My FFS with Dr. Cardenas: June 21st, 2014

[Jennygirl]

Roni- the tip will have most of the swelling. In other areas, it should diminish pretty fast- I would say around 2 weeks probably? But the tip doesn't get much bloodflow so it will take a long time for it to go down. I think generally you can expect 80% swelling gone after 2 months, 90% after 3 months, and up to 12-24 months for it to be completely gone.

Of course being kind and careful will keep it going away as fast as possible. That is absolutely key! Try your hardest not to bump it.

[Roni]

OH MY GOOOOOSSHHHHH Roni you look AMAZING. I <3 your forehead! Has your sense of smell and taste come back? I think I will be going back to Dr. C for type III... Your experience proves he has the ability to do excellent forehead work. Thank you so much for having shared your photos! You're the only type III Cardenas patient anyone can find and I know it's going to answer a lot of questions for a lot of women who are considering him. I just so wish that he would have done the same for me... What's done is done, but at least I know he's worth going back to. Thank you for erasing the question mark in my mind! XOXO

Yep, taste and smell have come back which is great. I'm glad my experience was able to help you make a decision. I owe it to you in the first place!

Roni- the tip will have most of the swelling. In other areas, it should diminish pretty fast- I would say around 2 weeks probably? But the tip doesn't get much bloodflow so it will take a long time for it to go down. I think generally you can expect 80% swelling gone after 2 months, 90% after 3 months, and up to 12-24 months for it to be completely gone.

Of course being kind and careful will keep it going away as fast as possible. That is absolutely key! Try your hardest not to bump it.

Gotcha! Thanks so much for the information Jenny!

[calicarly]

Yep, taste and smell have come back which is great. I'm glad my experience was able to help you make a decision. I owe it to you in the first place!

Gotcha! Thanks so much for the information Jenny!

I do think this thread put the type III mystery to rest. Please some post op pics often Roni you're looking better and better as days go by !

[lovelessheart]

Goregoussss avi! Yes we went to the hospital today to remove the cast and take out the stuffing. That hurt like hello! Seriously i  felt like it was stuff in my nose . I'm wondering did Dr Cardenas wife do my nose... Whoever done my most...did a magnificent job. I really have no complaints what so ever. I'm highly please. Wish I could have met ya. My take off day is tomorrow . not really looking forward to it. I did however thought I would see Dr Cardenas one last time. The doctor that removed the stuffing wasn't him. Actually I didn't know his name. He was very friendly tho.

EXACTLY how I felt! No pain---just general discomfort. When they take out the cotton stuffings in your nose you will see just how big they are, and why they are so uncomfortable. I didn't think something so big could fit in my nose!

And yep, I couldn't fully open my eyes at one point, and my neck looked as if I had gained 30 pounds. You're fine girl! It will only get better from here.

Edit: Look at my avatar. That's me only 8 days after surgery! You have nothing to worry about.

[Roni]

Goregoussss avi! Yes we went to the hospital today to remove the cast and take out the stuffing. That hurt like hello! Seriously i  felt like it was stuff in my nose . I'm wondering did Dr Cardenas wife do my nose... Whoever done my most...did a magnificent job. I really have no complaints what so ever. I'm highly please. Wish I could have met ya. My take off day is tomorrow . not really looking forward to it. I did however thought I would see Dr Cardenas one last time. The doctor that removed the stuffing wasn't him. Actually I didn't know his name. He was very friendly tho.

Yes his wife does the noses. So happy about your progress so far---your healing seems to be moving along quite fast!

[crowcrow223]

OMG, can I have a full size pic of your avatar? You're so exceptionally beautiful!!

[lovelessheart]

Well yes, my nose turned out beautiful. The healing process is annoying but its beautiful . I do have one thing I did not like. When Vicente dropped my off at the airport. He did just that. Told me to have a nice day . that kind of turned me off because I do not know how to speak Spanish. It would have been of help if he had came and at least showed me the process. Luckily I found it and wasn't late missing my flight. Took me some time to figure it out as I had to ask people around. Thank god for my translating app. Overall the experience was pleasant. I'm happy with my results. In the end that's what matters.

Yes his wife does the noses. So happy about your progress so far---your healing seems to be moving along quite fast!

[luna nyan]

Roni, you've gotten a lovely result - I really like and am impressed at how it sympathetic to your genetic heritage!

Glad to hear that sensation is returning - if it's coming back this quickly, there's a very high chance you will get full recovery.  As an aside, frontal sinus is unique to each person, almost like a fingerprint, and some military forces use frontal sinus records as well as dental for ID.  So it's like you've changed your fingerprints as well!

[jgirl76]

Hi Roni. Your forehead does look fantastic. I had my forehead done by Dr Cardenas, and it looks the same as yours. I'm just not sure, I thought it was supposed to look absolutely flat, or at least flatter in shape. Mine, like yours, is smooth and rounded. I didn't have a type III, but just the same, it looks exactly like yours. If I HAD had, and paid for a type III, then as soon as I was well enough I would get an Xray done, that would show the plates and screws, just to dismiss any doubts that I might have. Now after all is said and done, I MUST get a type III, to see exactly what the differences are. It has become a bit of an obsession. I need to have the ability to know by looking at somebody who HAS had forehead surgery, if a type III was undertaken or not. You look absolutely beautiful regardless, so please do not take what I have said the wrong way. Much Love.

Dr. Cardenas uses a patients own blood and bone dust to make a paste to glue the bone back, he doesn't use titanium plates and screws. Dr. DiMaggio does the same. I believe Facial Team, T-Change (Rossi) and Dr. Bart use titanium plates or screws.

