Rhinoplasty- Nose Surgery - Woffles Wu

[bella88]

hi kayatoast,

you are lucky you can use your ear cartilage, you didnt use an implant right.

hi nesspress,

you can google under wraped cartilage nose, it's not from rib. it's from your own cartilage like nose, ear, diced it to form the bridge of your nose.

you guys recover so fast! any special tips? please please share!

[Nespress88]

Hi Bella,

The ear/septal cartilages are used mainly for the tip e.g. tip rotation/projection. For us Asians, we usually need a lot more augmentation in the bridge area which ear/septal cartilage will not be sufficient. This is where you need to decide either to use synthetic implants (goretex/silicone) or your own rib graft to sufficiently raise the bridge. To harvest this rib graft, you will need to be cut around the rib cage area leaving an obvious scar. And because of possibility of absorption of the rib, surgeons might put in more rib grafts to build up the bridge to account for the loss/absorption. And if the patient's rib graft doesn't absorb or absorb very little than predicted, that's when the bridge and nose will look very wide because of the large amount of grafts inserted. Then again, if the surgeon doesnt account for absorption and just put enough rib grafts, and when absorption does occur, they end up with lower than expected bridge etc. The healing and absorption process (if any) for such operation seems to be forever according to the thread in this forum. The final form of the nose (including bridge) can take up to entire year to be revealed.

Mine was done using goretex for the bridge and ear cartilage for the tip projection. That's a combination! I find its best of both worlds la! Now, nearly 1 month, my swellings are almost all gone and the bridge is nice and strong. Take care and do update us on your experience!!

[bella88]

Hi Nesspress!

Thanks! I will. I figured i will be very bored & sad cos of the face swelling, bruises, will update as much as i can.

i prepared as much as i possibly can. bought all the stuff like compress, pineapple juice, cheese, yogurt, fruits, q-tips, tissues. gosh, i think i will be so skinny since i read for the first few days, best not to eat solid foods?! :( i am not sure if i can survive for 3 days just on cheese, fruits & yogurt! but on the other hand, with my face, eyes & nose swollen, probably too depressed to eat!!

anyone has special tips to share for post op care??

[bella88]

i have been eating/drinking loads of salad, fruits, juices on top of my normal meals to prepare for the surgery, not sure if that helps in the recovery. let's see!

it seems that some have it easy during the recovery period & some not.

[Nespress88]

Hi Bella,

DONT DONT forget to take Vitamin C (those effervescent type once daily) daily for as long as a month after post-op. It is flu season now and catching a cold while healing from a nose job is definitely going to be problematic. Vit C also helps in healing but AVOID Vit E!

Also dont worry so much abt the healing thereafter, you will be given Sinecch which is clinically proven to help reduce swelling n bruisings drastically. But be prepared, I was on altogether 8 boxes of it!!!!!! Not cheap huh!! Try to sleep with 2-3 pillows for the first 2 weeks and also be prepared to not shampoo for at least 1-2 weeks due to the fact that you must not wet the ear cartilage area. And if it is an open rhino, you would also wanna refrain from wetting your incisions along the columella as well as immediate nostril areas. Other than th, of coz most impt, do not BUMP or disturb your nose. For this, you would wanna wear singlet or button pyjymas/shirts to avoid possibility of touching yr nose when you pull over yr tees.

Hope that helps!

[jacksonsin]

How much is Sinecch per box?

[Nespress88]

Hi Jack,

It is ard $65 per box, but really its the first 6 pills that was supposed to be of really good strength. anyway i took like 8 boxes altogether

[bella88]

Hi All!

first of all i want to thank Nesspress & Kaya toast for reassuring me cos i was SO freaking nervous

i just had my surgery a few hours ago. like what kaya toast said, i was fine enough to take a cab back myself & i cannot see any bruising at the moment! i am so perfectly fine that i can still type this post.

cos my nose is the complicated surgery, but if all turns out well, it's worth every penny!

before surgery, i was so freaking nervous that i cried. the nurses are so nice. they told me cannot cry cos cannot do surgery. during surgery, i was chatting all the way with WW & cannot feel any pain at all. the medication he gave me was so good that i cannot feel any pain.

i was told the worst will happen 1 or 2 days later. right now, i am feeling quite ok, no pain, nothing. face look the same except that my nose is wrapped up & look quite big cos of the pack inside in the nose & swelling which is expected of cos.

