RHINOPLASTY
Rhinoplasty generally refers to surgery that’s performed on the nose. It’s often thought of as a “nose job” if it is done for cosmetic reasons. Some people want to change the shape or size of their nose or nostrils, get rid of bumps, or reshape the tip of the nose.
Rhinoplasty is also the type of surgery used to correct nasal breathing difficulties. When combined with a septoplasty, it is
used to repair a dieviated nasal septum, which may interfere with a person’s ability to breathe through the nose. If you’ve injured your nose or have a congenital defect, rhinoplasty is the procedure performed to fix the problem.
Who is a good candidate for Rhinoplasty
Anyone can be considered for rhinoplasty if their nose and facial structures have fully developed; otherwise, nose surgery may interfere with normal growth of these structures.
Surgery can usually be performed on girls after the age of 14, while boys should wait until after they reach the age of 15, but your doctor will determine the optimal time to proceed if you have a teen who’s interested in nose surgery.
For those considering cosmetic nose surgery, it’s important to have reasonable expectations about what can be accomplished and, more importantly, what your new nose will look like on your face; This is where the doctors at Strax Aesthetics can put their experience to work and help patients understand the impact of rhinoplasty.
What happens during and after surgery?
Depending on the nature of the deformity, your surgeon may perform either an open or closed rhinoplasty. In open surgery, the incision is made between the two nostrils, and in a closed procedure, the incisions are placed completely inside the nose. The type of surgery makes a difference to your recovery time — an open rhinoplasty will have more swelling that takes longer to subside — but your doctor will tell you what to expect.
You’ll see results as soon as the swelling goes down, but it can take up to a year for the new nasal contour to fully develop. These gradual changes take longer to produce noticeable differences.
When you meet with your doctor at Strax Aesthetics, be sure to discuss any other changes you may want to make to the shape of your chin or face. Some procedures, such as a chin implant, can be done at the same time as nose surgery.
Frequently Asked Questions
Although the nose reaches adult size by age 15, the patient’s emotional maturity must be established before rhinoplasty can be considered.This usually occurs by the age of 18.
If one is healthy, there is no upper age limit for having a rhinoplasty. An adult in good health may be a perfect candidate for the procedure. There are many patients in their 70s Rhinoplasty with excellent results.
The ideal age range for Rhinoplasty consists of patients age 18 – 40 years old, when one’s facial skin still maintains its youthful elasticity and patients in this age group tolerate surgical procedures extrremely well.
When rhinoplasty is performed from inside the nose (closed rhinoplasty), there is no visible scarring at all; When an open technique is used, or when the procedure requires the narrowing of flared nostrils (alarplasty), the small scars on the base of the nose are usually not perceptible.
Universally, this is an ideal time to undergo just about any type of cosmetic surgery, from rhinoplasty to liposuction. Cooler weather allows bulkier clothing to conceal swelling and bruising and keeps the body in a state of healing. During winter there are more holidays as well, so you don’t have to take as much time off of work for recovery.
For up to 12 – 18 months after the procedure, there will be swelling that will occur inside the nose. This often results in some minor nasal breathing difficulties early on but quickly resolves within several months. Most swelling usually resolves within 6 weeks after surgery but can last up to 12 -18 months. During the first week after surgery, one may reduce postoperative swelling with ice or ice packs. This will reduce inflammation and will improve nasal breathing. As internal swelling resolves, the internal nostril space increases and nasal breathing will improve. The performance of a septoplasty may potentially improve the nasal airway if the septum is found to be mechanically obstructing the internal nostril.
Bruising and swelling are a normal part of rhinoplasty recovery. They are dependent on several factors related to both the surgical technique and the patient. Techniques that increase bruising and swelling include whether or not the nasal bones were broken (osteotomies), the extent of soft tissue dissection / elevation from the bony-cartilaginous framework, and whether the surgery was performed open or closed.
Swelling following rhinoplasty resolves at variable rates. For the initial two weeks, the nose is markedly swollen and noticable to anyone. After the second week, the swelling usually subsides such that it is not obvious to the casual observer that anything has been done to the nose; however, the nose will look “puffy” to the patient for several months. Usually by 4 months, the vast majority of the swelling will dissipate, but it may take a full year (or longer in some cases) for all of the swelling to resolve and for the final result to be achieved.