Rhinoplasty

Introduction to Rhinoplasty

When a person's nose is too big or too small, the harmony of their face is thrown off, making their visage look unbalanced and odd. A rhinoplasty, the technical term for nasal cosmetic surgery, changes the shape of the nose for better proportions and balance. An improved balance allows the nose to set off the attractiveness of the face, rather than distracting from it. It will also accentuate other facial features such as the eyes, cheekbones, and lips.

The specific changes made during the Rhinoplasty surgery depend on the patient's current nasal condition and desired results. However, what generally occurs during surgery is a removal of excess bone to improve the profile of the nose. The nose's width is also narrowed by moving the nasal bones to a more central location on the face. Finally, the cartilage that makes up the lower two-thirds of the nose is modified to a more elegant, refined nasal tip that fits the rest of the face perfectly.

This Rhinoplasty surgery is usually performed through a small external incision through the vertical strip of tissue separating the nostrils, called the columella.

Is a rhinoplasty right for me?

Dr. Shapiro a Scottsdale plastic surgeon will ask that you be completely honest in your consultations before your Scottsdale rhinoplasty surgery. The best candidates for this surgery are people who are truly dissatisfied with their appearance and want to improve the balance of their facial structure.

Dr. Shapiro will ask that you bring photographs of noses that you find appealing and feel would fit your face and personality. From there, he will combine photographs taken of your current nose with those you desire to provide an aesthetic blueprint and surgical plan of which you both approve before your Scottsdale rhinoplasty procedure.

Factors to keep in mind when considering a rhinoplasty

Age
Dr. Shapiro of Scottsdale does not typically perform nasal surgeries on females under sixteen. For males, he often waits longer to account for later growth spurts that may affect the shape of the facial structure.

The reaction of your loved ones
After surgery, is not uncommon for patients to experience some unexpected reactions from their family and friends. Changing a part of your face for cosmetic purposes is sometimes frowned upon, especially if your nose is a family or ethnic trait. If this happens—keep the faith. It will be worth it.

Time between surgery and obvious results
The final results of your nasal surgery may not be apparent for a year or more, and even longer in patients with thick skin.

Post-Operative Expectations

After surgery, patients are allowed to return home. They will return to the office the next day to remove nasal packing materials that were placed during surgery. Bruising around the eyes usually disappears a week after surgery. Surgical sutures are removed along with the nasal splint a week after surgery as well. This will reveal the new nose for the first time.

Although the new nose may look fabulous at first, noses commonly develop some subtle swelling that may fluctuate over the next few months, especially in the tip.

Who should be performing your rhinoplasty?

As is true with any cosmetic surgery, you should always evaluate surgeons by their experience. Nasal surgery is a technically demanding operation where experience is definitely essential. You should also evaluate the results of their surgeries. Their results should be attractive to you, as it is your body they will be working on.

The rhinoplasty should be tailored to each patient, according to their biological factors like age, ethnicity, skin thickness and their desired results. It is unfortunately common that some surgeons are performing the same nasal surgery over and over again, giving people the same nose without any variation according to those factors. This is resulting in many inappropriate noses for many individuals. Be on the look out for surgeons like this.