Nose surgery, also known as rhinoplasty, is designed to reshape or repair the nose by improving the appearance and/or function of the nose. Another procedure associated with rhinoplasty and often performed at the same time is septoplasty, a procedure that opens up nasal passages blocked by a bent septum.
Is Nose Reshaping Surgery Right For Me?
There’s no upper age limit on rhinoplasties, so if you’re in relatively good health and any of the following sounds like you, this procedure is able to make a difference.
- You have a hump or protrusion on the nasal bridge seen from profile
- Your nasal bridge is too low
- Your nose looks too wide when viewed from the front
- It has the appearance of being too large or too small for your face
- The end of your face, at the nasal tip, droops or is crooked
- The nasal tip is thickened or enlarged
- Your nostrils are permanently or excessively flared.
- Your nose is off-centre or crooked
- Previous injury has made your nose asymmetrical
- You have breathing difficulties, either inherently or as the result of previous injuries or medical conditions.
How Does Nose Reshaping Work?
The first step is always an initial consultation session. Here you’ll meet your surgeon, get answers to any and all questions and receive personalised information about exactly what can be accomplished with rhinoplasty. They’ll take a thorough medical history and together you’ll decide on the best plan of action. In most cases, rhinoplasties can be performed fairly quickly and in under 2 hours. For their comfort most people opt for an overnight stay, but the procedure can also be done in a single day, when requested.
In most cases, all of the incisions will be inside the nasal cavity, meaning no visible scars whatsoever. Sometimes, however, it’s necessary to place a small incision across the columella, the patch of skin between the nostrils. Through these entry points, surgeons will work on the cartilage and bone that make up the framework of your nose, whether it means removing or building up cartilage, or subtly shifting the position of nasal bones to suit. Afterwards, the skin and soft tissues will adjust and re-drape themselves over the new structural scaffolding.
Initially following the surgery, your nose will feel blocked and uncomfortable with bruising and swelling in some areas. Recovery times vary depending on the exact procedure, but generally you should take it easy for at least a week afterwards while waiting for things to heal and adjust. Following that, things might feel stuffy for a couple of weeks while the swelling on the inside goes down.
