mkryu Posted November 7, 2008 Share Posted November 7, 2008 Reschedule the surgery. You want to be 100% healthy before you go under. You don't want any complications. Open rhino is when an external incision is made on the columella. Closed rhino is when all the incisions are done inside the nose. Dr. Lee does closed as he feels a scar on the columella from an open rhino is too visible. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mkryu Posted November 7, 2008 Share Posted November 7, 2008 I think he mainly uses the straight kind. I think it's called the "i" implant? I wouldn't want to get an L implant because of the high rate of extrusion on the tip. Plus you can never push your tip up to do a piggy nose because your tip will be stiff. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cersepn Posted November 8, 2008 Share Posted November 8, 2008 Hmm I wouldn't really put it like this. When the L implant is used properly, with the collumelar strut part (the _ part of the L shape) not extended fully AND NOT used for tip projection, extrusion should not happen. The true purpose of the collumelar strut is to provide a base of support for the cartilage grafts/dome sutures/insert other tip projection techniques/ and NOT to push the tip up directly!!! This is the chief culprit for alot of extrusion cases.. Unfortunately there's so many irresponsible/unskilled doctors out there who do otherwise and people end up with all the complications. The tip should.. not be stiff. Well, at least not as stiff as the bridge. The nose is divided into 3 portions, the top 1/3 is the bridge which is stiff and hard, the middle is semi-hard with slight mobility and lastly the tip is the softest with the most mobility. This explains why ear cartilage (soft!) is used for the tip commonly, besides the fact that it is easily harvested. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
onetreehill82 Posted November 8, 2008 Share Posted November 8, 2008 I am feeling very low right now as i said I am 2weeks today post op, and my tip is so huge i don't know if it's swelling because the rest of my nose isn't swollen, and I am really worried that i am stuck with this, just wondering how long it takes before the tip comes down enough to know what it will look like? And is it normal for the tip to be quite hard? would really appreciate your advice because I am almost at the point of taking the implant out myself!! Okay thats a bit extreme..if I could I would.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
asin Posted November 8, 2008 Share Posted November 8, 2008 i called and found out that doctor lee used an I shaped implant on me. the tip of nose and columnella feels SO hard though, i can swear there is a implant there. i have seen his videos. in one of them, he was talking about how L shaped implants are bad. then in another video, he was showing all the implants he had in his office including an L shaped one, so that made me go "wtf?" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
asin Posted November 8, 2008 Share Posted November 8, 2008 mkryu, did you find warm compresses to be really helpful? i am thinking about doing them to speed up the deswelling process, but i feel like warm compresses will make the swelling worse? doesn't heat cause swelling? if they were helpful, how did you do the compresses? did you use a heatpack wrapped around the towel and lightly pressed on your nose? the area i would be most interested in deswelling right now is the area between my eyes... should i try doing warm compresses in that area? sorry for all the questions, ha ha. you have been extremely helpful in my recovery so far. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mkryu Posted November 8, 2008 Share Posted November 8, 2008 Dr Lee and his staff recommended that I use warm compresses to speed up recovery and diminish swelling. It works. When I wake up with puffy eyes, putting a warm compress over my eyes for 10-15 mins takes the puffiness away. The heat increases blood flow thus speeding up healing. Just go to CVS and buy the Hot/Cold pack. You microwave the gel pack and slide the hot pack into the cloth sleeve that comes with the kit and place it gently on top of your nose. Don't apply any pressure. I did this 10-15 mins a few times a day for the first month. Then after substancial swelling went down after the month, I stopped...it just got too boring and routine lying and waiting 15 mins. It is relaxing though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crazygirl1 Posted November 8, 2008 Share Posted November 8, 2008 Dear OneTreeHill: I can understand that you are feeling very afraid and helpless right now. However, you are only 2 weeks post op, and everything is supposed to be swollen and huge. You won't be stuck like this. I didn't get an implant, but the tip did fall considerably after a month and a half. Since you have an implant, it may take longer. When you're swollen, it pushes everything up and out, and your whole nose looks weird. My tip still feels hard now, because it is swollen, and I'm 7 weeks post op. Why don't you wait a bit before taking the implant out? Give yourself 6 more weeks to see how things progress. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crazygirl1 Posted November 8, 2008 Share Posted November 8, 2008 Um... what are dome sutures? What is a collumelar strut? I've seen these terms on surgery websites, but I didn't understand them. It would be great if I can though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crazygirl1 Posted November 8, 2008 Share Posted November 8, 2008 http://www.rhinoplasty4you.com/journals/paloma.htm I think everyone should read what this girl went through. I really admire her courage and dignity. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
onetreehill82 Posted November 8, 2008 Share Posted November 8, 2008 Crazygirl1, Thankyou for your advice, I am feeling a bit better today, I know I am only 2wks post op. In my situation, me doing this surgery was way out of the blue for my family, in our culture anything to do with plastic surgery is vain and unnecessary. So I was hoping that doing this would give me that confidence, I need..you see I was teased alot as a kid and after so many years, decided I would finally take the plunge and just do it!! Anyway sorry for the sob story..I hope things get better and I guess I just need to stop worrying! I want to post my pics up, but am not sure whether to or not. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vannyvan10 Posted November 8, 2008 Share Posted November 8, 2008 Can anyone explain to me how the ear catilage work for the tip? like the precedure the doctor uses. i tried finding websites that explain it but they dont go into detail. Im curious to know if they just cut a piece of my ear cartilage and put it on my tip like an implant on the bridge? or do they crush it and wrap it around something else? What do you guys think is better. ear cartilage or suture technique (where they jus basically sew the tissue from the septum( the tip) together to give an higher and more define tip) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jpor Posted November 8, 2008 Share Posted November 8, 2008 hello! what do you think is the best gel/cream for the scars? im using arnicare gel. i dont think its helping that much please help me!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
asin Posted November 8, 2008 Share Posted November 8, 2008 x Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
berryeyes Posted November 8, 2008 Share Posted November 8, 2008 Kelocote or Mederma (available at local drug stores). Arnica gel is...hmmm Arnica Gel, I didn't find it very effective. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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