Deep regrets with rhinoplasty, need some advice

TPF may earn a commission from merchant affiliate
links, including eBay, Amazon, and others

Q

qt_qq13

Member
Jan 15, 2017
23
7
#1
Hi, I had a rhinoplasty a month ago and I know I am very early in the healing stage bt before surgery my surgeon had told me the changes she was going to make with my nose and I now regret the whole surgery. I only had the tip done where my surgeon added nasal septum cartilage along with ear cartilage grafted in the tip and columella, she also rotated downward and reduced soft tissue. I am in deep regret and want my Asian nose back. I would really appreciate some advice or anything really. I am planning to go back after 6 months to see if I could take out all the cartilage grafted but I read on other forms that it will increase the chances of the nose to collapse. Has anyone ever taken out their grafts and had no problem after? I would really love to know. I also cannot PM since I am new so please feel free to PM me. Thank you so much.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Looking Purdy
#2
I don’t know but, but what I do know is it’s too early for you to be deciding because there’s still so much swelling and what I’ve heard and seen is that it takes months and months for your nose to take its shape post swelling and inflammation. I say wait it out longer before making any decision. You wouldn’t have gone for the procedure if you weren’t considering it in the first place.
 
  • Like
Reactions: opensesame
#3
Hi there @qt_qq13, I also had my rhinoplasty one month ago. My doctor was Kim Tae-hwan (Chris) at First Button who is very popular on this forum. I had an absolutely wonderful experience with him. Like another poster has suggested: Pls give 6 months to 1 year before considering revision. What is it that you don't like? Is the tip over projected? I would recommend Dr Kim for revision rhinoplasty, if that is what you want. He revised another forum member's nose (took out silicone implant, etc) and she looks great and very natural. Good luck!
 
Last edited:
  • Like
Reactions: pecansapples
#4
hi @
anna2020 said:
Hi there @qt_qq13, I also had my rhinoplasty one month ago. My doctor was Kim Tae-hwan (Chris) at First Button who is very popular on this forum. I had an absolutely wonderful experience with him. Like another poster has suggested: Pls give 6 months to 1 year before considering revision. What is it that you don't like? Is the tip over projected? I would recommend Dr Kim for revision rhinoplasty, if that is what you want. He revised another forum member's nose (took out silicone implant, etc) and she looks great and very natural. Good luck!
Click to expand...
Hi @anna2020! i’m super interested doing my primary rhinoplasty at 1st button. encouraging to hear that u had a great experience with him :) do you have and b&a u can share? only if you’re comfortable. if not, it’s ok too! what did you do with dr kim?
 
#5
minidawnut said:
hi @

Hi @anna2020! i’m super interested doing my primary rhinoplasty at 1st button. encouraging to hear that u had a great experience with him :smile: do you have and b&a u can share? only if you’re comfortable. if not, it’s ok too! what did you do with dr kim?
Click to expand...
Hi there! Sorry, am not comfy sharing photos, but I love my new nose. And it looked quite good at cast-off too, even if it was swollen.

For personal reasons, I didn't want an implant/rib/DCF, just to avoid potential issues.

Dr Kim is very active on Kakaotalk. Anyone can ping him for a virtual consult. He will ask for photos and maybe a video to see your face in action. He's fluent in English. He maybe doesn't know the latest slang, but he's quite fluent. I'm a very verbal, communicative person and I had no issues at all with communication, which is extremely important to me when dealing with any kind of doctor.

I know that he wanted to give me a higher bridge with an implant. But I told him "no way, please work with my current bridge" and he did exactly that. I had my tip defatted, tip raised with septal cartilage. I didn't have an alarplasty, but he did something to reduce the roundness of my nostrils and make them more symmetrical (though he told me several times that he couldn't make them completely symmetrical). He did insist on raising the space between my eyes (radix) with donated fascia. I was not super keen on this at first, but he politely insisted and now I can see why. This definitely improved my profile and overall facial harmony. Creating my rhinoplasty plan was a very collaborative process. He listens.

The procedure was done under local anaesthesia and IV sedation. I should point out that he does NOT have an anaesthetist. He monitors the sedation with a nurse. He says he's had no problems with anaesthesia in 18 years of doing rhinos. But please talk to your family doctor to check on whether this is OK for you. I believe he uses propofol.

My recovery was incredibly easy. He gives you all the supplies you need for recovery, including Qtips. I bought a bunch of stuff, including throat drops but didn't actually use anything. The first night is miserable though as you have the stuffing in your nose. But once that's removed, you can breathe normally. He also injects anti-bruise solution, so I didn't bruise much and the minor bruising cleared up in a week.

The best thing about Dr Kim is that you are talking directly with him. He responds very quickly. It's quite unusual to have this level of access to a surgeon.

