Also known as Rhinoplasty, surgery of the nose improves the appearance and proportion of your nose, enhancing facial harmony and self confidence. Rhinoplasty can change nose size in relation to the other facial structures, nose width at the bridge, nose profile with visible humps or depressions on the bridge, nasal tip that is large or bulbous, drooping, or too upturned, nostrils that are large, wide or upturned, as well as nasal asymmetry and deviation.
Rhinoplasty is a highly individualized form of cosmetic surgery. Nasal reshaping aims to restore facial balance. Asian patients will usually need an implant (silicone, Gore-Tex, cartilage) to augment the nasal dorsum. On the other hand, Caucasian patients would usually require reduction rhinoplasty. The nasal tip is addressed in a variety of ways. Cartilage may be harvested from the back of the ear to augment the nasal tip. As an adjunct to nasal reshaping, alar trimming to address the flaring of the side of the nose (ala) is done to address patients with wide nostrils and flaring alar lobules.
The procedure is usually done under local anesthesia with light sedation and lasts from 1 to 2 hours depending on the extent of the procedure. Rhinoplasty is performed either using a closed procedure, where incisions are hidden inside the nose, or an open procedure, where an incision is made across the columella, the narrow strip of tissue that separates the nostrils. Through these incisions, the soft tissues that cover the nose are gently raised, allowing access to reshape the structure of the nose.
Bruising and swelling are to be expected post-operatively. Bruising should subside in 3-5 days and swelling should subside in 2 to 4 weeks. Sutures are removed on the 3rd to 5th day post-operatively. 7 to 10 days downtime is expected.
