The Nose Job: My Day- by- Day Post- Op Report


Finally I get to write this! I was out the whole time yesterday and couldn’t get to writing in a quiet corner so today’s the day I write about the new nose and its day- to- day progress, post- op.

As I have mentioned in my previous post, the alar trimming and tip reshaping of my nose which already included the prepping pre- op and post-op stitch- up took all of 40 minutes. It was an easy procedure. A lunchtime procedure– really, something that a lot of women seem to be doing apparently! Aesthetics surgery is now so accessible and is not as expensive as it used to be. But that said, do your research well.

I think it’s funny how, looking back, I was really more interested in recuperating my US$300 (from the plaster mold/ cast of my old nose) than the actual nose surgery itself. Hahaha I was just not willing to give up US$300 for a plaster twin of my old nose LOL (or it would’ve become a really expensive paperweight). If I didn’t do it, I’d have wasted US $300. If I was going through with the surgery, the US$300 gets credited toward the total bill LOL!! Yep, I was concerned with my US$ 300. So the better investment was obviously to go with the procedure so the $300 is properly “invested” hahaha!!!

When I walked out of the operating room, I was not covered in bandages or anything. The stitches on my alars were left unbandaged to “air” them out and to let the operated areas breathe. The most I did was to put on a mask to cover it because I think it looked rather unsightly, with blood streaming down on the sides. It wasn’t that bad, but I think I’d freak people out if I kept it open as I walked out of his clinic haha. The month of May was much too early for Halloween 😀

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On the left is a photo taken 5 minutes post- operation. On the right is the last photo of me with the old nose 😉

Some of the important procedures post- op that I needed to strictly adhere to:

1. Sleep sitting up
2. No strenuous activities– no exercising, no heavy- lifting
3. Keep nose area clean
4. Clean sides of nose only with saline water (which is part of the post- op kit that I paid extra for)
5. Apply a thin layer of topical antibiotic (included in the post- op kit) over affected area after cleaning (best to use a Q tip cotton bud for this– coat one side of the bud and roll it around the clean back of your hand to make sure it gets a very even and thin coat.
6. Take oral antibiotics as prescribed by doctor (included in the post- op kit)
7. Take anti- bruise medicine and if necessary, use the anti- bruise ointment around nose area but not on the incision (included in post- op kit)
8. Take pain killers as needed (included in the post- op kit)
9. No makeup whatsoever on incision as well as on nose area
10. Apply icepack on swollen areas of face (icepack included in post- op kit)
11. No big movements on face (haha it’s like I had botox. Can’t move my face– my nose area was numb, and so was my upper lip! hahaha)
12. Absolutely NO smoking (this was easy because I don’t smoke at all and actually don’t really like staying in areas where people smoke because I get asthma attacks on occasion)

So I had a very hard time sleeping. I had to keep running to the bathroom to check on my nose, if it was dripping blood or haha if it fell off LOL (ok ok so I was so paranoid). The nurse also told me to always clean the sides– make sure no dried blood stays on the affected area for too long or the wounds won’t heal well. I was surprisingly able to breathe normally, and I didn’t sound too nasally when I spoke. I spared my family the gore– I wore a mask on to sleep so I won’t wake up with dried blood all over my face for them all to see hahaha. I am a fairly considerate one, aren’t I? *Brownie points to The Bag Hag please! :D*

This was what I looked like on Day 1 post- op :

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The whole nose began swelling. I looked like an Avatar (I think more the guy than the girl LOL)!

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I feared the bruising. I began checking out internet forums on nose surgeries and saw the horrific images of women with bruises all over their face, some of whom even ended up with bloodshot eyes 😮 *shock*.  I feared the worst.  Somewhere between day 2 and 3 post- op, I even freaked out to my friends K, C, and D because I was baffled as to why my nose looked so small now and somehow my nose bridge from profile view just disappeared! I was even wailing “but I had a nice bridge before the surgery!!”. My friend K from Singapore, who happens to be a doctor, was very reassuring and told me to be patient because it was normal for the whole nose to swell as well as the area around it because of the “trauma” from surgery. I was worried– and this happened because I did not do my proper research before I went into it LOL. But the next 4- 5 days post- op came and went without any bruising. I did swell though– the whole length of my nose actually including my cheeks, so I looked like a chipmunk- -Theodore to be exact 😉

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Those cheeks!!! 😀

I have compiled my day- to- day photo which began with my pre- surgery photo (from top L- R)– see, I actually like my profile because I have a good nose bridge. But haha I also had the bulbs on the bottom of the nose. Photo #2 is the 2nd day post- op. Visible swelling, but no bruising. Day 3 post- op, stitches were still on my alars, and yup, there was still fluid coming out of the incision areas. I reallly felt like a chipmunk. And I was not having very restful sleep. But the pain was manageable, thanks to the painkillers. The topical antibiotics keep the incisions infection- free.

