ERIKA: The procedure I am having today is rhinoplasty and the reason why I decided to have it is because I am very uncomfortable with nose and it is something that has always bothered me for many years.
I’m sure you have all heard of it growing up. You know kids being teased and mine was very severe and it really made a big impact on my life. When you are a woman it does affect you more than when you’re a guy, I mean looks overall and I think that yeah this is definitely going to help me a lot and when I actually got a chance to speak with Dr. Nassif, he was just completely the sweetest doctor, and the way he approached his clients he makes them feel really warm and secure and that they are important. That they actually count and he is helping them out. He is not just a doctor that is just ‘okay, let’s just get the work done.’ He makes you feel really safe and comfortable.
DR. NASSIF: When I first met Erika I was a little bit unsure of how she was going to react with surgery. The reason I am saying that, she was a little bit teary eyed and she felt that her nose was really, really a big detriment to her lifestyle. I also thought she might have had a little bit of depression at the same time. I was worried that she might not be realistic. I was worried that I might not be able to achieve exactly what she was looking for.
After I felt comfortable that she would be a good candidate and she knew what she was getting herself into and she had a lot healing to undergo, then we decided to proceed with the surgery.
ERIKA: After the surgery I am going to feel very confident and good about myself because I really strongly dislike my nose and my appearance. This has affected me in many ways, even just meeting people and meeting friends. I had always made up excuses like turning to the side or not taking pictures. It is just like a big relief that you can be satisfied with the way you look. It’s going to feel good and I’m going to feel very happy afterward.
DR. NASSIF: We are just about to start an ethnic rhinoplasty with Erika. We are going to start off first by taking a little tissue from her scalp and we are going to use that to build her bridge of her nose. We are then going to harvest some cartilage from her septum.
One of the other procedures that we perform when the septum does not supply us enough cartilage or when there has already been a previous septoplasty is ear cartilage harvest.
We are going to perform an open rhinoplasty and really try to get some of that thick skin controlled.
Finally, we are going to finish with narrowing her nostrils.
Here we go! Let’s start!
Performing rhinoplasty is a combination of science and art. You have to know different angles of the nose and the different lines and the different esthetic units of the nose. That is the scientific part of it. You also have to have a great eye. You have to be somewhat of an artist to look at the nose and say what looks good. Every doctor is different. Everyone is going to have a different look that they like of their nose.
I like to customize each nose for every patient. I do not make the same cookie cutter nose. I want to make sure from the functional standpoint that one the nose looks great and at the same time I want them to be able to breathe better.
Breathing and having a nice natural look is what I try to achieve in rhinoplasty. It is very important because you have to make sure that you do something conservative. The more aggressive you are, the more damage you can cause with the nose as time goes on.
We have just finished with Erika’s surgery. I think it went fantastic. I think hopefully she will get exactly what she wanted. I do not think I could have done a better job and I hope that she really enjoys this and I hope that it helps her throughout her life.
ERIKA: Dr. Nassif definitely met my expectations. Having the surgery has changed my everyday life in so many ways. I am really happy. I feel better about myself and I am really outgoing more. I feel like I can go out and do basic stuff that I did not do before like take pictures or like just do things that I never did or I avoided because of my nose. It bothered me that much and I am really happy new.
DR. NASSIF: We just finished seeing Erika. It is six weeks following her rhinoplasty surgery. She appeared very happy. I am thoroughly please. I am ecstatic about her early results even though she has a lot more healing to do but I am very happy and she is very happy.
ERIKA: Even though I have not seen my final results yet. I know it is going to talk about a year. I am all ready very pleased with what I see. Overall I love the center, it is not so wide and broad like it was before and how it is a little more narrow and I really like how the profile looks.
DR. NASSIF: I think we have met her goals so far and one thing too I have noticed with her as compared to when I first met is that she never smiled in the beginning. You can tell she just really was not that happy. Now when I see her, even when she is not addressing me or talking with me, you look at her face and she has a little bit of a natural smile. I think it has improved her self confidence. I am very happy for her right now.
ERIKA: I just want to thank you for everything and I really appreciate it.
DR. NASSIF: My pleasure, my pleasure! I hope you are happy.
ERIKA: I am, very happy. Thank you so much. I am very happy. I am extremely excited about this and I am just so glad that I had the opportunity to have this surgery. This is something I have wanted for many years of my life and now that it finally happened, yeah, it is a dream come true because it was one of my dreams. I’m happy that I got the procedure and it is just going to make me feel better and I’m going to be a lot more happier now.
This opportunity was extremely amazing. It was such a great experience and it is definitely life changing. I feel just better about myself and I am so glad that I chose Dr. Nassif to do my surgery. I am very pleased with his work.
