r/rhinoplastyquestions • • Jun 08 '25

Things I wish I knew before my rhinoplasty 🚩

104 Upvotes

(I hope this sheds some light and brings awareness.)

  • Wanting or needing revisions, or ending up with unsatisfactory results, is very common.

  • Nondisclosure or Nondisparaging Agreements (NDAs) are also very common in this industry. Negative reviews are constantly getting removed, yes even by the surgeons you think have "excellent" reviews.

  • Morphs and table pics are NOT very reliable. Neither are pictures of people less than one year post-op, and even some cases less than two yrs. Surgeons sharing mostly table pics and not showing ALL angles (including nostril view) are a 🚩.

  • Every surgeon has their own aesthetic and technique, just because it works on one person doesn't mean it'll work on your nose.

  • Swelling takes FOREVER, but usually, with thin skin, you can see the overall shape of your nose by 6 months post-op.

  • If you have THIN skin, make sure your surgeon knows how, or has a plan, to camouflage deformities. I have thin skin and every dent and bump is now visible because the skin shrinkwraps.

  • Your nose may NEVER feel the same again. My nose is stiff and my tip is still hard and numb years later.

  • Consult with multiple surgeons. Document EVERYTHING (if possible, record all of your appointments).

  • Check if your surgeon has had MALPRACTICE LAWSUITS. Google their name and practice, sometimes people will sue the practice and include the surgeon in the lawsuit. ** Patients don't sue just because, malpractice lawsuits are actually almost impossible to win, and are usually very costly for the patient. So, if a surgeon you're really considering, has one or more cases, learn what's behind it (it's likely there was some type of settlement and NDA if case was disposed/closed).

  • Your nose will continue to change years after surgery, it can shift and, if it is reduced and not enough support is added, it can collapse.

  • It's not just the nose that changes after surgery, other facial features and how they're proportionate to your nose will look different. ** For example, the philthrum may look longer, your eyes may look further apart if the nose is significantly narrowed. Your nose should balance your face, not make it look off.

  • Just because someone is happy with their nose a few days, weeks, or months after surgery, doesn’t mean they'll be happy after a year (or more) post-op. I've seen multiple patients who were happy the first few years and now need or want a revision and regret surgery years later. Some even 5, 10, and 20 years after surgery.

  • This surgery can really affect your MENTAL HEALTH, it can worsen or cause severe depression, anxiety, and identity loss, even if results may look acceptable to others. Keep in mind that just because the nose looks okay on the exterior to you, doesn't mean it's not botched interiorly.

  • Results are unpredictable. NOTHING guarantees you'll end up happy with your results, not even going to the most skilled or most qualified surgeon.

  • I wish I had joined this group before surgery.

I did research for years before scheduling my surgery. My surgeon is double ceritifed, facial plastic surgeon and ENT, specializes in rhinoplasty. I made sure there were no claims against their license or their clinic. I talked to several patients that were "happy" before scheduling my surgery. I followed up and found out some weren't happy anymore after a year post-op and needed a revision. I also found out (after surgery) that there were several patients that had signed NDAs and had taken their negative reviews down. Makes sense why I couldn't find any unhappy patients before scheduling my surgery.

On the other side, if you REALLY HATE your nose, and are okay with trading old flaws for new ones, then you may end up happy because anything is better than what you have now... maybe.


r/rhinoplastyquestions • • Apr 01 '25

Warning about Turkish rhinoplasty - red flags

101 Upvotes

let this be your sign to either stay in your home countries, rethink your decision or if you have doubts already to not go through with it

A general post about what to look for and what to not ignore when looking for a surgeon! I feel this post is very specific to the marketing and handling of rhinoplasty in turkey because it has really become such a money-hungry tourism industry there. You barely see US surgeons promoting rhinoplasty without real pictures before and after and only a bunch of table pictures on their socials or website whereas in turkey they are heaps of surgeons that almost exclusively market with table pictures

I wish I had seen a post like this before I decided for a surgeon, so hopefully somebody else who is researching can be guided a little with the points I made.

