What is nose surgery?

Also known as rhinoplasty, nose surgery improves the appearance and proportion of your nose, enhancing facial harmony and self-confidence. Surgery of the nose may also correct impaired breathing caused by structural abnormalities in the nose.

Nose surgery can change:

• · Nose size in relation to facial balance
• · Nose width at the bridge or in the size and position of the nostrils
• · Nose profile with visible humps or depressions on the bridge
• · Nasal tip that is enlarged or bulbous, drooping, upturned or hooked
• · Nostrils that are large, wide, or upturned
• · Nasal asymmetry

What you should know before nose surgery.

During your recovery, a splint and/or packing will likely 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 swelling subsides within a few weeks, it takes up to a year for your new nasal contour to fully refine. During this time you may notice gradual changes in the appearance of your nose as it refines to a more permanent outcome. Swelling may come and go and worsen in the morning during the first year following your rhinoplasty surgery.

Be prepared to discuss:

• · Your surgical goals, with regard to both appearance and breathing
• · Medical conditions, drug allergies, and previous medical treatments
• · Current medications, vitamins, herbal supplements, alcohol, tobacco, and drug use
• · Previous surgeries

Your surgeon may also:

• · Evaluate your general health status and any pre-existing health conditions or risk factors
• · The options available to you for nose reshaping
• · Examine and measure your face
• · Take photographs
• · Discuss your nose surgery options
• · Recommend a course of treatment
• · Discuss likely outcomes of a nose surgery and any risks or potential complications

Important facts about the safety and risks of nose surgery

The decision to have nose surgery is extremely personal and you’ll have to decide if the benefits will fulfil your goals and if the risks and potential complications are acceptable.

Your plastic surgeon and/or staff will explain in detail the risks associated with surgery. You will be asked to sign consent forms to ensure that you fully understand the procedure you will undergo and any risks or potential complications.

The risks include:

• · Rupture of small surface vessels of the nose
• · Infection
• · Poor wound healing
• · Anaesthesia risks
• · Bleeding (hematoma)
• · Nose asymmetry
• · Cardiac and pulmonary complications can occur in longer surgical procedures and may be associated with the formation of, or increase in, blood clots in the venous system
• · Change in skin sensation (numbness)
• · Nasal airway alterations may occur after a rhinoplasty or septoplasty that may interfere with normal passage of air through the nose
• · Nasal septal perforation (a hole in the nasal septum) may develop but is rare; additional surgical treatment may be necessary to repair the nasal septum but in some cases, it may be impossible to correct this complication
• · Pain, which may persist
• · Unfavourable scarring
• · Skin contour irregularities
• · Skin discoloration and swelling
• · Sutures may spontaneously surface through the skin, become visible or produce irritation that require removal
• · Possibility of revision surgery

Be sure to ask questions:

It’s very important to ask your plastic surgeon questions about your nose procedure. It’s natural to feel some anxiety, whether it’s excitement for your anticipated new look or a bit of preoperative stress. Don’t be shy about discussing these feelings with your plastic surgeon.