Rhinoplasty Overview

The clinical word for a nose job is rhinoplasty and it is one of the most common forms of cosmetic surgery. Rhinoplasty can straighten a crooked nose, remove a bump or hump on the bridge of the nose, refine the size and shape of the nostrils, or raise the bridge of the nose, depending on what is needed. The surgery can bring the nose into harmony with the rest of the face.

Surgery to the nose can be either cosmetic (to improve appearance only) or therapeutic (to fix a damaged nose or to improve impaired breathing), and is often a little of both. It is not uncommon for someone with a deviated septum (the vertical wall of membrane, cartilage, and bone between the two nostrils) to have surgery that both improves the breathing and straightens the nose made crooked by the deviation. Surgery to reshape the septum is often called septoplasty.

Often, a person who sees a plastic surgeon to ask about a rhinoplasty may be told that his or her nose is not too large, but that it looks large because the chin is weak. A weak chin can make even a normal sized nose look out of proportion. A plastic surgeon will sometimes suggest a chin implant to add prominence to the chin and bring the whole face into balance.

There are many surgical techniques used to reshape the nose. A plastic surgeon may reshape the tip of the nose or remove a hump on the bridge of the nose by carefully carving the cartilage. He or she may reshape the nostrils by removing a thin sliver of cartilage and skin where the nostril meets the cheek. Often, the bridge of the nose is corrected by breaking the nasal bones and resetting them.

Most rhinoplasties can be divided into two basic types: open and closed. In an open rhinoplasty, an incision is made in the skin across the bottom of the septum between the two nostrils. The skin is then peeled back over the nose and all the changes to the structure of the nose are made. The incision usually heals into an almost imperceptible scar that is hidden under the nose.

In a closed rhinoplasty, all incisions are made inside the nostrils. Scars are hidden inside the nose. The disadvantage is that the surgeon cannot get as good a view of what he or she is doing as with an open rhinoplasty.

A nose job can be done on someone as early as age 15 or 16. A cosmetic nose job should not be done earlier because the nose has not completely finished growing.

Almost all rhinoplasties are performed as ambulatory surgery, with the patient going home a few hours after the procedure is completed. Often, a nose job is performed in a surgeon's office. Usually, local anesthesia and light sedation are used, but general anesthesia is used in some cases. Rhinoplasty can be combined with other procedures, such as a face lift or facial implants.

Disclaimers