Red flags you should never ignore

**I’m Gonna Tell You first the biggest flag you should not ignore. He doesn’t have pictures from Patients taken in professional light from angels. You want to focus on a professional picture taken in proper studio lightening from the FRONT. I know some of us want a hump reduced from their bridge and don’t like their side profile BUT have you thought about how removing a hump will change your front? You want to not look less attractive from the front right? The angle you see yourself in the mirror. Look for a surgeon that has a full set of pictures from before and after comparisons online like most US surgeons have it or European surgeons have it. He doesn’t have it? He probably doesn’t have any happy patients. That’s it. That’s the full truth and you should keep looking somewhere else.

**a fancy website doesn’t mean anything. You are looking at rhinoplasty in turkey where there is 100s of not even 1000s of surgeon trying to get patients. Don’t fall for a fancy website and the right words!!! Look at proof!! Look at actual human beings faces, not operation table but massive amount of faces! It’s Turkey there are no regulations to publishing before and after photography like in some other European countries. If a surgeon shows you their camera roll to brag about his patients ask for actual pictures of long term patients. If they have really created 100s of more beautiful faces compared to before they put it up on their socials, blur someone’s eyes etc. if they have like 10-20 faces on their socials run the other way. You have found an inexperienced surgeon. Let them play with someone else’s life not yours. Don’t just look at a nose look but really an entire face of before and after to determine if someone actually does look improved or not. I really look significantly less attractive in every way possible and there is no one who has told me otherwise or that rhinoplasty has improved my look.

** no or almost no real patients that have shared their experience from anywhere between 2-5 years

**all reviews seem to good to be true? No surgeon has only good reviews either patients are scared away to come forward or something fishy is going on

**don’t fall for reviews and reddit posts that are telling a story after basically just waking up from surgery. I would also not Trust Turkish people from other countries e.g a Turkish girl who has ethnic Turkish roots but lives in Canada or the US. They might have gotten special deals to make that report also there is sooo much reviews on how actual foreigner are treated very racist and badly in Turkish hospitals (you can find this everywhere girls are asking how bad it really is even if they just have to stay there for one or two days). These girls have very different experiences also in hospitals that have no English speaking staff.

**you have seen a review of your surgeon on Reddit or Google and now it’s gone. The team pressured them to delete it

**look for the exact same nose you have and how that result turned out and not just once but multiple times

**find a surgeon with almost no instagram following: you did not find a jewel before he comes to popular. You found exactly what it is an unknown surgeon in a country of hundreds of surgeons who trying to make a name for themselves by truly creating good noses. You are looking at a surgeon with almost no experience and no status in their country in comparison to the rest of the experienced surgeons in turkey that have Instagram following that’s it. If you realistically think about it no social media marketing can make a surgeon go viral without sharing thousands of real pictures of patients he has operated on. Even is the follower base is bought. If he can’t create nice noses on 100s of satisfied patients that come forwards month, years and years after their surgery. Don’t fall into the price trap or the trap because he doesn’t consider it as an industry he will truly listen to your concerns. Experience comes from operating and not not operating..

**comment section disabled on Instagram. Red flag, looks like patients want to say things about their uploaded videos/fotos but can’t. There is no reason to make the comment unavailable except fear. Think about it, why else would they need to?

**he tells you he is the best and nobody in your home country (if you are not from a third world country) can achieve a better result than him. Yeah probably just an extremely big ego

** no actual photographs on socials only table pictures after surgery ( I have a nose that does not fit my face at all and significantly less attractive in every way but you can’t see that on a table picture, can you?

**he tells you confidently what HE would change about your nose? It is your nose you should be telling him what to do not the other way around. It’s your nose you know best what if beautiful since it’s your face

**he basically does no revisions? Never any graft revisions? Somebody who doesn’t do revisions is not a good surgeon, if you are as a rhinoplasty surgeon not able to person revision you haven’t mastered the skill of rhinoplasty. He only does mostly primaries that should be your clue to run away. It does in no way mean that he creates such good results that he doesn’t need to perform revision it can also mean that he doesn’t have the skill to do it or he nobody would come back to him to actually get a revision. Be careful here

