While it is difficult to know for sure what a prospective patient may know or not know about rhinoplasty surgery, here are 8 interesting facts about rhinoplasty surgery:
1. Rhinoplasty surgery is the surgical correction of various deformities of the nose that may be secondary to trauma, congenital maldevelopment, or previous surgery. Most often the complaints, which one who is interested in rhinoplasty surgery have, revolve around features of the nose being disproportionately too large, but it is also not too uncommon to repair features that are too small or deficient in size. Most often the nose is reshaped by first separating the skeletal frame work away from its surrounding skin and inner lining, called mucosa. The skeletal framework, which is made up of cartilage and bone, is then reshaped by excision, repositioning, or grafting of additional cartilage to make a more pleasing shaped and sized nose. The skin and lining are then redraped and the nose is usually splinted in position.
2. Rhinoplasty surgery is often associated with procedures to improve the function of the nose. Septoplasty surgery is used to straighten a deviation in the septum of the nose that may be obstructing air flow. Turbinate surgery is also performed to improve air flow when these lateral wall appendages are oversized. These procedures, while often performed in conjunction with rhinoplasty surgery, can be performed on their own or not at all during rhinoplasty surgery. These are the procedures that may be covered by health insurance, but not always. In this day and age, rhinoplasty is almost never a covered benefit.
3. Rhinoplasty surgery is one of the more popular cosmetic plastic surgical procedures performed in the country and in our office. Of all the plastic surgery procedures that exist today, rhinoplasty continues to be one of the most common. In 2012, more than 240,000 people underwent rhinoplasty procedures, making it the second most popular operation (just behind breast augmentation). With more celebrity rhinoplasties being performed, comes more awareness, and with more awareness comes more acceptance. This, and the fact that many are performed with minimal downtime, has contributed to the growth in numbers of Rhinoplasties being performed.
4. Better does not always mean perfect. Before having rhinoplasty surgery it is important to understand that while transforming improvements can be made, it is not uncommon for the end result to be less than perfect. There are factors that are a part of the healing process that can’t be controlled by the surgeon or patient.
5. This is why secondary, or redo, rhinoplasties make up about 25% of all the rhinoplasties that are performed in the country. It is important to remember that a second operation to correct minor deficiencies from the original procedure is not always prudent and should be thoroughly discussed with your surgeon prior to going forward. Sometimes the enemy of good is better.
6. Sometimes rhinoplasty surgery is performed to make the nose more prominent. This can be called augmentation rhinoplasty surgery and is often performed with an implant. Cartilage taken from other body parts is sometimes used as well. These procedures are most often performed on people of asian descent as they typically have less projected noses.
7. Digital imaging is a powerful preoperative tool that can be used to allow the surgeon and the surgical candidate to communicate in a more effective way so that expectations for results are better understood. These digital alterations should never be perceived as an exact surgical outcome but as a reasonable goal to be strived for.
8. Even good digital imaging cannot replace the value of a consultation and evaluation by a board certified plastic surgeon. During this visit the patient’s desires and goals are discussed. The patient is physically examined both for aesthetic changes and potential functional deficits. Additionally, surrounding facial features are evaluated that may lead to suggested additional or alternative procedures that may complement the rhinoplasty result.
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