At the moment, I am about a month postop. I do have a faint columnella scar, but this is not possible to see unless you're shorter than me and looking straight up my nose. I expect this scar will fully fade in time. My tip is more projected, but not too projected. I still look fully Asian and not operated on, if that makes sense. My nose is straight with a slight upturn at the tip. It's very cute and youthful.

Dr Kim says I had "minimal" changes to my nose. But for me, they're not so minimal! It's a different nose. Also, I heard it takes a very good surgeon to give you minimal but impactful changes, which is what I got. I'm very happy and would endorse him, especially given how easy the recovery was for me. I got the procedure done on a Thursday and was working remotely by Monday. I'm also quite happy with the price. Sure, I'm sure Koreans pay a lot less. But for this level of access, his skill and ease of recovery, it's a fair price.
 
  • Love
  • Like
Reactions: teagongfu and pecansapples
#6
anna2020 said:
Hi there! Sorry, am not comfy sharing photos, but I love my new nose. And it looked quite good at cast-off too, even if it was swollen.

For personal reasons, I didn't want an implant/rib/DCF, just to avoid potential issues.

Dr Kim is very active on Kakaotalk. Anyone can ping him for a virtual consult. He will ask for photos and maybe a video to see your face in action. He's fluent in English. He maybe doesn't know the latest slang, but he's quite fluent. I'm a very verbal, communicative person and I had no issues at all with communication, which is extremely important to me when dealing with any kind of doctor.

I know that he wanted to give me a higher bridge with an implant. But I told him "no way, please work with my current bridge" and he did exactly that. I had my tip defatted, tip raised with septal cartilage. I didn't have an alarplasty, but he did something to reduce the roundness of my nostrils and make them more symmetrical (though he told me several times that he couldn't make them completely symmetrical). He did insist on raising the space between my eyes (radix) with donated fascia. I was not super keen on this at first, but he politely insisted and now I can see why. This definitely improved my profile and overall facial harmony. Creating my rhinoplasty plan was a very collaborative process. He listens.

The procedure was done under local anaesthesia and IV sedation. I should point out that he does NOT have an anaesthetist. He monitors the sedation with a nurse. He says he's had no problems with anaesthesia in 18 years of doing rhinos. But please talk to your family doctor to check on whether this is OK for you. I believe he uses propofol.

My recovery was incredibly easy. He gives you all the supplies you need for recovery, including Qtips. I bought a bunch of stuff, including throat drops but didn't actually use anything. The first night is miserable though as you have the stuffing in your nose. But once that's removed, you can breathe normally. He also injects anti-bruise solution, so I didn't bruise much and the minor bruising cleared up in a week.

The best thing about Dr Kim is that you are talking directly with him. He responds very quickly. It's quite unusual to have this level of access to a surgeon.

At the moment, I am about a month postop. I do have a faint columnella scar, but this is not possible to see unless you're shorter than me and looking straight up my nose. I expect this scar will fully fade in time. My tip is more projected, but not too projected. I still look fully Asian and not operated on, if that makes sense. My nose is straight with a slight upturn at the tip. It's very cute and youthful.

Dr Kim says I had "minimal" changes to my nose. But for me, they're not so minimal! It's a different nose. Also, I heard it takes a very good surgeon to give you minimal but impactful changes, which is what I got. I'm very happy and would endorse him, especially given how easy the recovery was for me. I got the procedure done on a Thursday and was working remotely by Monday. I'm also quite happy with the price. Sure, I'm sure Koreans pay a lot less. But for this level of access, his skill and ease of recovery, it's a fair price.
Click to expand...
Thank you so much @anna2020 for sharing! It is super helpful. Happy to hear that you had such a great experience and results!! :)

Do you mind PM-ing me how much you paid for your procedure?

How long did you stayed in Korea? and did you consider or consulted other doctors prior to go with Dr Kim from 1st button? :) I am considering 1st button/noselab/MIHO/ATOP so far!
 
#7
minidawnut said:
Thank you so much @anna2020 for sharing! It is super helpful. Happy to hear that you had such a great experience and results!! :smile:

Do you mind PM-ing me how much you paid for your procedure?

How long did you stayed in Korea? and did you consider or consulted other doctors prior to go with Dr Kim from 1st button? :smile: I am considering 1st button/noselab/MIHO/ATOP so far!
Click to expand...
Sure, happy to PM you the price. How much time do you have? Ideally, you go and do all your consults first and then go back a second time for the actual procedure. If you want to do all your consults and then decide, your chosen doctor may not be available during the time you have. You should stay an absolute minimum of 5 days AFTER your rhinoplasty. 5 days post is the earliest that Dr Kim would remove your cast.

Because I was so short on time, I booked Dr Kim before arriving. I had been chatting with him before though, so I didn't book him "cold". If you have time, I do recommend spending time on in-person consults before deciding.
 