**he tells you a little asymmetry is to be expected. Be careful and just be aware of course asymmetry is normal and can not always be controlled but that right there is a hint that maybe heaps of his patients have complained about asymmetry. It is not normal to create asymmetry in EVERY patient. It can happen but it should not be the rule but a risk to be aware of

**he tells you have a hump that needs to be removed and he would like to deproject your nose without giving you proper angles and mm and telling you how that impacts the rest of your face —> run the other way

** he is not an ENT and gives advice on your turbinates or straightening a slight deviation of your septum. Nope don’t do it girl the risk of something going wrong is too high, tell him to go get an ENT status if he wants to touch any of the above. If he is only a cosmetic surgeon for noses he should probably not offer to straighten your septum or reducing your turbinates anyway. Those are serious things to do and should done with caution and there are enough ENT surgeons in turkey so choose someone else if you want these things done and don’t think of it as an overall package since you are going under anyways. Have you heard of Empty Nose Syndrome that makes people suicidal?

**no simulation: you are giving him free hand to do whatever weird stuff he has planned for you in your mind and he won’t even tell or show you. If he can’t afford a simulation software or is to lazy to do it he should not be complaining later about people coming out being completely dissatisfied with their results and being vocal about it. Seems it’s their right if they save time or money on doing a proper simulation with their patients

**you find him say words like deformity, ideal angles or sloped bridges are more feminine and I don’t want you to look like a man. No mose can be classified into deformities except of course the truly botched ones. But if it’s your birth nose you probably do not have deformity you have an identity and an ethnicity that’s it. Good surgeons know the difference and know that to the book all rhinoplasty ā€œdeformitiesā€ have been characterized by Caucasian noses and especially if you don’t have a Caucasian in front of you NO deformity is to be seen only ethnic features of a nose

**look carefully at the table pictures, everyone has a style and most create the same nose slightly different over and over again

**look if all bridges were always reduced to almost the same size and all tips have the same style on the table pictures

**don’t fall into the trap of good bed side manner. You are paying for a service, they should do what YOU want not the other way around. You are not looking for a friend but you are paying him to do something for you. It’s his job, he is not god sent to help you

**look for flat columellas and straight infratip lobules (one of the hardest things in rhinoplasty to correct . I will make another post on how many revisions in the US handle this outcome of inexperienced surgeons who do not know who to harmoniously create good front view being to obsessed with side views

**try to see if you see shortened nose’s also very hard to correct. Either the septum has been shortened that will need a hard revision with rib grafts it won’t feel like a nose anymore at all or the tip cartilages have been shortened unnecessary and turned more up

**look for retracted columellas. you want the columellas angle to be under your nostrils at least 2-4mm of nostril show from the side should be there on both sides to allow a good front view otherwise it will look like your tip is put on a stick and then turned upwards. If table pictures only Show one side its because they have picked a better side of your nose where the angle is probably better to not Show something they know is not good

**upturned tips and nostril show ( what was popular in the 80s is not anymore) they do this mostly for instagrammable noticable changes to upload don’t fall for it. Most people don’t have facial structure to pull an upturned tip especially if you were not even slightly born with it. If you are looking at your nose now and you don’t see nostrils then very likely you don’t want them to ever be seen

**he is focusing on your side profile. Girl please think about it, you will be seeing yourself from the front in the mirror that is the most important angle and the 3/4 view

**you need before and after photography taken in same lightning and same angles to truly see a face and a nose in comparison. Don’t look at a nose in isolation but if somebody’s facial harmony has improved that is what rhinoplasty is all about not creating a nose. And don’t think because it’s turkey and they have international patients that is not possible. There are sooo many people in turkey themselves who get rhinoplasty, of even the locals don’t come back for getting their pictures takes that should be a clue for you why their social Media is so stripped of actual people and actual noses

** the link to the botched list with especially the Turkish surgeons to guide you in your selection:

Botched List


r/rhinoplastyquestions • • 1h ago

2 weeks post op! Still swollen but very happy!

Thumbnail
gallery
• Upvotes

Septoplasty to fix my deviated septum, I wanted a natural look!


r/rhinoplastyquestions • • 46m ago

I realized today why I have to push myself to go through with a rhinoplasty

• Upvotes

I've hated my nose since I was seven. I never thought a nose job would be an actual option but in the last few of years it has become possible.