[Roni]

MY NOSE CAST IS FINALLY OFF!





I am loving how my nose looks! Noticeably thinner than it was before, yet still a little wide in order to retain my Filipino looks.

I used to hate my new higher-arched eyebrows, but now they are my favorite part of my face!

And you girls already know how in love I am with Cardenas' forehead work.

Dr Cardenas and his team are just miracle workers, especially for the price they charge for FFS, and I might go back to them for chin work and breast augmentation in the future. Safe to say my experience with Cardenas was a huge success!

[Jennygirl]

As I said in the other thread, you look absolutely incredible Roni. Eyebrows and nose are perfect! You must be SO happy with your results. Good lord. Freaking incredible result.

[Roni]

As I said in the other thread, you look absolutely incredible Roni. Eyebrows and nose are perfect! You must be SO happy with your results. Good lord. Freaking incredible result.

Thanks Jenny! Yea, I never thought I would end up looking like this one day. It is definitely a good feeling finally being comfortable in my skin.

[luna nyan]

@.@
O.o

^.^

Roni, you should be delighted with your results!
Just about everything has gone as well as can be at this early stage - all that is left is for bone healing and maturation.

Why do you want to go back for chin work?  From what I can see, you have fairly good facial balance as is.  There is a slight convexity to your profile with your lower jaw slightly set back, but it is generally considered pleasing in a female face.

[jgirl76]

Girl you look INCREDIBLE! Loving the nose, Theresa did a great job! Forehead is still looking good too. As the swelling goes down in another month hope to see some more pics!

[lovelessheart]

How long did you have your cast on for?

MY NOSE CAST IS FINALLY OFF!





I am loving how my nose looks! Noticeably thinner than it was before, yet still a little wide in order to retain my Filipino looks.

I used to hate my new higher-arched eyebrows, but now they are my favorite part of my face!

And you girls already know how in love I am with Cardenas' forehead work.

Dr Cardenas and his team are just miracle workers, especially for the price they charge for FFS, and I might go back to them for chin work and breast augmentation in the future. Safe to say my experience with Cardenas was a huge success!

[Roni]

@.@
O.o

^.^

Roni, you should be delighted with your results!
Just about everything has gone as well as can be at this early stage - all that is left is for bone healing and maturation.

Why do you want to go back for chin work?  From what I can see, you have fairly good facial balance as is.  There is a slight convexity to your profile with your lower jaw slightly set back, but it is generally considered pleasing in a female face.

I don't know. I feel like, especially looking at my side profile, that my chin is set back compared to the rest of my face, which ends in my mouth looking pretty weird. I'm just my own worst critic I guess.

How long did you have your cast on for?

Honestly, I only kept the tapes/cast on for a week after they had re bandaged my nose. I think I was told to keep it on longer. Just got incredibly tired of walking around in the mall or gym only for people to stare at my cast.

[luna nyan]

I don't know. I feel like, especially looking at my side profile, that my chin is set back compared to the rest of my face, which ends in my mouth looking pretty weird. I'm just my own worst critic I guess.

That's potentially more an orthodontic issue, especially if your front teeth overlap by more than 2mm

[crowcrow223]

So flawless!! I noticed their website is being under construction at the moment, the price list is gone and I'm really hoping they won't raise them drastically Ugh!!

You're a beautiful woman Roni, I'm happy for You!!! Made my day!!

[Janae]

Roni you look gorgeous!!!

Did you have hairline advancement, If so how well did he hide the incision scar??

Also how long did it take for sensation to come back??

Another thing, I know his wife does the noses. Did you discuss with her about keeping your nose's ethnic details intact??

I'm so afraid of having a nose that's too thin and European that it doesn't fit my face. Some surgeons don't understand how important this is. The wrong nose for the wrong ethnicity can really throw a look completely off.

[Roni]

So flawless!! I noticed their website is being under construction at the moment, the price list is gone and I'm really hoping they won't raise them drastically Ugh!!

You're a beautiful woman Roni, I'm happy for You!!! Made my day!!

Which website do you go to? I booked my surgery and everything through transop.com which is still up and running for me, unless they had only recently reinstated the website. I don't think the price should go up too much if anything. I think my surgery package went from 9.7k last year to 9.9k this year, so only a $200 raise.

Roni you look gorgeous!!!

Did you have hairline advancement, If so how well did he hide the incision scar??

Also how long did it take for sensation to come back??

Another thing, I know his wife does the noses. Did you discuss with her about keeping your nose's ethnic details intact??

I'm so afraid of having a nose that's too thin and European that it doesn't fit my face. Some surgeons don't understand how important this is. The wrong nose for the wrong ethnicity can really throw a look completely off.

Yes, they did advance my hairline. I look in the mirror now and aside from a few scabs (which are slowly coming off), I can't see my incision scar at all unless I look very close in the mirror. Incision has been the least of my worries.

Sensation around my forehead and eyes started coming back probably three days post op. Right now at two weeks post op I would say my sensation is 60% there. Although I probably wouldn't mind losing sensation if it meant I could keep my forehead results. 

I didn't discuss my nose with his wife---only with Cardenas, which I presume he relayed my nose concerns to his wife. As I mentioned earlier in my thread, Cardenas was very mindful of the fact that I was Asian. He didn't make my nose too thin/Caucasian-looking. He also didn't put any implants or anything that might cause my nose to look sharper and less Asian. I think he definitely knows how to work with ethnic noses.