Instead of the ideal eyes or lips, my desire was for a perfect nose. I want to say a big thank you to Dr. Benz of the Masterpiece Hospital, for making this dream come true.
As young ladies, many of our desires can be to have the perfect body structure. Many seek the perfect eye, perfect lips, perfect legs and many more. This faultless body structure is what enhances our beauty and self-confidence. Also, it makes us less conscious of ourselves in public and less envious of our peers who have those great facial or body features that we do not have. For some, having all these wonderful features is genetically derived, as they were born that way. Others are not so lucky. And this latter group, unfortunately, is where I fall into.
My Life Before
I’m a young lady who is still in college and trying to get my degree. My ‘flat’ nose has always been a source of concern to me. Soon, I will be through with college and will start working. Carrying this excessive self-consciousness around instead of focusing on my career is something I really don’t want to occur.
To have a perfect career and life, I begin searching for a solution to my problem. Then luckily for me, I was introduced to Masterpiece Hospital by people near me who have done this nose reconstruction surgery before. Seeing how their noses look like, you can tell the doctors there did a good job. Also, I began reading more reviews from their website, and from the good amount of reviews from their past clients who have undergone a similar procedure like the one I want, Masterpiece seemed to have a good and specific solution to my issue.
At first, I was skeptical and wondered if I should go ahead with the surgery because it was my first surgery. I wondered many times how the procedure will go. However since I needed a permanent solution to my ‘cow’ nose (as many would call it), I took the bull by the horns.
The decision was not at all an easy one because it required money. Being a student who is always in constant need of money for school projects, feeding expenses, accommodation expenses and so forth, it was tough. However, because I was determined to get what I want, I began to save.
As a student, saving up for cosmetic surgery can be quite frustrating seeing that it is in addition to my normal school expenses. There were times when I was tempted to use the money I had saved for something else, but I steered clear of it.
Nonetheless, having the nose reconstruction was what I needed badly, and having it in Masterpiece Hospital is the best decision of my life so far. I don’t regret saving up to have this surgery, and neither do I regret reconstructing my nose the way I have always wanted it to be.
My Surgical Journey Begins
One thing I noticed about Masterpiece Hospital on my first doctor’s appointment was how nice and accommodating the doctors and staff all tend to be. I am a person who loves to have an understanding doctor or in this case surgeon, who will answer all my questions without restrictions. Dr. Benz, one of the Masterpiece Hospital specialists, was indeed quite nice and exceeded my expectations. He answered all my questions and was quite explanatory on the procedure I would be undergoing.
The doctor briefed me that the method will be a nose augmentation procedure executed by opening an open wound in the nose front and using nose cartilage with Gore Tex. This he explained in layman’s language for better understanding.
At first, the doctor explained to me the procedures that I would be put through. He scanned a 4-D image of my nose and adjusted it. During the process, I was permitted to make a choice of what my nose would look like in the future. I was very pleased with this because I was actually in control of what my facial appearance would look like, rather than have somebody else do it for me. Of course I did this with Dr Benz’s aid and advice.
I chose a nose structure which matches the shape of my face. A perfect nose arrangement which has a well-defined bridge unlike how flattened it was previously. And looking at it in the 4-D program, I was excited to have my new nose already on my face.
My Pre-Surgery Experience
The surgery took about 8-9 hours at most and before the surgery, I was instructed by my doctor to abstain from drinking water just a few hours before surgery. This is a precaution since I would be under general anesthesia while the surgery is performed by the experienced doctor. Well, Doctor knows best. I obeyed all the instructions which I was given as it also contributes to the success of my surgery.
Before we began the operation, I was truly scared; my heart was beating fast and I was sweating profusely. The reaction was okay though, because I had never undergone any medical surgery before and this was going to be my first. But as the surgery went on, my fears gradually washed away.
My Post-Surgery Experience
Few hours after the nose adjustment, I was feeling quite ‘okay’ when I woke up; my palpitation and panic sweating were gone. Though, I woke up feeling nostalgic about my first nose. This was okay because I had just had surgery on it. The nose was sort of hard to let go of.
The doctor checked on me to know my state and I was given some medication recommended by the doctor. I took them obediently.
I was given instructions on what to do and how to care for my nose during the period of convalescence . I was also taught how to clean the wound, replace the gauze, the cotton silk wrap on my nose, and to place a clean one. For as we know, a clean wound also promotes faster healing. This procedure took about 1-2 days (though, this can vary for anyone).
During this period I was breathing through my mouth because my nose had not fully healed.
I was also advised to avoid drinking alcohol for the time being while the nose was healing, and trust me, I submissively stayed away from it. I didn’t want anything to jeopardize this success story that I already had; at least not from my side. It took me a lot to get to this stage and I didn’t want to ruin things myself.
I was also asked to follow up with the doctor every time, at least 3 times per week. Though, this could also vary according to individuals. You may be thinking that since I was already told what to do then there was no need to visit the doctor any more, or at least not so often. No, you visiting the doctor helps him to check up on your nose and make sure healing is progressing nicely. Also he can check to know if you are truly cleaning the nose correctly as you should.
Questions
my Friends Asked Me
Because my nose reconstruction was a huge success, many of my friends who liked the outcome also got interested and asked a lot of questions. I was happy to answer all. I benefited from this and I also want those interested to befit from it too. So I got questions like:
- Was it difficult, after the nose reconstruction? To be sincere it was difficult in the first week after the operation. Breathing was not easily done through the nose as you should normally. So sometimes I do breathe with my mouth to aid me. During this period, I was mostly at home, didn’t go to school much.
- At that same juncture, I couldn’t scratch my nose because of this quite delicate to me. It did itch a lot though. I couldn’t touch it either, it was not advisable. I was quite careful not to do this, even though sometimes, you might be tempted to do so.
- What can you eat? I ate everything except the papaya salad. I was told not to eat that during that first week till it’s fully healed. I seriously had to prevent myself from walking into the Som Tam restaurant for some salad.
- Do the bruises heal quickly? For me, there were no bruises though (can’t say if this might be the same with other individuals). I only had a little swelling which gently disappears as time goes on.
- What was the result after two weeks? At this stage, I didn’t have to take care of anything. Everything was okay and in place. You just have to be careful not to get hit on the nose for now.
My final thoughts on this
I am very grateful to Masterpiece Hospital and the wonderful Dr. Benz for making this dream come true for me. Am I so glad I did the surgery as a student! I do not regret it nor the money involved.
If you want to go for a face procedure, I do say yes! Just make sure you go to a great place like Masterpiece, or just go to Masterpiece Hospital already! Also obey all the instructions given to you as I did. This is the best investment I ever made in my life.