Rhinoplasty

Nose surgery, or rhinoplasty, is sometimes referred to as a “nose job” or “nose reshaping.” It enhances facial balance and the proportions of your nose, and can correct impaired breathing caused by structural defects in the nose.

Nose surgery can treat the size of the nose in relation to facial balance, the width at the bridge or in the size and position of the nostrils, a nose profile with visible humps or depressions on the bridge, a nasal tip that is enlarged, drooping, upturned or hooked, nostrils that are large, wide, or upturned, nasal asymmetry, and can correct a deviated septum, a common cause of breathing impairment.

Intravenous sedation or anesthesia will be administered so that you will be comfortable during nose surgery. Nose surgery 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 skin that covers the nasal bones and cartilages is gently raised, allowing access to reshape the structure of the nose.

By removing bone or cartilage, an overly large nose may be reduced. Sometimes surgery of the nose may require the addition of cartilage grafts. Most commonly, cartilage from the septum, the partition in the middle of the nose, is used for this purpose.

If the septum is deviated, it can be straightened and the projections inside the nose reduced to improve breathing.

Once the nose is sculpted to the desired shape, nasal skin and tissue is tightened and incisions are closed.

During your nose surgery recovery, a splint and/or gauze packing may be placed inside your nose and a splint or bandages placed on the outside to support and protect the new structures during initial healing.

While the initial swelling subsides within a few weeks, it may take up to a year for your new nasal contour to fully refine. Swelling may come and go and worsen in the morning during the first year following surgery.

Nose surgery is a highly individualized procedure. Individuals who want to improve the look of their nose or who have a deformity that needs correcting may be good candidates. These individuals should have complete facial growth, are healthy with no serious medical conditions or illnesses, are nonsmokers, and have a positive outlook and realistic expectations for results.