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Moment of truth *Dread dread dread*: #NoFilter #NoMakeup!!! (photos taken on different times of the day/ night)

By day 4 (from bottom L-R), I went to the doctor’s office to have the nurse remove the stitches. My surgeon had already left the country for his annual summer leave by this time. So if anything nasty happened, I was in the nurse’s hands– but I was very confident with the nurses, so I knew I was going to be taken cared of (haha I was still secretly afraid, but everything was looking quite good actually). The removal of stitches took 15 or so minutes. It was a painstaking process but yay it was again done without much incident 🙂 Day 5, my nose began to take better shape (and so did the dark circles under my eyes LOL-  due to lack of restful sleep). Day 6, there was still blood on my nose, but it was not dripping anymore. The fluids that came out of the stitch holes (left by the removal of stitches– I know, eeewww) were sporadic. And the swelling was not as prominent anymore.

Day 7, I actually left the house to attend the grand opening of Nobu Hotel in City of Dreams hahaha. I was still not allowed to put on any makeup but I just had to pencil- in some eyebrows. I have never felt sooo “naked” in public. It has been a decade since I last went out without putting any form of makeup on my skin (i.e. foundation, powder).

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LOL this photo is obviously filtered

Hahaha I desperately wanted to see Robert de Niro in the flesh, that was why I went to the Nobu Hotel opening LOL #fangirl. And I also got to see James Packer, Australian billionaire aka “The Man” because he was at that time, reportedly seeing supermodel Miranda Kerr (although as of today, it is now reported he is seeing  songbird Mariah Carey… Hahaha gossss!). I slipped in and out of the event quietly because I also was not ready for “the reveal”– and it was still quite unnerving to see fluids coming out of the holes from where the stitches were. Sorry if I’m grossing you all out here– I’m giving this whole experience to you, unfiltered 🙂

I was sleeping a bit better, but still had to sleep in an upright position to keep the swelling from going upward on the face (swelling should go downward). I’ve also switched from an ice pack to warm compress on the swollen areas of the face. I was getting back into the swing of things and though initially I was so self- conscious about my face (no makeup) and my nose (not because I had a procedure on it and feared people would notice, but because I didn’t want the people to be grossed out *hello, unhygienic* if they see some dried *or fresh* blood on the sides of my nose LOL). I took to wearing a baseball cap LOL– from seeing my girl friends for dinner so that they can meet the new nose, right down to meeting fashion photographer Nigel Barker.

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Sorry Nigel, but the cap stays firmly on the head LOL.

When 2nd week post- op came, I went back to the doctor’s clinic to have the inside stitches removed. And this also took sometime. It was a little uncomfortable but it went well. I was also informed that I should make some time for a skin facial to remove the blackheads and whiteheads that have grown on my nose (some people are not prone to this but I was, especially because I have pretty visible pores which probably absorbed a crapload of dirt since I was scared to thoroughly scrub my nose– so it was not clean enough!).

It has been a month since I had my nose job. To many who had nose jobs, their wounds would’ve “sealed” by now and they’d be asked to just apply a layer of anti- scar gel daily on the affected area to make sure it looks nice when it’s all healed (in between 6 mos to 1 year’s time is when you should expect to see the permanent look of your nose). I on the other hand, still get blood/ fluids on the incision areas of my nose because darnedit, whiteheads have decided that those areas are prime property to take up residency!!!! *Silent Scream… whyy?!*&$!* So I have to keep going back to Dr. de Leon’s clinic to go for the dermatological services. I’m one of those peeps with acne- prone skin, so whoopeee *NOT!*. I really can’t wait for the wounds to completely heal. I’m so tired of cleaning the sides of the nose all the time– and I have actually been forgetting to put on the scar gel everytime after cleaning. My friends who once teased me about becoming a surgery addict know that it’ll be hard to get me to go under the knife again, because while I do love the look of my nose now, I did really complain incessantly about the post- op maintenance and the sleep deprivation caused by an uncomfortable new sleeping position. Lack of sleep is one of my pet peeves ;( I don’t wish to go through and suffer for anything like this again. It’s actually a process post- op that I can almost liken to my traumatic post- partum days!

