it. I am not self-conscious anymore about my profile. It took me a while to get used to having a beautiful nose. When I see a camera I still get the initial feeling “I don’t want a photo in profile”, but then I remember “I have a new nose—I look good in profile now”. I still can’t believe this is my nose!
When I saw my before and after photos it was such a great surprise! I literally thought “did I really walk around all those years with that nose?” When I look at the before pictures and compare it with the after pictures I can’t believe how huge my original nose was. I don’t mind telling people that the results of the rhinoplasty were awesome.
My daughter just kept staring at me after my nose surgery and she told me over and over again how much better I looked. My coworkers and my fiancé have really noticed the positive change. My face is so much softer looking and more feminine because of my new nose.
What have people said about your new nose?
The people that haven’t seen me every day don’t notice the difference because it looks so natural. The people that see me every day did notice the difference. I talk to people all the time about getting my nose done and they all say that they would never have known that I had any plastic surgery.
Did you do anything special to prepare for the surgery?
I took Arnica before my surgery, which is a homeopathic pill that goes under your tongue; five of them three times a day; and as a result I had almost no bruising. In fact, my lack of bruising was completely amazing. I didn’t get black eyes which was great. I would recommend Arnica to anyone considering a rhinoplasty. You can get Arnica at any health food/vitamin store. I also used the Arnica cream after the surgery to help the minimal bruising go away faster.
What was the recovery period like?
I was back to work in a five days which included two weekend days so I didn’t have to take much time off of work. There was some pain after the surgery for the first few days but the pain was well-managed. I had my surgery a little over a year ago, and the swelling kept going down little by little for months. And as it continued to go down, my nose kept looking better and better. People say that it’s a “long recovery process” but it’s really more of a “long improvement process”—my nose just kept getting prettier.
Would you tell other potential patients that are considering having a rhinoplasty?
If this is something that you’ve always wanted to do, go ahead and do it. Don’t wait as long as I did. I wish I had done this much earlier. I would do it again in a minute.
