Rhinoplasty Surgery
With rhinoplasty surgery, you can reshape your nose to achieve a more balanced and symmetrical facial appearance. Additionally, structural problems that make it difficult to breathe through your nose can also be corrected.
What Can Rhinoplasty Treat?
Rhinoplasty is a surgery aimed at addressing aesthetic and functional issues related to your nose. You may choose to undergo rhinoplasty for purely aesthetic or medical concerns, or your goals may be to improve both your breathing and appearance.
Cosmetic Rhinoplasty
Cosmetic rhinoplasty can reshape your nose in the following ways:
- Enlarging the size
- Reducing the size
- Reshaping a nose that is too small, too large, droopy, or too wide
- Reshaping a crooked or bent nose
- Reducing the size of the nostril openings
- Increasing the size of the nostril openings
- Creating a different angle between the upper lip and nose
- Improving symmetry
Functional Rhinoplasty
Difficulty breathing, sleep apnea, and snoring can be the result of structural abnormalities in your nose. There may be curvatures in the cartilage and bone structures that regulate the nasal airway due to structural or past trauma. The turbinates located on the inner edge of the nasal bones can be larger than normal due to structural or allergic reasons. Such conditions can cause narrowing and congestion within the nose, preventing you from breathing comfortably. In most cases, these issues can also be resolved with rhinoplasty.
Functional Rhinoplasty Can Correct:
- Ensuring comfortable airflow through the nasal airway
- Reshaping or repositioning the cartilage
- Straightening a deviated septum (the cartilage wall in the center of the nose)
- Adjusting enlarged turbinate structures
Am I a Candidate for Rhinoplasty?
If you’re not satisfied with the shape of your nose, have difficulty breathing, and meet a few basic health and lifestyle qualities, you could be a good candidate for rhinoplasty. During the initial consultation, a general facial examination and a review of your medical history will help determine whether you’re a suitable candidate. In general, candidates for rhinoplasty:
- Must have a fully developed nose – Cosmetic concerns with your nose may resolve naturally as it develops. The nose usually fully matures around age 17 for girls and 18 for boys.
- Should have realistic expectations – Your treatment goal should be to improve your appearance rather than becoming a copy of someone else.
- Should be physically healthy – This means there should be no conditions that hinder your body’s healing process.
- Should not smoke or be determined to quit smoking for an extended period. Smoking can affect your recovery process, so it’s necessary to quit before surgery and during recovery.
Rhinoplasty Procedure
Initial Consultation
During the initial consultation, we will discuss your treatment goals with you. Additionally, your overall facial structure will be evaluated to determine whether rhinoplasty is the best facial aesthetic surgery option for you, ensuring a natural look that complements your face. After this assessment, we’ll also check whether interventions are needed for other areas like the chin, cheeks, and forehead. We will capture photos of you from eight different angles with a digital camera, transfer them to a computer, and use a special program to create animations for this evaluation. These animations will help us understand your expectations and explain possible procedures more clearly, allowing us to make a better analysis for the rhinoplasty surgery.
Your rhinoplasty procedure will be customized according to your anatomy and desired outcomes. General anesthesia will be applied to ensure your comfort during the procedure. Depending on the patient’s nasal structure and the scope of the procedures, open or closed rhinoplasty techniques may be used.
Open Rhinoplasty
An incision is made externally in the tissue separating your nostrils.
Closed Rhinoplasty
Incisions are made inside the nostrils.
After making the incisions, we will completely separate the skin from the cartilage and bone to reshape the frame of your nose. Finally, the skin and tissue will be repositioned, and the incisions will be closed. A splint will be placed to support and protect your nose, and there will be silicone nasal packing inside the nose for a few days after surgery.
Rhinoplasty takes about 2-3 hours, and you can go home the same day or the day after. It is crucial to have someone accompany you.
What to Expect After Rhinoplasty?
In the first week following surgery, some bruising and swelling around the eyes are common. All precautions will be taken before, during, and after the operation to minimize these symptoms. You should avoid intense physical activities for at least one week. Most patients, except those with physically demanding job requirements, can return to work 7-10 days after surgery.
One week after surgery, the splint on the patient’s nose is removed, and taping is applied to reduce swelling. At the second-week check-up, this tape is removed, and if necessary, massage recommendations are given according to the general condition of the nose.
In the first month of recovery, there will be temporary swelling in your nose. After this period, the swelling will gradually decrease, and the shape of your nose will become evident within 3-6 months. The bones take approximately 6-8 weeks to heal, so you should protect your nose from impacts and avoid wearing glasses during this time. You should be aware that complete healing of the nose will take at least one year, so be patient for the final result and protect your nose from any trauma during this time.
