Some things about your body or look can’t be changed. For instance, if you’d like to be taller really the only thing you can do is wear bigger heels. Or if you don’t like the size of your feet, not much to do there.
But your nose is not in that category; it can be changed.
You may think of the procedure as a nose job, but the clinical title is rhinoplasty and our team at Elite Plastic Surgery is expert in all facets of the surgery. The goal is usually to either improve the look or balance of the nose, or to correct its function.
Changing your nose
Nose surgery removes, rearranges, or reshapes the bone or cartilage of the nose to correct irregularities. As one of the main focal points of the face, the nose has a big impact on how people see themselves. In 2015, half a million people opted to have rhinoplasty to change their nose. That’s a lot of people who decided they didn’t have to look at the same old nose every day.
Deciding on your new nose
During your consultation with your Elite surgeon you will discuss how you want to change your nose. The more specific your expectations the better. This should include some research on your part.
Benefits of rhinoplasty
These are some of the issues we correct with nose surgery:
- Removing a bump on the bridge
- Modifying the bridge
- Reshaping the tip
- Reshaping or resizing the nostrils
- Repairing a formerly damaged nose
- Increasing or decreasing the overall size
- Improving breathing capacity
Rhinoplasty procedure details
We usually use general anesthesia for our nose surgeries, because the surgery can be quite involved. An “open” approach in most common. This is the method where the incisions are created across the tissue between the patient’s nostrils. It allows more significant changes to things such as overall nose size. If the goal is to reduce the nose size or shape, or to straighten it, the skin covering the underlying bone and cartilage will be separated, allowing the cartilage and bone to be reshaped. Once this has been done, the skin is then re-draped over the surface. Flared nostrils can be narrowed by creating an incision at the junction between the nose and the skin of the upper lip.
If the situation is right, we use the “closed” method where all incisions are made within the nose itself. This method is used when smaller refinements are needed.
Rhinoplasty recovery
After surgery, you’ll be wearing a lightweight splint to maintain the shape of the nose and protect it somewhat. This splint is removed after a week following surgery. Stuffiness is expected after surgery, especially when changes have been made to the septum. You will have bruising and swelling, but a cold compress helps a good deal. Recovery usually takes one to two weeks, but there can be periods of swelling for months, often later in the day or early evening.
Schedule a consultation
Get a nose you like looking at every morning. Call Elite at 616-459-1907 and set up a consultation for rhinoplasty.
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