Rhinoplasty or “Nose-Job” refers to surgery that changes the shape of a nose. This can often be combined with surgeries such as Septoplasty, Nasal Valve Repair, and Turbinate Reduction to improve breathing through the nose. Together, these can sometimes be referred to as “Septorhinoplasty”.
What is the difference between open rhinoplasty and closed rhinoplasty?
Open vs closed rhinoplasty simply refers to how your nose is accessed during surgery.
Closed rhinoplasty is performed with incisions hidden inside the nostrils without any external incisions. In the correct patient, this is an ideal option to make discreet changes. This technique treats the dorsum or bridge of the nose.
Revision surgery or nasal tip work is often performed with an “open approach”. Open rhinoplasty uses the same incisions as a closed rhinoplasty but adds small incision at the base of the nose, or collumella. This collumellar incision heals very well but allows for much better access to the nasal tip and midvault or valve region of the nose. This enables us to make more precise changes as well as correct complicated deviations and breathing problems should they exist.
How long is recovery for rhinoplasty?
Recovery for both open and closed rhinoplasty is very similar. The surgery typically lasts about three hours and is performed with general anesthesia. After a short recovery room visit, patients go home the same day.
Pain is controlled with mild narcotics the first 2-3 days, after which, most patients switch to Tylenol and mainly experience congestion. My patients do not receive traditional nasal packing, a known discomfort from an older time. Instead, some patients may have silastic sheeting or internal splints placed temporarily if additional support is needed.
At one week, all sutures, splints, and casts are removed. The nose is cleaned and most of the congestion is gone. Bruising usually takes about 7-10 days to resolve. Most of the major swelling takes about 2 weeks. By 5-6 weeks after surgery most of the swelling is gone.
How long do I have to limit my activity after rhinoplasty?
Continued refinement of the nose is expected over the course of a year. Lower parts of the nose, like the nasal tip take the longest to refine. While you will likely look fine, we recommend avoiding special events or threatening social situations for 3-4 weeks to avoid unnecessary stress.
What are the long term effects of Rhinoplasty?
Proper technique and support of nasal structures is important to prevent unwanted long term changes to the shape of the nose and to help prevent nasal breathing obstruction. Older rhinoplasty techniques were typically reductive in nature, and sought to make things look smaller and thinner. Modern techniques and knowledge are mindful of the long term changes that can happen in a healing nose, and seek to provide the support needed so you stay happy with your results – these are the techniques that I employ.
Can digital imaging capture how I will look after rhinoplasty?
Digital imaging for rhinoplasty is key for clear communication before surgery. To ensure that there is clear patient-doctor communication and that you really know what you want, I use digital imaging. With advanced technology, we no longer have to imagine how your face would look post-surgery.
Altering these photos together solidifies your vision and helps align it with your surgeon. Of all plastic surgery procedures, rhinoplasty is arguably the most taste driven. A perfectly executed surgery done in poor taste will lead to unhappy patients. It is essential to understand a patient’s desires before going into surgery. While the altered images are not a guarantee of results, they are useful to really understand a patient, and to have as a reference during surgery.
Can teens get rhinoplasty?
When is it too early to have a rhinoplasty? There is no set defined answer as it is very case dependent. However, the main considerations are growth and maturity.
The growth plates of the face are located low in the septum. Disrupting these while the face is still growing has a theoretical risk of altering facial shape long term. It is possible to do a rhinoplasty without altering the septum, but then other factors come into play. To be safe, rhinoplasty is generally considered when these growth zones are no longer factor. In girls, this is after they start having menstrual cycles, and in boys, this is roughly when their shoe size is stable – In general, 14-16 years old. While surgery at this age may be safe from a physical standpoint, a patient must be socially mature enough to understand the changes that are in question.
What is Liquid Rhinoplasty or “Non-Surgical Rhinoplasty”?
Not quite ready for rhinoplasty surgery? You’re in good company. Many people opt to improve the shape of the nose with liquid rhinoplasty.
This is a non-invasive technique, that involves a strategic injection of facial filler to parts of the nose. Liquid Rhinoplasty helps:
- Hide irregularities in the nose
- Reduce the appearance of a nasal hump
- Can even support the nasal tip
What are the dangers of liquid rhinoplasty?
These are the same filers that are injected in the face to restore volume, so while they are generally safe, there are some things to know.
- Currently, this is an off-label treatment as there is no specific FDA approved filler for the nose.
- Certain areas of the nose are best to be avoided, as rare complications can occur.
- It is important that your injector has a good understanding of facial anatomy to avoid trouble, and an aesthetic eye to know how to make your nose look better.
How long do the results of a liquid rhinoplasty last?
The results last up to year as the product slowly gets absorbed by your body. If you do not like how you look, the HA filler can be dissolved as it can elsewhere in the face. Digital imaging can be used to estimate the changes that can be achieved. It is impossible to make a nose physically smaller by adding filler to it. It is possible to alter a nose’s proportions so it fits a face better – making it less dominant.
