” I wanted to be a better version of myself, I just didn’t know how to begin. It was a big leap for me when I decided to get rhinoplasty in Bangkok, and it’s a decision that changed my life forever. ”
Everyone wants to be a better version of themselves. We go to school to earn a degree, go to the gym to be physically fit, do good deeds so we can be better people. All this is well and good and works towards building better versions of ourselves. But some things you just can’t change; no matter how many degrees you earn, no matter how many calories you burn, or how many favors you dole out.
Like many others, I have struggled with self-esteem issues. It felt like no matter what I did or how I excelled, I still felt insecure around others.
Rhinoplasty is the process of augmenting the nose for aesthetic or functional reasons. Mine was done for the former. There are various techniques for performing rhinoplasty. If an implant is needed, it can be done using synthetic or autologous material. Synthetic material involves silicon or other similar materials whereas autologous means that it has been harvested from the patient himself (think ear cartilage or rib cartilage).
There are many techniques for doing rhinoplasty, and different surgeons will employ different techniques. Before deciding for the surgery, you can talk with different surgeons or get referrals from friends to know which technique would be most comfortable for you.
Before the Surgery
You will need to meet with your surgeon weeks before your intended date for surgery. Like any other surgery, your surgeon will need to take your medical history.
You will be asked routine questions such as any underlying illness, your surgical history and will need to have some lab tests ordered to make sure that you are fit to go under the knife.
Here, you’ll need to be completely honest to your surgeon especially if you are taking certain medications such as anticoagulants as this might cause serious problems post-op.
Your surgeon will also take multiple photographs of you from different angles and upload it to render a 3-D model of your face. Here, he can manipulate your features so that you can have a glimpse of what to expect after the rhinoplasty. Be open in discussing with your surgeon your expectations as well as listen to what he has to say.
The Day of Surgery
On the scheduled day of surgery, I had my friend drive me to the clinic and asked her to wait for me until it’s over. Make sure that you have this in mind as you will not be fit to drive after the procedure (believe me, anesthesia is crazy).
If you can’t have anyone to drive you, take a cab instead. I opted to go for the local anesthetic which means that my face will be numb during the procedure, but I’ll still be awake and responsive (though I fell asleep through much of the procedure).
When the anesthetic was injected, my face went numb almost immediately and a drape was placed on my eyes. Then the surgeon was fast at work. A few hours later, the procedure was done and I was wheeled off into the recovery room.
After the Surgery
I had to stay in the recovery room for about 2 hours after the procedure. Here there were nurses monitoring me constantly. I felt fine after the surgery and there was very minimal pain, although there was some discomfort because I could feel the soft splints in my nose and wanted to sneeze! But this went away after a while.
After the two hours were up, the surgeon assessed me and sent me home. I was given a prescription for pain medications and some prophylactic antibiotics.
I was also instructed to sleep with my head elevated for a few days after the surgery as it will help in alleviating the bleeding and help with breathing. I was also told to avoid strenuous activity for two weeks following the procedure as well as avoid any activity that would potentially risk any impact to the nose such as contact sports or crowded places.
For a few days after the surgery, my face felt quite sore but it was tolerable. In a week’s time, I was back to my usual self, although there was still some noticeable swelling when you look at my nose up close.
After a week, I was quite happy with the results and I could see that it was already well on its way to healing. The most important part after the surgery is scheduling a follow-up check-up with your surgeon so that he can assess the healing process and check your progress.
The swelling will generally subside after a month and within two months your nose will already have taken its final form, hopefully, you’ll be as happy at this time as I was!
Life After Rhinoplasty
Like I said earlier, we all want to be better versions of ourselves. After the procedure, I feel like I’m more confident to achieve the things that I was hesitant to do so before. I feel like I can now accomplish more with newfound confidence.
I could face people with pride and confidence knowing that I don’t have to be embarrassed about having an unsightly appearance. I’m no longer hesitant to have my pictures taken from any angle, and I can now leave the house with little or no makeup on!
Rhinoplasty has been a big life-changer for me. Although the procedure may seem to have changed my features very minutely, it has changed my life immensely.
When people ask if I had something done, I am not ashamed to tell them that I had a nose job in Bangkok. I am rather proud that I was able to better myself through this procedure. I was hesitant to go under the knife at first, but after seeing the results, I can say that I have no regrets.