#8
anna2020 said:
Hi there @qt_qq13, I also had my rhinoplasty one month ago. My doctor was Kim Tae-hwan (Chris) at First Button who is very popular on this forum. I had an absolutely wonderful experience with him. Like another poster has suggested: Pls give 6 months to 1 year before considering revision. What is it that you don't like? Is the tip over projected? I would recommend Dr Kim for revision rhinoplasty, if that is what you want. He revised another forum member's nose (took out silicone implant, etc) and she looks great and very natural. Good luck!
Click to expand...
Hi @anna2020 thank you for your response.

I actually went to consult with Dr. Kim and end up not going to him because of the changes he recommended for me but now that I think of it, he probably would have made subtle changes which were what I wanted. I am considering him for a revision but am scared because I'm not sure if I want to mess with my nose again in case of further complications but at the same time I know in my heart I just want my original nose back. Was your surgery with Dr. Kim your primary? What changes did you make? I am waiting for the 6-month mark but still am consulting to see what my options are. What I don't like about my nose is the projection and how the surgeon rotated my tip downward so my nostrils wouldn't show. Also, the tip is still swollen but I am afraid of it looking too defined and fake since I prefer more of a softer bulbous tip and also the look from the basal view which looks fake too. Another thing I don't like is the stiffness and having a columella graft in my nose, it's so uncomfortable. I think I came upon her PF review and spoke to her too. I am still filled with anxiety though and trying to find some solutions.
 
  • Like
Reactions: pumpkinsoup
#9
anna2020 said:
Hi there! Sorry, am not comfy sharing photos, but I love my new nose. And it looked quite good at cast-off too, even if it was swollen.

For personal reasons, I didn't want an implant/rib/DCF, just to avoid potential issues.

Dr Kim is very active on Kakaotalk. Anyone can ping him for a virtual consult. He will ask for photos and maybe a video to see your face in action. He's fluent in English. He maybe doesn't know the latest slang, but he's quite fluent. I'm a very verbal, communicative person and I had no issues at all with communication, which is extremely important to me when dealing with any kind of doctor.

I know that he wanted to give me a higher bridge with an implant. But I told him "no way, please work with my current bridge" and he did exactly that. I had my tip defatted, tip raised with septal cartilage. I didn't have an alarplasty, but he did something to reduce the roundness of my nostrils and make them more symmetrical (though he told me several times that he couldn't make them completely symmetrical). He did insist on raising the space between my eyes (radix) with donated fascia. I was not super keen on this at first, but he politely insisted and now I can see why. This definitely improved my profile and overall facial harmony. Creating my rhinoplasty plan was a very collaborative process. He listens.

The procedure was done under local anaesthesia and IV sedation. I should point out that he does NOT have an anaesthetist. He monitors the sedation with a nurse. He says he's had no problems with anaesthesia in 18 years of doing rhinos. But please talk to your family doctor to check on whether this is OK for you. I believe he uses propofol.

My recovery was incredibly easy. He gives you all the supplies you need for recovery, including Qtips. I bought a bunch of stuff, including throat drops but didn't actually use anything. The first night is miserable though as you have the stuffing in your nose. But once that's removed, you can breathe normally. He also injects anti-bruise solution, so I didn't bruise much and the minor bruising cleared up in a week.

The best thing about Dr Kim is that you are talking directly with him. He responds very quickly. It's quite unusual to have this level of access to a surgeon.

At the moment, I am about a month postop. I do have a faint columnella scar, but this is not possible to see unless you're shorter than me and looking straight up my nose. I expect this scar will fully fade in time. My tip is more projected, but not too projected. I still look fully Asian and not operated on, if that makes sense. My nose is straight with a slight upturn at the tip. It's very cute and youthful.

Dr Kim says I had "minimal" changes to my nose. But for me, they're not so minimal! It's a different nose. Also, I heard it takes a very good surgeon to give you minimal but impactful changes, which is what I got. I'm very happy and would endorse him, especially given how easy the recovery was for me. I got the procedure done on a Thursday and was working remotely by Monday. I'm also quite happy with the price. Sure, I'm sure Koreans pay a lot less. But for this level of access, his skill and ease of recovery, it's a fair price.
Click to expand...
Oh, I see your post here about what you had done. For the anesthesia, did you have to put a tube in your throat or did you have throat pain after surgery?
 
#10
qt_qq13 said:
Oh, I see your post here about what you had done. For the anesthesia, did you have to put a tube in your throat or did you have throat pain after surgery?
Click to expand...
Hi, if you feel deep anxiety, I suggest maybe seeing a therapist. There is absolutely nothing you can do for a while anyway, so it's about reducing your anxiety now. Yes, mine was a primary and I don't plan to ever touch my nose again.

I did not have a tube down my throat. I had only IV sedation. He then added local anaesthesia to my nose, which I felt "fade" after I woke up. That's why I had zero throat pain. I kept waiting for pain to come but there was no pain at all.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top