Hi Everyone, just wanted to share my experience on rhinoplasty.
In 2007, I had my rhinoplasty (goretex implant, alar and tipplasty with ear cartilage) at Shimmian Manila with Dr. Lansangan. I told him I wanted a pretty, natural-looking nose. However, after the surgery (done under general anesthesia), I looked completely different. My nose bridge was too high, my tip and alars were uneven, and the nose bridge to the tip looked like a slide (it was too straight). Don't get me wrong, it was still quite an improvement from my old nose... but it looked fake. You can tell Dr. Lansangan tried to impose his aesthetic on me and tried to make me look more "Eurasian" (as he would put it) without taking my facial structure into consideration, and so my nose ended up looking fake. I've read so many reviews on forums of his other patient's saying the exact same thing about him and his work... nose bridge too high and uneven alars, etc. It seems like he does the procedure the exact same way for everyone without regard to the patient's unique facial structure or aesthetic preference. It wasn't completely terrible, but I was not happy with it. Anyway, I didn't have the time to revise my nose as I was going to school abroad at the time. I lived with with this nose for about 7 years, till now.
About 6 weeks ago, I got my revision surgery with Dr. Alex De Leon of La Nouvelle Image, I've researched about him 7 years prior (months after my first rhinoplasty) when I knew I would someday get my nose revised. Back then, he was pretty popular on these threads. So many patients were raving about their results with him, so I knew I would get my nose revised by him one day. When I went in for a consultation, I initially thought I would just get my tip revised because I thought it would be impossible to remove the goretex because it's been 7 years and goretex apparently is porous and hard to remove. But Dr. Alex, noticed my high bridge (which I have always been concerned with) and asked if I wanted to revise the bridge as well. When he told me he could revise it even though it's goretex, I happily agreed!
The revision was done through local anesthesia only. He removed the goretex implant to reshape the high bridge implant done by the previous doctor. Crazy experience!!! I could hear him yanking the implant out, but I didn't feel anything but pressure. He fixed my tip with cartilage from the back of my ear. He really listened to me and my aesthetic... I told him I wanted the alars only slightly smaller. So he did one side and showed it to me and asked if I liked it before fixing the other alar. By the time I was done with the procedure, I looked so swollen, and I was afraid that he made my nose bridge too low and and my tip too fat. I looked like Frakenstein after with the stitches and swelling. For the next 2 days I was super swollen... as in, even my eyes were all puffed up. But I didn't feel any pain. I didn't have bruises cause I was taking Sinnech. I went to get my stitches off after 3 days, and I felt so unhappy about how fat my nose looked. But then I saw his other patients with perfect noses, and his partner dermatologist said she had her nose done by him as well... and it looked absolutely perfect and natural. She reassured me that the swelling would go down and it would reveal a beautiful nose. The nurse did a "laser" treatment for a couple minutes to help minimize the swelling.
The swelling started going down after the 4th day but still for a week, I was afraid I made the wrong decision because my nose looked so round and big. After the first week, I started seeing improvements. The swelling was going down significantly. By the second week, I saw how beautifully refined and natural my tip looked, my bridge fits perfectly with my face and my alars are even. This was the nose I wish I was born with. It's perfect for my face and it looks completely natural. I keep getting compliments about how pretty I look, and they can't even tell I got my nose done.
I'm very happy with my results, and I thought I'd share it with you all. I know how frustrating it is to look for a good doctor (for those who are thinking about getting the procedure done). I also know how frustrating it is to get it done and not like the results (for those who are seeking revision). And I know how annoying and depressing it is to sit and wait for the swelling to go down so you can look normal again after rhinoplasty. But now that I have the perfect nose for my face... I can say that it's all worth it!!! Best decision I ever made!!!
Good luck, everyone!