Rhinoplasty- from a care taker’s perspective

My niece informed me that she wanted to have a nose job. She received the “best” of both worlds when our Lebanese noses merged with her Mom’s Italian genetics. Her nose did not bother anyone in her family- we all know she is beautiful inside and out- but it bothered her. Her tween years were spent doing the hair swoop towards the face to distract from her profile and as she progressed through her teen years she began to really not like her profile.

In a world of selfies and instagram photo worthy opportunities this presented a problem for her. She approached me, the self proclaimed world’s greatest Aunt (who happens to work for the best facial plastic surgeon in the country) for help. She also knew Dr. Michael Sullivan is a very good rhinoplasty surgeon. What many people don’t know is that Dr. Mike sculpts in his spare time. He is an artist in every sense of the word which is a huge benefit to his rhinoplasty patients because they are entrusting their face and more to him and his creative skills.

It was a major occupational benefit to me to be able to be the caretaker for my niece. I finally got to witness firsthand the recovery process of a rhinoplasty patient and could share this with countless other patients. I was in disbelief that the only pain medication my niece took was Extra Strength Tylenol. She was also surprised by her lack of discomfort. Of course pain tolerance will vary with patients but nonetheless I was impressed.

Day one of recovery went well. We made up small lightweight gel packs for her to use as ice packs (the thought of putting frozen veggies as icepacks on her face made her nauseous). The gel packs were amazing and inexpensive to make and really kept the swelling down. Please visit http://www.instructables.com/id/How-to-Make-a-Gel-Ice-Pack/. (I mixed up all ingredients and poured them into small snack bags.) Day Two brought on more swelling and the “temporary cast” fell off which I knew was bound to happen because the nurse talked about this prior to leaving the recovery room. Day three arrived and my niece felt great. The week sped by and finally it was time for her first post-operative appointment.

We arrived early and were all very anxious for the “unveiling”. Dr. Mike removed the tape dressing and there it was: my beautiful niece with the nose she should have been born with- her exact nose only refined to remove the bump. It fit her face beautifully. I have been so proud of the work we do at the Sullivan Centre. I was even more proud because my niece was so happy and excited.

The moral of all of this is that what really matter the most when considering Rhinoplasty is that you choose the right surgeon. Look for next week’s blog when I list the questions every patient should ask before scheduling plastic surgery.