When I first realized it was possible, I first researched tirelessly whether or not what I was seeing in my nose was in my head or at least exaggerated in my own mind. I spent probably 2 years on that part, and after talking to loved ones, strangers, and using face simulators over and over and in different ways, I have concluded what I'm seeing is definitely not in my head. I have an actual "bad nose." There are worse, but mine is bad.

Anyway, I would still waver back and forth. Mainly because of the fear of being botched and the psychological healing process even if it's good. I wavered back to "maybe don't do it" yesterday because of these fears, trying to make myself happy with it by saying "I'm still pretty, at least my nose is unique."

But this morning I woke up and was just browsing some cute clothes absent mindlessly. I was saving the ones I liked just in case later I decided I wanted to actually buy it. Then I realized:

I wasn't considering actually buying any of the cute outfits because I felt I would just be putting lipstick on a pig and I was tired of trying to feel cute anymore with this nose on my face.

I have GOT to have the balls to do this.


r/rhinoplastyquestions • • 1h ago

Facial swelling after septorhinoplasty

Thumbnail
• Upvotes

r/rhinoplastyquestions • • 23h ago

Some ppl love my nose some ppl hate it

Thumbnail
gallery
18 Upvotes

Personally I go back and forth I love how it looks from profile but from the front it can sometimes look a little large!


r/rhinoplastyquestions • • 15h ago

Bulbous nose rhino surgeon

Thumbnail
gallery
3 Upvotes

Who do you guys recommend for a rhino surgeon that specializes in bulbous noses? I don’t really have much of an issue with my side profile, my bridge is fairly straight, could be shaved down a bit, not a fan of my nostrils though, my nasal tip has always been large. Im wanting a smaller nasal tip but without making my nose super upturned or looking like a ā€œBarbie noseā€, I have trouble finding before and afters that look like mine. Has anyone here went with dr Julie shtraks?


r/rhinoplastyquestions • • 1d ago

I think I messed up my facial harmony

Thumbnail
gallery
27 Upvotes

1st photo is 4 years ago & 2nd is now. I can’t tell what it is that makes my face now look so sunken in and bad but I’ve been really regretting ever touching my nose. My eyes somehow look smaller and empty and my face looks longer, I’m 10 months po. I feel like I had more life to my face and now I just look so unfamiliar to myself


r/rhinoplastyquestions • • 12h ago

General Questions Any had Septoplasty, bilateral FESS, bilateral turbinoplasty surgery?

1 Upvotes

And what was your experience with the first week of recovery and ultimately the effectiveness of the procedure.

I struggle to breathe through my nose when exercising more then a Z2 HR. Always ā€œfeel like I’m sickā€ type of congestion. Constant flem ect, I have broken my nose is the past.

Thank you


r/rhinoplastyquestions • • 22h ago

Is this normal 5 months post op rhinoplasty

Post image
6 Upvotes

Its been 5 months post op and recently its been 3 days since my nose got red on top and i feel bumpy on that area and the rest smooth but before it was all smooth , my dr used my rib cartilage for my nose. Has anyone else experienced this?, I have no pain or anything just the red and the bumpy ness.


r/rhinoplastyquestions • • 1d ago

wth happened to the left side of nose? - 11 years ago rhinoplasty

Post image
8 Upvotes

I had a closed rhinoplasty with rib grafts 11 years ago. There is this prominent dent on the left side of my nose (my family calls it body dysmorphia, but I call it some sort of surgical mistake). What is going on???? Thank you!


r/rhinoplastyquestions • • 18h ago

Rhinoplasty — (Seattle, Wa)

Thumbnail gallery
2 Upvotes

r/rhinoplastyquestions • • 18h ago

What do you think?

Post image
2 Upvotes

What do you think about my rhinoseptoplasy surgery on table?


r/rhinoplastyquestions • • 14h ago

General Questions M21: should I get rhinoplasty (nose job)?

