I broke my nose three times growing up. I have always hated it ever since and it was the one thing about my face I wanted to change! I knew that when I could afford it, I would get a rhinoplasty.

My surgery was on November 8th and I was so nervous, I thought I might back out at the last minute! I ended up having a septoplasty to treat my deviated septum as well as the cosmetic changes I wanted to make.

Thank God I didn’t back out though. I am so happy with the results and even the process! I had no pain, except for a headache. Towards day 4, my stitches started to give me some discomfort as my skin was healing.

It’s amazing what the body can do! For me, day 2 was the worst. That’s when I had the most swelling and bruising. I know it’s a difficult picture to look at, which is why I made the photos TMI. But if anyone is thinking about getting a rhinoplasty or septoplasty, I feel likes it’s important for them to see a realistic depiction of the recovery process.

The only thing that was negative about my experience is I have not been able to smile fully. That has been really hard since I always thought my smile was my best attribute. Unfortunately due to the nature of the septoplasty, my doctor had to make an incision underneath my upper lip, sever the muscle fibers connected to the tip of my nose, and rebuild my septum, which hinders my upper lip from moving up when I try to smile. Thankfully in two weeks, my body has healed so quickly and my smile is almost back to normal!

Here is my before and after! My nose is still swollen, especially the tip, but I won’t be fully healed for about nine months to a year. The top photos were taken minutes before surgery. The bottom ones were taken on Thursday- two weeks post op.