Rhinoplasty: Nose surgery
A rhinoplasty aims to correct a bump on the nose, its tip, a deviation or the nasal pyramid as a whole.
- In some cases, the procedure can be combined with a chin surgery (genioplasty) in order to enhance the profile as a whole profile-plasty.
- When the nasal pyramid lacks projection, the procedure performed is called an ethnic rhinoplasty. It consists in augmentation surgery aimed at creating a new nose bridge and it is often combined with a reduction of the sides of the nostrils.
- If the patients have respiratory difficulties, a septoplasty can be carried out along with the rhinoplasty. A scanner will be carried out before the surgery in order to evaluate precisely the nasal septal deviation.
Hyaluronic acid injections can be considered in case of a small bump or a slight asymmetry in order to correct the nose during an aesthetic medicine session. There is no bruising and no hospitalization is needed.
In the case of an ethnic rhinoplasty, a clear improvement in the shape of the nose bridge can be obtained with these « 5 minute nose job » techniques.
Before the nose surgery
Please allow yourself an unavailability period of 10 days: a splint is placed and shall be kept on during this period.
Photographs will be taken in order to analyze the expected changes before the procedure and to obtain the desired result.
Before every rhinoplasty, Doctor Rajao performs a 3D simulation with the image system Vectra 3D. This simulation in all planes of motion helps in understanding the expectations of the patient and in obtaining the desired result.
The procedure
The surgery is performed under general anesthesia and lasts between 1 and 4 hours.
- If the rhinoplasty is carried out to treat the tip of the nose, the bones are not treated and the compression garment after the surgery will be light. There is no bruising.
- For a bump rhinoplasty, osteotomies will be performed and a cast splint will be placed at the end of the surgery.
- If an ethnic rhinoplasty or a secondary rhinoplasty is performed, grafts may be required. They will be collected on the septal cartilage of the nose or, if it is not present in sufficient quantity, on the ears (the scar will be the same as for a prominent ears surgery). In case of bone graft, a piece of rib may be collected if necessary.
After the procedure
The patient arrives in the morning and returns home in the evening or the next morning.
If nasal packing is left in place, it will be removed on the day following the surgery.
Most of the time, stitches are dissolvable.
Edema appears in the nose area and usually disappears in a month. Bruising may appear in case of osteotomy, especially in the eye area (glasses shape bruising). It disappears after about 10 days. A homeopathic preparation with arnica can be prescribed to you before the surgery in order to limit bruising.
It should be pointed out that the nose will change in a subtle manner after the surgery and the final result will be attained after about 1 year. However, the main changes will be visible once the cast is removed.
Frequently Asked Questions
How old should I be before deciding to have nose surgery?
The nose grows during puberty, and that’s when awkward characteristics can appear. Whether it’s a bump, or a nose that is too long or wide, the nose you will have as an adult forms when you’re a teenager. You should be at least 16 before considering a rhinoplasty, or nose surgery, unless yours is an exceptional case. Nose surgery is generally performed as of age 18 to be sure you’ve thought about all the factors involved.
Are there complications following nose surgery?
As with any surgical procedure, a rhinoplasty can involve complications. Serious complications are extremely rare. The nose can sometimes bleed excessively after surgery, but it generally stops within the day. Post-operative infection is exceptional, despite the many germs present in the nasal cavities. But the main complication following nose surgery is that the result is not what the patient had hoped for. A rhinoplasty is an extremely delicate procedure, and scar tissue can develop unpredictably. A touch-up procedure can be performed, but you have to wait several months after surgery to be sure all the tissue has healed.
Is the surgery painful?
Nose surgery is not at all painful. Headaches have been reported in exceptional cases, but the vast majority of procedures are totally painless. After surgery, a gauze dressing is left in the nostrils for 24 hours. You might experience some discomfort when it is removed the next morning, but no pain has ever been reported. Patients commonly feel some discomfort due to difficulty breathing (sensation that the nose is congested like when you have a cold), but that goes away after a few days or weeks.
How long does it take until I have the final result?
The final result of a rhinoplasty is achieved after about one year. You can get a good idea of the result after two to three months, but the nose will continue to change subtly for up to one year.
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