And finally, I am happy to share my before and after nose surgery photo…. Ta-daaaah!!!  Oh full disclosure here:  this photo is instagram- filtered so haha you won’t see my pores ;D But you get to see the width difference of the alars 🙂

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Pre-op (L): A bulbous, wide nose; Post- op (R): a pointier tipped- nose with narrower sides

At this point, I am really just hoping for the bloody whiteheads to stop growing on the alar incisions so that the incision area will finally seal and heal. The incision area on both sides of the nose still become red fairly frequently. Hopefully the stubborn whiteheads will stop hanging out there soon LOL.  I am also hoping to get full sensation back on the tip and sides of my nose. That said, I was happy with the outcome, and I continue to hope that the healing process will become better with time 🙂

Hope you have enjoyed reading this lengthy post once again, and apologies if I took a lot of your time.  I really tried to be as comprehensive as possible for this particular topic. This was a very important one, one that grew important for me over time, post- op :). I was approached by people– some of whom are friends, others complete strangers who have come across my blog post reveal, and they told me they too were contemplating nose surgery but were just too afraid and knew no one personally who was willing to share the experience about the procedure. I am happy to have shared my experience with you, and hopefully these few posts were able to give you an insight into what went on with me both internally and well, aesthetically 😉

Tomorrow I am flying out of the country, but hopefully I get to update the blog again before flying out because there is another story related to this topic that I’d like to share with you 🙂 I think you’ll all get a serious kick out of reading it, and seeing the photos!!!

Have a wonderful week ahead, everyone!!

x
TheBagHag

36 Comments
  1. Hi Ms. Ingrid,

    May i know the name of the nose doctor? If I’ll have my nose done in the future, i’d like to be referred to your doctor. He/she did a good job. Thanks.

  2. hey did you say it only cost you 300$ for alar trim and Tiplasty?? could you tell me where this is. because im about to get a nose job and alar trim cost 300$ alone. could you send me a message pls regarding the details.

    Thanks

  3. Hi, so you had it done ky dr. Deleon right? From the La Nouvelle clinic? I am wondering why he quoted me 50,000 just for alar and you had yours for just $300?

  4. Hi Ingrid! Did the doctor needed to shave off some of the cartilage of your nose? The surgeon did a really good job! Happy for you.

      1. Another question but it’s a crazy one and I how you don’t mind, you rub nose with somebody let’s just say while kissing? Or can somebody make gigil to your nose by pinching it? What did the doctor advise? Thanks so much and really hope you don’t mind my questions.

  5. Hi Ingrid what did Dr.De Leon use for your Tip Plashty. Ear Cartilage, Goretex or Silicon?
    Thank You

  6. Hi Ingrid Did you do any more procedures to get rid of the Scar at the side of your nose? Does the incision area leaves scar Or uneven skin? Thank You!

    1. There are still fairly visible little holes from the stitches. I didnt do dermabrasion anymore tho. Did u get ur nose done?

      1. Im still thinking about it. But im scared that the skin will not be even. The Doctor told me to have Dermabrasion from 3 to 6 months after doing the Procedure. Still torn that I have to deal with more Skin Procedures after the Rhinoplashty.

        1. It has been over 9 months and I still haven’t done dermabrasion. I am going to another dermatologist for a second opinion 🙂

    1. It has been over 6 mos and I still have the “holes” from the needle inserts on the sides. I need to go back and have some kind of laser therapy to even out the holes, but looks like I might also go with another dermatologist for it 🙂

  7. Hi Ingrid, Thank you for sharing your experience, this article is very helpful – detailed and honest. I’m planning to have my nose job next month and I think that I would have to undergo same procedure (alar and tip reshape)I still have to consult a doctor though. I just wonder how much this all costs you. I’m hoping you can answer this so I would know how I can manage my savings. Thank you in advance and more power to you site. 🙂

  8. Hi Ingrid, Thank you for sharing your experience. This article is helpful – honest and detailed.I’m planning to have my nose lift next month.I think I would have to undergo same procedure (just tip reshape and alar trimming. I wish you could tell me/us how much this all costs you. I’ve been saving for that big day, I’m just not sure If my saving is enough to get Dr. de leon’s services.I really hope you don’t mind answering this. Thank you in advance and more power to you blog.

    1. They cost anywhere from 80k to 100k depending on the amount of work and time he does it I think 🙂 Good luck!!!

      1. Thank you so much Ingrid. I went to his clinic and scheduled my surgery before the end of the month; though my friends said that the amount is quite absurd considering that they know people who can get this done for less than 50k but I just want to go with the best and do it right the first time! Thanks again. 🙂

  9. Hi Ms. Ingird,
    Just want to ask if you’re having any scars from the alarplasty? I had a lot of whiteheads after the stitches were removed and now I have some scars. What would you suggest for scar treatments?

    1. Yes i still do. The holes from the needle are visible boohoo. I am trying out a treatment now so i will def write about it if it’s effective!! But just keep putting scar gel!

  10. Very informative! You said you’re queasy with blood. How did you take the local anesthesia? Was it scary?

    1. local anaesthesia wasn’t scary at all. i just hated the feeling over the next few days!!

  11. Hi. I just had alar trimming and they will gonna remove the stitches tomorrow. Im just afraid of everything because i had some blood around the stitches today. Im thinking that the wound will be open something like that. Oh God. Im so nervous.. im on my 5th day and it’s te 1st time it drips some blood..

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