i am anxious to see the end result. now it's not fair to judge WW's work at such an early stage. yes, he is VERY expensive but if all turns out well, it's worth every penny!

i am not even sleepy or giddy. in fact can go about my normal chores but i think i bettter not cos i read that i better rest & not do anything!

i am taking out the pack this friday & stitches on tues. will update again or if i feel differently or if i swell alot. i feel very well taken care of by WW & their nurses. let's see the end result. am scared of cos! my nose looks very wide hopefully cos of the pack & expected swelling but right now i feel fine. maybe still under LA. heard the worst is in 1 & 2 days' time. but at least i get to see WW on fri again. for me, post op care is very important too! stitches off on tues, will be able to have a better judgement of his work then. sorry for such a long post cos super bored. i expected myself to be tired or sleepy or giddy but not at all. if pain comes later, i will update too.

[bella88]

hi!

read that swelling will occur on the 2nd day & 3rd day. am mentally prepared for it.

really hopes all goes well.

[Nespress88]

Hi Bella,

CONGRATS!!! You did it!!! It is going to be nice im sure. Just minimize any activites from now on until 2-3 weeks later. DONT ever bend over cos its very bad for healing and will increase the swelling. REM to take the Vitamin C daily from now on until one month later, you really do not want to catch a flu at this season. The packing will be ultra irritating as in it will cause your nose to itch and sneeze. When you do sneeze, PLEASE open your mouth and let the pressure out. Holding to the sneeze with mouth closed exerts immense pressure on the nose and might rupture the incisions. Things will get better once the packing is out, but I am not so sure you would be able to remove all stitches by a week. I had mine gradually removed or dissolved over 2 weeks. And be very religious with the nasal ointment after unpacking. Also do not touch your nose at all, I had a slight infection and was placed on course of strong antibiotics for almost 3-4 weeks. There shouldnt be any pain from now on, i did not encounter any right from Day 1; just some discomfort.

Right now, you just lie back and relax. Watch as many DVDs, you will gradually see the shape of your nose forming over the entire month. Even till now at the 5th week, my nose looks nicer with passing of each day as the subtle swelling disappears. but you should roughly see the final shape ard 5-6 weeks with more healing to go up to a year!

I am glad you felt taken care of as I mentioned Lily and Dr. WW are very nice pple! Rem to take your Sinnech and antibiotics regularly! Take care!

[bella88]

Thanks Nesspress!

I really hope that my nose will be nice! now it looks really wide hopefiully cos of the pack & swelling. was yours like that too?

yes, i am eating & drinking fruits & juices. hopefully will speed up recovery.

am sitting almost upright and will sleep upright. meaning 90 degrees upright or 45 degrees?

yes, really hoping all goes well. am abit scared cos the nostrils look wide
:(

[bella88]

i just changed the gauze cos it looks bloody. my nostrils look really big & wide :(

i really hope it's cos of the pack & swelling. it looks really bad, worse than before!

is the same for you guys on the first day of surgery? my face has no bruising yet but my nose looks really bad :(

[kaya_toast]

Congratulation!

My nose looked very bad before the surgery. Dr WW said I am one of the few in the world with nose consists of fat, without any cartilage or bone. I took about 6 months to look good, testified by my friends, family and colleagues.

When I tell them how much I paid, they faint... Ha...

After a few follow-up consultations, Dr WW will suggest a jab to speed up the de-swelling. I rejected cos it cost $$.

You will definitely swell badly for the next 2 days, relax... The major swelling will goes down quite fast too.

[bella88]

hi Kayatoast!

thanks for your reply! am quite worried cos my nose looks really bad! very wide, big nostrils, worse than before :(

now my nose is swelling ALOT, can see especially at the bridge.

was your nostrils wide & Big after first day of surgery too? am worried cos the nostrils look really bad & they are my main concern!

my eyes are fine so far, so am worried for my nose, looks SO Big & wide especially at the nostrils!!!

[bella88]

WW just replied me. thank goodness! nice to have your surgeon to reply your text at night!

guess i shall be patient and wait for final outcome before judging. let's see. it's only my first day of surgery! can't wait till it's recovered.

cannot sleep.. don't know why but am wide awake. no pain, just a little discomft at the nose cos of the packing.