I Had a Septo-Rhinoplasty and Fat Transfer to My Face - Here’s What It’s Like
This is my face a little over two weeks after surgery. (With a filter) You can see the benefit of the added fullness in my face from the fat transfer. The changes balance my face and bring harmony.
WHY DID I DO IT?
In a previous post I discussed facial harmony and my desire for achieving it through a rhinoplasty and fat transfer (or “fat grafting”) under my eyes. I feel it’s important to be transparent about cosmetic treatments and procedures in order to eliminate doubt that any changes I make are natural.
I have always strongly disliked my profile, so much so it caused me distress. I am a firm believer in changing aspects of yourself you don’t like in order to feel more secure and happy, whether that be emotional, spiritual or physical. (While having good mental health, that’s key! Only undergo changes for yourself and not because of the influence of others.) I find bettering my aesthetic to be both thrilling and somewhat of a hobby but I also want to stress the importance of inner beauty. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder and it eventually fades, but having compassion and a healthy moral compass is something that never fades away.
I’m happy to report it’s been two weeks since my procedures and I’m ecstatic with the results thus far. I know I still have quite a bit of healing remaining (swelling and bruising occurs and it takes up to a year to see the full results of a rhinoplasty).
THE SURGEON CHOSEN
The surgeon I chose was Dr. Christopher Khorsandi in Henderson, NV. I chose Khorsandi for the natural aesthetic he creates. It was crucial for me to have as natural a result as possible. After discussing my concern for my hollow under eyes Dr. Khorsandi suggested we add fat to the area. While under anesthesia, Dr. Khorsandi retrieved enough fat to fill my entire face. There were areas that lacked a substantial amount of fat so he distributed it evenly. I appreciated this because I didn’t realize how flat my face was. He added fat to my temples, under my eyes, my cheeks, around my mouth and to my chin.
THE BENEFITS OF A FACIAL FAT TRANSFER OR “FACIAL FAT GRAFTING”
As we age the fat in our face decreases over time. The best way to refresh a face is through a fat transfer. The results look natural, there’s no downtime (just swelling), you get the opportunity to contour other parts of your body in the process and the results are long lasting. The alternative is filler but filler migrates, needs maintenance and is costly over time. The fat transfer was only $4,000. (Prices are subject to change and vary.)
The benefits of a fat transfer is you’re using your own body’s fat in order to add fullness. This reduces the likelihood your body will reject the substance. Although some of the fat will be reabsorbed, depending on your surgeon’s technique, at least 50% of it should survive. In order to harvest the fat liposuction needs to take place and if you’re like me and are thin you might be wondering where the fat will be harvested. My surgeon took fat from my flanks and my waist, shaping my waist in the process. After two weeks my back is still slightly numb but that will wear off within the next six weeks.
THE RECOVERY
Recovery varies from person to person but for me the first week was brutal, but only in the liposuction areas (flanks and waist). I’ve read various articles and subreddits that also discuss the pain associated with liposuction. The actual fat transfer and rhinoplasty was an easy recovery for me. I felt little to no pain. I could smell and breathe immediately after surgery. I could visible see how swollen I was and sometimes felt it but that was the extent of it. As the weeks pass some of the fat will reabsorb into your body and your skin should feel less taut.
HEALING I took my prescribed medication (hydrocodone / acetaminophen) for pain management for as long as I needed, which was three days. After the third day I switched to Advil if I needed to lessen any pain. Dr. Khorsandi also prescribed me antibiotics to prevent infection. Alongside the pain medication and antibiotics I also took bromelain and arnica pills. Bromelain is a type of enzyme called a proteolytic enzyme. It is found in pineapple juice and in the pineapple stem. Bromelain causes the body to make substances that fight pain and swelling. Arnica pills are similar to bromelain because it also aides in pain management and reduces swelling. I also used arnica gel topically. Something absolutely necessary while taking all those pills is some sort of stool softener. The last thing you want is to be constipated so don’t forget those!
SLEEPING I slept upright in an elevated position (and still continue to do so) in order to prevent injury and to further my recovery along. I bought a recovery wedge and sleep with an airplane pillow around my neck and three pillows around the wedge to make it more comfortable. The entire setup isn’t the most comfortable and I’m not sure I will ever get used to sleeping upright (being a side sleeper) but that’s what is necessary in order to heal.
SENSATIONS For the first week and a half it felt odd to touch my back in any way due to the numbness but there were areas that were sore. Parts of my lower back are still numb and will take weeks to gain sensation back. This is common with liposuction.
TIPS
I made sure I did research before preparing for my surgery, and maybe too much, because I bought items I didn’t even need. I took photos of the items I used frequently during the entire process. (From left to right: pads given to me from my surgeon, arnica pills, aquaphor lip balm, q-tips, hair band, hydrogen peroxide, surgical tape given to me from my surgeon, dulcolax stool softener, bromelain pills, neosporin, advil, nasal spray, arnica gel and a head scarf.)
Below are items that I thought I would use but didn’t. (From left to right: dry mouth oral rinse, luden’s lozenges (although opened I just snacked on them, my throat wasn’t sore), simply saline nasal spray, dry mouth moisturizing spray, medical tape I purchased [too thin] and compression socks.)
COST
In total the surgery, which included septoplasty, rhinoplasty, liposuction and fat transfer, was $17,500. (Prices are subject to change and vary.) Initially I thought I only needed a rhinoplasty but since I used to play contact sports in high school I also needed a septoplasty in order to correct my misshapen bridge. (A septoplasty is a corrective surgical procedure done to straighten a deviated nasal septum.) I didn’t realize I wasn’t receiving as much airflow as possible until after the surgery. I couldn’t be happier with my septo-rhinoplasty. My biggest insecurity was my profile and now I don’t even worry about it. As stated previously, it’s only been two weeks so I am quite swollen overall. Surgeons say most of the swelling reduces after six weeks but takes up to a year to see that last 10% reduce. I will be updating as frequently as I can on the recovery. You can see more photos below.
FUTURE FAT TRANSFERS
Because of how successful the fat transfer was to my face I’m considering getting a fat transfer to my breasts in order to increase fullness within a year or so. A fat transfer to the breasts can increase the cup size up to two sizes without the need of an implant. I will keep you updated on this in the future.
If you have any questions or comments feel free to post them below. If you would like to ask me questions in confidence feel free to email me or use the contact form on the contact page. Thank you for reading!
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Hi! I'm Kylie Le Beau. I'm an AVN award winning streamer who's been in the industry since 2018. I enjoy sharing tips on camming, blogging about beauty, tech and my lifestyle in the adult industry. Follow the blog for the latest!