The nose may not be the window to the soul, but it’s certainly the centerpiece of your face. For many patients, this isn’t necessarily good news. A nose that feels out of whack with the rest of the face can draw a great deal of unwanted attention. Indeed, many rhinoplasty patients feel as though their noses draw a disproportional amount of attention—in a negative way. Most people don’t want their noses to stand out; they want all aspects of the face to work together in harmony. Sometimes, the only way to achieve such harmony is through a procedure known as rhinoplasty.
Commonly known as the “nose job,” rhinoplasty is a surgical procedure through which the size and shape of the nose is altered. Most patients who receive rhinoplasty note afterwards how comfortable they are with the new proportions of their faces; in other words, most rhinoplasty patients feel as though people are no longer staring at their noses. This can be a great feeling—a feeling of freedom. Finally, the face is appreciated; a face in which the nose doesn’t stick out. For this reason, among others, rhinoplasty is one of the most reliably popular plastic surgery procedures on the market today.
It feels good to feel great about your face. But that isn’t the only reason why rhinoplasty is a particularly popular procedure. It is, of course, the most visible. By addressing bumps or dips in the nose, or by changing the proportions of the nose, surgeons are able to help patients feel good about their nose again. And when patients feel good about their nose, they are more likely to feel good about their faces. This is because the human face is very dependent upon relation and ratio: every aspect of the face works together, and a rhinoplasty performed properly can bring the face into harmony.
Rhinoplasty, generally, can be performed under general or local anesthesia with sedation. Much will depend on the comfort level of the patient as well the overall desired results. After all, rhinoplasty is a widely variable procedure—that is, many patients want different outcomes, so cosmetic and plastic surgeons have developed many techniques to reach those outcomes. This can include adding rhinoplasty implants or removing portions of the existing cartilage structure of the nose.
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In most rhinoplasty procedures, the incision is basically the same. Most rhinoplasty surgeons will make an incision across the columella—that is, the portion of skin between the two nostrils. Once the incision is made, the surgeon will usually gently pull the skin up and over the nose, exposing the muscle and cartilage structure of the nose. Once exposed, the surgeon can easily make changes to the overall shape of the nose, either by removing tissue or by building it up. As mentioned above, in some cases a nose “implant” will be constructed and used in order to achieve the desired shape (though that implant will also itself need to be altered).
In cases where a deviated septum needs to be corrected, that work will also commence at this point. Once all work is complete, the surgeons will close the incision. In most cases, scarring is minimal and easily hidden (indeed, that is one reason surgeons prefer this incision technique—the scar is in an obscure area).
In most cases, recovery from a rhinoplasty procedure can be somewhat lengthy. After all, the nose is a sensitive area, so patients should have realistic expectations about what their recovery periods will entail. Patients may be required to wear a bandage or cast over the nose for a period of several weeks in order to protect the results of the surgery. Major swelling will diminish shortly after that, but minor swelling can persist for up to a year.
Most patients are exceptionally thrilled with the results of their rhinoplasty procedures. This procedure allows patients to finally get the nose they want: whether that nose is slimmer or more robust, rounder or more square. Changing the nose allows the patient to bring the face into alignment and proportion. This means that the patient can feel more comfortable with his or her overall appearance.
It’s easy to view patients of rhinoplasty as somehow “shallow.” But these nose issues can draw a great deal of unwanted attention and make patients feel distinctly uncomfortable—a feeling that can negatively effect someone’s life, making that person feel self-conscious in all manner of ways. Rhinoplasty surgery allows patients to finally feel comfortable and confident in their own skin. It’s a transformation that patients find difficult to pass up.
If you’re thinking about changing your nose to feel more comfortable with the way you look, talk to a highly qualified plastic surgeon today. To learn more on your own, check out our wide selection of rhinoplasty articles.