Rhinoplasty Journey: Thursday, July 7, 2011

Closed or Open Surgery? To Scar or not to Scar, That is the Question.

I plan to write more on this subject as I find it. But to start, here is a helpful link given to me by another on their nose improvement journey. (Thanks for the link!)

A link about closed (endonasal) vs. open surgery!

Dr. Gary Motykie, Beverly Hills

Beautiful result!

You Tube Channel for Mr. Motykie

Dr. Motykie Beverly Hills California Before and After Photos

Nose like mine, beautiful result.

I was first drawn to Dr. Gary Motykie in Beverly Hills California by these before and after photos which showed me a before similar to my situation. In the videos above he preforms endonasal rhinoplasty on twins (the woman pictured is one of the twins) and does so improving their appearance dramatically.

I feel like the nose may not be centered anymore? Seems to be leaning to our left?

Profile is good.

Pretty.

Somehow the after seems a little too upturned? Maybe too much nostril?

A big improvement, but my gut is telling me that a more curved slope on the profile would have suited her better.

Very lovely (her chin shape is also changed).

There is a stronger shadow on the left side (our left) which may indicate asymmetry, or perhaps not. Appearance is much improved.

Appearance much improved. Photo is sadly distorted.

I am not sure I like that more nostril is showing, but overall drastic improvement.

Beautiful.

Nice, here again though I wonder if the nose is slightly too upturned? Shape is good.

Improved, but I am not confident about the symmetry. The shadow is deeper on the left than the right side...

Beautiful.

The nose may be too upturned by a small degree. Overall much improved.

I feel as though the nose is too upturned. Otherwise improved.

Profile is attractive.

Again much improved, but the tip does perhaps not need to be quite so upturned?

His ratemds.com Ratings

His healthgrades.com Ratings

I have just begun to learn about him but so far I know he was on Dr. 90210...

eonline.com Dr. 90210 Cast

He was accused of contacting Dr. Ryan's patient's after his death.

Dr. Motykie Emails Dr. Ryan's Patients

He was featured on Dr. Phil once (for another type of surgery) and he is quite young.

The Journey Begins

Myself Now.

A Video About my Rhiniplasty Needs

I have wanted to have something done about my nose since I was 13, and only now, a decade later, am I finally taking action. For many years I simply assumed that surgery was just too dangerous, too risky. What if I was marred for life and deeply regretted the choice to go under the knife? How would I begin to find the right doctor, someone in whose hands I could place the fate of my face? So, I resigned myself to simply not thinking about my nose. Photos of myself usually didn't meet my approval, or I would gleefully smooth out shadows using photo editing programs to diminish my nose size. But wouldn't it be great if my nose simply was no longer an issue in my life? If I could feel satisfied that I met my personal standards of aesthetic attractiveness and focus on what really matters to me? Art, writing, friends, travel, and, in general, being happy? Alternatively, I could decide to investigate the prospects of surgery, find that it is indeed to risky, and then stop thinking about my nose and focus on the joy in my life. I realized I needed to make a choice. Either do something about it or stop mentally whining.

So, I decided to start looking for doctors. This blog will document that journey. If you are considering plastic surgery of the nose, rhinoplasty, and you would like help on your journey I encourage you to blog here with me. Share your discoveries and experiences. Not all of us can afford to consult with every doctor we may be interested in, so sharing impressions and experiences, especially with those that have similar nose issues, is invaluable.

I am local to California so I may likely wish to begin my search at home. But I am not opposed to travel.

I am going to post information about different doctors as I find it during my journey. I am also making photo albums of the Before and After pictures of doctors that interest me. I encourage interested readers to post comments below the photos. Do you notice irregularities? What do you think about that doctor's work?

Finding the right doctor for my situation seems it may be a long and winding road, but I am willing to travel it. I would much rather be reading books of poems, hiking or having coffee with friends... but when it comes to elective surgery one must be so careful and force oneself to become an expert on the subject in order to make informed decisions that won't be regretted.

My goal is to find the right doctor, have the surgery and get on with the rest of my life. Or, to find myself at a loss (it's too risky and I can't find a doctor) and decide to no longer trouble myself with an unsolvable problem and get on with the rest of my life.

Let's help each other if we can to make this journey a less tedious and confusing one that leads us to our individual goals!


Myself as a child with my dad. He gave me many wonderful things but his nose wasn't one of them.

My mother and myself as a child. She's German and has a lovely nose.

Myself Now, for more images of myself and nose please see video.

Prof. Dr. Werner Mang, Germany

Dr. Professor Werner Mang. I don't know what drew me to investigating Dr. Werner Mang... perhaps it was that he was the one who was successful in creating a decent revision of Michael Jackson's nose using (god forbid) ear and rib cartilage. Or maybe it was his fancy clinic lakeside Lindau on Lake Constance (pictured above) which I imagined would be full of top notch equipment. Maybe it's the fact that being half German myself I know how as a culture they are a bunch of perfectionists: they have incredibly high standards for themselves. So one would hope that level of "it must be just so" would translate well to noses.

Mang is reported to operate on 3-4 noses per day...among other surgeries... and he has free time to fly in helicopters and be interviewed by major TV programs and judge beauty pageants. But apparently little time to Skype interview with me. I get it: he is important... and I am, well, just another big nosed American looking for some Mang magic. The clinic did allow me to Skype interview with his assistant.

I found his assistant to be very personable. His English was passable (although I learned a new English word from him that I rather like...I think we should keep it: bridant... I think he meant broad.) He continually said my nose has a "Bridant Tip". Like Dr. Most he said they would break the nose... but unlike Dr. Most he said they would pack the nose and put some sort of cast or plaster on me for a week and then change the bandaging. It seemed I would have to remain in the clinic for at least a week. This was to be observed. The surgery would be all endonasal... he said Dr. Mang preforms both but in my case there would be no need to make a cut.