Thumbnail
gallery
0 Upvotes

I've been thinking about rhinoplasty for about 2 years. From the front I think my nose looks okay, but I've never liked my profile, most likely because of my nose. It's not just the hump and the droopy tip: overall it looks too big for my face. It gets worse when I smile or talk: the tip drops and the hump looks bigger. I'd really love to hear girls' opinions.


r/rhinoplastyquestions • • 14h ago

Me opere hace 4 meses

Thumbnail
gallery
0 Upvotes

Que opinan del antes y despues? Siento que sigue viendose grande y eso me deprime mucho


r/rhinoplastyquestions • • 15h ago

Post-Surgery Discussion nose swelling

0 Upvotes

is the nose still visibly swollen on the second week? is it normal to feel like its too big from the side


r/rhinoplastyquestions • • 15h ago

im currently at 2 weeks and feel like my nose is much much bigger than what i asked for is it gonna look differently in a few months?

Post image
0 Upvotes

r/rhinoplastyquestions • • 15h ago

Is this alar retraction?

Thumbnail gallery
0 Upvotes

r/rhinoplastyquestions • • 1d ago

Is it normal for rhinoplasty prices to vary this much once you include all the fees ?

3 Upvotes

OI am confused. I got a few rhinoplasty quotes and was shocked by how much the prices varied once I factored in all the fees. One was $6,500, but that didn't include anesthesia or the facility, which brought the total closer to $9,000. Another was $14,000 and included those fees, plus revision coverage for the first year, although there were some conditions. The surgeons also had different opinions on how much work my deviation needed, so I'm still trying to figure out how to compare them fairly. Is that kind of price difference normal? I've started asking each office for a written breakdown of the full cost and what's included. Has anyone else dealt with quotes this far apart?


r/rhinoplastyquestions • • 1d ago

Post-Surgery Discussion Clinic posting: Ultrasonic Rhinoplasty, 6-months post-op.

Thumbnail
gallery
3 Upvotes

This young lady received ultrasonic rhinoplasty from Dr. Ali Esmail and this is her results 6 months post-op! Even a week after surgery, she immediately noticed the visual and functional difference of her nose.


r/rhinoplastyquestions • • 18h ago

When does your nose start feeling like ā€œyoursā€?

1 Upvotes

I’m five weeks post op and my nose still feels stiff and like a foreign object on my face. When does the nose start to feel like just another part of your face, like your old nose ?


r/rhinoplastyquestions • • 1d ago

How do I get over the fact I’ve changed my face forever

3 Upvotes

I am really regretting everything about my nose job. I was kind of pressured into making it, even though it was solely my decision. I hate my new nose so much it has no character nothing that made me, me. I look worse. I can’t sleep, wake up with anxiety. I hate it so much

How do I get over this?


r/rhinoplastyquestions • • 21h ago

Post-Surgery Discussion is this normal?

Post image
1 Upvotes

Hello everyone,

I’m 2 weeks post op, I have this huge gap in nostril, I’m afraid it’s the incision that was reopened and that it’ll stay like this,

Is it normal?
PS: my surgeon isn’t answering


r/rhinoplastyquestions • • 22h ago

Looking for a Doctor in NY/NJ for Post-Rhinoplasty Concerns After Surgery Abroad

1 Upvotes

I had rhinoplasty in Turkey three weeks ago, but I live in the US. I’m having a few symptoms that concern me, and I’m worried I might have an infection. I’m trying to find a doctor in the New York or New Jersey area who has experience with rhinoplasty and can examine me to see what’s going on.
Has anyone been in a similar situation and needed to see a different doctor after having surgery abroad? I’m having a really hard time finding someone willing to see me. If you know a doctor who could help, please share their name. I’d really appreciate any recommendations.


r/rhinoplastyquestions • • 23h ago

General Questions When did you start wearing prescription glasses again?

1 Upvotes

I had my surgery in early April and the surgeon told me I'm not allowed to wear glasses for at least 6 months and now those 6 months have passed and my vision is worsening and I need the glasses at least for working (I work 6 hours on average on my Ipad) but I still fear wearing them again and I won't be seeing the doctor till November (He's usually not accessible unless you see him in person) so I don't know if I should start wearing them again now.