What you need to know about Rhinoplasty

Rhinoplasty aka nose job is a surgical procedure performed by plastic surgeons to reshape or reconstruct the nose. Current rhinoplasty techniques focus on preserving cartilage and bone in order to produce a balanced and pleasing shape of the nose that compliments the person’s face. Older techniques were more likely to produce a nose that was “overdone” or had that “operated on” look. The open rhinoplasty technique allows the surgeon access to the cartilaginous structures of the nasal tip through a small incision between the nostrils known as the columella. The skin of the nose is then retracted allowing the surgeon direct visualization of the framework of the nose. The delicate nasal structures can then be sculpted, removed, shaped or augmented under direct vision in order to obtain precise results.

The operation is usually performed in the office surgical suite and takes about 1 and 1/2 hours. Twilight anesthesia or general anesthesia can be used. A splint is placed over the nose for 7-10 days. Packing the nostrils is not usually required. Most patients complain of minimal to mild discomfort requiring pain relievers for 2-3 days. Bruising and swelling of the eyes and face may last one week. After the splint is removed the new shape of the nose will be immediately apparent. It will take several months for the subtle changes of the nasal tip to be evident as the edema subsides and the skin of the nasal tip softens and returns to normal.

When performed skillfully cosmetic rhinoplasty has a high satisfaction rate and can produce dramatic improvements in patients’ appearances along with a boost of confidence and self-esteem.

This entry was posted on Monday, March 20th, 2006 at 2:13 pm and is filed under Rhinoplasty. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.