Thanks so much, some1afterall! Really appreciate it.
There's certainly a TON of swelling still (it's mostly settled around the apple of my cheeks and around my mouth), but I'm pretty happy with the aesthetic results so far - and obviously thrilled with the functional results, especially so soon after surgery.
My surgeon is Dr. A. Patel (Oregon). He's been incredible throughout this whole process and I feel very lucky to have a surgeon who is laser-focused on resolving the functional issues but also takes my aesthetic concerns very seriously.
Since I know the lip/philtrum changes were of interest to you: Dr. P used an alar stitch to prevent too much widening of the nasal base, though as I noted, the base is a bit wider than before. I'm happy this was the result because, in a weird way, I think this makes my philtrum look less huge. Perhaps because the wider nose base sort of defines a philtrum "area", whereas before, my nose was so narrow/straight, that my philtrum kind of blended into my cheeks? IDK if that makes sense.
He also closed a stitch underneath my upper lip to keep it from "rolling" forward too much, resulting in thinner lips. I'm still slightly nervous about this part because my lips seem to change on a daily basis - I'll wake up and they'll be huge, and by the end of the day, they disappear. I do think this is mostly due to swelling, and because I have IMF screws in my gums (turns out he used these instead of arch bars) which seem as though they're stretching the skin and making my lips appear thinner.
Hoping all of this resolves once the swelling is gone and the screws are gone - will definitely keep you posted!
