Hi all,
It's Day 3 post-op for me. Had a revision to take out my silicone implant and replaced with rib cartilage by Dr. Shah in Chicago. Too tired to make a lengthy post about my surgery so please pm me if you want details.
Just wanted to make a few general comments...
for those who feel strapped by time and feel you "need" to make your decision...please make sure this is not in haste. It is better to wait a year if your summer window is closing. You DON'T want to have to go for a revision later down the road...esp if you pick an implant that is harder to take out or will pose future problems. My revision was an open procedure and I have to say... it's a real bastard of a recovery. This will definitely be my one and only revision. Don't want to go through this again.
A note on Dr. Shah: if you are close and can go consult with him... you should. He is as nice and caring as surgeons go. Very patient and listened to all my concerns. And my revision was quite complicated but he managed to pull it through. It's too early for me to tell if we achieved my goals because of all the swelling... but my rib donor site doesn't hurt at all and I hardly have any bruising on my face. I can tell he was very careful and gentle. HOWEVER, picking a surgeon is a very personal choice and has everything to do with what your nose is currently. Depending on whether this is a primary or revision and what your natural structure is... he may or may not be right for you. But you need to consult with the docs (in person if possible) and express your case and work out all the details and pick the one you feel can give you the results you want. We all want different things so naturally our choice of doctors should vary.
A note on L-shaped silicone: DON'T EVEN CONSIDER THIS OPTION! This is what I had for 15 years and I was one of a few that didn't have problems within this time frame. But it had started to develop a bend and was on it's way to extruding. Also, the skin on my nose was "shrink-wrapping" around it and it is very obviously fake looking. Silicone implants can photograph well (even mine did at certain angles) but in person, I can always tell when someone has it in their nose...
As for the continuiing debate of what is best as augmentation material... I don't think this is a black or white issue. REally depends on what you want accomplished. The decision is based on so many factors :if you don't mind future revisions down the road, if you want to make it easier to change later on, if you are more scared of extrusions or infections than warping issues, etc. Sorry, no perfect answer. However, I have researched this topic quite a bit and if you send me a pm, I can try to give you my 2 cents on your specific nose or situation. I can't respond to this question with a general commentary because I think the actual answer is actually very specific to the person asking. For example, for me PERSONALLY, I felt it was best to go with rib because I had a bad experience with silicone and was turned off synthetics. Also, I needed much height so using ear or septal cartilage were not options for me.
Anyway, if any of you want to ask more specific questions, send me a pm.
