Dr Anup Dhir
The following are some common reasons why you may want to consider rhinoplasty:
- Your nose is too large or too small.
- Your nose does not seem to fit with the rest of your face.
- Your nose is crooked, badly shaped, or out of alignment.
- You have nasal blockage inside your nose and have trouble breathing.
- You have a birth defect that you would like improved.
- You would like improvement, not perfection, in the appearance of your nose.
If you are in good general health, have a positive attitude and realistic expectations, you are most likely a good candidate for this procedure.
For an open rhinoplasty, the incisions are made outside the nose with a small access incision on the underside of the nose between the nostrils that then connects with other incisions hidden inside the nose.
Autologous cartilage grafts taken from your nasal septum (the wall inside the nose that divides one air passage from the other) offers the best chance for a natural result. If cartilage and bone have already been removed from the nasal septum, then ear or rib cartilage and sometimes bone from the skull are other options.
After surgery you may be asked to wear a nasal splint over your nose for support. The splint will protect your nose while you sleep and shield it from accidental bumps. You may also have a small triangular bandage beneath the tip of your nose. Nasal packing will be placed inside your nose for additional support; it acts as an internal splint to hold everything in place and to keep the airway clean and free of crusts. Expect some swelling and bruising and possibly some discomfort. Your face will be puffy, and the areas around your nose and eyes will be bruised and swollen after surgery. You will have to limit your activities for a few days to 3 weeks.
The results of rhinoplasty are permanent, so it is important that you have clear aesthetic goals when this procedure is planned. Rhinoplasty should only be performed on a nose that has finished growing; complete development has usually occurred by age sixteen or seventeen. If rhinoplasty is performed before development is complete, continued growth can change the outcome of your surgery and cause potential problems and complications. The results of nose surgery in expert hands are gratifying.
