This time last year I was just about to go in for my first ever cosmetic procedure which was rhinoplasty. I had spent years hating my nose, it used to have this little ski jump tip which I just loathed. For many years I decided that I would just leave it as it was, rather than go under the knife. All of that changed when I read the Dean Toriumi reviews, a cosmetic surgeon here in Chicago, Illinois who has clients that absolutely adore his work. These reviews were so glowing and the good/bad ratio was about 99/1, with the one being a woman who clearly reviewed the wrong place!

Accompanying these reviews were some before/after photos and there was a girl there who had the same issue as me in her before shot, and the after looked amazing. The next day I called the surgery and made an appointment. Prior to the appointment I wanted to be sure that I knew what I was looking for in terms of results, as well as looking online for tips, and everyone who has rhinoplasty should do the same, and here is why.

Miracle Workers

These surgeons are able to do some truly amazing things but they cannot perform miracles. At the end of the day there is only so much bone, cartilage and tissue which they can play with, so your rhinoplasty procedure will have some limitations. Do your research and pick 2 or 3 different styles of nose which you would be happy with. When you go in for your revisions and consultations you can show these to the surgeon and they’ll be able to give you an honest answer on whether or not it is achievable.

Risk Factor and Recovery

As much as I did listen to what the surgeon had to tell me, it is a lot of information to take on all at once and so this is why I made sure that I researched online to see what risk factors were involved in this surgery (very few) as well as what the recovery process would look like. This proved invaluable because everyone has a different type of recovery from rhinoplasty, and the surgeon can only lay out the general issues which many face.

Realistic Expectations

Ultimately you need to know that you are going to expect something that has been agreed upon by both you and the surgeon, in order to avoid disappointment. These procedures are very easy but they can’t be done repeatedly until you are happy, it just isn’t possible. Research well for exactly what you want and then agree that with the surgeon. If the nose you have chosen is achievable then you can be safe in the knowledge that when you wake up, that is the style of nose which you can expect.

Research is so important ahead of your surgery, and so too is lengthy conversation with your surgeon to work out which procedure is best and what you can expect.