First of all, I want to say hello to all of you who are looking to learn a little more about what choices you might have in rhinoplasty and introduce to you my developing story. Some of things I say may help you make up your mind in one way or another.
I wanted to share my experience with you because I really believe that sharing and caring. How can anyone make an educated decision of no one shares their real experiences with the rest of the world. I had read many things about Dr. Davis and most things I had read were positive. I also had a family member that had surgery with him about 6 months ago. His result was brilliant. She had a very cheap nose job and the doctor had completely disfigured her nose. I can imagine that it was a very challenging task to try to put the pieces back together. He was able to use some of her existing cartlidge to do her reconstruction.
I had my first nose job 18 years ago... my doctor was based in San Francisco, his name was Dr. Manace. He did a great job... my nose was very beautiful and I constantly got complements. I used to cringe, because when the only thing anyone notices about you is your nose AND THAT'S NOT THE REAL YOU. It kind of feels funny... Do you say... well ummm I got it with Dr. Manace. I am going to be frank with you, my nose was not small. I had broken it three times. I had a hump. I had assymetry in the nostrils. But, thankfully I was blessed with a very beautiful face. Once Dr. Manace put his magic wand on my nose, I was transformed. I felt like cinderella...
In the old days, rhinoplasty was done differently. Typically a lot of cartlidge was removed. The immediate results were extremely gratifying because they were almost instant. Unfortunately they were not lasting results. Eighteen years later... My nose began to cave in... the assymetry of my nostrils were more apparent then ever. Because so much cartlidge was removed my nose was not able to keep it's original beautiful shape. The cartlidge was not strong enough to resist gravity and time. Although it was still a fairly attractive nose, it had a very plasticy look. Well, lets face it, it looked like I had gone under the knife.
I went to Brazil to a doctor called Romeu Fadul. Ok I didn't do my research. He did my friends nose and he did a fairly good job so I thought I should give him a try. Never a good idea... always do the research. Although, he did a good job on her, he was not an expert in reconstructive rhinoplasty. The fact that he did not show me many before and after pictures should have alarmed me. Only recently have I discovered that there are only a few surgeons in the world that are qualified to perform such a surgery... I gave Dr. Romeu an ok to operate. I admit he did try, but the results were extremely disappointing. I ended up with a disfigured nose. My nose was much much better prior to the surgery. There was no magic wand this time. I remember crying so many nights. I ended up with a bigger nose. He used cartlidge from my scalp to fix my nose. He was thinking about using porex... which is a substance typically used in people that had lost bone tissue due to accidents... I was not happy with that option due to the high risk of infection. But, you know how it is... doctors can talk you into doing anything really. Post op - My nose had bumps in wierd places. My nostril had completely collapsed. Further to my dismay I could no longer breath from my righ nostril. The bridge of my nose looked deformed. He had put a total of six grafts, none of them aesthetically pleasing. On the right side of my bridge he put a graft that moved and there was a visible line between my bone and the graft. The experience was extremely disheartening to say the least. The doctor's promises on all fronts failed to be realized.
I went to see Dr. Davis a year later (Aug 2008). He was pleasant and sincere. He showed me various show cases of patients with similar conditions. It was obvious that he was extremely qualified... I think Dr. Toriumi and Dr. Davis are the top two doctors in America for reconstructive rhinoplasty. I had heard good things about Dr. Gunter, but his recent experience with a patient that developed necrosis at the tip of his nose scared me. Anyway, I felt confident that Dr. Davis could save my nose. He was also just so nice...
Post Op- I am less then a week post op. My recovery has been wonderful. I had very little swelling and discomfort. Dr. Davis had to take a piece of my rib to fix my nose. So I am pretty sore. The assymetry of my nostrils is almost gone... and I can breath ! More to come.