I complained about the lack of frontal, oblique and side photos on their website but he said that's not their fault: they are prevented by German law apparently from displaying all angles on the internet? Strange from a country that shows people having sex on TV channels children can flip to. Also strange is that on some photos they did have more than one angle, on others, not. I am willing to remain non judgmental on this matter though until I interview with the doctor in person when I go to Germany... if he has time for me.

As for the photos of his patients I can see... I am not sure that I am that impressed. Yet it's hard when one deals with these big name doctors to know if they need to bother to sell themselves on the net. With 3-4 rhinoplasties a day he doesn't need to advertise. Yet is he merely the best over there? And if I was to look at the world, he wouldn't be in the top 10?

What I did like about him which I tend to like is 1. that he values the importance of health and breathing above aesthetics and frowns upon a "done" look and 2. that he can work endonasal... I can avoid the issue of the scar.

However I wouldn't want to be mangled by Mang... I would want to be mangnificent. More to follow.

No before photo shown. After nose seems slightly off center.

I think this is an after photo. Yet the nose does not seem totally symmetrical. Nostril on left side (our left) higher.

Too much nostril?

Seems like the area in the middle, between the nostrils, hangs too low still. Perhaps this is something endonasal surgery cannot correct.

Although the way the nose is upturned is more attractive, and the loss of the dorsal hump is more attractive, there may be too much nostril.

This shows improvement in shape.

Shows great improvement. However I wonder if the nose bridge couldn't have been more sloped? Why is no frontal view available?

Shows good improvement, almost looks like a different woman.

Lips must have also been enhanced, skin color seems different as well. Photo seems to have a too narrow image.

A clear improvement but still the nostril on the right seems a small bit longer.

Wonderful improvement, yet why is the before shot frontal and the after shot from the side? Was the Dr. able to correct the asymmetry?

This seems to be one of the less attractive results. In both images she has a wide large nose.

Sometimes I see this, where there seems to be too much space between the end of the eyelash and the ridge of the nose. Not sure what that means.

Clear improvement. Again no frontal view.

The nose seems centered in the original photo but slightly off center, veering to the left of the photo (our left) in the after shot. That may be an optical illusion however as the lips may in fact be off center, not the nose.

An improvement, yet perhaps there could have been more of a curve in the nasal bridge?

Again there seems to be too much space between the eyelash and end of nasal bridge... not sure why I see that sometimes.

Good improvement. But no frontal shot.

Good improvement. No frontal shot provided.

Good improvement. I see a small shadow going down the length of the nose in the after photo... is that at all significant?

Good improvement. Odd quality and colors on this photo.

Good improvement...yet which patient is this?

Too much nostril. She looks like she is snarling a little.

Tip is less bulbous, which is good, but I question whether the nostrils are the same size... something seems slightly off. (very slight).

Beautiful result, but no before and after shot of front of face.

Good result, no frontal shot provided.

The nose may be too upturned. But better overall. No frontal image shown.

Improvement. No other angles shown.

Improvement, no other angles shown.

Not sure if the nose is actually upturned here, or whether the tip simply has more than one angel going on. Seems straight under nostril, then curves up again to meet a sharper tip at the bridge.

Really hard to compare a smiling shot with a not big smile shot. The nose always looks bigger with a big smile.

Again, hard to compare such different photos.

Improvement is shown. Her neck seems longer in the first photo, but she is wearing a scarf in the second.

Mangklinik.ch Website Before and After Photos
Please help me evaluate this doctor by posting comments below the photos or here.
One of the Surgeons I have recently been investigating is Prof. Dr. Werner Mang, Germany’s leading Plastic/Aesthetic Surgeon.

I emailed their clinic a small of my rhinoplasty needs and desire to Skype with the doctor and they responded prompty:

Dear x,

thank you for your email and your interest in our clinic.

You can look at www.mangklinik.ch.

There you will find pictures from before/after.

You can send pictures(front,left,rigt side) and we can show them to Prof.Mang.

The price for the operation,stay in the clinic,narcosis etc will be about 10.000 to 11.000 Euros.

We have 2 free dates in august for operation.If this is not possible the next possibilities are in January.

Sincerely,

M.Leipolz

Bodenseeklinik

Dear x,

i try to organize an appointment via skype.

I will tell you during this week if we can do it or not.

What is the time difference between Hawai and Germany?

Sincerely,

Marion Leipolz

Dear x,

in the attachment you find the detailed costs with an operation date.

I showed the pictures to Prof.Mang. It would be no problem for him to improve your nose like you want to. He does 2 to 3 nose surgeries each day.

You have to stay here in the clinic for 8 days.You can fly back to Hawai after 14 days.

After 4 weeks you can go swimming and do other sports.

If you want to talk to us via skype it would be possible to reach Dr.Altmann.

We could arrange an appointment for next week if you want.

Please confirm or cancel the date until the 20^th of July because we have to fix our operation plan.

Sincerely,

Marion Leipolz

(I also asked for more photos because his website doesn't always show the before and after photos from both front and side.)

Dear x,

to your questions:

1.it is not possible for Prof.Mang to talk over Skype. He is very busy and has hardly time. Dr.Altmann is his Assistant and a very good doctor so he will do this for him.

2.we don’t use computer to create and show the nose after surgery

3.The pictures we have on our swiss homepage www.mangklinik.ch are the only we have the permission of the patients to show.

4.I think it would be possible to find a patient who had the surgery.I just have to clear up if English is possible as well.

I will contact you next week,

Sincerley,

Marion Leipolz
(They provided a nice detailed list of costs which totaled 11727,90 Euro including a stay at the clinic.)